News24 Top Stories

On average, a mass killing in which more than three people die takes place every week in South Africa.

The police had to admit to Parliament on Wednesday that their statistics for crimes against women and children are “inherently not correct”.

Taxi boss Oupa Bafana Sindane’s lawyers told the Madlanga Commission he would not be able to appear before it this week because he was engaged in the “sacred ancestral initiation journey of the called Isangoma” – and was “in a period of sacred spiritual seclusion”.

The controversy over the newly approved Foundation Phase National Catalogue has taken a dramatic turn after the Western Cape education department said it will not purchase learning materials listed in the document for 2027.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus’ latest left-field idea – playing hooker Malcolm Marx at flank – has this keyboard warrior wondering if Zach Porthen isn’t the long-term solution to the lack of depth at hooker, writes Simnikiwe Xabanisa.

Temba Bavuma returns to lead an injury-depleted Proteas squad in the first of three ODIs against Australia in Durban as a demanding home summer gets under way for the South Africans on Heritage Day.

Two child rape cases have emerged in Limpopo – one of the accused is a teacher, while the other is a 13-year-old relative.

Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli ordered ‌the closure of the ⁠Colosseum to be extended until Thursday as a ⁠mark of respect after a worker was killed overnight in an accident.

Before any cricket against Australia has been played on the field, the Proteas have already lost three fast bowlers from the squad they originally selected for the One-Day International series.

The vibrant geometric patterns that launched Esther Mahlangu’s global career are fading. The thatch roof of the hut she built and painted at Botshabelo is caving in. And the R20 million the Lottery gave to save the historic Ndebele cultural village outside Middelburg? Nobody knows where it went.

Generative artificial intelligence can potentially pose a risk to South African heritage if used irresponsibly, a panel heard during a heritage month roundtable, hosted by the National Arts Council.

In Unread’s special midweek edition ahead of Heritage Day, we bring you all the details you need to know about Shadrack Sibiya’s shock arrest for alleged rape and the sexual grooming of a minor.

Thursday’s weather across the country features partly cloudy skies with warm to hot temperatures. Isolated showers and thundershowers are expected in some areas, particularly in the afternoon, according to the South African Weather Service.

A double squeeze on the rand – a strengthening dollar and surging oil prices – saw the currency weaken sharply on Wednesday, as investors priced in further US rate hikes and fretted over the inflationary fallout of the Middle East conflict.

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Johann Els, chief economist at PSG Financial Services, said the fact that Wednesday’s interest rate hike was a unanimous decision “was more hawkish than I expected”.

Proteas captain Temba Bavuma has voiced concern that South African men are falling short of their fundamental responsibility to protect women, and is demanding that leaders stop talking and start acting.

Electoral Commission of South Africa chairperson Mosotho Moepya has called on political parties to conduct their campaigns in a manner that restores trust, builds institutional integrity, and demonstrates that the democratic process can be responsive, clean, and accountable.

Following a surprise hold in July, the SA Reserve Bank on Wednesday pulled the trigger on the second interest rate hike for 2026.

Johannesburg Water will close Sandton meters on Wednesday night to ensure there is water for Heritage Day on Thursday.