Author name: Scott Balson

A stark new national survey has exposed a severe and growing food insecurity crisis in South Africa, with more than 16 million people—over a quarter of the population—struggling to access sufficient and nutritious food. The crisis is hitting female-headed households the hardest. The findings reveal that 63.5% of households are experiencing some level of food […]

In a move to stabilize a province grappling with severe financial distress, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli and his executive council have publicly launched a comprehensive five-year economic recovery plan. The announcement comes against a backdrop of what the premier describes as “billions worth of irregular expenditure” inherited from the previous provincial administration. Departments cited as

In a wide-ranging and defiant interview on the sidelines of the African National Congress’s (ANC) fifth National General Council (NGC), the party’s National Chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, framed his legacy around a single, bold claim: that he and others in the leadership “saved the ANC from the Zuma destruction.” The NGC, a mid-term policy and review

A deep and potentially irrevocable rift has opened at the highest levels of South Africa’s ruling political alliance, as the African National Congress (ANC) moves to ban its members from also holding membership in the South African Communist Party (SACP). The crisis was triggered by the SACP’s firm decision to contest the 2026 local government

As the African National Congress (ANC) grapples with an existential warning to “shape up or face extinction,” a key focus of its National General Council has turned to the future of the country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policies. While defending the program’s legacy, senior leaders have conceded a need for significant review and adjustment

Consumer sentiment in South Africa showed a marked improvement in the final quarter of the year, climbing to its highest level in 2025, according to the latest FNB/BER Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) released this week. The index rebounded to -9 index points, a significant improvement and the strongest reading of the year. The uplift was

The African National Congress’s National General Council meeting this week laid bare a party grappling with internal dissent, a crisis of implementation, and a looming leadership contest, even as its top officials delivered a message of continuity that analysts describe as out of touch with political reality. The tensions surfaced visibly following a marathon two-and-a-half-hour

 In a swift operation on Tuesday, 09 December 2025, members of the Public Order Policing Unit arrested a 35-year-old foreign national for possession of and dealing in drugs at the Savanna Mall. The arrest forms part of the South African Police Service (SAPS) intensified festive season operations, which are focused on dismantling gangs and disrupting

The Nelson Mandela Bay District Detective Service has secured a significant conviction in a series of complex insurance fraud cases. Monelwa Gwani, 55, was found guilty on three counts of fraud in the Kariega Regional Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 09 December 2025. Gwani’s conviction stems from a multidisciplinary operation in September 2023, during which she

A detailed police investigation into the fatal shooting of a local school principal at his home last month has resulted in the arrest of three suspects, including the victim’s wife. The 59-year-old principal was killed at his Siphaqeni homestead on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, at approximately 19:45. He was with his family at the time