The village of uMhlwazi, which sits among the rolling mountains of uMhlumayo in KwaZulu-Natal’s uThukela district, feels forgotten. With barely any services and almost entirely cut off from the rest of the predominantly rural district, daily life in the impoverished village is marked by isolation and hardship. The Mail & Guardian witnessed first-hand the struggles faced by residents trying simply to move in and out of the community. After more than three hours on a heavily potholed tar road that ends halfway, the journey continued along a punishing gravel route leading to the village. uMhlwazi lies roughly three hours from the seat of the Alfred Duma local municipality, headquartered in the town of Ladysmith, known to locals as eMnambithi. Running through the middle of the village is the Indaka River, both a lifeline and a danger to residents. With no water infrastructure, villagers rely on the river as their only source of water, sharing it with livestock. But locals say the river has also claimed six lives over the years, earning it the grim nickname: “the river of death”. Community leader Khanyisani Sibisi initially appeared reluctant to speak to the M&G. “Nizohlekisa ngosizi lwethu,” he said angrily. “You’re here to make a mockery of our struggles. People are perishing here.” Village elder Mboniseni Mazibuko later explained the source of Sibisi’s frustration. “Please pardon him. He lost his younger brother in these waters,” Mazibuko said, pointing at the river. “Government officials have come here and made a lot of promises. People are angry.” Pupils not only walk kilometres to reach Mandlakhe High School, the only secondary school serving several surrounding villages but must also risk crossing the Indaka River, which residents say is infested with crocodiles. The community has never had a bridge connecting it to the other side. Local councillor Bongani Nicholas Madondo said the provincial department of transport must take responsibility for the community’s ongoing suffering. “Government officials and the department of transport have visited this area several times and made many promises,” Madondo said. “The first was former KwaZulu-Natal transport MEC Willies Mchunu, who presided over a sod-turning ceremony and promised a bridge would be built. Nothing came from that. The current education MEC, Sipho Hlomuka, also conducted a sod-turning ceremony in 2023.” Madondo said residents remained traumatised by repeated drownings, including the death of 36-year-old Lungeleni Shabalala. Shabalala had travelled to Ladysmith, the nearest town serving the surrounding villages, to buy household items when she drowned while attempting to cross the river, he said. Her body was recovered the following afternoon. “Two learners have also died in similar incidents,” said Madondo. “Parents sometimes keep their children at home during rainy days because they fear for their safety. The situation is catastrophic.” He said the lack of a bridge also stripped grieving families of dignity during funerals. “During burials, families are forced to carry coffins across the river,” he said. “It completely takes away their dignity.” Mncedisi Maphisa, chairperson of the transport portfolio committee in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, described the situation as “a travesty of justice”. “We will seek answers about what happened to the funds meant for the construction of this much-needed bridge,” Maphisa said. “If there are people who must be held accountable, heads will roll.” In the nearby village of Mbondwane, about 15km away, residents described similar hardship. The only bridge serving the community was damaged during floods, forcing parents to carry children on their backs across dangerous sections so they can reach Mnyanda Primary School. Villagers also told the M&G that there are no nearby clinics and that poor cellphone reception leaves them isolated.  “We are shut off from the world because there’s no network in our village,” said resident Sphelele Gumede. “We have to climb the mountains just to make calls or receive important ones.” uMhlumayo falls under the traditional leadership of eMangweni. KwaZulu-Natal transport department spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya said he was uncertain about the status of the bridge project. “I will have to check with the engineers regarding the status of the bridge,” he said.

