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South Africa’s Department of Health has urged the public not to panic after a rare case of hantavirus was confirmed in a critically ill British national receiving treatment in Sandton, Gauteng. The case is linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, where several passengers developed severe respiratory illness during a voyage from Argentina through remote South Atlantic destinations. The World Health Organization has reported seven confirmed or suspected cases linked to the ship, including three deaths, but says the risk to the global population remains low.

Motorists across Gauteng are set to pay significantly more for petrol and diesel from Wednesday, 6 May 2026, following expected fuel price increases driven by global oil pressures. The hikes will affect daily commuters, transport operators and households already dealing with rising living costs.

Load reduction will continue across parts of Gauteng from Monday, 4 May to Sunday, 10 May 2026, with scheduled outages affecting multiple communities during peak demand periods. The programme impacts residents in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane, particularly in areas where electricity infrastructure is under strain.

Residents in Merafong on Gauteng’s West Rand continue to live in homes fitted with asbestos roofing, despite the material being banned more than a decade ago. Communities in Khutsong and Kokosi are among those affected, with civil society groups warning that prolonged asbestos exposure places families at risk of serious health conditions.

A 26-year-old Brazilian national has been arrested at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg after police intercepted cocaine with an estimated street value of R8.7 million. The arrest took place on Saturday following an intelligence-led operation targeting suspected drug trafficking activity at South Africa’s busiest airport.

A detailed load reduction schedule affecting large parts of Gauteng from 27 April to 30 April 2026 has been released, outlining specific blocks, time slots, and impacted areas. The schedule affects both morning and evening peak periods, with outages expected between 05:00 and 09:00, and again from 17:00 to 22:00.

Malaria infections are rising sharply in Gauteng, with health authorities confirming a significant increase in both cases and deaths in early 2026. The Gauteng Department of Health has recorded 414 cases and 11 deaths between January and March, already surpassing fatalities reported for the entire 2025 year. The spike affects residents across the province, particularly those who travelled to malaria-endemic regions during the festive period. Officials warn that delayed diagnosis continues to drive fatalities, making early detection critical.

Gauteng residents will face scheduled power outages this week as Eskom implements load reduction across multiple areas from 20 to 26 April 2026. The outages will affect specific suburbs during morning and evening peak periods, with communities rotated through block-based schedules. Unlike national load shedding, load reduction targets high-demand areas to prevent network overload. For households and businesses, this means continued disruption during critical hours of the day.

The schedule outlines outages between 05h00 and 09h00, and again from 17h00 to 22h00, depending on the assigned block and day.

South Africans are unlikely to see diesel prices hit R40 per litre in May, but another sharp increase remains likely based on current data. Early figures from the Central Energy Fund (CEF) show significant under-recoveries for diesel, although more recent trends suggest a lower increase than initially expected. The outlook is critical for Gauteng motorists and businesses already dealing with rising transport costs following April’s record fuel price hikes.

Thousands of residents across Johannesburg are experiencing planned water outages and reduced pressure this week as infrastructure maintenance, reservoir cleaning…