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WATCH | South Africans must tighten their belts — Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the 2026 budget vote at Nieuwmeester Parking Dome, Cape Town. (GCIS)

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans to tighten their belts, saying the attack by the US and Israel on Iran continues to disrupt the global economy, hampering job creation and economic growth.

Delivering the presidency budget vote in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said the Middle East conflict that has engulfed much of the region has set off a global oil crisis.

“The effects of the surge in oil prices — and of other critical supplies like fertiliser — are likely to undermine much of the progress we had made in bringing down inflation and the cost of living,” said Ramaphosa.

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Government flags municipal land leased to a shisanyama

9EightEight Carwash & Shisanyama in Boipatong. (facebook)

Emfuleni municipality says it does not have the money to launch an investigation into a lease it gave years ago to an individual who built a pub on what used to be vacant municipal land.

9EightEight Carwash & Shisanyama in Boipatong, Vaal, is at the centre of the conflict between Jacob Mamabolo, Gauteng MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs and infrastructure development, and the Emfuleni local municipality in the south of Joburg.

In April, Mamabolo’s department directed the municipality to investigate the lease given to the pub, which the department flagged for its low rental of R3,000/month and the usage of the land.

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State bursary funds paid to a dead student while his family looted his bank account

The SIU briefs the media on the Free State bursary scheme investigation that looked into financial irregularities, policy violations and systemic corruption within the office of the premier. (Koena Mashale)

Directors, deputy directors, seven foreign students, a former premier and a premier’s personal assistant are some of the people implicated in the looting of the Free State government’s bursary scheme.

At least R8.3m was misused between 2017 and 2023 by awarding the premier’s office bursary to undeserving individuals. On Tuesday, the Special Investigating Unit held a press briefing in which it said it was seeking to recover R8.3m linked to the systemic corruption in the scheme.