HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Thu 26 February 2026:

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

◼️ Ramaphosa thanks Putin: “President Ramaphosa has expressed his heartfelt gratitude to President Vladimir Putin who responded positively to his call to support the process of returning the men home,” Magwenya said. Relatives of the men told the BBC that when they had arrived in Russia, they were given contracts to sign but as they were written in Russian they did not understand it was to fight as mercenaries against Ukrainian forces.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2d1j7klzpgo

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◼️ New rules that will allow Starlink to launch in SA: The only way for foreign telecommunications service providers to operate legally in South Africa is to make a deal with a BEE partner for a minimum 30% stake in their local entity, or to work through middlemen. The African National Congress (ANC) slammed the policy direction, claiming that it exceeded the minister’s authority and undermined South Africa’s transformation framework. “It mirrors a troubling trend where ministers belonging to the Democratic Alliance seek to bypass government,” it said.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadband/630737-minister-doubles-down-on-new-rules-that-will-allow-starlink-to-launch-in-south-africa.html

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◼️ What was promised in the Sona vs what Treasury funded: Some of the plans announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address, including a redesign of social grants, funding for small businesses, and specialised courts for commercial matters, did not get the budget allocation required for implementation.
Funding for failing municipalities is now tied to performance-linked reforms for metro trading services (electricity, water, sanitation and solid waste). The implementation thereof depends on political will that money can’t buy. In his speech, Godongwana issued a warning on this condition.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-02-25-what-was-promised-in-the-sona-vs-what-treasury-funded/

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◼️ Here is how much Godongwana has raised tax on alcohol and cigarettes : One of those inevitable taxes is excise duties on alcohol and smoking products, although the increase is lower than some of the more alarmist predictions. As of 1 April, all forms of liquor will receive a 3.39% increase in excise duty, well short of the possible 6% some had feared. National Liquor Traders Convenor Lucky Ntimane said the increase represented “a balanced and pragmatic” stance that would ease the burden on licensed traders.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/how-much-tax-alcohol-alcohol/

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◼️ Billions allocated to South Africa’s army to fight crime: The government has allocated R848.2 billion over the medium term to combating crime and ensuring territorial integrity. This is in line with Ramaphosa’s announcement that he has deployed the South African Defence Force to fight illegal mining and gangsterism.
https://businesstech.co.za/news/budget-speech/852194/billions-given-to-south-africas-army-and-police-to-take-on-criminals/

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