R182m NHI spin deal is a warning of what’s to come

If R182m meant for an already buckling health system can be poured into PR with so few checks, imagine the risks when the NHI becomes the country’s single, centralised purchaser of healthcare.

South Africans find voice in data centre dialogue, demand more transparency

A civic engagement hosted in Cape Town’s St George’s Cathedral brought all the known data about data centres under one roof for concerned citizens to have an informed discussion.

Struggling SA medical students endure Cuba misery — US embargo blamed

One toilet for 13 students. Days without water. No oversight visit since 2022. Inside the SA health department’s medical training programme in Cuba.

Freedom Front Plus’ apartheid killers should not be elected councillors nor mayoral candidates

The Freedom Front plus should withdraw William Harrington’s mayoral candidature in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Baboons on your radar: What do you really know?

A deep-dive series examines Cape Town’s escalating baboon conflict from the perspectives of authorities, scientists, residents, conservationists and the baboons themselves.

False white genocide claims divide us and obscure the wider crime crisis

South Africa’s violent crime crisis must be understood within the country’s enduring inequalities and divided history, rather than through racialised narratives of white victimhood. South Africans must reject divisive foreign intervention and work together on crime, corruption, inequality and nation building.

Who’d believe

Sibanyoni’s Putco bid puts focus on political access, business interests

Joe ‘Ferrari’ Sibanyoni’s January 2024 meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Gwede Mantashe, and his apparent demand for a 30% stake in the bus company Putco, have brought into question the tax boss’s political reach and his business interests.

Fenced in — why City Power’s ‘ringfencing’ in Joburg is a 30% revenue grab

City Power’s new 70/30 revenue split isn't ringfencing; it’s an arbitrary top-line tax. Without structural funding reform, Johannesburg’s power utility faces guaranteed insolvency.

Watch — Debating AI’s existential risk

Watch — Debating AI’s existential risk

State refinery ‘renaissance’ plan raises fresh questions over pollution, health and taxpayer risk

News that the country’s largest fuel refinery is to be reopened – and expanded considerably – has stirred Durban fence-line communities who fear a resumption of noxious petrochemical fumes seeping in to their homes and lungs.

Watch – Hidden camera records March and March supporter demanding ID at Durban clinic

XenoBarometer tracks the anti-immigrant movement and its impact. We aim to surface underreported stories, paying close attention to potential rights abuses, emerging patterns in anti-immigrant mobilisation and failures in the government’s response.

South Africa’s lion bone trade — the consequences the government never considered

South Africa exported thousands of captive-bred lion skeletons to Asian markets – but never studied whether the trade fuelled demand, enabled laundering or increased pressure on wild lions.

Why I’ll wear black, not pink, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This October, I will wear black, not as a symbol of despair, but as an act of reflection and, frankly, of grief. To mourn the preventable suffering we have allowed to become normal.

Kyalami’s racing heritage helps secure world-renowned endurance race for SA

The Michelin 24H Series will be relocated from Dubai to South Africa in 2027 due to the ongoing conflict in the Gulf region. Kyalami’s rich motorsport history and world-class facilities made it the clear choice, bringing the series’ first-ever African event to the Midrand circuit.

Malema’s JSC future hangs in balance despite belated apology

EFF leader Julius Malema has apologised for his conduct during a Judicial Service Commission interview in 2021, but the Helen Suzman Foundation is still going to court over his fitness to serve on the constitutional body.

Two SA women, two very different diagnosis and treatment journeys

In the first article of a new Daily Maverick and Spotlight special series on cancer in South Africa, Biénne Huisman speaks to rugby referee Aimee Barrett-Theron and cancer warrior Joyce Witbooi, who helps women navigate Cape Town’s public health system. The series will aim to among others unpack the cancer data, access to treatment, and screening and try to understand just what the cancer burden in South Africa is.

US ambassador Bozell démarched by SA government

South Africa summoned US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell after his criticism of Pretoria, as Washington repeated demands on land, race policy, farm murders and perceived hate speech.

Between candour and coercion — why SA won’t bend to Washington’s dictates

ANC rebuts US envoy Brent Bozell’s ‘Five Asks’, defending South Africa’s courts, land reform and BEE while rejecting pressure to bend its constitutional principles — and insisting on an equal partnership.

Blunt-force justice — new bill proposes excessive punishment for artisanal mining

The General (Mining) Laws Amendment Bill proposes penalties of up to 30 years’ imprisonment and a R100-million fine for unlicensed mining. But the Bill fails to distinguish between violent criminal networks and vulnerable, subsistence artisanal miners.

America was the arsenal of democracy; now it’s disarming the press

Independent journalism in the US faces serious economic, technological, legal and political pressure, particularly from the Trump administration’s lawsuits and efforts to intimidate news organisations. Weakening press freedom threatens the constitutional protections established by landmark Supreme Court cases and could undermine democracy both in America and globally.

Journalism and our chaotic world’s future

Journalism faces growing pressure from governments, powerful technology companies and its own crisis of trust, making control over information an increasingly important struggle for power. Its survival depends on rebuilding public trust through independent, transparent and accountable reporting while adapting to new technologies without abandoning its purpose.

Dirco’s démarche

Cape Town hosts world’s higher education elite while SA universities rise

South African universities are climbing the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027, and leaders at the Cape Town summit say the next step is embracing AI and teaching students to use it well.

Ramaphosa admits government has failed women, promises four interventions

In a heartfelt address acknowledging the impact of gender-based violence on women, President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised new interventions. But for the victims of the Ekurhuleni killings, it comes too late.

SA’s Gupta extradition flop now dulls UAE’s shiny approach to catching global fugitives

The United Arab Emirates once seemed to attract global crooks. Now its justice minister has detailed tightened extradition approaches and reiterated that partnerships between countries are key. Pity then about South Africa’s failed attempt to get the fugitive Gupta brothers back from there to face State Capture accusations.

Manchester City’s ‘sham’ deals leave Premier League in uncharted territory

The scale of Manchester City’s financial chicanery, which has been called a “sham”, was laid bare by the English Premier League and has thrown the game into an unprecedented crisis.

We know who donates to SA’s political parties — but who really pays?

The Political Funding Act has failed to provide transparency as to who is donating money to the various political parties. What is needed is mandatory, proactive disclosure of beneficial ownership information to ensure voters can track actual political influence ahead of elections.

Peresec — trusted JSE captain, or feared corporate pirate?

How the JSE’s biggest broker captured billion-rand companies ‘on the cheap’.