Cape Times
General Sibiya faces rape, trafficking and grooming charges
SUSPENDED Deputy National Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya has appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg, facing five charges, including rape, trafficking in persons and sexual grooming of a child. Sibiya was arrested...
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WORLD WATCHES SA’S FIGHT AGAINST GBV
THE murders of nine women in Ekurhuleni have drawn international concern with the United Nations and Amnesty International South Africa saying it was “deeply alarmed” by the crimes. This as the South African Police Services (SAPS) yesterday confirmed...
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FEMICIDE: ‘MEN, RISE UP, STAND UP’
THE trail of women’s bodies found in Ekurhuleni has cast a grim light on South Africa’s gender-based violence (GBV) crisis raising questions about the behaviour of men and what they doing to confront violence and challenge the culture that enables...
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‘WEAPONISED’ CASES AGAINST TOP COPS
THE withdrawal of charges against senior South African Police Service (SAPS) leadership has ignited a debate on whether disciplinary and criminal processes were being weaponised to settle internal scores or manipulated by criminal syndicates to...
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‘DON’T EXPECT CHEAPER ELECTRICITY OVERNIGHT’
SOUTH Africa’s Eskom restructuring is entering a decisive phase, with government betting on an independent transmission operator to strengthen competition and the power system, but the promise of cheaper and more reliable electricity is not...
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R40.5BN ESKOM DEBT CRISIS DEEPENS
FINANCE Minister Enoch Godongwana says 50 of 71 municipalities in Eskom's debt-relief programme have failed to keep current accounts up to date and collectively owe the power utility R40.5 billion. “As of August 7, 2026, the 50 (or 78 percent) of the...
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AIRPORTS BATTLE THEFT, DRUG SMUGGLING
GENERAL theft and narcotics smuggling remain the dominant security challenges at South Africa’s major aviation hubs, according to parliamentary data covering OR Tambo, Cape Town and King Shaka international airports over three financial years from...
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NSFAS FUNDING GAP WIDENS TO R33 BILLION
HIGHER Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has sounded the alarm over the financial sustainability of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), warning that its funding shortfall could balloon to R33 billion by 2029 unless government...
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GDP DECLINE EXPOSES SA’S JOBS CRUNCH
SOUTH Africa’s economic recovery has hit a stumbling block, with the economy contracting in the second quarter of 2026 as several key industries also shed jobs. According to the latest gross domestic product (GDP) figures from Statistics South Africa...
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RISING LIVING COSTS PUSH HOUSEHOLDS TO BREAKING POINT
HOUSEHOLDS are running out of room in their monthly budgets as the cost of keeping the lights on, getting to work and putting food on the table consumes an ever-larger share of their income, turning the cost-of-living crisis into a battle over what...
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INSIDE SA’S HIJACKED-BUILDING CRISIS
FOR years, hijacked and illegally occupied buildings have remained a stark symbol of South Africa’s housing crisis, urban decay, and weak enforcement, a problem stretching across major cities and provinces. From Cape Town to Johannesburg and to...
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HOME AFFAIRS VISA FRAUD SCANDAL
HOME Affairs officials allegedly took kickbacks from foreign nationals to ignore fraudulent documents and approve visas for applicants who did not qualify, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has revealed. The SIU confirmed that 205 visas were...
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FUEL PRICE SHOCK: CALLS GROW FOR TAX RELIEF
PRESSURE is mounting on government to take further steps to reduce the tax burden built into South Africa's fuel price as tensions between Iran and the United States continue to drive oil-market volatility and add pressure to household budgets. The...
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CRIME REPORTING GAP EXPOSES CRISIS OF TRUST IN POLICE – STATS SA
CITIZENS are increasingly taking their safety into their own hands, with new data revealing a gap between people’s experience of crime and their willingness to report it to police, raising fresh questions about public trust in law enforcement. The...
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MKHWANAZI PAID R1.27M WHILE IN JAIL
PROLONGED suspensions of hundreds of public servants with full pay, is costing the state about R800 million a year, with the spotlight now on suspended Ekurhuleni Deputy Chief of Police Julius Mkhwanazi who has been paid more than R1.2m while awaiting...
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AIRPORTS UNDER ORGANISED CRIME SIEGE
SOUTH Africa's major international airports and associated air-cargo facilities have been flagged as strategic organised crime priority areas with dozens of narcotics-smuggling cases emanating from the country's ports of entry. These high-traffic hubs...
