HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Wed 05 August 2026:

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

◼️ MPs slam McKenzie’s failure to submit breakdown of R31m World Cup spend: “What is the basic information that we need as a portfolio committee? It’s the money. How the money has been spent. We have received a general presentation without finances, and this is not oversight. It is a waste of this committee’s time; it is a waste of Parliament’s time,” said the committee’s chairperson, Joe McGluwa.
Read more here
https://www.ewn.co.za/2026/08/05/mps-slam-mckenzies-failure-to-submit-breakdown-of-r31m-world-cup-spend

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◼️ Lithium mining for green power triggers eco-outcry from South African farmers: Mining lithium for batteries is a growing part of South Africa’s plan to use the global shift towards green energy to revive its economy, but now it faces a challenge from thousands of angry farmers who fear losing productive land to open-pit mines. On the southeast coast, where a lithium mine operates and more than a dozen prospecting licences have been granted since 2023, scores of generations-old farming communities are relocating.
Read more here
https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/lithium-mining-for-green-power-triggers-eco-outcry-from-south-african-farmers-2026-08-04

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◼️ Groenewald banned prison officials from carrying cellphones on the job: Correctional services minister Pieter Groenewald said prison officials must now leave their mobile phones at reception before they are permitted to enter the facility to do their jobs. This is to prevent the smuggling of cellphones to inmates, which had become commonplace and allowed criminals to perpetrate fraud and scams even while behind bars.
Read more here
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/cellular/661043-minister-pieter-groenewald-banned-prison-officials-from-carrying-cellphones-on-the-job.html

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◼️ Authorities must end vigilante intimidation: Amnesty International South Africa said, “Although the government has made it clear that it will not tolerate illegal identity checks, acts of intimidation and vigilante behaviour, such abuses are still taking place. Authorities must move beyond statements of concern and demonstrate through effective investigations, prosecutions and accountability measures that no person or group is above the law.”
Read more here
https://amnesty.org.za/south-africa-authorities-must-end-vigilante-intimidation-and-investigate-police-complicity/

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◼️ Data bundles valid for seven days or less won’t roll over under new ICASA rules: Earlier this year, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) amended its End-User and Subscriber Service Charter Regulations to require unused data, voice and SMS bundles to roll over automatically. However, the regulations exclude bundles with a validity period of seven days or less.
Read more here:
https://iol.co.za/business/2026-08-05-data-bundles-valid-for-seven-days-or-less-wont-roll-over-under-new-icasa-rules-says-malatsi/

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