By Dylan Bettencourt

• The lowest-spending households faced 2.9% inflation in August, compared with South Africa’s urban average of 4.4%.

• Food rose slowly, but transport, fuel, electricity and other household costs became much more expensive.

South Africa’s inflation rate was 4.4% in August, but that does not mean everything you buy became 4.4% more expensive.

It also does not mean every household felt the same increase.

Stats SA divides households into groups based on how much they spend.

The lowest-spending 10% of households faced inflation of just 2.9%. For the highest-spending 10%, it was 4.6%.

The average for urban South Africa was 4.4%.

Why the difference?

People spend their money on different things.

Food and non-alcoholic drinks were only 1.1% more expensive than a year ago. Food alone increased by just 0.7%.

But some other everyday costs rose much faster.

Transport was up 8.8%.

Passenger transport services increased by 11.6%, while fuel was 20% more expensive than a year earlier.

Housing and utilities rose by 5.2%. Electricity, gas and other fuels increased by 7.4%.

So a household spending a lot on taxis, petrol or electricity could feel a much bigger squeeze than one spending more of its money on food.

Pictured above: A man packing groceries.

Image source: Pexels

Compiled by Dylan Bettencourt

• Bafana face Guinea in their first 2027 Afcon qualifier, with Pitso Mosimane warning about striker Serhou Guirassy.

• Mosimane says Sundowns and Pirates players can match Guinea’s overseas-based stars when the teams meet on Saturday.

Pitso Mosimane says Bafana Bafana will respect Guinea’s big-name players but will not fear them.

South Africa host Guinea at Orlando Stadium on Saturday in their first 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Group D qualifier.

Mosimane singled out Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy as one of Guinea’s biggest threats.

“They have a top striker playing for Borussia Dortmund and scoring goals,” Mosimane said, Sunday World reported.

“We must make sure we deal with his aerial strength.”

Guinea also have players based in Saudi Arabia, Poland and Spain.

But Mosimane said club names will not decide the match.

“It is not about where you play; it is about what happens on the pitch,” he said.

The Bafana coach believes his locally based players can match Guinea’s overseas stars.

“Our Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates boys can show what they can do.”

Mosimane pointed to Sundowns’ recent 2-1 win over Al Ahli Saudi in the Fifa Intercontinental Cup as proof that South African players can compete at a high level.

Bafana have also been boosted by the arrival of several overseas-based players.

Puso Dithejane, Relebohile Mofokeng, Shandre Campbell, Ime Okon and Sphephelo Sithole were all seen training with the squad.

Olwethu Makhanya and Thapelo Maseko are also reported to have joined the camp.

Guinea have already arrived in South Africa and started preparing for the qualifier.

Kick-off at Orlando Stadium is at 3pm on Saturday.

Pictured above: Pitso Mosimane.

Image source: Bafana Bafana/X

Listen to this article.

By Anita Dangazele

• Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa wants Eskom to pay free basic electricity directly to households, cutting municipalities out of the process.

• He says municipalities receive R21 billion a year for the benefit but often redirect it to other spending pressures instead.

Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says municipalities are redirecting money meant to give poor households free basic electricity toward their other spending pressures instead, and government now wants Eskom to pay the benefit directly, cutting municipalities out entirely.

“There’s a 21 billion rand annual allocation for poor households to get free basic electricity, they are not getting it because the mechanism of getting it to the end consumer goes through municipalities. Municipalities are under pressure, when they receive that money they reallocate it to other spending pressures,” Ramokgopa said on Friday.

Government studies have found that more than 2.3 million households should qualify for free basic electricity, but only around 450,000 currently receive it. Eskom’s own group chief executive, Dan Marokane, has separately said that of nearly 10 million households who could qualify nationally, only around 2 million actually get their free units each month.

Ramokgopa said the plan is to build a new system, working with Eskom, that pays qualifying households directly.

“We are working with Eskom to say design a platform, a model that is going to help us to directly support the indigent household without the money going through municipalities, because in the first instance it is meant to support the poor,” he said.

He said smart meters and microgrid solutions would help improve both access to the benefit and how reliably it actually reaches people.

