HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Fri 20 February 2026:

Here’s what’s happening in South Africa today:👇🏼

◼️ Bellarmine Mugabe — youngest son of Zimbabwe’s former president, Robert Mugabe — and his co-accused will appear in court on Monday. The case follows the alleged attempted murder of a 23-year-old gardener at the Mugabe family home in Hyde Park on Thursday. Mugabe family lawyer Ashel Mugiya said the family was aware of the arrest but deferred comment on legal proceedings in South Africa.
https://www.enca.com/news-top-stories/mugabes-son-co-accused-due-court-monday

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◼️ Billions needed to sort water crisis: “The key issue is the pipes. The pipes underground are asbestos pipes that can no longer be repaired — they are finished. “In the CBD, it is the steel pipes which have also rusted and need to be replaced,” mayor Dada Morero said, noting that the city has about 12 600km of water network infrastructure and almost the same length for the sewer network. In his State of the Nation address (Sona) last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said water, along with crime, had become the single most important issue for many South Africans.
https://mg.co.za/news/2026-02-20-billions-needed-to-sort-water-crisis/

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◼️ Eskom playing hard: The power utility has exempted Eskom Direct customers with rooftop solar power systems with capacities under 100kW from registration fees for its SSEG programme until 31 March 2026. Outa maintains that the only legal requirement for a solar power system is a valid electrical certificate of compliance (CoC), issued by an electrician registered with the Department of Labour.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/629434-eskom-playing-hard-to-get-with-free-solar-registration-extension.html

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◼️ Are businesses breaking the law without knowing it? Transformation compliance presents another significant risk area. Ali warns that many organisations still treat Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) as a tick-box exercise. “Misinterpreting scorecard requirements or appointing nominal directors or partners without genuine participation is not just non-compliance, it is fronting, which constitutes criminal fraud,” he says. Labour law violations are also widespread. Businesses frequently breach the Employment Equity Act, minimum wage provisions, maximum working hours and fair dismissal requirements – often without malicious intent.
https://iol.co.za/saturday-star/news/2026-02-20-are-south-african-businesses-breaking-the-law-without-knowing-it/

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◼️ Toyota dealers quietly built a free electric car charging network: That rollout consists of 100 rapid direct current (DC) chargers, each of which supports up to 120kW of power, necessary for filling up larger bus batteries without substantial downtime. Toyota plans to launch its first fully-electric car — the Toyota bZ4X crossover — in South Africa in 2026. After many delays, the second-generation RAV4 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is also scheduled for a local launch.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/motoring/629595-toyota-dealers-quietly-built-a-free-electric-car-charging-network-in-south-africa.html

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