HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Tue 04 August 2026:

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

◼️ ‘We will not accept a Bill that legalises land grabs’: The DA is challenging the Expropriation Act in the Western Cape High Court on Monday. The party claims that this legislation is divisive and poses a danger to property rights in South Africa. The party’s Federal Council chairperson, Ashor Sarupen said the DA does acknowledge South Africa’s history of displacement and apartheid-era land grabs. But he said parallel legislation is not the solution to the problem.
Read more here:
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/we-will-not-accept-a-bill-that-legalises-land-grabs-da-vows-to-fight-for-property-rights/

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◼️ New online system for smart IDs in SA: Home Affairs has launched a new online platform that allows people to locate their nearest participating bank branch for smart ID applications. Home Affairs said over 500,000 South Africans have applied for smart ID cards through participating banks since the Digital Partnership was launched on 9 March 2026. Schreiber encouraged every South African still using the green-barcoded ID book to switch to the secure smart ID card.
Read more here:
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/banking/660863-new-online-system-for-smart-ids-in-south-africa.html

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◼️ ‘School bullying’ searches spike 202%: Traditional, in-person bullying also remains widespread. A nationally representative study of more than 7 000 primary schoolchildren found that between 22% and 33% reported being physically hit by other children, while in some provinces close to four in 10 reported being deliberately excluded by peers.
Read more here:
https://www.citizen.co.za/lifestyle/school-bullying-searches-spike-202-as-sa-kids-return-for-term-three/

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◼️ How AI-powered SARS scams are fooling more South Africans: As AI-generated phishing emails become more sophisticated, it is worth paying closer attention to technical and behavioural warning signs rather than grammar. This will look like unexpected requests for personal or banking information, unusual pressure to act immediately because an account will supposedly be suspended or a refund cancelled or links that do not direct to the official SARS website.
Read more here:
https://iol.co.za/technology/software-and-internet/2026-08-04-how-ai-powered-sars-scams-are-fooling-more-south-africans/

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◼️ New rules and regulations for crypto coming to SA: Those regulations addressed the treatment, possession and trading of crypto assets, including the potential regulation of cross-border crypto asset transactions. Experts warned that it was a move by the state to criminalise cross-border crypto trades, while infringing on privacy and private ownership. Treasury later denied that this was the intent.
Read more here:
https://businesstech.co.za/news/finance/868505/new-rules-and-regulations-for-crypto-coming-to-south-africa/

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