The Black Business Council (BBC) has thrown its weight behind the Legal Sector Code of Good Practice (LSC), which is at the centre of a legal challenge brought by several of South Africa’s largest corporate law firms. The dispute has reignited debate over how transformation in the legal profession should be implemented after the introduction of the revised LSC under the broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) Act in September 2024. The code introduces sector-specific transformation requirements for legal practitioners, including ownership targets, procurement obligations and revised scoring mechanisms aimed at reshaping the demographics of the legal profession.  The BBC said it fully supported the LSC and had aligned itself with organisations defending it in the matter under way in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, including the Black Lawyers Association, Black Conveyancers Association, National Association of Democratic Lawyers, Advocates for Transformation, African Legal Professionals Association, Basadi Ba Molao Education and Training Services, the General Council of the Bar of South Africa, the Pan African Bar Association of South Africa, the South African Women Lawyers Association and the Legal Practice Council, as well as the departments of trade, industry and competition and justice and constitutional development. The legal challenge involves Bowmans, Webber Wentzel and Werksmans, which have intervened in the legal proceedings initiated by Deneys, formerly Norton Rose Fulbright, to review the LSC. The firms say they support transformation in the legal sector but argue that aspects of the framework are impractical, structurally flawed and could undermine long-term empowerment objectives. The trade union, Solidarity, is also opposing the LSC in a separate case that is being heard at the same time. In a recent joint statement, Bowmans, Webber Wentzel and Werksmans, said a sector-specific code must be “workable and sustainable” and based on sound empirical evidence. They warned that certain provisions risked unintended consequences for both the legal profession and the broader economy. The firms argue that the code fails to sufficiently account for the operational realities of large corporate law firms, which function both as regulated professional partnerships and complex commercial businesses. One of their primary concerns relates to ownership targets. Under the LSC, large firms are expected to reach 50% black ownership within five years.  The firms argue that the timeline does not adequately reflect how law firm partnerships operate, noting that only practising lawyers may become equity partners and that the process typically takes a decade or more. They say equity partners often remain in firms until retirement and are personally liable for firm debt, making rapid ownership restructuring difficult even where firms are committed to transformation. The firms also object to procurement requirements obliging firms to allocate 60% of advocate spend to black advocates by year five. They argue that advocate fees are generally client-directed disbursements rather than procurement decisions controlled by firms themselves. Clients frequently decide which advocates should be briefed, while attorneys have ethical obligations to provide objective legal advice when recommending counsel. The firms argue that linking those decisions to B-BBEE scoring could create professional complications distinct from ordinary procurement decisions involving suppliers such as landlords or IT providers. The firms have also criticised the removal of socio-economic development from the scorecard, despite its inclusion under the generic B-BBEE framework. They argue that bursaries, pro bono legal work and community legal programmes have played a significant role in expanding access to the profession and advancing broad-based empowerment. Further concerns relate to the treatment of procurement from black-owned suppliers outside the legal profession. The firms say the code places insufficient emphasis on spending directed towards black-owned businesses in sectors such as technology, facilities management and legal services support. The firms additionally argue that the LSC focuses too narrowly on legal practitioners while excluding black professionals in fields such as finance, human resources, IT and marketing from management-control calculations, despite their role in firm leadership and operations. In defending their record on transformation, the firms pointed to existing B-BBEE credentials and internal demographic shifts achieved under the generic codes. Bowmans said it had maintained black ownership levels between 24.7% and 28.6% over the past decade, trained more than 356 black candidate attorneys in the past five years and awarded more than 20 bursaries to black students in 2024 alone. Webber Wentzel said black partners had increased from 25% in 2019 to 37% in 2025, while 55% of its lawyers were now black — an increase of 81% over the past decade. The firm said it had trained 178 black candidate attorneys over the past five years and spent more than R6.7 million on bursaries. Werksmans said black partner representation had risen from 20% in 2019 to 30.71% in 2025. The firm said it had spent more than R45m on black-owned suppliers and more than R17m on black professional development in 2024, while black junior lawyers now accounted for 75% of junior legal staff. They also warned that the revised framework could affect investor confidence by destabilising large commercial firms that serviced foreign direct investment and cross-border transactions. “These firms, aligned to the international corporate law firm model, create confidence for potential foreign investors who rely on independent, sophisticated local law firms of a scale and size which they are used to in their home jurisdictions,” the joint statement said. The BBC, however, rejected the firms’ arguments, saying the legal challenge risked weakening a framework specifically designed to expand access for black legal practitioners to high-value legal work and address historical imbalances in the profession.  In a strongly-worded statement, the organisation described the applicants as “anti-transformation white law firms” seeking to overturn a policy central to transformation in the legal sector. The firms, it said, “effectively oppose the right of black legal practitioners to equal treatment and want to continue monopolising lucrative legal work”. The organisation also argued that the LSC was intended to provide black lawyers with greater access to quality legal work and fulfil constitutional obligations aimed at addressing the legacy of exclusion in the profession. The BBC further welcomed the support Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi had shown for the continued implementation of the code.

