Johannesburg residents vote for a ward councillor and a party on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. The City of Johannesburg still…
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Stay informed with the latest breaking news and current affairs from Gauteng and beyond. Get real-time updates on government services, business, sports, economy, and social issues affecting South Africa.
Ekurhuleni residents vote for a ward councillor and a party on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. The City of Ekurhuleni has…
South Africans go to the polls on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, to elect the councillors who run their cities, towns…
South African households could pay about 8,83% more for electricity from April 2027, another hike on top of three years…
South African households could face higher food prices in 2027 as a strengthening El Niño weather pattern threatens the country’s next summer harvest. Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) chief economist Wandile Sihlobo has warned that hotter, drier conditions could affect crops planted from October 2026, with the impact potentially reaching supermarket shelves from mid 2027. For Gauteng consumers, the concern is that maize products and other everyday groceries could become more expensive despite food inflation remaining relatively low in 2026.
Gauteng motorists could face a zero alcohol limit under proposed changes to South Africa’s National Road Traffic Act, announced by Deputy Transport Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa in Midrand on Thursday, 8 October 2026. The proposal would amend Section 65 of the Act to introduce a zero alcohol approach, while new mobile alcohol evidence units are being introduced to strengthen roadside testing. The announcement comes ahead of the December holiday period, with transport authorities seeking to address alcohol related crashes, dangerous driving and road fatalities.
The Department of Home Affairs has withdrawn an operational directive on asylum applications after violence in Soweto and Durban left at least 24 vehicles torched and businesses affected on Thursday, 8 October 2026. The directive had been issued to Refugee Reception Offices on 28 September following a Constitutional Court judgment on access to the asylum process. Home Affairs said on Friday, 9 October, that its immediate attempt to implement the judgment overwhelmed reception offices, placed officials at risk and led to serious public safety concerns.
The Department of Transport has published proposed changes to South Africa’s tourist transport rules, including requirements for operating licences, accreditation, insurance and vehicle documentation. Gauteng tourism operators and other stakeholders have been invited to review the draft National Land Transport Regulations and submit comments by 9 November 2026. The proposals matter to businesses providing tourist transport because they set out how operators could apply for accreditation and licences, what documents would be required and the conditions that could apply to vehicles carrying tourists.
The investigation into the Wedela mass shooting has raised a difficult question for police: what should investigators do when people involved in illegal mining claim they can identify those responsible? Eighteen people were killed and more than 10 others injured in the 26 September 2026 shooting near Carletonville on Gauteng’s West Rand, and zama zamas have since offered to provide information about the suspected attackers. Security and criminology experts say police should assess what the miners know, while stressing that cooperation should not mean immunity from prosecution.
Gauteng residents who cannot afford private medical aid still have access to oncology, trauma care, neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery, paediatric surgery and reconstructive procedures through the province’s public hospitals network. These services are concentrated at major academic and tertiary hospitals including Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, with regional hospitals providing additional specialist services and referrals. As government works to narrow the divide between public and private healthcare, the challenge is increasingly not only what care exists, but how quickly and consistently patients can access it.