Hi there 🙋🏾‍♀️

So, we finally got the Budget Speech – and wow, are people mad. We break it all down for you. But to soothe your nerves, we’ve got a social media round-up featuring our fave, Tyla.  

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa is shocked (again) at what everyone else already knew: Joburg is falling apart. One has to wonder – does he teleport to Luthuli House?  

On the global front, a long-awaited arrest in the Philippines, Canada’s brand-new PM, and a tribute to the legendary playwright Athol Fugard, who recently passed away.  

All this and more in this week’s Wrap!

_____________________________
Format: 

💬 WhatsApp msg

🔊 Voice note by Verashni

📰 Newsletter with pics

🇳​🇪​🇼​🇸​

▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ 1. BIG STORY: 2025 Budget: What it means for you

After a three-week delay, thanks to political deadlock, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana finally delivered the 2025 Budget Speech. The big news? A 0.5% VAT increase—the first hike since 2018. Treasury initially proposed a two-percentage-point jump, but fierce opposition from coalition partners forced a compromise. Instead, VAT will rise in two phases: to 15.5% on 1 May 2025 and 16% in April 2026. 😐

The government argues this is the least damaging way to raise revenue without overburdening businesses or workers. With corporate tax staying at 27% and no inflationary adjustment to personal income tax brackets, many taxpayers will be quietly pushed into higher tax categories—a tactic known as fiscal drag—which will net the government an extra R18 billion.

To ease the VAT burden on the poor, the list of zero-rated food items has been expanded to include canned vegetables, dairy liquid blends, and organ meats. Meanwhile, in a rare bit of good news for motorists, the government has frozen the fuel levy for the fourth consecutive year, saving R13 billion over three years. However, drinkers and smokers won’t be as lucky—sin taxes are up by 6.75% on alcohol and 4.75% on cigarettes and vapes.

Social grants are getting a boost to cushion the impact of VAT. The R370 SRD grant has been extended until March 2026, with R35.2 billion allocated to it. The old-age and disability grants will increase by R130 to R2,315, while the child support grant will also rise slightly.

With debt expected to peak at 76.2% of GDP before stabilising, the government insists its spending on infrastructure and social services will continue. 

The 2025 Budget is far from a done deal, and whether it passes in Parliament depends on political negotiations. The ANC no longer has a parliamentary majority, meaning it needs support from other parties to approve the fiscal framework.

The DA, EFF, and MK Party have all voiced opposition to a VAT increase, with the DA calling for the ANC to make concessions on government spending and corruption reforms instead. It’s going to be an interesting few weeks. 

Read the full story on our site. 

▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █  2. ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:  What’s got the social media streets buzzing          this week

Here are the stories that had social media talking this week. 😅

Bond fans are shaken, not stirred, after reports that Jeff Bezos is tightening his grip on 007’s future, running Twitter polls on who should be the next Bond (Henry Cavill, everyone seems to agree). Last week, The Hollywood Reporter dropped a behind-the-scenes report into Amazon’s takeover of the beloved franchise after Bezos bought holding company MGM. Apparently, the tech billionaire forced/bought out long-time Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, whose family has controlled the franchise for decades, because she privately called Amazon execs “f***ing idiots.” 😆 Fans are not pleased, and director Osgood Perkins responded to a question about whether he’d direct with: “No, because f**k Jeff Bezos.”

During last week’s speech to Congress, Donald Trump went on a rant about wasteful government spending, claiming the Biden administration blew $8 million on “making mice transgender.” “This is real,” he insisted, as confused lawmakers tried to keep a straight face.

The White House later doubled down, calling CNN “fake news losers” for fact-checking him. But here’s the thing—Trump should have said “transgenic mice” (mice with modified DNA for medical research), not “transgender mice.” The internet, of course, had a field day. No word yet on whether the mice identify as Democrats.

SA popiano star Tyla just made history as the first South African artist on the cover of British Vogue, and she’s been rubbing shoulders with fashion’s elite—literally. She was spotted front row at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday, sitting next to the magazine’s editor, fashion queen, Anna Wintour at the Chanel show. Wintour has a knack for anointing the next hot stars and clearly adores our Tyla. From wowing at the Met Gala last year to joining this year’s organising committee, Tyla is officially Vogue royalty.