“We are going to ensure that everyone that is entitled to free basic electricity gets it.”

He also linked the issue directly to why electricity is so expensive for everyone. Money municipalities and Eskom can’t recover from unpaid debts often ends up factored into the tariffs paying customers are charged.

“It’s got implications on the cost of electricity, because that which they can’t recover on the debt side, they generally factor it into the tariff regime, and it’s something that we want to avoid going forward,” he said.

He said electricity’s cost hits poor households hardest, given how much of their income it takes up.

“Electricity is exceptionally expensive, and in fact its adverse impact is disproportionate on the poor because of the size of their income.”

Free basic electricity currently gives qualifying households 50 kilowatt-hours a month, though government has floated raising that to between 200 and 300 kilowatt-hours.

Energy analyst Chris Yelland has warned that expanding the benefit significantly could create a funding gap far bigger than the current R21 billion budget.

Municipalities themselves are already deeply indebted to Eskom, owing more than R100 billion, much of it because they in turn are owed huge sums by households, businesses and government departments that haven’t paid their own bills.

Pictured above: Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa promises a plan to ensure poor households get free electricity.

Image source: Department of Electricity and Energy

Compiled by Dylan Bettencourt

• A total of 42,802 runners applied for 14,519 general Comrades places, leaving 28,283 without an entry.

• Unsuccessful runners stay in the ballot and could get places through redraws or next year’s substitution process.

More than half the runners who applied for a place in the 2027 Comrades Marathon have missed out.

The Comrades Marathon Association confirmed that 42,802 people entered the general ballot for just 14,519 available places.

That left 28,283 runners without an entry.

Another 13,481 runners had already secured places through separate entry periods for CMA members, runners with at least nine finishes and charity entrants.

A record 28,000 runners will take part in the 100th Comrades Marathon.

But those who missed out still have two more chances.

The first comes if successful runners do not complete their payments on Friday and Saturday.

Those places will go back into the ballot and be offered through redraws.

Unsuccessful applicants do not need to apply again. They will automatically remain in the draw.

Race director Sue Forge urged disappointed runners not to lose hope.

“Any places arising from unsuccessful or incomplete payments will be returned to the ballot pool and allocated through a series of redraws,” she said, The Citizen reported.

Another opportunity will come next year through the withdrawal and substitution process.

Runners who decide not to take part will be able to make their entries available to others.

“This is an exciting and emotional time for our running community,” Forge said.

“While many applicants will be celebrating, others will understandably be disappointed or anxious about the outcome.”

The 2027 Comrades will be a down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban on 13 June.

Pictured above: The Comrades Marathon.

Image source: File

By Celani Sikhakhane

• KZN Premier Thami Ntuli and the ANC in KZN have extended birthday wishes to King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, who turns 52 today.

• The King marked the eve of his birthday on Tuesday with a visit to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park for World Rhino Day.

KZN Premier Thami Ntuli and the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal have both wished King Misuzulu kaZwelithini a blessed 52nd birthday, in public statements issued on Wednesday.

“Today, I join the people of KwaZulu-Natal in wishing His Majesty, iNdlulamithi yamaKhosi, a blessed and joyous birthday. On this special day, we honour not only His Majesty’s life, but also his steadfast leadership and enduring role in preserving our heritage, strengthening our identity and bringing our people together. May His Majesty be blessed with good health, wisdom and many more years of service to our people and our nation. Long live the King! Bayede! Wena weNdlovu,” Ntuli said.

The ANC in KZN echoed the sentiment.

“The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal extends heartfelt birthday wishes to His Majesty King Misuzulu kaZwelithini. May the Almighty continue to protect and bless your reign, giving you wisdom and courage to carry forward the proud legacy of your forebears. Bayede! Wena Wendlovu!” the party said.

The tributes came a day after King Misuzulu marked the eve of his birthday with a visit to the rhinos at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park on Tuesday, which also marked World Rhino Day, ahead of King Shaka Day.

The rhino, known as uBhejane in isiZulu, holds a significant place in Zulu culture and is historically regarded as a sacred animal. The Zulu monarchy has frequently played a prominent public role in rhino advocacy and conservation events.