A court case that most South Africans probably scrolled past this month deserves a lot more attention than it got. On 30 April 2026, the Western Cape High Court ruled that Cape Town’s fixed charges for citywide cleaning, water and sanitation were unlawful and unconstitutional.  The South African Property Owners Association (Sapoa) brought the case and won. The city has since decided not to appeal, which tells you everything you need to know about the strength of its legal position. The issue was that Cape Town had structured the fixed service charges so that the amount you paid was calculated based on your property’s value. The more expensive your property, the more you paid for cleaning and basic water, regardless of how much water you used or how much rubbish you generated.  The court found that linking a service charge to property value converts it into a property tax in disguise. Municipalities don’t have the legal authority to introduce new property taxes. That power sits with the national government. What looked like a service charge was, legally speaking, an unlawful levy. The city is scrambling to rework a budget that depended on roughly R2 billion in revenue from those charges. A new draft budget goes out for public comment on 27 May 2026. Sapoa has said citywide cleaning should be funded through property rates, the mechanism that exists for broad-based municipal expenditure. The city appears to agree. Why does this matter beyond the Western Cape? The ruling is a mirror being held up to every municipality in the country. Municipalities have a problem and it is one that few are willing to talk about honestly. They are over-reliant on a small group of people to fund their budgets — property owners. Property taxes and rates make up a disproportionate share of municipal income in most of our major cities.  When you add surcharges and service fees that get stacked on top of rate bills, a significant portion of what municipalities collect comes from the same pool of ratepayers. That is not a sustainable funding model and it creates a political temptation that is almost impossible to resist. To put it another way, if you need more money, you look at property owners because they’re paying, their properties are registered and they’re relatively easy to bill. Cape Town’s value-linked charges were a version of that temptation. Instead of going through the proper legislative process to increase rates, which requires alignment with the national framework and public consultation, the city found a creative workaround.  Link the service charge to property value, collect more from higher-value properties and achieve the revenue outcome without technically calling it a rate increase. The court said no. Here is what the data tells us about the broader problem. According to research compiled from the National Treasury’s local government data, property rates as a share of municipal operating revenue have climbed steadily over the past decade. In the metros, rates income has in many cases grown faster than inflation — and significantly faster than the property values being taxed.  The City of Cape Town’s budget shows rates income growing at compound rates that have consistently outpaced CPI. The same pattern holds in Johannesburg, Tshwane and eThekwini, where property rate increases have run between 8% and 12% annually, even during periods when inflation was at 4% or 5%. For property owners, this is not an abstract policy conversation. It lands on your doorstep in the form of a municipal account that seems to grow faster than almost anything else in your cost of living. Being a property owner in South Africa in 2025 is sometimes not as glamorous as it looks. The romanticised version of buying a property, building wealth, collecting rent and retiring comfortably has become something different. The costs of owning, maintaining and managing property have escalated dramatically while the income from that property has often not kept pace. Think about what goes into owning a property. You start with transfer duty on acquisition, which applies at a graduated rate to purchases above R1.1 million, plus conveyancing fees, bond registration costs and potentially an estate agent commission.  That’s before you’ve switched on a light. Then come the monthly costs of the bond, levies if you’re in a complex, property rates, building insurance, maintenance and repairs.  If you’re a landlord, add vacancy periods, property management fees if you use an agent, the cost of tenant disputes and the risk of a non-paying tenant you cannot remove quickly because the Rental Housing Tribunal moves at its own pace. As for the effectiveness of the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act 19 of 1998, let me save the rant for another article. Rates alone have become a material line item. A property valued at R3m in Cape Town can attract a monthly rates bill of R2 500 to R3 500 or more, depending on the category and the valuation cycle. The number was lower five years ago.  In Johannesburg, where property values in many areas have gone flat or backwards in real terms, rates bills have kept climbing. You are paying more for a municipal service in a city where the roads are worse, the water infrastructure is under pressure and load shedding, while recently improved, has cost property owners significantly in generator investments and electricity surcharges. The cumulative effect on affordability is real and underestimated. When first-time buyers do the maths on whether they can afford a property, they typically look at the bond repayment and maybe the levy. Rates often get underestimated. The cost of maintenance, which, for an average freestanding house, is roughly 1% of the property value a year almost never features in the calculation.  The true cost of owning property is considerably higher than the headline price suggests. Municipalities raising their rates above inflation year after year are making that calculation worse. None of this is an argument against municipalities collecting revenue. They need it. Roads, water reticulation, waste removal and electricity infrastructure cost money and property owners benefit from them. A well-run city with reliable services and maintained infrastructure is the most important driver of property value. I have made this argument in this column before: the reason Cape Town properties appreciate the way they do is not just the mountain and the ocean. It is the fact that the city’s lights stay on, the sewage system mostly works and the streets get cleaned. That is worth paying for. But paying for it and being exploited are two different things. When a municipality creates a charge that is linked to the value of your asset and not to your usage, not to the cost of the service but to how much your property is worth, it has crossed from taxation into something that looks more like a wealth levy applied to an illiquid asset.  You cannot sell 10% of your house to pay your rates and you cannot easily liquidate equity. You are being asked to fund the municipality based on a notional value, while the municipality often fails to justify how the number translates into service delivery. Sapoa is engaging Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality on the same issue. Other municipalities had better take note because the precedent is set. The lesson is not complicated. Property rates and proper service levies are legitimate. They are the clean, constitutionally sound way to fund shared municipal services. Sapoa has said it supports the mechanism.  What is not legitimate is using property values as a proxy for ability to pay, packaging it as a service charge to avoid legislative scrutiny and then running a R2bn hole in your budget when a court calls it out. Municipalities need to do the hard work of broadening their revenue bases rather than returning to the same well. They need to improve billing and collection rates and be transparent to ratepayers about how their money is being spent.  Property owners are carrying more than their fair share of an increasingly heavy load. They are not an inexhaustible revenue source.  As this court case has reminded us all, they are not without legal recourse either.

