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US President Donald Trump publicly announced SA leaders will visit him in Washington DC next week, but President Cyril Ramaphosa's office says they are awaiting formal confirmation from the White House.

EFF leader Julius Malema says his party must put South Africans first when it comes to jobs, regardless of language, connections or background.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has urged supporters to remain loyal to the party even when it disappoints them, in the same way Kaizer Chiefs fans stand by their team through defeats. “Kaizer Chiefs supporters don't abandon their team when it is beaten,” Mbalula said during a door-to-door campaign in ward 24 at Freedom Park in Soweto before a by-election set for May 14. “Even if they lost yesterday, the fans still have hope. What I love about Chiefs supporters is their loyalty. They're resolute. You [ANC supporters] must be the same. We will fix it [ANC].” Mbalula, known for controversial speeches, told residents the ANC is committed to rebuilding and delivering change where it governs. “We must work for the people. Where we govern, things must change. It must be visible that the ANC is in charge and we are making progress.” The campaign comes at a crucial time for the party, which lost its majority in the 2024 general elections after three decades of dominance. Warning about what he called external threats to its survival, Mbalula rallied supporters to defend the ANC at the polls. “We must defend this freedom. It's tough out there, the enemy is after us. If there is no ANC, who will defend us? The enemy wants to destroy the ANC. Let's show them on May 14 we're not going anywhere.” The by-election is one of several tests of the ANC's grassroots support as it battles to reclaim lost ground in municipalities in Gauteng.

The DA and the EFF's court case to block the 0.5 percentage point VAT hike from kicking in on May 1, now being argued in the Western Cape High Court, is a critical test of how parliament relates to executive decisions.

Chaos erupted at Walter Sisulu University in Mthatha on Tuesday when a third-year male student was killed and another wounded when they were shot, allegedly by their residence manager. According to reports, students approached the manager to confront him about their grievances

President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised Johannesburg's visible policing, saying the city was crime-free during a recent late night walkabout.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the public fallout between EFF leader Julius Malema and his former deputy Floyd Shivambu is fiction — believing the two are secretly pulling the strings on Jacob Zuma.

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has announced a recall of certain Mercedes-Benz GLE (167) models citing safety concerns linked to a high-voltage starter generator fault.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the defiant DA's fate in the government of national unity (GNU) will be determined by the end of Monday.

EFF leader Julius Malema has doubled down on his party's radical stance on land reform, vowing an EFF in government would expropriate farms without compensation and hand them over to farm workers.

Justice minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has stepped in after the state's failure to build a strong case led to the acquittal of Nigerian televangelist Pastor Timothy Omotoso and his co-accused. The outcome has ignited public outrage, raising concerns about the prosecution's handling of the case.

ActionSA will reconsider its decision to enter into the government of national unity (GNU) should the DA leave government, the party said while warning the ANC there will be consequences if it reneges on its agreement to reverse the VAT increase. ActionSA's parliamentary leaders held a media briefing on Thursday after the National Assembly sitting on Wednesday which saw the budget passed with the help of the Herman Mashaba-led party.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has drawn a line in the sand, telling the ANC caucus the DA had defined itself outside of the government of national unity (GNU).

The ANC has vowed to stand firm against international pressure, including threats from US President Donald Trump and lobbying efforts by Afrikaner organisations, over its land reform policies and South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The DA has condemned the Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss AfriForum's bid to have the apartheid-era song Kill the Boer declared hate speech, warning the ruling risks deepening societal divisions.

Former SAA board member Yakhe Kwinana says she thought she was being kidnapped when armed police stormed her home wearing balaclavas during her arrest.

On Friday, Africa witnessed history as Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah became Namibia's first female president. She is also the first woman to lead a country in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).At her inauguration, the 72-year-old said she was elected based on merit, not gender.

Key state witness in the Joshlin Smith kidnapping trial, Lourentia Lombaard, told the court on Monday she had been beaten by people working with police to give information on the child's whereabouts. 

Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi isn't mincing words. Speaking on World TB Day, he warned: “If you don't want to have TB, just stop breathing. As long as you breathe you will definitely get it — that's how big this problem is.”

The trial of Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla on public violence-related charges is set to begin in November. Zuma-Sambudla appeared before the Durban high court on Thursday ahead of a pretrial conference. 

Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane is hoping President Cyril Ramaphosa will later this year visit the US to mend trade ties between the two countries.

