Carol Paton

DA leader and Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, on Wednesday night called on all South Africans to resist being drawn into hatred as the country braces for mass protests against illegal migrants on Tuesday.

The Indian news media widely reported this week that former president Jacob Zuma visited a temple in Haridwar, India, accompanied by his friend and corruption-accused Ajay Gupta, and South African High Commissioner to India Anil Sooklal.

On Tuesday morning, after months of inflammatory anti-immigrant rhetoric and four foreign nationals beaten to death, thousands of protesters, many armed with whips, spears and shields, across the country began marching. Twelve hours later, the country breathed a sigh of relief as the protests did not descend into widespread chaos.

With four months to go until the local government elections, the full dataset of all 438 by-elections held since the 2021 election is now available. Analyst Gareth van Onselen takes a closer look at the full set of by-election results for the past five years. This is what it shows us.

March and March and the broad front of organisations that joined the 30 June action have demonstrated a mobilising capacity with a national footprint. This is a landmark achievement for a social movement that does not have its roots in liberation politics, writes Carol Paton.

The City of Johannesburg shows multiple signs of an entity that is cash distressed. Now the National Treasury has withheld Johannesburg’s R3.6 billion grant due in July. What happens next?

The City of Johannesburg, as well as a number of other municipalities, face “a painful period of restructuring” if they are to get onto a sustainable footing, Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana said at a briefing on Friday.

The government has appealed to citizens not to engage in vigilante action. The police, which have stood by on many occasions while raids take place, have been instructed to implement the law, said ministers.