SA News Highlights — 10 September 2026
Your 30-second scan of the biggest South African stories today: elections, the economy, water and energy, the courts.
Top Headlines
- Election chaos six weeks out: The IEC hits back — “There was no glitch”, the ANC simply missed the candidate-list deadline. ANC KZN lists are broken in eThekwini and Ray Nkonyeni, the DA has filed opposing papers, and ATM wants in on the ANC–IEC Electoral Court fight.
- Transnet back in the black: first annual profit in four years — but Moneyweb warns the long road to recovery remains, with rail volumes and debt still the problem.
- Joburg water crisis: officials met today to fix the Eskom–City Power supply failure behind the outages. The petition against Eskom’s 8.83% tariff hike has passed 5 700 signatures ahead of public hearings.
- Cost-of-living squeeze: no renewed fuel-tax relief, so motorists face record petrol prices in October. SA also posted its widest current account deficit since 2019 — a red flag for the rand.
- Mapisa-Nqakula “too ill” to appear: the former speaker missed her Pretoria corruption court date today and the case was postponed, a week after she needed medical attention following bribe testimony.
Also Worth Knowing
- Sibanye-Stillwater retrenchments: NUM is proposing alternatives to mine closures and job cuts.
- Zuma disbands his top MK Party task team again and drops a mayoral candidate in the candidate-list fiasco.
- Tongaat scandal: former directors appeared in court today over the collapse.
- Bank earnings sour: FirstRand profit down 5% on a R17.64bn provision; Sanlam profit down 22%.
- Six South Africans are still missing in Nepal after the floods; DIRCO says the search continues.
Justice & Accountability
- The Phala Phala impeachment committee has frozen the process of appointing a new evidence leader because of the EFF’s court challenges — the accountability thread stalls again.
- Mapisa-Nqakula’s corruption case postponed on ill health.
- Correctional Services CFO and three others suspended over a coal tender probe.
- Matlala trial: a state witness poured cold water on Musa Kekana’s claims.
- Rooigrond prison escapee rearrested.
Why It Matters
With local elections six weeks away, everything now runs through the IEC and the courts — while Transnet’s turnaround, the water failures and October’s record fuel price decide what actually hits your pocket. Accountability cases keep getting postponed; the ballot and the petrol pump will not.