Bafana Bafana's World Cup preparations hit a snag as a visa blunder delays their departure for the tournament, prompting Minister Gayton McKenzie to demand accountability from SAFA.

Cederberg Municipality is on the brink of eliminating a staggering R47 million Eskom debt, thanks to a significant second R14.9 million write-off from National Treasury, paving the way for financial recovery.

In the news today, the DA and Rise Mzansi emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of political donations declared to the IEC, accounting for nearly 90% of all reported funding. Meanwhile, Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson is demanding a deeper investigation into a controversial lease deal after more than R70 million was allegedly paid to a non-existent tenant. Furthermore, Sars has moved to clarify how South African exporters can access China’s new zero-tariff trade scheme and what requirements must be met Weather tomorrow: 01 June 2026 The SA Weather Service warned of cloudy conditions with fog patches are expected in several provinces, while most of South Africa can look forward to fine, cool weather on Monday, 01 June. Full weather forecast here. Stay up to date with The Citizen – More News, Your Way. DA, Rise Mzansi dominate donations Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)’s Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/ The Citizen The Democratic Alliance (DA) and Rise Mzansi accounted for nearly 90% of all political donations declared to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) during the latest reporting period. The disclosures highlighted the two parties as the biggest recipients of private funding, with the DA receiving the largest share. The figures were revealed in the IEC’s latest political funding declarations. Political funding transparency remains under scrutiny as parties prepare for the 2026 local government elections. The latest declarations showed a significant gap between the amounts received by the DA and Rise Mzansi compared to other political parties. CONTINUE READING: DA, RISE Mzansi account for nearly 90% of donations declared to IEC Macpherson wants ghost tenant probe Image used for illustration. Picture: iStock Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has called for further investigation after more than R70 million was allegedly paid to a so-called “ghost tenant”. The payments were linked to a government lease agreement that has raised concerns over accountability and oversight. Macpherson said while an investigation had been conducted, it failed to adequately address key questions and did not sufficiently hold those responsible to account. He has now pushed for additional scrutiny into how the payments were approved and processed. CONTINUE READING: R70m paid for ‘ghost tenant’ as Macpherson demands investigation Sars clarifies China tariff process Picture: Gallo Images / Fani Mahuntsi The South African Revenue Service (Sars) has outlined the process exporters must follow to benefit from China’s new zero-tariff export scheme. The tax authority said exporters need to comply with specific customs requirements and ensure the correct documentation accompanies shipments. Sars explained that the tariff relief does not automatically apply to all goods and that exporters must confirm eligibility before exporting products. The move is expected to create new opportunities for South African businesses looking to access the Chinese market. CONTINUE READING: Trading with China? Sars explains new zero-tariff export process Officer arrested over cell escape Picture: Saps A police officer has been arrested for allegedly assisting suspects in escaping from holding cells. The officer was arrested on Friday and is due in the KwaMsane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday to face charges of aiding and abetting suspects, defeating the ends of justice and corruption. The officer is also accused of accepting a bribe to assist the suspects’ escape from the KwaMsane police station on 27 February 2024. The suspects are believed to have used a steel saw smuggled to them by the officer to cut through an iron roof sheet and the holding cells’ bars. CONTINUE READING: Police officer arrested for allegedly assisting suspects to escape holding cells Rand Water update: supply improves Picture: iStock Johannesburg Water says systems are gradually recovering following Rand Water’s planned maintenance programme. Reservoirs and water towers across affected areas have begun stabilising as supply returns to normal. Phase one of the Eskom-related maintenance is set to be completed by 2 June, with Johannesburg Water stating its systems were experiencing various states of supply. Water tankers are dotted around the areas hardest hit, with Johannesburg Water stating self-help collection points are also available at their depots. CONTINUE READING: Rand Water maintenance update: Here’s how Johannesburg’s systems are recovering Yesterday’s News recap READ HERE: In case you missed it: Cradock Four documents | Spaza shops get millions | Parole monitoring criticism

