HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Sat 06 June 2026:

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

◼️ Fitch Lifts SA Rating on Fiscal Progress: Fitch Ratings raised South Africa’s credit rating on Friday, citing stronger fiscal discipline and lower-than-expected debt, marking its first upgrade of the country in more than two decades. The agency lifted the rating one notch to ‘BB’ from ‘BB-‘, keeping it below investment grade. “The upgrade primarily reflects South Africa’s record of prudent fiscal management and progress on fiscal consolidation, despite weak economic growth and domestic and external shocks,” the ratings agency.
Read more here:
https://www.ecr.co.za/news/news/fitch-lifts-south-africa-rating-in-first-upgrade/

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◼️ SASSA tightens grip on grant fraud: Government spends about R22 billion every month on permanent social grants supporting children, older persons and persons with disabilities, while R36.4 billion has been allocated for the continuation of the SRD grant until March 2027. Government strengthening verification systems by cross-referencing beneficiary data with the National Population Register and banking institutions to curb fraudulent payments.
Read more here:
https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-06-05-sassa-tightens-grip-on-grant-fraud-as-r77-million-set-aside-for-investigations/

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◼️ Government bought tablets for R53 million and most are gathering dust in a warehouse: “If the programme has stopped, it might be the issue of the skills of the people sitting in the department. ICT is quite a complex programme,” former director-general of the department, Irene Mpolweni, said. “The people that are sitting there should be able to do the programme, but at the moment, we are finding out that there’s no movement.” In January 2026, reports surfaced that the Mpumalanga Department of Education had allegedly wasted R200-million on faulty tablets for pupils across the province.
Read more here:
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/gadgets/651076-government-bought-tablets-for-r53-million-and-most-are-gathering-dust-in-a-warehouse.html

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◼️ 20,000 illicit funeral parlours are operating across SA: South Africa’s funeral industry, which generates an estimated R10 billion to R12 billion annually, is facing a growing problem: the rapid rise of unauthorised funeral operators. The issue recently came into sharp focus after the City of Johannesburg shut down an unauthorised funeral undertaking facility. According to the caretaker, the facility handled roughly five bodies per week. Further violations included an illegal electricity connection and the absence of a municipal electricity meter.
Read more here:
https://dailyinvestor.com/south-africa/135688/20000-illicit-funeral-parlours-are-operating-accross-south-africa/

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◼️ Can drones stop crime? The debate comes after the City of Cape Town said its Safety and Security Directorate is on track to complete about 1,000 drone flights by June this year, around four times the number conducted by the Western Cape SAPS Air Wing over the same period. But criminology and security expert Professor Kholofelo Rakubu cautioned that while drones can strengthen policing, they are not a solution to crime.
Read more here:
https://www.ewn.co.za/south-africans-want-safer-streets-can-drones-stop-crime/

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