Malaria is caused by a very complex organism (parasite) which was found in mosquitoes trapped in resin from 30 million years ago. The parasite that causes malaria has therefore been around for many years before our own species. Here, I will explore why the parasites that cause malaria are so difficult to beat. The disease we know as Malaria was thought to be caused by breathing “bad air” (mal aria) that emanates from swamps. This was not “fake news” but a lack of understanding and evidence at the time. As you probably know, swamps and stagnant water are excellent breeding sites for mosquitoes that transmit the Plasmodium parasites that cause the disease.  To nourish her developing offspring, the female mosquito needs to feed on blood as an essential rich source of protein and you and I are the local restaurant. Should she have Plasmodium parasites (sporozoites) in her salivary glands, these are injected into the person she is biting along with her saliva and proteins to stop the blood clotting when she sucks up her meal. The sporozoites she injects very rapidly (30 minutes to three hours) travel to, recognise and invade liver cells, where they are more difficult for the host’s immune system to detect and fight. Of the five species of Plasmodium that cause malaria in humans, Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest. Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for 95% of the deaths caused by malaria and most of the deaths are in Africa and in young children between five months and five years of age. P. falciparum parasites take some five to seven days to divide and develop in the liver before emerging as thousands of “merozoites” that each recognise, attach to and enter red blood cells. Inside a red blood cell, the parasite is hidden from your immune system and again divides and develops to produce 16 to 48 “schizonts” every 48 hours.  As the parasite schizonts burst and break out of red blood cells releasing its waste products your body responds with a high temperature (fever). Only during the red blood cell stage of the parasite’s life do you have the symptoms and feel ill due to malaria. Some of the parasites in a red blood cell take a different direction, dividing into male and female gametocytes which can be taken up by a feeding mosquito, undergo fertilisation, survive the digestive enzymes in her stomach, find their way through the stomach wall and invade many organs, including her salivary glands. Being able to live and divide in all these different environments gives an idea of just how complex and adaptable this parasite is.  We can learn a lot by looking at some of the numbers involved. The World Health Organization’s 2025 report suggests that 3.2 billion people are at risk of getting malaria. Ninety-five percent of malaria cases are in Africa, where 1.58 billion people live. There were 292 million cases and 600 000 deaths reported, most of which are in young children living in Africa.  Here are some other numbers. The population of South Africa is around 63 000 000 people and the world has 8 300 000 000 people. The average child with malaria has some 1 000 000 000 000 malaria parasites in their blood (and yes that is 120 times more than the world population) and in two more days there will be 40 times more parasites. Your immune system or drugs will have to deal with and kill every one of those parasites. I think you will agree that this is a tough task. Amazingly and happily, many patients do survive malaria. Drugs have been a very effective way to prevent and treat the disease but the parasite has found a way to change and survive the drugs we have been using. The parasite has developed resistance to every drug we have tried: chloroquine, sulphadoxine-purimethamine, mefloquine, piperaquine, amodiaquine, primaquine, atavoquone, quinine, artemisinin and its derivatives. These drug-resistant parasites are found in different countries and they do not need passports to move to a new country, as mozzies, people and planes can do that for them. We need new drugs. The parasite has to have copper and my students are working on ways to prevent it from getting essential copper. There are some promising new drugs in various phases of development that are not yet available. We have a very good diagnostic test (which uses antibodies made in South Africa by the National Bioproducts Institute, Durban) which detects the parasite’s Histidine-rich protein II (HRPII) in a patient’s blood sample. Unfortunately, many of the parasites in different countries have learned about the test and so are no longer making the protein and the test does not detect them. To address this, my students have identified new proteins to diagnose P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. knowlesi and P. malariae malaria and there are promising diagnostic targets suggested by other laboratories. We can still diagnose malaria by staining a slide of the patient’s blood and identifying the parasite with a microscope; it just takes a lot longer and requires more training than the HRPII test, which looks for two lines on a test strip (you may have encountered a similar test for COVID-19).  A major breakthrough is that we have two new malaria vaccines RTS,S/AS01 and R21/Matrix-M which aim to prevent sporozoites from getting into the liver. Reports indicate that the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine reduced malaria deaths by 30% in clinical settings and R21/Matrix-M vaccine decreased the number of cases with symptoms by 75%. The WHO reports that 25 African countries have introduced the vaccines in children from five months to five years old, and the vaccines had 22% reduction in hospitalisations for severe malaria. These vaccines are very promising. There are other vaccines in the pipeline targeting the red blood cells stage and gametocytes. I have concentrated on targeting the Plasmodium parasite. If a mozzie does not bite you then you won’t get malaria. Insecticide treated bednets, new insecticides, fiddling with mozzie genetics, mozzie larvae eating fish and mozzie baiting are ways mozzies are being targeted. I remind you mozzies have been around much longer than we have … We saw a huge rise in malaria cases to 64 000 in South Africa after the rains in Limpopo, Mpumulanga, and KwaZulu-Natal in 2000. We had 4 639 cases in 2024. You will be very aware of the recent heavy rains and floods we had earlier this year in Mpumulanga and we hope that we do not see the increase in the number of malaria cases we saw in 2000. Retired Professor J.P. Dean Goldring has, for the last 40 years, worked on malaria vaccines and cerebral malaria and, more recently, identified novel malaria diagnostic targets for malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests that detect Plasmodium falciparum, vivax, knowlesi, and ovale parasites. He has given 6470 lectures and taught 7642 students during his career. Currently, Prof Goldring runs a weekly dissection of scientific journal articles, lab meetings, and workshops on Scaffolding Exegetic Academic Literacy. 

