HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY | WEDNESDAY

Wed 11 February 2026:

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

◼️ South Africans are poorer than 20 years ago: Chaudhuri said that the country had underperformed due to the energy system and the labour market, which are the foundations of economic activity and human society, but also the main constraints on the country’s growth potential. By 2008, loadshedding had already cost South Africa R300 billion, and subsequent poor price regulation had hindered Eskom from generating the revenue necessary for long-term sustainability.
https://businesstech.co.za/news/finance/850102/south-africans-are-poorer-than-20-years-ago/

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◼️ South Africans recruited to fight in Ukraine: President Cyril Ramaphosa has held talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, about the return of South Africans who were apparently lured into fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Early in November, Pretoria received distress calls for assistance to return home the 17 South African men who are trapped in the war-torn Donbas, Ukraine.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/ramaphosa-putin-discuss-repatriation-south-africans-recruited-fight-ukraine/

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◼️ TikTok and Instagram ban: “There is no doubt that we live in an age of increased online harms: children becoming increasingly more vulnerable to abuse, to cyberbullying, and even to age-inappropriate content,” Malatsi said. He added that this is occurring to the extent that there’s been a rise in the luring and grooming of children online.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/628600-south-african-government-talks-about-tiktok-and-instagram-ban.html

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◼️ South Africa’s water crisis: Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, says that she and her department are not to blame for South Africa’s ongoing water crisis. In an interview with SABC, Majodina said that the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is responsible for providing bulk water supply, which she argues it has done so without issue.
https://newsday.co.za/south-africa/17260/minister-of-water-washes-her-hands-of-south-africas-water-crisis/

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◼️ Poaching declines by 16%: “From January to December 2025, 352 rhinos were poached in South Africa, with 266 being killed on State property and 86 on privately owned parks, reserves or farms. This was a decrease of 68 in comparison to 420 rhinos poached in 2024,” the Minister said on Tuesday in a statement. Mpumalanga was the hardest hit province, with 178 rhinos lost during the reporting period. This was a notable increase from the 92 that were lost in 2024.
https://independentpress.cc/poaching-declines-by-16/2026/02/11/

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