Polity

As South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU) enters its third year, its central challenge has fundamentally shifted, with the initial phase of articulating new policies over and the focus now resting entirely on executing existing promises.

The 2026 LGE Manifestos: Buyer Beware 0.31 MB South Africa’s 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE), scheduled for 4th November, take place in a challenging municipal governance environment. Almost three decades after the adoption of the Constitution, local government still faces significant challenges, including declining municipal performance, weak financial management, deteriorating infrastructure, and growing public dissatisfaction with basic service delivery.

Gauteng is fast becoming the epicentre of South Africa’s mass-killing crisis, and Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s government seems unable to protect communities from ongoing violence. Mass shootings are happening alongside more kidnappings, extortion, and organised crime, showing a wider failure to tackle the criminal networks that put Gauteng residents in danger.

As political space between the countries widens, durable commercial ties and strategic interests provide room for a pragmatic bargain. Despite South Africa’s diplomatic efforts in the United States (US) during last week’s United Nations General Assembly, bilateral ties with Washington remain strained.

Industry body Agri SA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), which formalises a working relationship built over the past year. The two organisations have committed to collect, share and jointly report on rural crime data, bringing together the reach of organised agriculture and the independent research expertise of one of Africa’s leading institutes specialising in security, crime and justice.

Fixed-term (‘temporary’) contracts expose employers to risk. No matter how the contract is worded, an employer who relies on the fact that a fixed-term contract has expired may face an unfair dismissal claim if the employee had a reasonable expectation of renewal. Summary Avoid past practice: Before entering into or renewing a fixed-term contract, employers should not rely solely on what has been done previously.

Although still in negative territory, the North-West University Business School's Policy Uncertainty Index (PUI) for the third quarter eased to 61.3 from 81.9 in the second quarter and, while still elevated, the PUI for the third quarter was less adverse than in the second quarter.

Coalition at the Midpoint: An Assessment of the Performance of the Government of National Unity, July 2024 – July 2026 15.72 MB Two years after the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU), this report provides an independent assessment of the implementation of 120 policy commitments made by the coalition government. The assessment tracks progress across five critical areas: Economy, Governance, Corruption, Climate Change, and Social Services.

South Africa's foreign affairs ministry called in US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III on Tuesday for a third time over what it described as "undiplomatic conduct," a senior government official told Reuters, but did not elaborate on what the conduct was. "We can confirm that we demarched Ambassador Bozell. The third demarche since he started his duties nine months ago," a senior official at South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) told Reuters late on Tuesday.

Marriage and divorce are two of the most significant life events that should prompt you to review your will. Your circumstances can change considerably when you get married, divorced or remarry, and a will that once accurately reflected your wishes may no longer do so. So, can you change your will after getting married or divorced in South Africa? The simple answer is yes.