HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Tue 23 December 2025:

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

◼️ US coming with a list of demands for SA: However, this does come with a push for the US ‘wish list’ of demands for South Africa, such as withdrawing the ICJ case against Israel, exempting US businesses from BEE regulations, protecting property rights, and distancing South Africa from its BRICS partners, particularly China.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRCMpfnJQus

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◼️ ‘Sold into combat’: The repatriation of the 17 young South Africans lured to Russia to fight in Ukraine is being held up by demands for money from the military contractors involved in their recruitment, well-placed government insiders said on Monday.
https://www.news24.com/southafrica/crime-and-courts/sold-into-combat-russian-recruiters-demand-money-to-free-sa-youths-trapped-in-ukraine-20251222-1085

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◼️ SA consumers remain cautiously optimistic: He notes that while around a third of consumers continue to feel a sense of hope for the future, approximately 40% remain uncertain, reflecting a delicate balance between optimism and pessimism as they navigate their financial realities.
https://iol.co.za/business-report/economy/2025-12-23-south-african-consumers-remain-cautiously-optimistic-despite-economic-challenges/

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◼️ SA’s richest people in 2025: Motsepe built his fortune through strategic investments in the mining industry. After earning a law degree, he initially practiced as a lawyer but soon shifted focus to mining, founding African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) in 1997. Leveraging Black Economic Empowerment policies post-apartheid, Motsepe acquired stakes in gold, platinum, and other mineral operations.
https://newsday.co.za/south-africa/12346/south-africas-richest-people-in-2025/

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◼️ New developments in WhatsApp and Facebook dominance abuse case: One issue was that GovChat’s name implied it was an official government site, despite not being authorised to render government services to citizens. Facebook also alleged GovChat was gathering sensitive personal information from citizens without controls limiting how it could share this information with third parties.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/government/623653-new-developments-in-whatsapp-and-facebook-dominance-abuse-case-in-south-africa.html

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