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ALL BLACKS BRACE FOR BOKS FURY
HISTORY suggests the Springboks are their most dangerous when wounded, and all eyes will be on Cape Town as they ready for the second Test that South Africa cannot afford to lose. The Springboks have their backs to the wall, and the All Blacks have...
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EL NIÑO THREATENS FOOD PRICES IN SOUTH AFRICA
SOUTH Africa’s record maize harvest and improved water reserves should protect against immediate food shortages, but a strengthening El Niño could reduce agricultural output and push food prices higher next year. El Niño is a climate pattern...
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SA CAUGHT IN IRAN SANCTIONS CROSSFIRE
SOUTH Africa faces a fresh diplomatic and economic balancing act after the Trump administration threatened countries doing business with Iran with secondary sanctions, seeing the fallout potentially extending far beyond its limited trade with...
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SHOCK AT 50 000 GBVF CASES IN A YEAR
SOUTH Africa’s fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) faces renewed scrutiny following the release of sobering police statistics for the 2025/26 financial year. Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia reported that 50 511 GBVF...
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POLITICAL KILLINGS THREATEN ELECTIONS
AN increase in the number of councillors being killed ahead of the November 4 Local Government Elections has raised fears that they are being targeted and killed due to fierce competition over access to municipal resources, state tenders, and well-paid...
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SA’S DEADLY BUILDINGS REVEALED
THE deaths of 17 people have exposed serious cracks in the country’s building safety system, with investigations pointing to weak enforcement, inadequate oversight and professional failures. Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson...
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FADIEL ADAMS REVEALS CRIME INTELLIGENCE ‘SLUSH FUND’
NATIONAL Coloured Congress leader and MP Fadiel Adams has levelled serious allegations of financial mismanagement, nepotism and abuse of investigative powers within Crime Intelligence during his testimony before the Madlanga Commission of...
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R5.1BN NSFAS FUNDING SCANDAL EXPOSED
HIGHER Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has welcomed damning findings by the Public Protector into systemic failures at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), saying the problems underpinning the investigation were among the...
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2026 LOCAL ELECTIONS MAY BE ‘DEADLIEST’
SOUTH Africa is still months away from its local government elections, but a string of politically linked killings and attacks has raises fears that the battle for municipal power could turn deadlier as November approaches. Research cited by...
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SIU investigation launched into Justice Department’s R49.8 million digitisation project disruptions
A R49.8 million Justice Department digitisation project has been referred to the SIU and Hawks for investigation after the department was allegedly denied access to State records held by a private service provider, disrupting services at the Master of...
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IMPEACHMENT FIGHT HEADS BACK TO COURT
THE Constitutional Court’s refusal to urgently hear the African Transformation Movement’s (ATM) challenge to the suspension of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s impeachment proceedings has reignited a political and constitutional battle over...
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345 000 JOIN JOBLESS RANKS
SOUTH Africa’s unemployment crisis has deepened, with the national jobless rate climbing to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026 as employment continued to decline and 345 000 more people joined the ranks of the unemployed. The latest Quarterly Labour...
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QUALIFIED BUT JOBLESS: SA’S DOCTOR CRISIS DEEPENS
NEWLY qualified doctors in South Africa are struggling to find permanent employment after completing compulsory community service, with medical organisations warning that funding constraints, frozen posts, and poor workforce planning are leaving...
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ILLICIT MEDICINE TRADE FACES CRACKDOWN
PHARMACEUTICALS Made in South Africa (Pharmisa) has called for urgent government intervention to tackle the growing illicit trade in medicines, warning that the illegal market now involves healthcare practitioners as well. Pharmisa chairperson Stavros...
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PARLIAMENT TO PROBE ALLEGED HIJAB DISCRIMINATION BY POLICE
THE Portfolio Committee on Police is set to engage with Acting Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Sizakhele Dyantyi, after a Muslim woman's firearm licence application was rejected, allegedly because she was wearing a hijab on her...
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SAPS RESET AMID MADLANGA PROBE
AS ALLEGATIONS of corruption and political interference in senior police and criminal justice structures unfold at the Madlanga Commission, four new provincial police commissioners have taken office, with a mandate to strengthen detective services,...
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‘Leave the country’: Recording captures Johnson advising prosecutor to dodge Commission
FORMER Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head Advocate Andrea Johnson allegedly advised prosecutor Drushantha Ramsamy to leave the country if she was summoned to testify before the Madlanga Commission, according to a cellphone...
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ARRESTS A MISTAKE, SAYS JOHNSON
THE Independent Directorate Against Corruption's (IDAC) arrest of Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo and other senior police officials linked to the alleged irregular appointment of Brigadier Dineo Mokwele was...
