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Seeing Burnout for What It Is to Dismantle the Myths that Keep It Unaddressed
Burnout, now classified by the WHO as an occupational phenomenon, has surged as remote‑work blurred personal boundaries and pandemic stress persisted. The article explains that burnout stems not only from excessive workload but also from unresolved trauma, intergenerational stress, and personality traits such as perfectionism and imposter syndrome. Effective prevention requires therapy, boundary setting, nutrition, movement, and somatic practices rather than superficial self‑care. Organizations that address these deeper drivers can reduce turnover, absenteeism, and productivity loss.
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BEWARE THE BURNOUT: Stressed Teachers Need Support to Give Their Best in the Classroom
South African teachers are grappling with extreme workload and emotional strain, with studies showing up to 5,000 daily student interactions and chronic stress symptoms. Primary‑school educators and women report the highest stress levels, driven by low pay, heavy administrative duties,...
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MATERNAL RIGHTS: Calls Grow for Accountability as Obstetric Violence Emerges as Overlooked Form of GBV
South Africa’s gender‑based violence crisis now includes obstetric violence, a hidden abuse of women during pregnancy and childbirth. A 2023 national Birth Survey by Embrace found 53 % of respondents experienced mistreatment, while a 2026 report showed roughly 60 % of births...
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TRIAL TACTICS: Danny Jordaan and His Fraud Co-Accused Play Cat-and-Mouse with Legal System
South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan and finance chief Gronie Hluyo have filed a second Section 342A application, seeking a court‑ordered investigation into alleged delays in their fraud trial. Their earlier 342A request was dismissed by Magistrate Sheron Soko‑Rantao,...
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FINANCIAL WELLNESS COACH: How to Prepare Your Investment Portfolio for Retirement Income
Kenny Meiring advises anyone three years from retirement to evaluate whether a living annuity or a life annuity best fits their income needs. A life annuity typically offers about a third more monthly income for a 65‑year‑old but locks in...
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Why Emerging Market Peers Have Outpaced a Collapsing SA
South Africa’s economy has deteriorated sharply since 1994, with unemployment climbing from 13% to roughly 32% and its nominal GDP ranking slipping to 36th worldwide. The rand has weakened dramatically, moving from R3.60 per US dollar to about R17, while...
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SPOTLIGHT: Survival over Compliance Drives Nurses Into the Shadows of an Unworkable Moonlighting System
South Africa’s public‑sector nurses are increasingly working off‑the‑books in private clinics to make ends meet, with only 20% holding formal permission compared with 85% of doctors. A 2025 survey of 1,397 health workers revealed widespread non‑compliance, while corruption at hospitals...
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BOOK REVIEW: Navigating Obsession, Sexuality and Belonging in These Four Must-Read Books
The Daily Maverick review spotlights four 2025‑26 releases that probe obsession, sexuality and belonging. Arundhati Roy’s memoir "Mother Mary Comes to Me" (≈$24) intertwines a fierce mother’s love with generational trauma. Tanya Sweeney’s "Esther Is Now Following You" (≈$21) dramatizes...
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GROWTH NARRATIVE OP-ED: SA’s Economy — Are We Turning the Corner, or Entering a Cul-De-Sac?
South Africa’s economy is caught between two narratives: a "turning‑the‑corner" view that points to modest growth gains, electricity and transport reforms, a sovereign‑rating upgrade and removal from the FATF grey list, and a skeptical view that stresses persistently low growth,...
SA’s Farm Machinery Slowdown Masks a More Resilient Agricultural Picture
The South African Agricultural Machinery Association reported that March 2026 tractor sales fell 8% year‑on‑year to 618 units, ending a 14‑month streak of growth, while combine‑harvester sales dropped 22% to 29 units. Despite the dip, both categories remain above their...
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CLIMATE CRISIS : Drought Warning: El Niño on Steroids Is on the Horizon
Forecasts from the ECMWF, NOAA and other global centres now give the southern hemisphere a more than 60% chance of a strong El Niño developing by October‑December 2026. A "super" event could mirror the 1982/83, 1997/98 and 2015/16 episodes that slashed...
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FUELLING WAR: ‘Hypocrisy’: Critics Slam SA for Boosting Coal Exports to Israel Despite Gaza Genocide Case
South Africa’s coal exports to Israel surged in the past two years, reaching roughly 2.99 million tonnes between October 2023 and December 2025, even as Pretoria pursues a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The increase followed Colombia’s decision...