Former accused-turned state witness Lourentia Lombaard says Joshlin Smith's mother Racquel “Kelly” Smith confessed to her that the person who took the girl wanted her “eyes and skin”. Lombaard was testifying in the Western Cape High Court sitting in Saldanha Bay on Monday. 

Finance minister Enoch Godongwana didn't take kindly to being called “rogue” in parliament after defending his decision to increase VAT. He clashed with DA MP Mark John Burke over accusations that he ignored the Treasury's advice on the controversial tax hike.

EFF MPs have criticised social development deputy minister Ganief Hendricks for allegedly using artificial intelligence to answer parliamentary questions.

The high court sitting in Saldanha Bay on Tuesday heard contradictory claims of Racquel “Kelly” Smith's parenting and state of mind after the disappearance of her daughter Joshlin Smith in February 2024.  Two witness testified on Tuesday: Kelly Ziggers, whose mother had employed Smith as a domestic worker and social worker Siliziwe Mbambo.

At 06:45 on Tuesday, Ekurhuleni Emergency Services received a report of a severe bus crash on the R21 heading OR Tambo International Airport. At least 12 people have died after the bus overturned at the R21/R24 split, causing major traffic delays and lane closures.

South Africans will soon learn how their finances will be affected as the government scrambles to address the budget crisis. Finance minister Enoch Godongwana is set to deliver the national budget speech on Wednesday after the budget was sent back to the drawing board last month when parties in the government of national unity (GNU) rejected a proposed VAT increase.

KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's contract with the police service is set to end in a year, and he says he intends to complete his term and go home.

Solidarity, the mainstream Afrikaner movement, will embark on a month-long tour of Europe, asking world powers to put pressure on the South African government to rethink certain reform laws.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says what AfriForum and Solidarity trade union are doing in the US is sowing divisions in South Africa. The Afrikaner rights group and Solidarity are visiting Washington after President Donald Trump's executive order regarding refugee status for certain South Africans.Addressing the media on the sidelines of the annual Basic Education Lekgotla in Ekurhuleni, Ramaphosa slammed the two organisations for their visit to the US.

The department of social development has acknowledged that its system poses a security risk, after a wake-up call from first-year computer science students at Stellenbosch University who alerted them to fraudulent activities and vulnerabilities in the system.

Black South Africans earn the lowest wages, below the national average and 21% of what their white counterparts earn.

In a first for democratic South Africa, the 2025 budget speech has been postponed to March 12. We hear the reactions of various parties on the announcement and the finance Minister Enoch Godongwana explains the contentious issues on the table.

The defence ministry says the defence force can defend the country against invasion, despite financial challenges. Minister Angie Motshekga also suggested that older government staff be let go for early retirement to help cut costs.

Illegal borehole drilling in Johannesburg is causing problems. Recently, drilling in Killarney led to water and soil leaking into a tunnel, forcing Gautrain to suspend service between Park Station and Rosebank. Gautrain CEO Tshepo Kgobe said the tunnel is 50 meters underground, and the drillers reached 45 meters before hitting it. He suspects an unregistered company was responsible.

Debating the recent state of the nation address, the MK party (MKP), UDM, and Rise Mzansi said President Cyril Ramaphosa must look elsewhere, other than the US, to do business.

The search and rescue operation to assist illegal miners believed to be trapped underground at the abandoned Rand Lease mine in Roodepoort has been temporarily halted due to safety concerns. Johannesburg emergency management services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi elaborated on the conditions faced by rescuers and the time frame of the operation.

Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, who recently left the EFF, says President Cyril Ramaphosa is no puppet of white supremacy. Ndlozi spoke to SABC News for the first time since remaining silent after being banned from attending the EFF's crucial conference in December.

While not letting President Cyril Ramaphosa off the hook for failings in the provision of service delivery at home, there have been moments where he defiantly stood firm on the global stage in high-stakes situations, representing South Africa and the African continent with a mature approach.

South Africa "will not be bullied," President Cyril Ramaphosa said, referencing global political shifts and tensions during his State of the Nation address on Thursday.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has called for an investigation into lobby group AfriForum for “pursuing treason” after it said it would approach the US to target South African politicians on the land issue.

EFF leader Julius Malema has voiced his frustration at Rwandan President Paul Kagame's response to President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying: “He can't address us like that."