Michelle Gumede

Scientists are investigating mass sardine die-offs along South Africa’s west and south coasts after pilchard herpesvirus was detected in the fish for the first time in the country. The virus damages fish gills and impairs oxygen uptake, but officials say it poses no risk to people or seafood safety. Changes in water temperature may have increased the sardines’ vulnerability, while the deaths disrupted operations when fish clogged a seawater intake at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station.

Oprah Winfrey will close the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa at the end of next year, nearly two decades after opening it following discussions with Nelson Mandela. More than 500 girls have graduated, and current students will receive uninterrupted financial support to complete their education. The Gauteng provincial government will take over the 52-acre campus, while Winfrey expands a national scholarship programme for academically talented South African girls.

Oprah Winfrey will close the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa at the end of next year, after more than 500 students have graduated. The campus near Johannesburg will transfer to the Gauteng provincial government, while currently enrolled students will receive financial support to complete their education. Winfrey’s foundation plans to continue supporting academically talented girls through a national scholarship program. The school previously drew scrutiny after students accused a dormitory matron of physical and sexual abuse; the matron was acquitted in 2010 following an independent investigation.

South Africa has asked the United States to exempt it from a proposed 12.5% tariff connected to a Section 301 investigation into how more than 60 economies enforce bans on imports made with forced labor. South African officials cited ratified International Labour Organization conventions and domestic laws barring forced-labor and prison-labor goods, and sought exemptions for major exports including platinum-group metals, vehicles, citrus, seafood, wine and nuts. The request comes amid strained U.S.–South African trade and foreign-policy relations, while duty-free access under the African Growth and Opportunity Act remains at risk unless renewed by Congress. The U.S. trade office accepted further submissions before deciding how to proceed.

South African police arrested British citizen Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma in Johannesburg after British authorities sought him in connection with the alleged killings of his wife, Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, and their two daughters in England. The arrest involved Interpol and South African police agencies. Tshuma is due to appear in a South African court, where extradition proceedings to the United Kingdom may begin under the countries’ extradition treaty.

South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services has opened nine prison art galleries since 2023 as part of an effort to reduce recidivism, violence and overcrowding through rehabilitation. At Johannesburg’s Leeuwkop Correctional Facility, inmates create paintings and sculptures that explore trauma, family, culture and personal transformation; the work is sold publicly, with proceeds supporting supplies and inmate stipends. Officials and program partners say voluntary creative expression can help inmates process trauma, develop skills and prepare for release, while participant Freddy Mongkoai hopes eventually to open his own gallery.

South Africa is building a second temporary deportation center in Durban to relieve severe overcrowding at the Sherwood site, where about 10,000 Malawian nationals have gathered while awaiting repatriation. Tensions escalated after police used rubber bullets and stun grenades against migrants protesting delays. South African officials say deportees must appear in court because they are undocumented, while the process is further slowed by a shortage of buses from Malawi. The temporary facility will operate for up to 14 days and is not intended to become a settlement or refugee camp. Hundreds of Malawians have already left on buses, and deportees are barred from reentering South Africa for five years.

South Africa is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto uprising, when police killed more than 200 students protesting the apartheid education system. The uprising intensified resistance to white minority rule and drew international attention to racial oppression, but survivors and younger South Africans say many challenges persist, including poverty, inequality, unemployment, crime, racism and substance abuse. Soweto's memorials preserve the event's legacy, while historian Noor Nieftagodien argues that official celebrations and concerts have weakened its political meaning and obscured the uprising's role in placing young people at the center of the liberation struggle.

South African jazz pianist, composer and bandleader Abdullah Ibrahim has died in Germany at age 91 after a short illness, his family announced. Formerly known as Dollar Brand, Ibrahim built a career spanning more than seven decades, blending jazz with South African musical traditions and performing at Nelson Mandela’s 1994 presidential inauguration. Tributes from partner Marina Umari, President Cyril Ramaphosa and Western Cape mayor Alan Winde highlighted his cultural influence, anti-apartheid commitment and lasting contribution to South African identity. He will be buried in Bavaria.

A series of mass shootings in South Africa’s impoverished townships and informal settlements is being linked to organized crime, illegal mining gangs, the circulation of millions of unregistered firearms and inadequate policing. Experts say gangs exploit poor lighting, weak security and slow police responses, while illegal miners known as zama zamas use violence to control territory and are difficult to trace. Allegations of police corruption and collusion with criminal syndicates have eroded public trust, prompting President Cyril Ramaphosa to deploy troops to crime hotspots and launch a national investigation. The latest Johannesburg shooting killed 12 people and wounded at least 15, with no arrests reported.

A mass shooting in a Johannesburg informal settlement that killed 12 people and wounded at least 15 highlights how organized crime exploits poorly secured, impoverished communities. Illegal mining gangs, known as zama zamas, operate in and around Johannesburg and use violence to control territory, while millions of illegal firearms circulate nationwide. Police corruption, alleged collusion with criminal syndicates, inadequate resources and slow responses have weakened public trust and allowed criminal groups to operate with impunity. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s deployment of the army reflects the seriousness of the crisis, but experts argue that deeper policing failures and inequality remain unresolved.