HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Thu 18 June 2026:

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

◼️ No more sold slots: According to the department, the upgrade follows years of abuse of the previous booking platform by syndicates and other unscrupulous individuals who exploited vulnerabilities in the system to block appointment slots and sell them on to desperate citizens.
Read more here:
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/home-affairs-locks-down-online-bookings/

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◼️ New social grant for: The BIS is the new social grant the government plans to use to replace the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant, which has been extended far beyond its original intent. The SRD grant was a R350 per month support grant—later lifted to R370—launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to help qualifying South Africans weather the economic uncertainty at the time.
Read more here:
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/863799/new-social-grant-for-south-africa/

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◼️“White gold” rush in SA: South Africa has deposits of several key minerals used in batteries, including an estimated 80% of the world’s manganese reserves. The country also has substantial reserves of platinum group metals used for hydrogen and alternative battery technologies, as well as vanadium, nickel, titanium, and iron ore. However, until recently, prospecting has not found any substantial local deposits of lithium, the silvery-white metal currently the most common active charge carrier used in rechargeable batteries.
Read more here:
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/654115-white-gold-rush-in-south-africa.html

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◼️ McKenzie warns PA members against joining March: “So I don’t want to see a PA member at March and March. I’m not a leader who wants to be fashionable like ActionSA’s leader Herman Mashaba, but leading my people to jail. Who’s going to bail you?” he said. McKenzie warned members against being influenced by political hype around illegal immigration and protest action, saying those involved risked criminal consequences. “If you want to make yourself guilty of assaulting illegal foreigners, we will expel you,” he said.
Read more here:
https://iol.co.za/news/politics/2026-06-18-mckenzie-warns-pa-members-against-joining-march-and-march-protests/

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◼️ SA coach tells critics to ‘shut up’: “I know what went wrong against Mexico. The players know it, and that’s ⁠the most important thing, and for the rest, I will do it ⁠my way,” Broos repeated. The veteran Belgian coach said it was imperative for South Africa to win on Thursday in Atlanta to stand any chance of advancing. The Czechs also lost their first Group A game to South Korea last week.
Read more here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/18/south-africa-coach-tells-critics-to-shut-up-before-second-world-cup-match

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