The late King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu previously addressed major anti-poaching summits in KwaZulu-Natal, describing poaching as an “embarrassment” and an “enemy of Africa,” and urged rural communities near game reserves to help expose poaching syndicates. King Misuzulu has continued this engagement, working with regional leadership to integrate local traditional communities into the operations and safeguarding of historic sanctuaries such as Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.

His birthday falls just a day before King Shaka Day and National Heritage Day on Thursday, when the King is expected to unveil a new statue of King Shaka at King Shaka International Airport before travelling to KwaDukuza for the main commemoration.

Pictured above: King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, who turns 52 today, pictured during his visit to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park to mark World Rhino Day.

Image source: Zulu Royal Kingdom

By Celani Sikhakhane

• The DA in KZN has referred the province’s National School Nutrition Programme tender process to the Special Investigating Unit for independent probe.

• Companies linked to Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka’s mother, Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya’s wife, and senior ANC figure Thanduxolo Sabelo’s wives have all been flagged in the tender awards.

The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal has formally referred the province’s National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) tender process to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), requesting an independent investigation into the procurement process and the prolonged disputes surrounding it.

The referral follows months of delays before the Provincial Treasury Bid Appeals Tribunal, and long-running allegations of irregularities raised by affected bidders and the DA. DA education spokesperson Sakhile Mngadi said the dispute dates back to 2025, when unsuccessful bidders lodged appeals following the award process.

The allegations are specific and serious. A company linked to the mother of KZN Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka appeared on the official NSNP awards register; Hlomuka has acknowledged registering the company before taking office, but denies any continued involvement or knowledge of its activities. A separate company belonging to the wife of Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Jomo Sibiya was also flagged among the awarded service providers.

The DA has additionally raised concerns over tenders linked to the wives of senior ANC figure Thanduxolo Sabelo, and alleged undue influence at a tender committee discussion held at a Morningside hotel in Durban.

“The Department of Education has maintained that the procurement process complied with applicable supply-chain management requirements. However, after the DA revealed that certain tenders were awarded to individuals politically connected to the ANC and senior department officials, the process was tainted. The department previously confirmed that approximately 20,000 bids were evaluated for 1,756 NSNP clusters across KZN,” Mngadi said.

He said the scale of the tender, the public money involved, and the importance of the programme meant the outstanding allegations warranted independent scrutiny.

“This referral is not a finding of wrongdoing. It is a request for the relevant investigative authority to establish the facts and determine whether any irregularity, maladministration, improper conduct or financial loss occurred,” Mngadi said.

The programme provides daily nutritional support to millions of vulnerable learners in KZN.

“Its administration must be beyond reproach. Learners cannot remain caught in the middle of prolonged procurement battles. The DA will submit the relevant documentation and request that the SIU assess whether grounds exist for a formal investigation. As a responsible partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity, we will continue to push for answers,” Mngadi said.

The scandal has a long history. The NSNP faced a major SIU probe in 2023, after the R2.4-billion contract awarded to Pacina Retail left learners without meals for weeks, following reports of rotten or undelivered food.

This latest referral comes as the nutrition programme continues to cause disruption in KZN schools, with suppliers publicly complaining that the department has failed to pay them on time.

Pictured above: Sakhile Mngadi of the DA in the KZN Legislature, who has referred the school nutrition tender scandal to the SIU.

Image source: DA KZN

By Nontokozo Gemani

• Clan names and praises are passed down through generations, connecting South Africans to their ancestry, family history and cultural identity.

• Charmain Matjie, Luyanda Madlala, Lutendo Munyai and Nomfundo Mbatha worry busy lives are making these traditions harder to pass on.

“BaGa Matjie Babina Tau, mahlola dillo, botshela noka.”

Charmain Matjie says the words the way her grandmother taught her, without needing to think. They’re not her surname. They’re older than that. They’re her clan praises, and for her, they carry more weight than any name on an ID book.

She’s not alone. Across South Africa, young people are holding on to a second name most people never write down, one that doesn’t appear on a birth certificate, but tells you exactly where a family comes from.