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MAIN STREET SUNDAYS: Join Jozi’s First Car-Free Sunday, and Celebrate Connection
On Sunday, April 12, Johannesburg’s Main Street in Marshalltown will shut down to motor traffic from 10 am to 5 pm, turning the busy corridor into a car‑free "living room" for residents. Organized by Jozi My Jozi, Young Urbanists South Africa and city...
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HEALTH HAZARDS: Patients ‘Left on Floors’ as Court Interdict Sought to Halt Dora Nginza Hospital Strike
The Eastern Cape Department of Health has applied for an urgent court interdict to stop an unlawful strike at Dora Nginza Hospital, where staff walkouts left pregnant women and other patients unattended, some even lying on the floor. Video footage...
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COST OF LIVING CRUNCH: Food or Paraffin? SA’s Poorest Forced to Choose as Prices Double
South Africa’s paraffin price more than doubled in April, climbing from R11.52 ($0.61) to R23.19 ($1.22) per litre and reaching a retail ceiling of R31.47 ($1.66). Over 500,000 households – many in informal settlements – depend on paraffin for cooking,...
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ISS TODAY OP-ED: Diplomatic Shuffle as Ramaphosa Bumped From France’s G7 — or Was He?
South African President Cyril Ramaphova was quietly removed from France’s June 2026 G7 guest list after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to boycott the summit if the South African leader attended. France’s Emmanuel Macron substituted Kenya’s President William Ruto, citing a streamlined agenda, while French...
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Russian Diplomat: Moscow Will Not Abandon Cuba, Help with Energy
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told a Cuban press conference that Moscow will not abandon its strategic partnership with Cuba, pledging continued energy assistance beyond the recent delivery of 700,000 barrels of oil on the sanctioned tanker Anatoly Kolodkin. He...
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PUBLIC HEALTHCARE: Bureaucratic Cardiac Arrest — Why Heart Attacks Became Deadlier in Nelson Mandela Bay
From April 1‑9, Livingstone Hospital in Nelson Mandela Bay had no adult cardiologists on duty after their contracts expired, leaving a multimillion‑rand catheterisation laboratory idle. The Eastern Cape Department of Health failed to renew the contracts, forcing cardiac patients to be...
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PAPER VICTORY: CPS Ordered to Pay Sassa R81.3m, but the Balance Sheet Says, Good Luck
South Africa's Constitutional Court ordered Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) to repay R81.3 million (≈ $4.3 million) to the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa). However, CPS entered liquidation with only about R51 million (≈ $2.7 million) in undisputed assets against R779 million (≈ $41.5 million) in proved claims, meaning...
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PERSONAL FINANCE : You Can Take More Cash Offshore — but Tax and Timing Traps Still Lurk
The 2026 South African budget raised the single discretionary allowance (SDA) to R2 million per adult—about $106,000—removing the need for a SARS tax clearance. Couples can now move up to R4 million (~$212,000) offshore each year, and when combined with the foreign...
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PERMIT PARALYSIS: How a Single Administrative Error Sparked 10 Months of Critical Medication Shortages in Eswatini
An administrative error in November 2023 led Eswatini’s Ministry of Health to suspend Fortunate Bhembe, the sole official authorized to sign import permits for controlled medicines. With no successor appointed, the country’s primary supplier, SwaziPharm, could not secure new imports,...
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GEOPOLITICS: When Diplomacy Fails — the Disastrous Cost of the US-Israeli War on Iran
The United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader and senior officials, abruptly ending a fragile nuclear‑negotiation track mediated by Oman. The attacks violated Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and U.S. congressional requirements, undermining the legal...
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MUNICIPAL SERVICE CHARGES: City of Cape Town Hid Its Budget Details in 39 Annexures
Cape Town’s 2026/27 draft budget, a $4.6 billion plan spread across 39 annexes, promises a record $2.1 billion infrastructure spend while touting modest rate relief. In reality, the residential rate‑in‑the‑rand formula drops 10.2%, yet rising property valuations push total rate revenue up 7% (about $50 million)....
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THE BIG CLAWBACK: VBS Bank Autopsy - Court Judgment: If You Can't Explain the Cash, You Have to Pay It...
Six years after more than R2 billion (~$105 million) was siphoned from VBS Mutual Bank, a Johannesburg High Court judgment orders the repayment of R17.29 million (~$0.9 million). The court found former traditional leader Toni Mphephu, his nephew Oscar Thobakgale, and related trusts liable...
