HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Tue 24 February 2026:

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

◼️ Another 11 South Africans rescued: A second group of 11 South African men evacuated from Ukraine’s Donbas region has reached safety in Russia. The men are awaiting flights back home after they were reportedly lured to Russia in July 2025 under false pretences of bodyguard training for Jacob Zuma’s MK Party. Four other men arrived in South Africa on 18 February. A second group of South Africans, a group of 11 men, has been evacuated from the war- torn Donbas region in Ukraine and is now safe in Russia.
https://www.news24.com/southafrica/news/another-11-south-africans-rescued-after-ordeal-on-ukraine-war-frontline-20260223-0971
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◼️ Three lives lost every hour: “Criminals become far more emboldened to commit serious crimes when they see little to no consequences for their actions.” David Bruce, a consultant specialising in policing, crime and criminal justice, said: “There are different ways of looking at this issue. One big factor is that a lot of the victims are young men, anywhere between 17 and about 35 or 40 years old.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/crime/three-lives-lost-every-hour-despite-murder-drop/
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◼️ Hello load reduction: While South Africa is approaching 300 days since its last load shedding, many people still experience hours without electricity due to a different, more complex issue: load reduction. Eskom has repeatedly clarified that load reduction is not the same as load shedding. The key difference lies in the cause of the outages, but the outcome remains the same: widespread power disruptions.
https://newsday.co.za/south-africa/17962/south-africas-new-electricity-crisis/
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◼️ Cosatu urges pro-worker Budget: The Budget must be grounded upon the lived realities of workers, the unemployed and the economy. The government needs to avoid the temptation to treat the Budget as a question of balancing the books. It must provide meaningful relief to workers and the poor and give hope to society that South Africa is turning the corner for the better.
https://iol.co.za/business-report/opinion/2026-02-23-cosatu-urges-pro-worker-budget-to-end-austerity-and-tackle-unemployment-crisis/
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◼️ Identity theft in the age of AI: Identity theft used to mean lost wallets and forged documents. You kept your ID number and credit card details safe. Now attackers use AI to stitch together your public data, building flawless digital impersonators that can bypass verification and exploit your contacts. Digital deepfake impersonation is a major and new threat to the online world. How can you stay safe?
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/industrynews/630352-identity-theft-in-the-age-of-ai.html

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