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy details the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa's efforts to address overpayments and corruption in its General Overhaul contract, highlighting ongoing investigations and recovery strategies.

South Africa’s rising paraffin prices are placing immense pressure on poor households already battling unemployment and poverty.

Residents in parts of Johannesburg’s north-eastern corridor have been warned about the growing theft and vandalism of streetlight infrastructure. City Power described the crimes as a direct threat to public safety. The power utility on Wednesday raised the alarm amid what it called a “disturbing surge” in incidents affecting Ward 111, which covers Alexandra, Marlboro and Lombardy East. City Power said infrastructure meant to protect communities was being “stripped away”, leaving residents in darkness and increasingly vulnerable to crime. Videos spark concern The warning follows videos circulating on social media showing Ward 111 councillor Priscilla Supe working alongside Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens during operations at premises allegedly linked to stolen streetlight infrastructure. City Power praised the intervention, saying Supe and the wardens demonstrated that communities and law enforcement were taking a stand against criminal activity. “Streetlight theft is not a minor offence. It is sabotage. It is a direct attack on safety, livelihoods and the integrity of Johannesburg as the economic heartbeat of South Africa,” the utility said. According to City Power, the removal and destruction of streetlights create opportunities for criminals while negatively affecting businesses and residents. “When streetlights are stolen, criminals are given cover, businesses are disrupted and families are placed at risk,” it added. ‘Deliberate act of criminality’ The utility said it was particularly concerning that people living in affected communities were allegedly involved in damaging infrastructure intended for their own benefit. “These lights are not luxuries. They are essential for visibility, security and daily life. Stealing them is not an act of need. It is a deliberate act of criminality against one’s own community,” City Power said. The utility warned that those found in possession of stolen infrastructure would face criminal prosecution. “City Power will not tolerate this. Theft is criminality, and it will be pursued without compromise. Those found in possession of stolen infrastructure will face the full force of the law.” It added: “There will be consequences. There will be arrests. There will be accountability.” Residents urged to report incidents City Power also issued a direct warning to those involved in the crimes, saying they would not evade detection. “To those engaged in this unlawful activity, the message is simple and direct: the darkness you create will not shield you. Every stolen light leaves a footprint. Every act of vandalism tightens the net. You are being watched, traced and pursued.” The utility urged residents to work with authorities to protect public infrastructure and report suspicious activity. “This fight cannot be left to the authorities alone. It requires collective action. Communities must reject silence, report suspicious behaviour and protect what belongs to them.” City Power encouraged residents with information relating to vandalism or suspicious activity around electricity infrastructure to contact its Security and Risk Management unit on 011 490 7900, 011 490 7911 or 011 490 7553. Reports can also be sent via WhatsApp to 083 579 4497. “Protect what protects you. Keep the lights on. Do not dim your own safety,” the utility said.