Matjie, Luyanda Madlala, Lutendo Munyai and Nomfundo Mbatha all carry one. Each name comes with its own praise, its own story, and its own quiet fight to survive.

This Heritage Day, that fight feels close to home. A clan name marks the family a person belongs to, passed down for generations, long before surnames existed on paper.

Clan praises go with them, short recited lines that carry a family’s history, totem and values. Neither is usually found in official records; instead, they live in memory and survive when they are passed down and spoken from one generation to the next.

Across Zulu, Xhosa, Sepedi, Tshivenda and other communities, clan names and praises, known by different names such as izithakazelo, iziduko, direto, mutupo, diboko and lithoko, form part of a living oral tradition. Passed down through generations, they can preserve family histories, genealogies, migration stories, values and social roles, while in some communities also guiding marriage practices. For many families, keeping these traditions alive means preserving a connection to their history and identity.

Matjie’s clan name is BaGa Matjie, also known as Babina Tau. Her clan is linked to the lion. She learned it from her grandmother, and later at a traditional ceremony.

“The history of my clan name is connected to the lion totem, our ancestry and our lineage. Our clan praises include ‘Re tšwa Shakwaneng, mahlola dillo, botshela noka’, those who come from Shakwaneng, creators of chaos and those who crossed rivers. The name also exists in different linguistic and regional forms, such as Mmatjie, Matjila and Matsie, because it has been passed down through generations,” she said.

Matjie said knowing her clan name connects her to her ancestry, family and cultural identity, while reminding her of where she comes from.

She said the names carry strength and bravery, values that shape how she lives. She believes many young people still want to learn their clan names, but she also sees the knowledge fading.

“It is both being preserved and slowly being lost,” she said.

“Families that keep teaching the young keep it alive. But busy lifestyles mean some of it disappears.”

Luyanda Madlala, a young Zulu-speaking woman, learned her clan names from her grandmother, not from a book.

She knows three: Sishi, Khabal’daka and Hlokohloko. Her family uses them to show gratitude and joy.

Her grandmother told her a family story behind the names, that their branch belongs to the Sishi clan of Madlala, not the Bhengu clan of Madlala. The story goes that her great-grandfather fell out with his siblings, and instead of making peace, the family split its clan names between them.

“It means belonging, identity, family, roots and love,” she said.

Madlala told Scrolla.Africa that she uses her clan name and calls herself Inkosazana yamaSishi instead of her birth name. She said being known by her clan name makes her feel connected to her family wherever she goes and gives her a strong sense of belonging.

“It makes me feel like I have my family with me, wherever I go.”

She worries technology and busy lives are making it harder for young people to sit and learn their history.

“I believe it is being passed down, but being hindered by how fast the world is evolving and changing, by how hard the technology has made it to take time and learn about our history, instead we’re constantly preparing for the future with no historic foundation,” Madlala explained.

“Parents and the generations before us are however doing their best to keep traditions alive,” she added.

For Lutendo Munyai, who comes from a Tshivenda-speaking family, her clan name is closely tied to her sense of lineage.

Munyai’s surname should be Netshisumbewa. Instead, she uses her clan name, Munyai.

She earned it from her father and grandmother.

“Munyai wa nyamutsangadavhi wa sa tsa nga davhi uya lombelwa,” she recited.

The praise refers to someone who uses branches to travel, and the family’s totem is a monkey.

“It means I can trace my lineage and gives me a sense of belonging.”

But within their own family, Munyai is already seeing signs that the tradition is weakening.

“My nieces and nephews don’t know their clan names. They barely speak Tshivenda properly.”

Munyai believes that the loss is not only about forgetting a few words. It can mean losing part of the connection between generations.

Munyai believes young people can use clan names to reconnect with African spirituality and understand how African communities make sense of identity.

That connection between language, history and identity is also reflected in academic research.

Jozi Joseph Thwala, a researcher at the University of Mpumalanga who has studied clan names and praises, says they serve as a constant link between the ancestral world and the living, and record the identity, genealogy and values a family passes down. This means their loss can be more than forgetting a few words. When clan praises are no longer passed down, families may also lose stories and knowledge that connect younger generations to those who came before them.