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BELL EMERGES AS IDAC CONTENDER
DEPUTY National Director of Public Prosecutions (DNDPP) and former National Prosecuting Authority's Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nicolette Bell's name has emerged as a possible successor to replace former Advocate Andrea...
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NPA PULLS PLUG ON KHUMALO CASE
THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has withdrawn charges against Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, Brigadier Dineo Mokwele, Major-General Nozipho Madondo and their co-accused, following a directive from National Director of Public Prosecutions...
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ATM turns to ConCourt for clarity on impeachment process after court victory
THE African Transformation Movement (ATM) is set to urgently approach the Constitutional Court for clarity on the implementation of the Section 89 impeachment process against President Cyril Ramaphosa. The party said it had instructed its legal team...
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RAMAPHOSA FACES A HIGH-STAKES FIGHT
WHILE President Cyril Ramaphosa argues that an interdict is necessary to prevent irreparable harm, legal experts and analysts say a victory in court today would merely delay accountability and deepen perceptions of unequal treatment before the...
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ANDREW CHAUKE CLEARED OF MISCONDUCT
THE South Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Andrew Chauke has been cleared of all misconduct allegations and declared fit to hold office. The decision comes after the Nkabinde Commission of Inquiry released its final report, which has...
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IDAC BOSS KEEPS MUM OVER ALLEGATIONS
INDEPENDENT Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head Advocate Andrea Johnson told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that she would invoke her right against self-incrimination as allegations of criminal conduct against her are now before the National...
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ANC intensifies search for Cape Town mayoral candidate
SEVERAL candidates are vying to become the ANC’s Cape Town mayoral candidate as the party seeks to rebuild its support in a city where it suffered a major setback, securing just 18% of the vote in the 2021 local government elections. Interviews with...
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Eight arrested for spaza shop extortion, murders
WESTERN Cape police have intensified their crackdown on extortion syndicates targeting spaza shops across the province, arresting eight suspects in separate operations in Franschhoek and Bonteheuwel linked to a string of extortion-related...
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I LET SOUTH AFRICANS DOWN – DINA PULE
SOCIAL Development Minister Dina Pule has defended her return to Cabinet, saying she has already faced the consequences of the scandal that ended her political career. Pule said she had learned from her mistakes and was prepared to do better. In her...
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CCTV EVIDENCE LOOMS OVER CARRIM
NORTH West businessman Suliman Carrim’s failure to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has come under renewed scrutiny after allegations emerged that he was seen dining at a Western Cape shopping centre despite submitting a medical note...
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MPS SLAM ‘SOFTENED’ POLICE PROBE REPORT
MEMBERS of Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations raised by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi have criticised the second draft preliminary report, saying it does not reflect the evidence presented during...
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MADLANGA SLAMS ‘USELESS’ SICK NOTE
MADLANGA Commission of Inquiry chairperson retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga has criticised the medical certificate submitted to explain the absence of Investigative Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head Advocate Andrea Johnson, describing it as...
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JOHNSON IN MADLANGA COMMISSION HOT SEAT
IDAC head Advocate Andrea Johnson is expected to face tough questions when she appears before the Madlanga Commission this week following allegations of misconduct. Senior investigator Brian Padayachee is also set to appear before the commission, amid...
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OPERATION PROSPER FACES RECKONING
AT least 29 people have been killed in eight mass shootings since Operation Prosper was launched and soldiers were deployed to Cape Town's crime hotspots. The latest attacks unfolded within 20 minutes of each other on Wednesday evening, leaving seven...
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VILJOEN’S R500M GAMBLE AGAINST NPA
DISBARRED attorney Peet Viljoen has told the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria that he intends suing the National Prosecuting Authority for R500 million, claiming he has been subjected to an unlawful prosecution. The claim was contained...
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City failed the residents of Langa and Khayelitsha - PP
DESPITE challenges including violent protests, human resource constraints, the City of Cape Town remains constitutionally obligated to provide services to residents of Langa and Khayelitsha. Releasing findings of a Public Protector investigation,...
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Khayelitsha residents rescue young girl buried in sudden ground collapse
A FIVE-year-old girl narrowly escaped being buried alive in Wetland, Khayelitsha, after the ground suddenly collapsed, prompting a frantic rescue by residents who dug her out with their bare hands and spades. Residents said the child had been visiting...
