sandflatest news & developments
The Rand Show runs from 2 to 6 April 2026 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec.

Rand Show 2026 promises to be bigger, bolder and more electric than ever before

Alongside headline entertainment, the Rand Show is opening a window into the future, providing all South Africans a space to learn, explore and discover how technology and gaming are shaping everyday life, education and opportunity

4 min read
Fannie Masemola, the national police commissioner.

Government deploys SANDF, SAPS in joint operation to tackle organised crime hotspots

Security forces say the integrated deployment aims to dismantle illegal mining syndicates, curb gang violence and restore order in affected communities

  • Sheree Bega
3 min read
The joint task force comprising the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to tackle crime will not see soldiers performing ordinary policing functions. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

SANDF deployment to back police set to start on 31 March

National police commissioner Fannie Masemola said the army would play a supporting role to the South African Police Service

  • Eyaaz
3 min read
Holding the purse strings: Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana presented the 2026 Budget in Cape Town on Wednesday. Photo: GCIS

Budget 2026: Between reform and reality

South Africa has been given a narrow window to turn the ship around. Whether this Budget becomes a footnote or a foundation depends on what happens next — in Cabinet, in the SOEs, in municipalities and in the daily grind of governance

  • Eyaaz
7 min read
M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa

M23 rebels welcome SANDF departure from Monusco

M23 president Bertrand Bisimwa accused the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo of failing the people of eastern DRC

  • Eyaaz
3 min read
Nabbed: A Zimbabwean national caught with goods at an informal crossing point along the South Africa–Zimbabwe border.

Smuggled birth control pills in demand

Female migrants cite barriers to accessing local healthcare facilities

  • Eyaaz
7 min read
Iran has been under intensified scrutiny over its response to protests. (Screenshot: Al Jazeera)

South Africa urges restraint and dialogue in Iran conflict

The presidency said sustainable peace and stability could only be achieved through solutions that centred on the agency of the Iranian people

  • Eyaaz
3 min read
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s son, was arrested for attempted murder on Thursday after a shooting at his Hyde Park residence

Killing of Witness D casts doubt on state’s ability to protect those testifying at Madlanga commission

The inquiry into corruption in the criminal justice system will submit its interim report to President Cyril Ramaphosa by 17 December

  • Eyaaz
4 min read
The naval drill involved the armed forces of South Africa, China and Russia, with Iran reportedly participating and several other countries observing.

SANDF repatriates more troops from the DRC

Personnel and equipment have been airlifted from Lubumbashi and Kinshasa to Pretoria, amid tension over unpaid allowances for soldiers

  • Eyaaz
2 min read
President Cyril Ramphosa. (David Harrison)

Ramaphosa grilled in parliament on US tariffs, Postbank and Iran

The president said the government would never go ‘on bended knee’ to get the best deal in ongoing trade discussions with the United States

  • Umamah Bakharia
4 min read
Alert: South African National Defence Force soldiers stand guard outside a hostel in Alexandra, Johannesburg. The military is used to assist during natural disasters, to protect infrastructure, secure borders and ensure internal stability. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

SANDF: A force stretched to its limits

Despite increasing demands on the country’s defence force, funding for the military has been steadily declining

  • Eyaaz
7 min read
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola defended South Africa’s involvement in the DRC, arguing that it would be “reckless” not to resolve the ongoing conflict in the country’s volatile eastern region. (File photo)

Withdrawal worse than surrender, says Lamola during DRC debate in parliament

The ANC and its GNU partners are divided over South Africa’s military involvement in the DRC, as opposition parties call for an immediate withdrawal of troops

  • Des Erasmus
4 min read
The naval drill involved the armed forces of South Africa, China and Russia, with Iran reportedly participating and several other countries observing.

South Africa focusing on bringing bodies and injured soldiers home from the DRC

M23 rebels declared a ceasefire in the DRC and the truce seems to be holding

  • Aarti Bhana
2 min read
Opposition parties have slammed the department of defence and state-owned military manufacturer Denel after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) told parliament it had uncovered irregularities in procurements and the awarding of contracts

Political parties slate defence department, Denel after SIU uncovers procurement irregularities

In one Special Investigating Unit inquiry, Denel was paid more than R8 billion by Armscor for 264 Badger vehicles but only produced a fraction of those

  • Busi Lethole
3 min read
Project Thusano was initially intended to focus on the maintenance and repair of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) operational vehicle fleet but has morphed to include expensive supplementary agreements such as training soldiers as medical practitioners and mechanical engineers in Cuba. Photo: Rajesh Jantilal/AFP/Getty Images

Department of defence still reviewing SA-Cuba agreements

It has been 19 months since then defence minister Thandi Modise said the bilateral agreement and its controversial sub-contracts were being assessed

  • Des Erasmus
4 min read
(Gallo)

Peace needs more boots on the ground

Regional peace in Southern Africa requires a political and military solution working in tandem

8 min read
A South African Police Services (SAPS) and South African National Defence Force (SANDF) joint operation on illegal mining in Durban Deep on November 29, 2023 in Roodepoort, South Africa. Illegal mining has been a continuing threat in South Africa for decades, with poverty, unemployment and crime driving the underground industry. (Photo by Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo)

Artisanal miners ‘brutalised’ in SANDF clampdown

Army clampdown has led to assaults and the property of legal miners being confiscated

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
A South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldier gestures during operation “Shanela” in the Soul City informal settlement near Kagiso on December 14, 2024. Security forces raided an informal settlement west of Johannesburg arresting scores of people in a crackdown on illegal mining. (Photo by WIKUS DE WET/AFP via Getty Images)

How the SANDF has declined over 30 years

The hollowing out of the armed forces was laid bare in 2023, when it was disclosed that 85% of the air force’s aircraft fleet was out of action

  • Des Erasmus
6 min read
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola defended South Africa’s involvement in the DRC, arguing that it would be “reckless” not to resolve the ongoing conflict in the country’s volatile eastern region. (File photo)

SANDF reinstates employee after HIV discrimination

The defence force only re-employed the woman after being threatened with litigation This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers. Get Your Free Account The Mail & Guardian is committed to providing all our readers with the best possible experience. Please register your free account now. Your registration is your first step to becoming an M&G community member. Register Registration enables: – M&G newsletters access – notifications – the best possible experience Already registered? Login here Want to subscribe and get even more benefits? Explore our subscription offers

  • Umamah Bakharia
1 min read