SA double murderer ‘with racist alter ego’ may lose US citizenship over lies

Brian Smith, originally from South Africa, has been found guilty in the US of lying to become a citizen there. In the application process, he said he had never been involved in any crime, but by that time he had murdered two women in Alaska, for which he is already serving a 226-year prison term. Smith previously told US police he had a racist alter ego on Facebook.

A red beret in the Deep South — meet the EFF’s unlikely ward candidate

Gabrielle Maritz is reluctant to reduce people to demographics, but the Cape Town Ward 61 candidate might not be what many people expect from the EFF. She hopes to build a bridge between the party and people who may not have considered voting for it before.

Watch - Ramaphosa’s reform message as polls show continued ANC decline

Watch - Ramaphosa’s reform message as polls show continued ANC decline

Mob beats immigrant man to death in central Durban

Fifty people marching up Dr Pixley kaSeme Street fatally assaulted an immigrant man on Thursday morning.

Godongwana says coveted investment-grade status is now ‘within reach’

Markets certainly welcomed this version of the MTBPS. The yield on the benchmark 10-year government bond fell 20 basis points to 8.72% — a big thumbs-up. By revealing contrast, Mexico’s 10-year bond yield is around 9.30% — and Mexico has an investment-grade rating.

Rethinking Activism in Africa — activists as antibodies against a rotten social order

Rethinking Activism in Africa: Voices and Visionaries for Social Justice and Human Rights is a new book, edited by well-known activist and writer Mark Heywood. It contains unique and moving essays from writers in eight countries across Africa. In this series, Daily Maverick is publishing extracts from four essays, starting with Heywood’s introduction.

A 100-day plan to keep Joburg’s lights on

City Power’s collapse threatens Johannesburg’s future. The Centre for Development and Enterprise outlines a 100-day turnaround plan for incoming leadership to restore governance, fix finances and keep the lights on.

From a Gqeberha bus stop to Spike Lee’s desk, a friendship becomes acclaimed film

Two boys bonded over football at a bus stop in Bluewater Bay in the 1990s, building a friendship across apartheid’s racial divide. Three decades later, their friendship has inspired APART, an animated short film attracting international acclaim, with legendary filmmaker Spike Lee helping bring the story to life.

Brazil may turn right-wing again — this is why South Africans should care

Brazil's upcoming presidential runoff election carries high stakes for South Africa, threatening key Global South partnerships, multilateral cooperation and shared commitments to human rights and democracy.

Foul water scares hit Joburg suburbs — councillors blame ‘cowboy’ contractors

Joburg’s eastern suburbs have faced repeated water cuts this year as contractors fixing sewerage infrastructure allegedly damage drinking-water pipes, risking contamination.

‘We are here, Janine’ — my account of fatal Orient Beach shark attack

A fellow swimmer recounts Janine Lochrenberg’s fatal great white shark attack off Orient Beach in KuGompo, and how friends fought to save her.

Maiden Formula One title in sight for phenom Kimi Antonelli

Formula 1 could crown its youngest champion at the Austin Grand Prix this Sunday, as teams start looking ahead to 2027.

Xenophobia’s high price — why ConCourt’s defence of refugees matters for us all

The Constitutional Court’s refugee judgment protects constitutional rights. Misreading it fuels xenophobia, threatens democracy and imperils the rule of law.

World body orders Athletics SA overhaul after president ousted for financial misconduct

Athletics South Africa has adopted the recommendation to remove rogue president James Moloi for misusing the federation’s credit. But World Athletics also wants the the athletics body to overhaul its leadership structure and constitution.

China’s Antarctic marine protected area has a Soviet name, with more Russian fingerprints emerging

After a decade of blocking marine reserves with Moscow, Beijing seems to have unveiled its own - in a Soviet-named sea. A Daily Maverick investigation uncovers a second Russian connection: a Chinese bid to rewrite the Southern Ocean’s conservation rules, which mirrors changes pushed by Moscow.

Tone Deaf

Paradise found — A full-throttle view of Africa’s island treasures

Exploring more than 50 African islands means chartering flights in wonky planes with laissez-faire pilots and testing the seaworthiness of all manner of vessels, all while taking in the salt, sun and palms.

Suliman Carrim’s legal woes deepen as Absa vehicle smuggling allegations emerge

The legal troubles of ANC-linked businessman Suliman Carrim have deepened, with allegations that he colluded with Absa employees in the attempted theft of two vehicles, and that fraudulent documentation was allegedly used to move the vehicles across South Africa’s borders.

Titanic Temba Bavuma inspires a Proteas win for the ages against Australia

The Proteas levelled the three-match Test series against Australia with an innings and 31-run victory at St George’s Park in Gqeberha late on the fifth and final day, bowling the tourists out for 295 in their second innings.

The mini budget keeps SA diplomacy afloat, but structural rot still festers

The Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement offers Dirco a temporary lifeline, but underlying governance failures, unstaffed embassies and decaying overseas properties show South Africa’s diplomatic corps remains deeply in crisis.

Media wins as court reopens trial of Zuma-linked spy in R12m fraud case

A Gauteng high court order has reopened the R12-million State Security Agency Project Mayibuye trial, granting public and media access while protecting intelligence secrets.

Mini budget applause is meaningless to young jobseekers hustling on street corners

South Africa’s debt signals may reassure bond markets, but this means little to unemployed young people hustling daily for work – any work.

Bronkhorstspruit water crisis exposes a national pattern of municipal failure and impunity

The Bronkhorstspruit water crisis, which has sickened about 450 people, exposes deep-rooted failures in local government, poor oversight and a culture of non-accountability that puts public health at risk. Despite promises of disciplinary action, political patronage and weak enforcement raise doubts that officials will be held responsible or that South Africa’s worsening water crisis will be resolved.

Angry neighbours, game sales in jeopardy as Addo’s foot-and-mouth disease crisis deepens

Neighbours say SANParks has not been playing open cards about foot and mouth disease in the Addo Elephant National Park, increasing the risk of the infection spreading, while quarantine protocols will probably affect a major income generator for the park in the coming months.

High court sets aside multibillion-rand ARV contracts over procurement irregularities

The high court has ruled that irregularities made parts of the Department of Health’s multibillion-rand ARV tender unlawful, ordering the department to reconsider the awards within 120 days. Current suppliers must continue deliveries to prevent shortages while the department investigates possible bid collusion and corrects scoring errors.

Opposition calls Godongwana’s fuel levy cuts ‘a scam’ as GNU offers muted support

Political reactions to Minister Enoch Godongwana’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement range from cautious GNU endorsement to fierce opposition dismissals of fuel levy cuts as electioneering.

Tibet’s exile government asks Pretoria for protection, SA says leave it to SAPS

The Central Tibetan Administration has called on the government to ensure the safety of its representatives in South Africa following an arson attack last week, but Pretoria says it is not aware of the request.

Watch – Ferial Haffajee and Ernst Roets on Agoa, crosses and autonomy

Watch – Ferial Haffajee and Ernst Roets on Agoa, crosses and autonomy

Life as an asylum seeker in SA’s broken immigration system

For years seeking asylum has been near impossible. Facing xenophobia, arrest and deportation, three refugees, from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Somalia, describe the horrors they fled, and their plight in South Africa.