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By Selloane Ntshonyane • More than 19 million South Africans receive permanent SASSA grants every month, while many beneficiaries say every cent goes towards food, rent and children’s needs. • Social Development Minister Dina Pule says grants should help people become financially independent, but beneficiaries say rising living costs make that impossible. Katleho Ranoko dreams of owning a small business.

By Celani Sikhakhane • Prince Thulani Zulu says the Zulu Kingdom has never agreed to hand over Bergville, Ladysmith, the Drakensberg or any other part of KwaZulu-Natal to Lesotho. • The false claims caused panic among residents after posts alleged they would soon need passports and visas to travel within South Africa. Former Zulu royal spokesperson Prince Thulani Zulu has dismissed reports claiming that parts of KwaZulu-Natal have been handed over to the Kingdom of Lesotho.

Celani Sikhakhane brings you KwaZulu-Natal’s latest news. Inanda: Former Zulu Prime Minister Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi will return to the Shembe Nazareth Baptist Church at eBuhleni in Inanda on Friday, just days after losing his royal position. Buthelezi will visit the church in his capacity as KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to lead disaster relief efforts after part of a wall collapsed on Monday, injuring eight people.

By Rorisang Modiba • Bianca Coster and Wandisile Simelane celebrated their traditional wedding with colourful Swati and Xhosa customs as family and friends gathered to mark the special day. • Videos from the ceremony have gone viral on TikTok, with thousands of South Africans praising the couple’s love story and celebration of culture.

Compiled by Dylan Bettencourt Moyo finished matric in 2024 and will become the fourth-youngest Springbok after playing only one senior match for the Sharks. Cobus Reinach says the flyhalf understands the game, can handle himself and will have experienced players around him in Durban. Vusi Moyo will start for the Springboks just two months after playing his first senior match for the Sharks. The 20-year-old flyhalf will make his Test debut against Wales in Durban on Saturday.

By Nkhensani Mthombeni • Several businesses in Nkowankowa remain closed two weeks after Greater Tzaneen Municipality shut down shops that failed to meet trading and health regulations. • Local business owners support action against illegal businesses but say South African traders need more help to comply with municipal rules during tough economic times.

By Rorisang Modiba • Prosecutors withdrew all charges against businessman Etienne van der Walt after successful legal representations, ending his 10 days behind bars. • Former Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department officer Adrian Norman Mackenzie and former officer Keisha Leigh Stols were each granted R5,000 bail as the investigation continues. The R14.9 million precious stones robbery case took a dramatic turn on Thursday when prosecutors withdrew all charges against businessman Etienne van der Walt.

By Nontokozo Gemani • Four women have used one grocery stokvel for 13 years to buy food in bulk, helping their families survive South Africa’s rising cost of living. • South Africa has more than 800,000 stokvels, with about 11 million people saving and spending over R50-billion every year. When Gloria Masingita Maluleke looks at her grocery cupboard, she sees more than bags of maize meal and rice. She sees peace of mind.

This week’s Sharp Sharp is the first one you can actually watch, and Rob Rose and Zukile Majova mark the occasion by digging into just how much South Africa neglects the institutions it depends on most. It starts with the embassies. South Africa House on Trafalgar Square, one of the country’s most important diplomatic postings, now needs a seventy million rand overhaul and staff are reportedly told to bring their own toilet paper to work.

Donald Trump matters a lot to Mzansi and the rest of the world right now. Trump is changing the way America works – and how the world’s most powerful country deals with the rest of the world. We’ll track what he does and connect the dots to your daily life. Trump gets his face on new US one dollar coin The US Mint will soon begin making a new one dollar coin featuring President Donald Trump’s face. The coin will mark America’s 250th birthday in 2026.