HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Fri 30 January 2026:

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

◼️ Beaten, starved, and forced to scam: A South African man was lured by a fake job advertisement promising a call centre position in Thailand, but was instead trafficked to a compound in Myanmar. The 27-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man said he was forced to scam older men online under threat of severe punishment.
https://www.news24.com/southafrica/crime-and-courts/beaten-starved-and-forced-to-scam-sa-survivors-tale-of-myanmar-compounds-20260129-1107

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◼️ ANC launches service delivery hotline: In anticipation of voter backlash in the upcoming local government elections, the ANC has decided to launch a toll-free hotline so that residents can report their service delivery concerns. Additionally, rapid response technical teams will be deployed to priority municipalities, where weekly monitoring of delivery performance will be conducted.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/anc-service-delivery-hotline-local-elections/

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◼️ National protest against the US: Mbalula said that South Africa is its own sovereign country and is engaged in a cold war with the US. The SG claimed that the protest is due to South Africa’s sovereignty being “under attack.” “On the 30th anniversary of the South African constitution, the ANC will intensify mass organising and mobilisation to defend South Africa as a sovereign constitutional democracy,” he said.
https://newsday.co.za/south-africa/16248/anc-to-organise-national-march-against-the-us/

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◼️ Fraud warning: Rossouw explained that consumers typically fall for deposit scams for several reasons. Firstly, fraudsters apply psychological pressure to get victims to commit. “Scammers would create urgency. Like, I have other buyers ready to pay today, or stock scarcity, or there’s only one listing left for December accommodation,” she said.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/security/627047-capitec-fraud-warning-2.html

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◼️ Why TikTok users are flocking to UpScrolled: One such option is UpScrolled, a new social media app that promises no censorship and no shadowbanning. UpScrolled was launched last year and was founded by Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian technologist Issam Hijazi. According to his LinkedIn profile, Hijazi had previously worked at tech giants such as IBM and Oracle.
https://iol.co.za/news/world/2026-01-30-why-tiktok-users-are-flocking-to-upscrolled-for-a-censorship-free-experience/

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