HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Tue 31 March 2026:

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

◼️ Calls grow to cut fuel levies as prices surge: It is still not clear what measures government will implement to mitigate the impact of the high prices of fuel, which have been triggered by the ongoing war between the US, Israel and Iran. However, lobbying has intensified to convince government to follow the examples of Namibia and Australia, which have both pledged to cut their government fuel taxes by 50% for at least the next three months.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/calls-grow-to-cut-fuel-levies-as-prices-surge/

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◼️ Illegal cellphones in South African prisons traced to exact locations: Groenewald admitted in the interview that the problem of contraband cellphones in prisons was pervasive across South Africa, “But not in each and every facility,” he said. “We have raids, we have operations with the police, and enforcing organisations, to see what we can find in the prisons.” In one financial year, Groenewald said department officials confiscated about 37,000 cellphones.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/cellular/637044-illegal-cellphones-in-south-african-prisons-traced-to-exact-locations.html

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◼️ ‘No coronation, no king’: “Contrary to the narrative in the public domain, no coronation took place and none intended,” the notice stated. It has also issued a safety advisory to all Nigerian nationals in SA, urging them to keep a low profile, avoid gatherings and protests, limit their movements, and refrain from making inflammatory statements on social media.
https://iol.co.za/news/2026-03-31-no-coronation-no-king-nigeria-tells-its-citizens-to-lie-low-as-protest-leaves-ec-city-in-ruins/

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◼️ Committed to halving food waste by 2030: About 10 million tonnes of “mostly edible food” in South Africa is lost or wasted across the value chain, according to Andy du Plessis, managing director of FoodForward SA. The country “has a big problem”, he said, as one in four people have limited access to food and 63.5% of households are food insecure.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-31-committed-to-halving-food-waste-by-2030-south-africa-doesnt-know-if-its-winning/

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◼️ Another big blow to Liqui Fruit: Pepsico subsidiary Pioneer Foods, which owns Liqui Fruit, previously argued that any reasonable customer would not interpret its “Nothing But Fruit” claim literally and would instead see it in the context of the product’s shelf life. The ARB’s appeal committee found Liqui Fruit could continue to state “100% fruit juice”, given that the regulated use of the additives entitles it to make such claims), but that “Nothing But Fruit” is inaccurate.
https://www.news24.com/business/companies/massive-blow-to-liqui-fruits-nothing-but-fruit-claim-20260330-1015

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