HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Thu 19 March 2026:

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

◼️ Human Rights Day shadowed by SA’s gun crisis: Yet gun violence continues to take lives across our country. Research drawing on police and public health data suggests that around 30 people are killed with a gun every day in SA. Many guns used in crime were legal. Over five years, more than 21 700 lost or stolen guns were recovered by police, and 6 653 of them were linked by ballistics to murders. Research has also shown many illegal firearms originate from weapons once legally owned by civilians, or the state before being lost, stolen or diverted into criminal circulation.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/opinion/human-rights-day-shadowed-by-south-africas-gun-crisis/

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◼️ Government says fuel supply is stable—for now: The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has stated that the national fuel supply is currently stable. This reassurance comes amidst increasing volatility in global energy markets due to the conflict in the Middle East. The government is actively working to secure both crude oil and refined petroleum products. They confirmed that fuel consignments for March and early April were arranged before the onset of the war, and that deliveries are expected in the coming weeks.
https://www.enca.com/business-top-stories/government-says-national-fuel-supply-stable

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◼️ How much judges, magistrates, and justices in SA get paid in 2026: The highest-paid position is the Chief Justice, with an annual salary reported by the presidency of over R3.3 million. The annual salary of the Public Protector is over R2.7 million, set at R2,701,451—which is the exact same amount earned by a Judge of the Constitutional Court or a Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal.
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/854163/how-much-judges-magistrates-and-justices-in-south-africa-get-paid-in-2026/

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◼️ Bo-Kaap, homes under siege from rich foreign buyers: Just after sunrise, the call to prayer drifts across a community at the foot of Cape Town’s Table Mountain. From the minaret of the Auwal Masjid – South Africa’s oldest mosque, built in 1794 – the adhan echoes through the narrow streets and brightly coloured houses of Bo-Kaap, a historically Muslim community. But beneath that familiar call that has rung out for more than two centuries, a quieter shift is unfolding.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/3/18/in-cape-towns-historic-bo-kaap-homes-under-siege-from-rich-foreign-buyers

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◼️ Nigerian scammers created operations in SA: Cameroonian, Ghanaian, and Israeli syndicates operate in South Africa, but the largest role by far is played by Nigerian confraternities. There are five Nigerian confraternities known to operate in South Africa, the largest of which is Black Axe. They have been in South Africa since at least the early 2000s, and their primary activities are business email compromise (BEC) fraud and romance scamming.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/security/634116-nigerian-scammers-created-operations-in-south-africa-with-johannesburg-and-cape-town-hubs.html

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