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AMABHUNGANE: Robert Gumede — Tongaat Hulett’s Not-so-Sweet Suitor
Robert Gumede, the public face of Vision Sugar’s bid for distressed Tongaat Hulett Limited, is now entangled in a Special Tribunal case brought by South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit. The SIU alleges that Gumede’s nephew‑run firm Red Roses Africa overcharged...
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PANIC AT THE PUMPS: Fuel Supply Woes Persist as Government Reassurances Fail to Ease Motorists’ Fears
The Fuels Industry Association of South Africa says overall fuel supply is stable but diesel is tight ahead of the April 1 2026 price adjustment. A planned shutdown of the Cape Town refinery, set for mid‑April, will rely on imports and is...
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MISSING IN ACTION: AG Finds SANDF Can’t Keep Track of Military Assets as R823m Troop Deployment Begins
The South African Auditor‑General reported that the Department of Defence cannot locate many of its own movable assets, despite managing a $3.6 bn equipment base. This audit comes as the SANDF begins a $43 mn Operation Prosper deployment of about 2,200 troops...
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VIDEO: Watch – How Cape Town's Municipal Bills Are Outrunning Its Middle-Class Residents
Cape Town homeowners without income‑linked rebates are seeing municipal bills climb far faster than inflation and wage growth over the past decade. The surge stems from sharply rising property valuations and a suite of new fixed charges that didn’t exist...
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THE WEEKEND WRAP: Winners and Losers in the Iran War, and Eugene De Kock as Ailing Witness
The weekend wrap surveys the fallout from the Iran‑Israel conflict, flagging that no party truly wins as regional instability spikes. In South Africa, court appearances by Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and revelations of a Brian Molefe slush fund revive the state‑capture narrative,...
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How Necropolitics Deepens the Crime and Inequality Crisis in Cape Town
Cape Town’s housing crisis has intensified as gentrification and soaring property prices force Black and coloured residents from the City Bowl to the Cape Flats, deepening spatial segregation. The article applies Achille Mbembe’s necropolitics framework to argue that state policies and...
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‘BLOODY SCARY’: Fire Chopper Crash Above Hout Bay Ends in Miraculous Escape
A yellow Huey firefighting helicopter operated by Kishugu Aviation clipped a cliffside above Hout Bay on March 25, flipped over and lost its rotors. The dramatic crash was captured on video, but pilot Mike Bothma escaped unharmed. The incident occurred...
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Kim Meets Lukashenko as Russia Allies North Korea, Belarus Sign Friendship Treaty
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation during Lukashenko’s first official visit to Pyongyang. The ceremony featured a 21‑gun salute, schoolchildren waving flags, and a military honor guard, underscoring...
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Bus Falls Into River While Boarding Ferry in Bangladesh, Leaving 24 Dead
A passenger bus carrying roughly 40 people capsized while attempting to board a ferry at Daulatdia in Bangladesh's Rajbari district, plunging about 30 feet (9 m) into the Padma River. Rescue teams recovered 22 bodies and confirmed 24 deaths, including women and...
Adolescents Are the Missing Middle Falling Through the Cracks of TB Care
Adolescents represent a hidden segment of the tuberculosis epidemic, with roughly 750,000 teens contracting TB worldwide each year and about 20,000 cases in South Africa alone. Because health data split patients into children or adults, teenagers fall between categories, leading...
Africa Needs to Build an Economic Architecture that Renders It Immune to US Extortion
A leaked U.S. State Department memo threatens to cut HIV aid for roughly 1.3 million Zambians unless the government grants American firms access to its copper, lithium and cobalt mines. The document frames the move as a direct “America First” extortion...
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AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Anti-Corruption Directorate Arrests 12 Police Officers over R360m ‘Cat' Matlala Contract
South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority’s Independent Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) arrested 12 police officers for their role in a R360‑million (≈ $19 million) health‑services contract awarded to Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s company Medicare 24. The contract, covering wellness screenings and injury‑on‑duty assessments for the...
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RADIO SILENCE: A Failure to Communicate: Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor in Parliament’s Crosshairs
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs confronted Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe after she failed to respond to at least six letters and multiple phone calls seeking audit results, contracts and forensic investigation details. The mayor’s...