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TAFELBERG SALE DECLARED UNLAWFUL
IN A damning indictment of the Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town for failing to dismantle the legacy of apartheid spatial planning, the Constitutional Court of South Africa yesterday declared the sale of the Tafelberg site in Sea Point...
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Court rejects Matlala’s plea deal of eight years, wants heavier sentence
ALLEGED crime kingpin Vusimuzi ‘‘Cat'' Matlala's plea deal hung by a thread yesterday after a Pretoria magistrate rejected the eight-year sentence he had bargained for as too soft and said he deserved far longer behind bars. Magistrate Ignatius du...
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ONE DOWN - WEEKLY PROTESTS COMING
MARCH and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma announced that supporters will take to the streets every Thursday until the government takes action to remove undocumented immigrants from South Africa. Addressing protesters outside SAPS Point in Durban...
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Cachalia’s marching orders: Uphold the law, stay neutral
ACTING Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has urged law enforcement officers to remain “professional, disciplined and neutral” as South Africa prepares for planned nationwide demonstrations tomorrow. The protests, led by groups including the “March and...
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‘CAT’ MATLALA AWAITS DECISION ON PLEA DEAL
SELF-CONFESSED fraudster Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala will have to wait until next week to learn whether his deal to dodge the worst of a jail term holds up. A Pretoria magistrate yesterday reserved his decision on whether the plea and sentencing agreement...
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CITY OF CAPE TOWN HAS ‘REGRESSED’ – AG
AUDITOR-General Tsakani Maluleke has raised serious concerns about the state and financial health of the country’s eight biggest municipalities, as she released the 2024/25 consolidated general report on local government audit outcomes. Maluleke...
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Cachalia confident in law enforcemen’s readiness for anti-immigration protests
ACTING Police Minister Firoz Cachalia says he is confident law enforcement agencies are prepared to maintain order during the planned nationwide anti-immigration protests on 30 June, with a special police operation activated. Cachalia was speaking in...
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SLAIN CANDIDATE FEARED FOR LIFE
“I FEAR for my life. I left my house and I am currently in hiding because of fear that Mr AV can come and kill me at any time.” These were the words of slain DA ward candidate Sinovuyo Dyokwe in a sworn affidavit to police in February, claiming she...
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Tragic shooting of DA candidate Sinovuyo Dyokwe raises concerns over political violence
SLAIN DA ward candidate Sinovuyo Dyokwe, who was shot ten times while returning to her home in Dunoon from a voter registration event at the weekend, had earlier this year reported an extortion case to police after allegedly being ordered to pay a...
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Bafana Bafana fight back to secure a vital draw
INSPIRED by the spirit of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, Bafana Bafana seized the opportunity to etch their names into history, delivering a performance that honoured the weight of the occasion. Supported by a dedicated contingent of fans and dignitaries...
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HILL-LEWIS WIELDS AXE ON STEENHUISEN
THE timing of the humiliating demotion of former DA leader John Steenhuisen to a deputy ministerial post suggests serious concern from the DA leadership about his ministerial performance and the mounting criticism from farmers over his handling of the...
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PRESIDENT SLAMS MIGRANT ‘BLAME GAME’
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday urged South Africans not to blame migrants for the country’s problems, after a recent wave of anti-immigrant unrest and violence. South Africa has long attracted migrant workers from across the continent, both...
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RAMAPHOSA SEEKS IMPEACHMENT DELAY
PARLIAMENT has until this week to respond to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s court bid to interdict the impeachment committee from beginning its work. Ramaphosa filed papers in the Western Cape High Court on Friday, seeking an interdict against National...
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Eight MPs, including Mashatile, face reprimands for breaching ethical conduct
NATIONAL Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza yesterday administered a reprimand to several MPs, including Deputy President Paul Mashatile, after they were found to have violated the Ethical Code of Conduct for parliamentarians. This came after the plenary...
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MEXICO AND BAFANA OPEN 2026 WORLD CUP
MEXICO’S final preparations for their FIFA World Cup opener against Bafana Bafana have carried a mix of anticipation, pressure, and an uneasy backdrop off the pitch, as the country counts down to hosting football’s biggest tournament today. Across...
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Ramaphosa unveils key actions to address illegal immigrants
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has announced key actions the government will implement to tackle growing frustrations around immigration and illegal migrants, including a concerted crackdown on violations of existing immigration, labour and other laws. The...
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South Africa and Kenya strengthen ties as visa-free travel boosts business and tourism
ONE of South Africa’s most successful policy initiatives, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, is allowing Kenyan citizens to travel without a visa. He claims that this has increased business travel, tourism, and cross-cultural interactions between...
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