South Africa Top Stories

    AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Five criminal cases later, Ekurhuleni fires Julius Mkhwanazi
    A year after the Madlanga Commission began peeling back allegations of criminal infiltration and compromised policing, Ekurhuleni has fired Julius Mkhwanazi, the suspended metro police commander whose name has repeatedly surfaced in evidence before the inquiry and in criminal cases.
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    I have a picture for you! 12 September-18 September 2026
    The First Thing newsletter's Ever-lasting Subscriber Photo Gallery.
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    GROUNDUP: Raw sewage is flowing in nearly every metro, and the numbers keep getting worse
    Wastewater treatment has deteriorated in almost every major South African metro between 2021 and 2024, according to the Green Drop report, with municipalities like eThekwini, Tshwane and Buffalo City recording steep declines into “very poor” or “critical” territory. Only Ekurhuleni retains a “good” rating and Mangaung shows slight improvement, but sewage spills, vandalism, ageing infrastructure and funding shortfalls are leaving raw sewage flowing into rivers, streets and drinking water sources across the country.
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    Consistency proved key in Sinesipho Dambile’s remarkable year
    South Africa sprint star Sinesipho Dambile has enjoyed a consistent season on the track, with a string of world-class performances reinforcing his belief in what is possible.
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    BAFANA BAFANA: Pitso Mosimane rewards in-form US-based player Puso Dithejane
    Puso Dithejane left Kaizer Chiefs after a dispute about being asked to perform ball-boy duties three years ago. He’s now playing the best soccer of his career for US side Chicago Fire, earning him a first Bafana Bafana call-up under the new coach.
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    South Africa’s cycle of violence exposes the limits of punishment after the fact when prevention, policing and intervention fail beforehand. When retribution becomes the most visible response, justice risks becoming a performance rather than a system capable of protecting people and deterring violence.
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    Protests erupt in Nigeria after 37 miners die in custody of paramilitary agency
    Residents of a city in central Nigeria took to the streets to protest overnight after 37 detainees were found dead in the custody of a paramilitary force that had raided suspected illegal gold mines.
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    China’s Djibouti base upgrades should boost its monitoring reach, report says
    China has made upgrades to its military base at Djibouti that should significantly enhance its ability to monitor military activity across the Middle East and Africa, a report by a US think tank released on Thursday said.
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    Malaysian king allows jailed ex-PM Najib Razak to serve house arrest
    Malaysia's king agreed on Friday to allow jailed former premier Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, the government said, four years after his conviction for his involvement in a multi-billion-dollar financial scandal.
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    Pakistan police re-arrest prominent rights lawyer after top court granted bail
    Pakistani police re-arrested prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband on Thursday night, hours after the country's top court granted bail and suspended their sentences in a cybercrime case, her lawyer said.
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