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TRC Roulette : Khampepe Inquiry: Former NPA Head Menzi Simelane Challenges Senior TRC Prosecutor’s ‘Scapegoating’
Former senior TRC prosecutor Anton Ackermann publicly apologized to ex‑NPA head Menzi Simelane, admitting his earlier testimony may have mischaracterised Simelane’s involvement in Ackermann’s removal from TRC cases. The Khampepe Commission revealed a 2003 internal memo was later falsified to...
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Slovenia Limits Fuel Purchases as some Pumps Run Dry
Slovenia has imposed daily fuel purchase caps—50 litres for private cars and 200 litres for companies—to curb shortages after a sudden demand spike. Prime Minister Robert Golob assured that national reserves are sufficient, but many stations remain closed, prompting the government to order...
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JOBURG NEWSLETTER: Doja Cat to Jazz in the Lights – Your Joburg Weekend Gig Guide
Johannesburg’s weekend cultural guide highlights a star‑studded lineup, headlined by Grammy‑winner Doja Cat’s first South African concert at Sunbet Arena, with tickets ranging from R1,000 to R1,696. The city also hosts the Jazz In The Lights festival at the Johannesburg Zoo,...
Serbia Secures US Sanctions Waiver for Its NIS Oil Firm, Energy Minister Says
Serbia secured a U.S. Treasury waiver extending sanctions relief for the Russian‑owned Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) until April 17, 2026, allowing continued crude oil imports amid the war on Iran. The waiver comes as Serbia imposed a ban on crude and...
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UAE Says It Dismantled 'Terrorist Network' Funded by Iran, Hezbollah
The United Arab Emirates announced it has dismantled a terrorist network allegedly funded by Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, arresting several operatives. The cell used a fictitious commercial front to launder money, finance terrorism and threaten national security. Lebanon’s foreign ministry...
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MIDDLE EAST SPILLOVER: Don’t Call It a Fuel Crisis, but Prepare to Pay
South Africa is confronting an acute fuel supply shock after the Strait of Hormuz closure disrupted Middle‑East oil flows. The government assures no station shutdowns, yet industry‑level allocation bans have left diesel pumps dry in several provinces. A strategic petroleum...
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DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS: No Ambassador, No Problem — SA’s Unorthodox Approach to the US
President Cyril Ramaphosa has kept South Africa’s embassy in Washington without a formally appointed ambassador for over a year, opting to run the mission through Deputy Ambassador Thabo Thage as chargé d’affaires. Senior adviser Alistair Ruiters, based in Pretoria, has become the...
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CYBERSECURITY: Gauteng Was Lucky with Latest 3.8TB Data Breach, but the Luck Will Run Out
A ransomware‑as‑a‑service group called XP95 exfiltrated roughly 3.8 TB of data from the Gauteng Provincial Government, exposing over 3.6 million files of IDs, passports and résumés. The breach originated from an unsecured, internet‑facing scanner server rather than a phishing error. More than...
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Trump Says NATO's Refusal to Help on Iran Is "Very Foolish Mistake"
President Donald Trump criticized NATO allies for refusing to join the U.S.–Israeli military effort against Iran, calling the decision a “very foolish mistake.” He urged nations to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran’s attacks have threatened a key...
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BUSINESS REFLECTION: After the Bell: Is This the Moment to Drill, Baby, Drill?
South Africa’s Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe announced plans to ease regulations and accelerate oil and gas drilling, including fracking, as global oil prices spike amid the Iran conflict. The move aims to reduce the country’s heavy reliance...
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PATIENT CARE: National Health Laboratory Service System Out of Action, Causing ‘Massive Disruptions’ to Health Facilities
On 17 March the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) in South Africa lost access to its TrakCare information system after a power outage at its Johannesburg head office, revealing the absence of backup power. NHLS provides diagnostic pathology for over 80 %...
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RETAIL SECTOR: Woolworths Bets In2food Can Unlock Offshore Growth Where David Jones Could Not
Woolworths announced a cash acquisition of 100% of prepared‑foods manufacturer in2food, a supplier that generates over R5 billion in annual revenue across ready‑meals, bakery and ambient lines. The deal is described as earnings‑, margin‑ and valuation‑accretive, and it secures Woolworths' largest...
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CRYPTO IN THE SKY: SAA Passengers Get Another Way to Pay for Flights — Bitcoin
South African Airways (SAA) has become the first major African carrier to embed Bitcoin payments directly into its booking platform, partnering with fintech Ozow and crypto‑bridge MoneyBadger. The checkout generates a Lightning Network QR code, instantly converting the digital asset...