HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Fri 23 October 2026:

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

◼️ United States warns of new sanctions against SA: The U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, warned that the United States is looking at further sanctions against South Africa. Last month, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new visa restriction policy targeting individuals in South Africa. These individuals include those who enact or enable policies that promote race-based discrimination.
Read more here:
https://newsday.co.za/south-africa/29839/united-states-warns-of-new-sanctions-against-south-africa/

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◼️ Contamination crisis hits SA’s capital: It explained that the contamination was caused by a burst sewer pipe, which allowed contaminated water to enter the water supply system. This resulted in elevated microbial levels that exceeded the capacity of the existing chlorination measures. Although the affected source has been isolated and an alternative supply activated, the municipality has urged residents to continue to observe the boil-water advisory until further testing confirms that the water is safe for consumption.
Read more here:
https://businesstech.co.za/news/trending/881085/contamination-crisis-hits-south-africas-capital-22-more-areas-urged-to-boil-water-before-drinking/

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◼️ SA’s middle class is paying a double tax: He explained that middle-class households are increasingly forced to pay privately for services that their taxes are intended to support. This includes education, healthcare, transport, and security. Healthcare and security add to the burden. Households that can afford to do so pay for private medical care because they cannot rely on public facilities. While private security has long been a common household expense, he said South Africans are now increasingly paying for private firefighting services to protect their properties and possessions.
Read more here:
https://dailyinvestor.com/finance/160226/south-africas-middle-class-is-paying-a-double-tax/

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◼️ Home Affairs is ignoring phone calls: We called during the listed open hours, and both lines rang for nearly a minute before the calls were automatically terminated. We found this highly unusual, as the typical approach for a contact centre is to put callers on hold and play music while they wait for a support agent to attend to their query. Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber has made a mission of fixing the department’s notorious “System is Offline” issues with a sharpened focus on digitisation.
Read more here:
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/government/672882-home-affairs-is-ignoring-phone-calls-in-south-africa.html

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◼️ Brazil may turn right-wing again — this is why South Africans should care: A Bolsonaro presidency could reverse much of this progress. During his father’s administration, Brazil turned away from its traditional commitment to South-South cooperation, favouring close ideological ties with Donald Trump and the US. Flávio Bolsonaro has embraced much of his father’s political agenda. His victory would likely pull Brazil closer to Washington, weakening its position as an independent voice in global affairs.
Read more here:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2026-10-23-brazil-may-turn-right-wing-again-this-is-why-south-africans-should-care/

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