Kouga Municipality Executive Mayor Hattingh Bornman on Thursday issued an urgent call for residents in low-lying areas along the Gamtoos River to evacuate immediately, warning that the Kouga Dam has exceeded full capacity and is overflowing at an alarming rate. “The Kouga Dam is currently at 113% and overflowing extremely fast,” Bornman said. He added that the evacuation request is being made as a precautionary measure. “We are asking as a precautionary measure for all people in low-lying areas on the Gamtoos River to please evacuate their residences as soon as possible.” The municipality says its teams are already on the ground to assist anyone who needs help during the evacuation. These are the areas under evacuation orders The municipality has identified several communities at serious risk, particularly those situated in low-lying terrain along the Gamtoos River and its surrounding valleys. Residents in the following areas have been specifically requested to leave their homes without delay. Kingsway Village, Big Fish, Gamtoos Mouth Resort, and The Ferry Hotel area. “We are expecting big floods and this is a precautionary measure that we need to make sure that our residents are safe,” Bornman said. Where to go Two community halls have been opened to receive displaced residents. The Katrina Felix Hall in Thornhill and the Loerie Community Hall are both available as official evacuation shelters. “The Loerie Hall community hall as well as the Thornhill community hall will be available,” Bornman confirmed. Meanwhile, agricultural farmers in the Gamtoos Valley are being strongly advised to act with urgency. Authorities have called on farmers to relocate livestock, farming equipment, machinery, and vehicles to higher, safer ground to prevent severe flood damage. Kromme River residents on standby as Impofu Dam levels rise Beyond the Gamtoos River, Bornman has also issued a precautionary notice for residents living in low-lying areas along the Kromme River. The Impofu Dam is currently at 65% capacity, with water levels rising rapidly, raising concern about what lies ahead if conditions continue to deteriorate. While a formal evacuation order has not yet been issued for the area, Bornman warned that one could come within hours. Residents have been urged to remain alert, monitor official communication channels, and prepare for a possible evacuation. They are also advised to move valuables, vehicles, and livestock to higher ground as a precaution, and to avoid all flooded roads and river crossings. The mayor indicated that the situation was being closely watched, with emergency teams monitoring developments on the ground. Further updates will be communicated as conditions evolve, with a critical window identified between 12pm and 13pm during which evacuation notices may be issued if the situation worsens. Do not cross flooded roads or rivers Authorities emphasised that no one should attempt to cross flooded roads or rivers under any circumstances. Emergency teams remain on high alert throughout the affected areas. Bornman also cautioned that road information was still developing at the time of his address. “There are various roads that are flooded and closed and we will let you know as soon as we have more details on those,” he said. Western Cape road closures The Western Cape Government issued a road closure update on 7 May 2026, with the Department of Infrastructure confirming widespread closures across the Garden Route District. All closures are in effect until further notice, and motorists are reminded not to cross flooded roads under any circumstances. The following roads are currently closed across the Garden Route District: Garden Route District road closure update as at 6am MR401 is open Full list below pic.twitter.com/MTeQaQKeLu– @WCGInfrastructure (@WCGov_infra) May 7, 2026 Meanwhile, the Mossel Bay Municipality on Wednesday night had also warned residents to be cautious of the closure of three roads due to flooding in multiple outlying areas of the region. It said the following roads have been closed: Kleinplaas Road (Great Brak River/Friemersheim/Jonkersberg) – Closed due to flooding (19:10). Haelkraal Road (R328 Ruiterbos to R327 Herbertsdale) – Closed due to flooding of the Kouma River (16:25). Leeukloof Road (Klein Brak River/Botlierskop area) – Closed due to flooding (19:00).