Of course, the haters stay loud—especially those upset that she proudly embraces her Coloured identity. But as the British Vogue cover and her prime seat next to Wintour prove, Tyla isn’t here for their approval—she’s here to win.

▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ BRIEFS:

3. South Africa’s weather meltdown

Hold onto your umbrellas, folks—Mother Nature’s throwing a tantrum, and South Africa’s in the splash zone. The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a string of severe weather warnings across the country, covering everything from flash floods to runaway fires. If you were planning a picnic, maybe hold off.

⛈️ KwaZulu-Natal: Wet and wild

Top of the list is an orange Level 6 warning for disruptive rain over the southeastern parts of KwaZulu-Natal in the eThekwini municipality. Translation: Expect heavy downpours that could lead to flooding of roads and settlements, infrastructure damage, and mudslides. The rest of the province isn’t off the hook either, with a yellow Level 4 warning predicting severe thunderstorms. Think heavy rain, localised flooding, strong winds, excessive lightning, and a sprinkling of small hail for that extra zing.

🔥 Western and Northern Cape: Wind and fire

Meanwhile, the Western Cape is bracing for strong winds and waves, with a yellow Level 4 warning in effect between Saldanha Bay and Plettenberg Bay. Strong south-easterly winds (50-90km/h) are set to whip through the province, peaking on Thursday night and lasting until Friday. Batten down those patio furniture sets!

These conditions could make sea navigation tricky, so maybe postpone that fishing trip. On land, both the Western and Northern Cape are on high alert for extremely high fire danger conditions.

⚡Other provinces: Thunderstruck

The stormy mood extends to the southeastern parts of the Northern Cape, southern Free State, areas along the Lesotho borders, eastern North West, Gauteng, southern Limpopo, and most of Mpumalanga. A yellow Level 2 warning is in place for severe thunderstorms, which could bring heavy downpours, localised flooding, strong winds, excessive lightning, and small hail.

Keep an eye on SAWS updates and follow local advisories. ☔

4. Joburg is falling apart—Ramaphosa is shocked (just in time for the G20)

President Cyril Ramaphosa has had an epiphany: Johannesburg is falling apart. The same Johannesburg where he owns a home, regularly attends ANC meetings at Luthuli House, and presumably drives through occasionally. Yet it took the looming G20 Summit in November for him to officially acknowledge the city’s crumbling infrastructure, pothole-ridden roads, and trash-filled sidewalks.

Ramaphosa took a late-night drive through the city and was shocked at what he saw. “I longed to see the beautiful contours of the city, but I saw nothing,” he lamented. Apparently, someone forgot to tell him that Joburg hasn’t had functional streetlights for years. 🙄

The fact is, Africa’s richest city has been something of a disaster site for years given major governance failures. There have been dramatically shifting political alliances ever since no single party won a majority in Johannesburg back in the 2016 municipal elections, leading to a revolving door of coalition mayors with allegations of corruption and poor financial management. 

Ramaphosa’s answer, announced last Friday, is the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group, tasked with fixing governance, stabilising utilities, rejuvenating the inner city, tackling crime and more. 

A year ago, Ramaphosa launched a similar initiative in eThekwini, which he says has seen steady improvement in business confidence.

(Some business leaders in Durban have agreed with that assessment. The DA in the city has said removing the previous mayor has helped, but the coastal city is still battling major water issues.)

Back in Jhb, the group has been given two years to turn things around. 

We’ve seen this before, most notably in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Roads were resurfaced and new transport systems like the Gautrain and Rea Vaya rolled out. But once the final whistle blew, many of those projects were neglected.  

Opposition voices remain sceptical. DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga dismissed the initiative as a PR stunt, calling for skills and lifestyle audits of Johannesburg’s leadership instead. Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis cheekily offered to host the G20 in his city, which has won numerous tourism awards, although criticised for being unaffordable for many locals.