Mbatha also knows some of her clan praises.

“Mbatha shandu kaNdaba. Mthiya ngenkomo abafokazane bethiya ngamahlahla. Mthiya ongakanani nasentendeni yesandla uyanela athi cababa. Sontshikazi dladla,” she recites.

But unlike some of the others, she admits she does not know all of them. She was never formally taught her praises.

Instead, she felt she should know them because they were part of who she was.

“I was never taught by someone. It’s something I thought I should know because it’s my identity,” she said.

Mbatha said young people do not always pay attention to clan names and the stories behind them.

She believes the loss of older generations who once passed down family stories has contributed to this.

“We don’t have those old grandparents who would tell us old stories about our surnames and the internet doesn’t give us much.”

She is concerned about the way traditional customs are changing.

“We are slowly losing our originality and our identity as people. We have been, or we have chosen to, westernise our traditional customs.”

Yet her own feelings are complicated.

“I love being a Mbatha. I love my surname but I don’t think I value it the way we should as black people.”

Despite their different experiences, all four want this knowledge to survive. Matjie does not plan to have children, but she still hopes to pass her clan name and praises on to the next generation of her family. Madlala wants the same for hers, a strong sense of identity, and the knowledge that they belong. Munyai believes young people need to know their ancestry rather than let it disappear. Mbatha, though she was never formally taught her praises, says she loves being a Mbatha and believes knowing them remains part of who she is.

The young voices in this story show a generation that is neither fully disconnected from clan traditions nor fully fluent in them. They are aware of what is at stake, proud of what they know, and worried about what is being lost.

Clan names and praises won’t solve every challenge young people face. But they offer something personal, a connection to identity, family and a longer history. Perhaps keeping them alive comes down to something simple: asking. Who were our ancestors? Where did we come from? What do these names mean?

And, most importantly, who are you?

Pictured above: This Heritage Day, four young people share the clan names and praises their families passed down.

Image source: Supplied

By Buziwe Nocuze

• Traders say they tie chickens by their legs because they do not know the local animal welfare rules are strict.

• The SPCA says it will issue a warning first before taking away any chickens that suffer from unnecessary physical pain.

Cape Town street vendors who sell live chickens are worried. They fear the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) will confiscate their birds during the busy festive season and put them out of business.

Nomsa Ndungane sells chickens to feed her family. She says many traders tie their chickens up because they do not know the animal welfare rules.

“We invest hard-earned capital to buy chickens as an honest way to support our families and keep them from going hungry,” Ndungane said.

She says taking the chickens away is a harsh punishment. She wants the SPCA to teach vendors how to treat the animals properly before taking their stock.

“Confiscations are painful, and we are not acting out of neglect but a lack of awareness,” she said.

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA says tying chickens by their legs causes deep distress. Spokesperson Belinda Abraham says chickens are prey animals and need to move to escape danger.

Abraham says keeping them tied up causes pain, stress and cuts off their blood flow. It also leaves the birds trapped in bad weather or open to attacks from other animals.

“Animals are not objects or commodities. They are living, sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, fear, stress and discomfort,” Abraham said.

She says the City of Cape Town requires all traders to have a permit to sell animals. The law also bans any action that causes unnecessary suffering.

But Abraham says the SPCA does not just arrive and take the birds.

“We first issue a warning and give vendors a fair opportunity to comply, unless suffering is excessive,” she said.

Thozama Gwente works for the United Khula Informal Traders Association (Ukita). She says the group plans to invite the SPCA to speak to the vendors next week.

Pictured above: Cape Town vendors selling live chickens want the SPCA to do awareness before confiscating their chickens.

Image source: SPCA

By Selloane Ntshonyane

• The 1 Million Swimmers Africa initiative launched in Klipspruit, Soweto, on 22 September, offering free swimming and water safety lessons.

• Founders Tumi Masekela and Jamal Hill aim to teach 10,000 people to swim by 2027, starting with 20 new swim instructors in October.