Minister for Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie said on Sunday night that Bafana Bafana’s players all now had their US visas and would depart for the 2026 Fifa World Cup on Monday, a day later than initially scheduled. Bafana delayed Bafana were set to jet off to their training base in Pachuca, Mexico on Sunday morning, but were unable to fly as it emerged that due to an administrative issue, several players did not have the required paperwork to travel. “All @BafanaBafana players received their visas to travel to the USA, outstanding is assistant coach, team doctor, head of security and one analyst. The charter will leave tomorrow,” tweeted McKenzie on Sunday evening. It remains unclear who was responsible for the visa debacle, though the spotlight immediately fell once more on controversial Bafana team manager Vincent Tseka. Tseka was heavily criticised for his involvement in Bafana’s fielding of midfielder Teboho Mokoena in a Fifa World Cup qualifier in over a year ago, when the Sundowns man was supposed to be suspended. The incident ended up almost costing Bafana a place at the World Cup, as that game was ultimately awarded by Fifa to Lesotho as a 3-0 win. Safa issued a statement on the visa issue on Saturday. ‘SAFA is working around the clock’ “The South African Football Association (SAFA) wishes to update the nation on Bafana Bafana’s travel plans to Mexico ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” read the statement. “The South African senior men’s national team has experienced challenges regarding Visas for some players and officials, and as a result the group could not travel to North America this morning as originally planned. “SAFA is working around the clock to ensure that the team travels to Mexico City as soon as possible ahead of the opening match of the global tournament against the hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, 2026. We remain committed to ensuring that the team’s preparations for the tournament remain on track and in the meantime, Bafana Bafana will continue to train in Johannesburg until departure. “SAFA will have an Emergency Committee Meeting this evening (Sunday, 31 May 2026) and a further update will be communicated to the nation after its conclusion.”

Woolworths has intensified security measures across South Africa by deploying specialist bomb-sniffing dogs to stores nationwide following two explosive incidents at its branches within 24 hours. The retailer shared images of the canine units conducting sweeps at stores across the country, thanking the teams for helping to keep customers and staff safe. “Hi Woolies shoppers, this weekend we had a few esteemed guests in attendance at stores across the country. A big thank you to all the selfless helpers who are working and sniffing hard to keep us all safe,” the retailer posted on social media platform X. Hi Woolies shoppers, this weekend we had a few esteemed guests in attendance at stores across the country.A big thank you to all the selfless helpers who are working (and sniffing!) hard to keep us all safe ❤️ pic.twitter.com/f6BxqOKkTj— Woolworths SA (@WOOLWORTHS_SA) May 31, 2026 Explosions rock two stores The enhanced security measures come after improvised explosive devices detonated at two Woolworths stores on consecutive days. The first explosion occurred at the retailer’s Menlyn Park branch in Pretoria during the early hours of 28 May, while a second device detonated at the Preller Square store in Bloemfontein on 29 May. Both incidents took place between 01:00 and 02:00 when the stores were closed to the public. No injuries were reported in either incident, although Woolworths said some employees were understandably shaken by the events and were receiving support from the company. Investigation continues The South African Police Service immediately responded to both incidents, conducting sweeps of the affected areas to ensure no further threats were present. The Hawks have since been appointed to lead the investigation. While the Menlyn Park store has reopened, the Preller Square branch remains closed as forensic investigators continue their work. Woolworths said authorities have not yet established the motive behind the attacks, nor have any suspects been identified. “At this stage, no further information on the nature of the devices or the motive behind these attacks is available,” the retailer previously said. Business remains open Despite the incidents, Woolworths has vowed to continue operating as normal while strengthening security measures across its national store network. “Targeted attacks will not deter us,” the retailer said. “We will keep showing up, keep opening our doors, for you, our customers.” The company has also brought in specialist forensic experts to support ongoing investigations and bolster security and intelligence capabilities while authorities work to determine who was behind the explosions. Do you suddenly feel more nervous shopping at Woolworths? Let us know by clicking on the comment banner below …

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has shared his frustration and heartbreak at suffering another devastating injury, which will likely rule him out for much of the 2026 Springbok test match schedule. The 24-year-old player sustained an ankle sprain during a Stormers match against Cardiff on Saturday, 30 May at the DHL Stadium. SACHA FEINBERG-MNGOMEZULU ON ANKLE INJURY On his Instagram account, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu shared a candid post about his recent injury. Sharing a series of images of him limping off the field, he posted: “I’ll say it how it is. Frustrated, irritated and questioning, ‘Why me?’ First time injured in 14 months.  He added, “Sometimes the game reminds you that you’re not invincible! Another injury, another chance to come back hungry, determined and focused. I’ve got a job to do, get back and get back better than I left. I’m not one to dwell, but I’ll have a little vent!  “Now..BACK TO WORK! Next job: crystal-clear vision and mindset. See you soon!” HOW SERIOUS IS IT, AND HOW LONG WILL HE BE OUT? According to Stormers boss John Dobson, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu reportedly suffered a “pretty serious ankle injury” that could keep him out for several months. He said: “It looks pretty serious, to be honest. He’s obviously going for a scan. The doctors have given me some feedback, but it looks like a proper ankle injury.” Although unconfirmed just yet, Sacha is likely to sit out several Springbok test matches, including clashes against England, Scotland and Wales. Bok coach Rassie is currently dealing with several player injuries, including those of RG Snyman, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Grant Williams and Jaden Hendrikse, among others.

Telkom has guided to a 45-55% earnings jump when it reports this week, but base effects complicate the picture.

Microsoft and Dell are expected to lead the launch as Nvidia muscles into a space dominated by Intel and AMD.