With only eight months to go until the G20, Johannesburg’s clean-up effort will be a race against time. 

Read the full story on our site. 

5. Elon Musk vs. SA’s Telecom Laws: The Starlink Drama

Elon Musk has once again found himself at the centre of controversy—this time over Starlink, his satellite internet service. The billionaire, who left South Africa decades ago, claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that Starlink is being blocked from operating in our country because he’s “not black.” 🙄 His comments, made on Friday, set off a social media firestorm, with some South Africans laughing off his claim and others calling him out for misinformation.

The real issue? South Africa’s telecom laws require foreign-owned companies in key sectors to have 30% local equity ownership by historically disadvantaged groups (HDGs), including black South Africans, women, and people with disabilities. It’s part of our country’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy, designed to level the economic playing field after apartheid.

Musk, who owns SpaceX (which owns Starlink), hasn’t budged on selling local equity. SpaceX is not listed on the stock market. Musk is estimated to own a 42% stake in the company, while employees and venture capital investors own the rest of the company’s shares.

In stark contrast, other international companies like Amazon Web Services and Vodafone have complied with SA’s BEE rules to operate and build thriving businesses locally. 

But, instead of applying for a licence (which he has not done, according to an ICASA spokesperson) or negotiating a deal, Musk took the populist route—complaining to his 219.6 million X followers. The South African government quickly shut this down. Public Diplomacy head Clayson Monyela responded: “Sir, that’s NOT true & you know it! Starlink is welcome to operate… provided there’s compliance with local laws.”

However, instead of meeting these requirements, Musk is setting up shop in Lesotho, which has fewer restrictions – the same Lesotho US President Donald Trump recently called an “African nation no one has heard of”.

South Africans are divided. Some say the government is right to enforce its laws, while others argue that bureaucratic red tape is blocking access to better internet. But at the end of the day, if Musk wants Starlink in SA, he’ll need to do what Amazon, Microsoft, and Vodafone did—partner with local businesses and play by the rules.

Read the full story on our site. 

6. Arrests, elections and relocation: three big stories from around the world

Here’s what you need to know about world news this week – and no, it’s not all Trump news. 😆

🔹Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on Tuesday in Manila.

The charge? Crimes against humanity. The charges stem from his alleged “War on Drugs,” when he was in office from 2016 to 2022. Human rights organisations estimate that between 12,000 and 30,000 were killed during this time. 😲

He remained immune from accountability since he stepped down in 2022, largely thanks to his successors – including his daughter – protecting him. But a shift in political fortunes has meant the current president quietly allowed authorities and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, leading to Tuesday’s shock arrest. 

Duterte had removed the Philippines from the ICC following its 2018 investigation into him, but the court is working off acts committed before that date. 

Duterte, a lawyer turned politician, started his political career in the 80s as vice (deputy) mayor of Davao City, shortly after the People Power Revolution that toppled the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He is credited for turning the once crime-ridden city into one of the most urbanised and investor-friendly cities in the Philippines. How he did this, however, remains mired in controversy as he has been linked to the Davao Death Squad, which allegedly killed street children and alleged drug dealers on his orders.

After 22 years in this position, he successfully ran for president in 2016. One of his campaign promises? Killing at least five criminals every week. “Forget the laws on human rights… You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because I’d kill you,” he said.

Duterte is now in the ICC’s custody in The Hague, Netherlands. It’s unclear when proceedings will begin, but activists have called for these to start soon. 

🔹Canada has a new incoming Prime Minister 

This is against the backdrop of a trade war with Trump, who keeps threatening to annex the country as the US’s “51st” state. Central Banker Mark Carney will soon replace current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who resigned earlier this year with his popularity at a nadir. Carney, 59, won the race to lead the country’s federal Liberal party with over 85.9% of the party’s vote on Sunday. 

Carney led both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England from 2008 – 2013 and 2013 – 2020, respectively. 

