HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Wed 15 April 2026:

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

◼️ Ramaphosa to tap ‘old friend’: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is poised to tap veteran political negotiator Roelf Meyer as the country’s next envoy to the US, as Pretoria seeks to steady relations with Washington after a turbulent year. Meyer, 78, would replace Ebrahim Rasool as ambassador, said the people who asked not to be identified, as the information isn’t public.
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/857175/ramaphosa-to-tap-old-friend-as-next-us-ambassador/

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◼️ Jail time for Julius? Malema’s court appearance has been set down for the final heads of argument on pre-sentencing, with final sentencing expected on Thursday. According to South African law, if Malema is sentenced to more than 12 months in prison, he will lose his seat as a parliamentarian.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/courts/eff-leadership-on-the-line-malema-braces-states-kill-shot-gun-case/

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◼️ Bad news for South Africans who want to dump Eskom: A confluence of factors could drive up the price of solar panels significantly over the coming months, making them more expensive for South African households and independent power producers (IPPs). One of these factors, namely the Middle East war, could also present a risk to South Africa’s R440 billion transmission grid expansion plans and other reforms in the local electricity sector.
https://dailyinvestor.com/energy/129172/bad-news-for-south-africans-who-want-to-dump-eskom-and-get-solar-panels-on-their-roofs/

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◼️ Digital evidence: The new cornerstone of justice in SA: “The court focused on the evidentiary records rather than the violence itself. The deciding factor was the digital trail. Cellphone records placed the appellants near the scene, and tower‑to‑tower movement patterns matched the route of the fleeing taxi and the timing of communications between the two men,” Van Deventer explains.
https://iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/2026-04-15-digital-evidence-the-new-cornerstone-of-justice-in-south-africa/

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◼️ Escalating Spam and Scams: According to projections from the Global Anti Scam Alliance, South Africans lost an estimated R40 billion to scams last year – a stark indicator of the scale and impact of digital fraud. Data from Truecaller underscores just how widespread the problem has become. In 2025 alone, South Africans received an estimated 30.3 billion spam calls.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/industrynews/639669-consumers-must-take-control-of-who-earns-their-attention-in-an-era-of-escalating-spam-and-scams.html

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