HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Wed 20 May 2026:

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

◼️ Mantashe fires back over SA coal exports to Israel: Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe is in hot water over South Africa’s 87% year-on-year increase in coal exports to Israel, which critics have argued is enabling its continued military campaign in Gaza. However, Mantashe defended the exports to Israel, noting that businesses sell to customers, not states.
https://www.news24.com/business/companies/mantashe-fires-back-over-sa-coal-exports-to-israel-20260519-1108

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◼️ Government coming after one group of homeowners in SA: Currently, commercial users are already subject to monitoring and registration requirements, while most homeowners are not. Under the draft regulations, all borehole owners would need to capture their details and borehole information on the National Groundwater Archive. Anyone planning to drill a new borehole would first need to obtain a geosite identifier before drilling can begin.
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/860731/government-coming-after-one-group-of-homeowners-in-south-africa/

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◼️ South Africa’s Police Budget for 2026/27: Tabling the Police Budget Vote in Parliament in Cape Town on Tuesday, Cachalia said SAPS had been allocated R127.072 billion for the 2026/27 financial year, increasing to R135.8 billion by 2028/29. Meanwhile, IPUSA said public confidence in SAPS had been weakened by escalating crime and allegations involving senior police officials.
https://iol.co.za/mercury/news/2026-05-20-south-africas-police-budget-for-202627-a-focus-on-accountability-and-crime-intelligence/

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◼️ 35 non-compliant senior municipal appointments identified: Additionally, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) recently disclosed how many senior officials have been identified as either unqualified or compromised. While municipalities are drowning in debt, the Auditor-General of South Africa in April noted that the top 16 unelected city officials across the eight metropolitan municipalities were collecting more than R44 million in annual remuneration.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/how-senior-municipal-appointments-determine-sa-economic-trajectory/

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◼️ Changes to Amazon deliveries in South Africa: Amazon’s marketplace in South Africa has ended its long-running promotion that offered free delivery on all orders, with the option to upgrade to same-day delivery for R2. Free delivery on items shipped by Amazon for orders over R500 remains available. However, priority shipping now costs R90 regardless of the order value.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/648662-big-change-to-amazon-deliveries-in-south-africa.html

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