HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Thu 15 October 2026:

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

◼️Number of South African refugees landing in the United States increased: The largest monthly total on record was in September 2026, when the number of South Africans arriving in the United States through the refugee programme reached 3,388. The report further showed that over the last financial year, 16,289 South African refugees arrived in the United States. Apart from 3 refugees from Afghanistan who arrived in November 2025, all the others who resettled were from South Africa.
Read more here:
https://newsday.co.za/south-africa/29208/the-number-of-south-african-refugees-landing-in-the-united-states-increased-by-2610-in-less-than-a-year/

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◼️ South Africa is losing battle against criminal syndicates: According to figures released by the Treasury, the illicit economy in South Africa is said to account for about R700bn of GDP. BAT, the cigarette manufacturer worth nearly R2-trillion on the JSE, is months away from ceasing local production after it was driven away by contraband that currently constitutes 75% of the market. “This is not just about the survival of the legal industry or lost government excise tax revenue, which we estimate at R30bn a year. It is about the formal jobs and livelihoods being lost to illicit trade across the economy.
Read more here:
https://www.businessday.co.za/companies/2026-10-15-sas-r700bn-illicit-economy-threatens-to-send-industry-up-in-smoke/

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◼️ Eight guards on watch as Jacob Zuma remains in hospital: Four security guards stand outside the first-floor ward. Another four guard the room where former president Jacob Zuma remains under medical observation at Netcare St Anne’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg. Despite reports that he had been discharged, Zuma had not gone home by Wednesday afternoon on October 14, IOL can confirm.
Read more here:
https://iol.co.za/news/2026-10-15-iol-exclusive-eight-guards-on-watch-as-jacob-zuma-remains-in-hospital/

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◼️Bushiri celebrates as Malawi High Court blocks extradition to SA: Malawi’s High Court has reversed an order to extradite Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary to South Africa. The couple fled South Africa in 2020 while facing fraud, theft, and money laundering charges worth more than R102 million. The State can only revive the case by appealing the ruling.
Read more here:
https://www.news24.com/world/africa/bushiri-celebrates-as-malawi-high-court-blocks-extradition-to-south-africa-20261014-0991

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◼️Correctional facilities are buckling under the pressure: Inmate population at 169 537 at end of March against approved bed capacity of 107 054 with pressure intensifying over the past five years. The department said it continued to pursue measures aimed at reducing unnecessary detention, including bail review referrals, applications relating to lengthy detention and audiovisual court appearances.
Read more here:
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/prisons-buckle-as-overcrowding-hits-169-000-against-107-000-beds/

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