AFTER 8 IS AFTER 8: Back to School, Back to the Bill: Why Parents Are Paying More for Less

As the 2026 school year gets underway, South African parents are facing a familiar and deeply frustrating burden — paying premium prices for branded school uniforms and even basic pens and stationery, just to get their children ready for class. According to the Competition Commission, restrictive s…

Simon Lapping, DA Councillor for Ward 17 in Ekurhuleni

Warnings Ignored: Another Life Lost on Kempton Park’s Unsecured Rail Line There’s growing outrage in Kempton Park after a second person was killed by a train at the same unsecured spotalong the Germiston–Pretoria commuter rail line — a tragedy that many say was entirely preventable. Community memb…

EDUCATION EXPERT: PROFESSOR MARY METCALFE

Record Results, Real Questions: What the 2025 Matric Pass Rate Tells Us About Our Schools South Africa is celebrating a historic milestone in education. The Matric Class of 2025 has achieved the highest National Senior Certificate pass rate on record — 88%, with more than 656,000 learners passing …

AFTER 8 IS AFTER 8: SCHOOL PLACEMENT SAGA

As the 2026 school year approaches, a growing crisis in South Africa’s education system is leaving parents and learners in limbo. In Gauteng alone, the Department of Education’s online admissions system shows that 4,858 Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners are still unplaced, out of 358,574 applications re…

SONGEZO ZIBI ( RISE MZANSI LEADER )

Debate around Starlink operating in South Africa has flared up once again, following renewed criticism from billionaire Elon Musk, who claims that local race-based regulations are preventing his satellite internet company from doing business in the country.

POLITICAL ANALYST SANDILE SWANA

The African National Congress marked 114 years since its founding, with President Cyril Ramaphosa delivering the annual January 8 Statement at Moruleng Stadium in the North West. But beyond the speeches, slogans, and promises, it was the setting that spoke just as loudly.

JUKILE MAJOVA - NEWS DIRECTOR SCROLLA AFRIKA

Empty Seats, Heavy Questions: What January 8 Means for the ANC and voters.

AFTER 8 IS AFTER 8 - STARTING AFRESH

Starting afresh is one of the hardest things to do. It asks for courage when confidence has been shaken, and consistency when momentum has been lost. It means choosing to begin again sometimes quietly, sometimes uncertainly without the excitement of a first start, but with the depth that only exper…

Sandile Swana - Political Analyst

African National Congress (ANC) Treasurer-General Dr Gwen Ramokgopa says the party is using its 114th anniversary celebrations to reflect on its achievements and shortfalls. She accompanied the party’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, to a fundraising golf game in Sun City in Rustenburg in the North Wes…

INANDA SHOOTOUT - Andy Mashaile, Security Strategist

Five suspected criminals were killed in a shoot-out with KwaZulu-Natal police in Inanda, north of Durban, in the early hours of Thursday. Police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said the men were wanted in connection with cases of murder, attempted murder that included police officers, and house …