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has clarified that its legal challenge against the search and seizure operation conducted by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation at SAFA House in Nasrec remains active and has not been dismissed. In a statement, SAFA pushed back against what it described as “misleading reports” surrounding the status of the matter linked to the Hawks’ raid on its Johannesburg headquarters on 8 March 2024. Matter referred for special allocation According to SAFA, the case was initially scheduled to be heard on 28 April 2026, with approximately four hours allocated by the Acting Deputy Judge President of the Gauteng Division of the High Court. However, the presiding judge reportedly determined during review of the court papers that the matter was more complex than anticipated and would require roughly two days to be properly argued. The case was subsequently referred back to the Acting Deputy Judge President for a special allocation on an urgent basis. Awaiting new court date SAFA said it had consulted its legal representatives, who confirmed the procedural developments. “We are awaiting communication from the Acting Judge President of the High Court, Gauteng Division, Johannesburg through our attorneys of record. We shall then inform the public accordingly,” the association said. The Hawks’ raid at SAFA House formed part of an investigation into allegations relating to governance and financial irregularities within South African football administration.

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is expected to raise interest rates at its next two monetary policy meetings as inflationary pressure mounts due to global energy supply disruptions linked to the war involving Iran. Economists at BNP Paribas believe the SARB’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will increase the repo rate by 25 basis points at both its 28 May and 23 July meetings in an effort to contain rising inflation. At both the January and March meetings, the MPC voted to hold the repo rate at 6.75%, leaving the current prime lending rate at 10.25%. Inflation concerns mounting According to Bloomberg, BNP economists said the central bank would “take no chances” in defending its medium-term inflation objective. “It will act swiftly to preserve its hard-won credibility gains under its new 3% inflation target,” the analysts said. The SARB previously projected inflation would average 4% in the second quarter and 3.7% in the third quarter of 2026. At its March meeting, the bank kept rates unchanged at 6.75% while assessing the economic fallout from escalating Middle East tensions. However, BNP now believes inflation risks have intensified significantly. Oil shock driving pressure Global oil prices have surged by almost 60% since the conflict involving Iran escalated on 28 February, severely disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most important oil transit routes. The sharp rise in crude prices has already filtered through to South African fuel costs, with diesel prices climbing to record highs and petrol set to reach near four-year highs this week. BNP warned that the inflation outlook now points to a “more persistent breach” of the Reserve Bank’s preferred 3% inflation target and its tolerance range. “Regardless of whether we see a more feasible and sustainable ceasefire agreement reached in the coming weeks, a lot of the structural short-term damage to energy supply, inflation and expectations has already been done for 2026,” the economists said. More hikes possible The analysts added that further rate increases may still be necessary should the conflict worsen or energy prices climb further. Financial markets are already pricing in at least one quarter-point increase at the next Monetary Policy Committee meeting, with expectations for additional hikes later in the year. Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago recently said policymakers are monitoring incoming economic data closely. “Although we cannot do much about higher inflation right now, we are very committed to getting inflation back to 3%, just where we had it before the shock hit,” Kganyago said. South Africa’s inflation rate rose slightly to 3.1% in March from 3% in February, but economists expect significantly sharper increases in the coming months as higher fuel and food prices take hold. Who are the SARB’s MPC? The South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee meets every second month to announce changes – if any – to the country’s repo and prime lending rates. The meetings are scheduled to take place in January, March, May, July, September and November – and always on a Thursday at 15:00. Currently, the committee comprises of six people, with Lesetja Kganyago holding the deciding vote if necessary. Dates for SARB MPC meeting dates in 2026 MonthDateOutcomeJanuary29 JanuaryNo changeMarch26 MarchNo changeMay28 MayTBAJuly23 JulyTBASeptember23 SeptemberTBANovember19 NovemberTBA Monthly bond repayment table The table below shows the current monthly bond repayments on various bond values over a 20-year period assuming no deposit and repayments at prime. BondRepaymentR750 000R7 362R800 000R7 853R850 000R8 344R900 000R8 835R950 000R9 326R1 000 000R9 816R1 500 000R14 725R2 000 000R19 633R2 500 000R24 541R3 000 000R29 449R3 500 000R34 358R4 000 000R39 266R4 500 000R44 174R5 000 000R49 082

Altron's continuing-ops Heps is now seen rising 31-37%, with group-level outlook upgraded more meaningfully.

JSE-listed Datatec expects headline earnings per share to rise more than 50% for the year ended 28 February 2026.