He’s expected to call a national election very soon, as he’s inheriting the position from Trudeau and will want a popular mandate. Also, his Liberal Party has tanked in popularity recently, though Trump’s recent attacks have given them something of a boost. The Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, was previously eating the Liberals’ lunch, according to opinion polls and would have presented a tough electoral foe. But now, Poilievre has been increasingly likened to US President Donald Trump, and Canadians are experiencing a resurgence of patriotism in the face of the annexation threats. 🇨🇦

Carney has also vowed to fight Trump’s tariffs. Looks like the country known for being incredibly nice has found a leader with a spine of steel. 

🔹Trump vs SA and Ukraine

Staying with Trump (unfortunately), he revealed on his Truth Social platform on Friday that the US would welcome any farmers and their families fleeing South Africa because of what he called “reasons of safety.” Trump said that the US would immediately offer rapid pathways for citizenship for South African farmers.

We told you last month about Trump’s invitation to white Afrikaner South Africans to apply for refugee status in the US because of unfounded claims they’re facing “unjust racial discrimination” under President Cyril Ramaphosa’s land reform policies.

It’s not clear whether this latest invitation will include black farmers and their families. 

Trump signed an executive order in February freezing all aid to South Africa. Relations between Pretoria and Washington remain strained, but the South African government is working on a trade deal to ease the tensions. 

We also told you last week that Trump was gunning for Ukraine after a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump thereafter halted all intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine. Now, Trump has resumed assistance to Ukraine after negotiators agreed on a 30-day ceasefire in talks held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This was after Ukraine and European leaders worked super hard to calm America’s ruffled feathers. The US now hopes Russia will agree to the terms of the ceasefire.

We’ll watch these stories closely and keep you updated on any latest developments. 🫡

7. Athol Fugard: A playwright’s death, a nation’s responsibility

South Africa has lost one of its greatest storytellers. Athol Fugard, the playwright who held up a mirror to apartheid’s injustices and the country’s uneasy reconciliation, has died at 92. Born in Middelburg in 1932, he passed away peacefully at his home in Stellenbosch on Saturday. 🤍

Fugard’s work was never comfortable theatre. It unsettled, provoked, and forced South Africans to confront their reality. The Blood Knot (1961) delved into racial identity, Sizwe Banzi is Dead (1972) exposed the dehumanising pass laws, and The Island (1973) depicted the harrowing life of political prisoners on Robben Island.

His defiance wasn’t just in his words but in how he staged them. At a time when black and white actors were barred from working together, he co-founded a multi-racial theatre group, the Serpent Players, operating in secret and performing in black townships under constant surveillance from the apartheid government. His refusal to comply with apartheid policies led to censorship, revoked passports, and official condemnation—but he never backed down. He collaborated closely with black actors like John Kani and Winston Ntshona, crediting them as co-creators of Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island—a radical move at a time when black artists were often sidelined or exploited.

Despite the risks, his impact endured. His Oscar-winning Tsotsi (2005) proved his stories were universal, while his 2011 Tony Lifetime Achievement Award cemented his global influence.

Fugard was painfully aware of his privilege as a white South African and wrestled with it in his work. In a 2010 BBC interview, he warned that South Africa still needed fearless writers. “The present society in South Africa needs the vigilance of writers, every bit as much as the old one did. It is a responsibility that young writers, playwrights, must really wake up to and understand that responsibility is theirs, just as it was mine and a host of other writers in the earlier years.”

His death is a loss but also a challenge. Who will pick up the baton and keep telling the hard truths?

Read the full story on our site.

————–

That’s it from us at The Wrap, an award-winning product of explain.co.za – simple news summaries for busy people. 💁🏾‍♀ 

The Wrap is sponsored by explain’s agency division. We specialise in content marketing for purpose-driven organisations, often with a pan-African reach. Email info@explain.co.za for a quote. 

🇸​🇺​🇧​🇸​🇨​🇷​🇮​🇧​🇪​

Remember to share the love.  💫

Tell your friends to sign up: 

📩 Email: https://explain.co.za/subscribe

📲 Our new WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vac06yM8kyyLmOulb80J 

_Till next time, goodbye from the team_ ✌🏽

+ posts