Swimming is the only sport that can save your life. That’s the message behind a new programme launched in Soweto this week, aiming to teach thousands of South Africans, many of whom have never had the chance, how to swim.

The 1 Million Swimmers Africa initiative launched on Tuesday, 22 September, in Klipspruit, Soweto. It is run by Tumi Masekela, founder of Soweto Swim School, and Jamal Hill, an American Paralympic medallist and founder of the Swim Up Hill Foundation. The programme aims to make swimming and water safety accessible to communities that have little or no access to lessons, for free.

South Africa records an average of 1,477 fatal drownings a year, according to the 1 Million Swimmers Africa website, including 30% among children under 14. The website also states that 51 million people in South Africa lack basic water safety skills.

Hill said swimming carries a weight no other sport does.

“As far as sports can go, swimming is the only sport that has the potential to save one’s life,” he said.

He told Scrolla.Africa the programme is built around making swimming education accessible from home, before a child ever enters a pool.

“What we’ve been able to do is create a system that allows children and parents to begin that swimming education at home. So as long as they have access to clean drinking water and a bowl, they can already start to practice prerequisites that are going to be necessary once they enter the pool environment,” Hill said.

Cost remains one of the biggest barriers. Masekela said standard swimming lessons in South Africa typically cost between R1,000 and R1,200 a month. Her own school has kept its prices far lower for the past four years, R100 for annual registration, R400 a month for children, and R550 for four lessons for adults, specifically to keep swimming within reach of ordinary households.

“The school has kept the same prices for the past four years because we want to make swimming affordable for the normal household and we want to create access,” Masekela said.

She said some families have to choose between buying food and paying for swimming lessons, a choice Diako Sekobolo, 37, from Soweto, knows well.

Sekobolo’s 7-year-old daughter has never had a swimming lesson. As an unemployed mother whose daughter’s father already covers rent, food and other needs, the cost has never even felt like an option to consider.

“I would never be able to afford swimming lessons because I’m unemployed and the father of my daughter is the sole provider,” she said.

Sekobolo said free lessons would mean a great deal to her family, not just for leisure, but because swimming can help a child survive an accident.

Masekela said the programme will also train 20 young people as swimming instructors, starting in October, and aims to teach its first 10,000 people to swim by 2027.

Pictured above:

Image source: Selloane Ntshonyane

By Anita Dangazele

• Interest rates have gone up today, meaning loan repayments on homes, cars and store accounts will cost more.

• The Reserve Bank blames rising fuel prices, after prices rose to 4.4% in August, up from 4.3% in July.

If you’re paying off a home, a car, or something on a store account, your monthly payment is about to get bigger. The Reserve Bank raised interest rates today for the first time since May.

The bank’s Governor, Lesetja Kganyago, said the rate banks charge each other for borrowing money went up by a small amount, 0.25%.

This might sound small, but it affects almost every loan in the country. Banks now charge more interest on home loans, car finance, and anything else you’re paying off over time.

This decision came out the same morning we learned that prices overall went up 4.4% in August, a little more than July’s 4.3%.

Kganyago said the biggest reason for the rate hike is fuel. Petrol and diesel keep costing more, and South Africa is paying more for fuel than what’s built into the price you see at the pump. He warned prices are likely to keep climbing before things get easier again, probably not until the end of 2027.

There was more bad news too. Kganyago said South Africa could face a drought soon, because of a weather pattern called El Niño, even though food itself has actually been getting a little cheaper lately.

He said the economy is expected to grow a bit this year, about 1.2%, but he’s more worried about things getting worse than about them getting better.

Before today, nobody was completely sure which way this would go. Some experts thought rates would stay the same, like they did in July. In the end, the ongoing war in the Middle East, and what it’s doing to oil prices, tipped the scale toward raising rates.

If you’re already struggling with debt, this makes things harder. We’ve already told you this year that more South Africans are taking money out of their retirement savings just to survive, and that people applying for help with debt are already giving up more than half their pay to loan repayments before they’ve bought a single thing they actually need.

Pictured above: The Reserve Bank has raised the interest rate from 7% to 7.25% basis points.

Image source: Pexels