Author: Malebogo Putu
In a budget defined by a return to fiscal prudence, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana offered a carefully calibrated message to South African households and businesses, the state has heard your pain, but it still needs your money. The 2026 revenue proposals walk a fine line between providing relief and maintaining the income streams essential for funding the social wage. The headline act for individuals is a reprieve. Stronger than expected tax collections, revised up by R21.3 billion, have allowed the government to withdraw a proposed R20 billion in tax increases that were provisionally pencilled in. This, coupled with the full…
Buried beneath the headline figures of South Africa’s 2026 budget lies a more profound narrative, a government attempting to fundamentally rewire its relationship with the economy and its citizens. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s fiscal plan is not merely about balancing the books, it is a high stakes bet on structural reform, with local government and ailing state owned enterprises as the primary theatres of operation. For years, the dysfunction of municipalities has been a primary drag on growth and public trust. From potholed roads to collapsing water systems, the decay is both physical and financial. The Minister’s diagnosis was blunt.…
For the best part of a decade, South Africa’s national budget was a chronicle of decline. State capture, stagnating growth, and ballooning debt painted a picture of a nation in fiscal freefall. But on Wednesday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana stood before Parliament to deliver a scorecard that suggests the wilderness years may finally be over. Presenting his 2026 Budget, Mr. Godongwana declared that the country has reached an “important turning point.” For the first time in 17 years, he announced, debt as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) will not only stabilise but begin a sustained decline. It is…
Death Toll Rises to 70 as Spring Break Travelers Urged to Cancel Plans The killing of the nation’s most powerful drug lord by military forces has plunged parts of Mexico into a state of siege, leaving more than 70 people dead and trapping hundreds of American tourists in their hotels, officials confirmed Wednesday. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed that special forces operatives killed Cartel leader known as “El Mentoo” earlier this week in a raid in the northern state of Sinaloa. The operation, intended to decapitate the country’s most prolific criminal organization, has instead sparked a wave of retaliatory…
Two suspected armed robbers were fatally shot during a fierce gun battle with police in the early hours of Tuesday morning, just hours after they allegedly took part in a brazen cash in transit heist, authorities said. The confrontation occurred shortly after midnight in the Edendale area, near Pietermaritzburg, when a tactical police team moved in on a house where the suspects were believed to be hiding. The incident began on Monday afternoon when a gang of at least twelve assailants ambushed a cash delivery truck at the busy intersection of Jabu Ngcobo and Fairview roads in Verulam, a town…
Mamelodi Sundowns reignited the Betway Premiership title race with a hard fought 2-1 victory over league leaders Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium on Wednesday night, snapping the Buccaneers’ 14 match unbeaten streak in the competition. Colombian forward Brayan León proved the difference, scoring twice in the first half to give the visitors a commanding lead before Pirates pulled one back early in the second period through a deflected effort from Patrick Maswanganyi. The result sees Sundowns close the gap at the top to just three points, keeping their pursuit of a potential ninth consecutive league title very much alive. Pirates,…
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov offered a mixed assessment of relations with the new Trump administration this week, describing the dialogue as “pragmatic” while expressing bewilderment at what Moscow perceives as contradictory signals involving ongoing sanctions and attempts to marginalize Russian economic interests. In a wide ranging interview with Al Arabiya, Mr. Lavrov revealed that Moscow and Washington have agreed to establish a bilateral economic working group alongside ongoing political talks in Geneva, aimed at resolving what he called a fundamental disconnect between diplomatic assurances and continued economic warfare. “US President Donald Trump said something that may seem elementary for…
Police in Embalenhle, Mpumalanga, have arrested four suspects in connection with a brazen overnight shooting and robbery at a local tavern, authorities said Tuesday. According to Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane of the South African Police Service, the incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, February 16, at a tavern in Extension 22. It is alleged that the suspects arrived at the establishment as it was closing and confronted the owner, who was standing at the door. When the owner refused to hand over money, he was shot in the thigh. The assailants then forced him behind the counter and…
In a dramatic operation along the banks of the Limpopo River, South African authorities have retrieved a stolen Toyota Fortuner trapped in the water, highlighting ongoing efforts to dismantle cross border vehicle smuggling syndicates operating into neighboring countries. The vehicle, confirmed to have been stolen earlier this month in Witbank, Mpumalanga, was recovered on Tuesday during a joint operation in the Masisi policing area. It was found stranded mid river, a common route used by criminals to ferry stolen goods into Zimbabwe and other neighboring states. Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, praised the multidisciplinary team…
A 24-year-old woman is in custody following the discovery of a newborn baby boy abandoned near a drainage channel in the Free State province, police confirmed on Tuesday. The suspect, a resident of Mandela Park near Phuthaditjhaba, was arrested and has been charged with attempted murder. She is expected to make her first appearance before the Phuthaditjhaba Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 19 February 2026. According to a statement released by Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Free State, the infant was found on Sunday afternoon by a local shepherd. “On Monday, 16 February…