HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Fri 23 January 2026:

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

◼️ SA police not yet able to defeat gangs: Gang violence, alongside robberies, accounts for many murders in South Africa, which has one of the world’s highest homicide rates. Cachalia said gang violence had become increasingly complex, especially in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces, requiring new strategies beyond traditional policing.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2ll9wr562o

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◼️ D-Day looms for Julius Malema: The sentencing of EFF leader Julius Malema might be the end of his political career, according to experts. Malema’s pre-sentencing hearing is expected to start in the East London Magistrate’s Court today. He was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm, ammunition, producing and firing a gun in public and other related charges.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/d-day-looms-for-julius-malema/

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◼️ The real cost of high food prices in SA: It highlighted price increases in electricity (68%), water (50%), education fees (37-42%), and GP services, while noting “rocket and feather” pricing in transport and some food items, with plans to investigate markets for anti-competitive behaviour. “The scenario is grim for the man on the street right now, and has been for far too long,” said Neil Roets, CEO of Debt Rescue.
https://newsday.co.za/industry-news/15732/the-real-cost-of-high-food-prices-in-south-africa/

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◼️ ConCourt rules on property rights in customary marriage: Legal experts noted that the ruling places customary marriage on an equal footing with civil unions in South Africa. It prevents the historical marginalisation of traditional unions by ensuring they are not treated as secondary or temporary arrangements. The judgment confirms that once lobola is paid and the marriage exists, the legal consequences are immediate and binding.
https://independentpress.cc/concourt-rules-on-property-rights-in-customary-marriage/2026/01/23/

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◼️ SA’s top court dismisses bid to block auction of Nelson Mandela’s items: Several dozen items belonging to the former South African leader had been lined up for sale, including his personal identity document upon release from prison in 1990, his famous beige floral Madiba shirts, personal letters, signed books, gifts from former heads of state and institutions and a key to Mandela’s Robben Islands cell, among others.
https://independentpress.cc/sas-top-court-dismisses-bid-to-block-auction-of-nelson-mandelas-items/2026/01/23/

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