HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Thu 25 June 2026:

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

◼️ Strict new smoking laws for SA are coming: After years of delays, amendments, lapses, and revivals, South Africa is finally moving closer to implementing new smoking laws. Violations of the law will carry penalties such as fines and lengthy jail terms. However, the implementation of the proposed laws is still some way off, with the committee only greenlighting the next phase of the lawmaking process.
Read more here
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/864552/strict-new-smoking-laws-for-south-africa-are-coming/

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◼️ Brilliant Bafana surge into World Cup last 32: But it was Bafana who went in front in the 63rd minute. Tshepang Moremi had just come on the field to replace Oswin Appollis. He danced down the left wing and sent in a low cross that Maseko controlled and drilled low past the diving Seung-gyu.
Read more here
https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/soccer/brilliant-bafana-surge-into-world-cup-last-32/

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◼️ Drones and helicopters on standby for national shutdown: “Identified hotspot areas will be closely monitored by our teams.” According to Fidelity, the current intelligence noted that the highest risk of unrest was around specific local nodes, transport routes, town centres, business districts, municipal offices and foreign businesses. As with the July 2021 unrest, the highest risk is concentrated in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, Fidelity said.
Read more here
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/security/655605-drones-and-helicopters-on-standby-for-national-shutdown-and-social-unrest-in-south-africa.html

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◼️ Load shedding is down — so why are South Africans paying more for electricity? According to Reuters, the revised decision allowed Eskom’s tariffs to increase by 8.76% in 2026 after the regulator corrected calculation errors identified in an earlier determination. For consumers, the result is a difficult reality: while load shedding has largely disappeared and power station performance has improved, electricity bills continue to climb.
Read more here:
https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-06-25-load-shedding-is-down–so-why-are-south-africans-paying-more-for-electricity/

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◼️ Threat to grocery deliveries: The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) has warned its members to prepare for potential disruptions during anti-immigrant protests on June 30. There is concern that delivery services such as MrD, UberEats, Checkers Sixty60, Pick n Pay ASAP, and Woolies Dash may be targeted, possibly impacting deliveries next week.
Read more here
https://businesstech.co.za/news/5-things/864562/warning-to-users-of-checkers-sixty60-mrd-pick-n-pay-asap-woolies-dash-and-new-rules-for-scanning-driving-licences-at-estates/

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