Morning edition

1. 01

   Asylum ruling sparks violence in Soweto and Durban

   All seven stations followed the asylum ruling through the day. After the Constitutional Court judgment, Home Affairs directed officials to accept asylum applications regardless of how people entered the country. Thousands queued in Durban, where anti-illegal immigration groups chased them away. The Inter-Ministerial Committee said the ruling grants neither refugee status nor amnesty, and government is seeking legal clarity. By evening at least 10 cars had been torched and foreign-owned spaza shops looted in Orlando West, Soweto, with 14 vehicles set alight in Durban. Acting Police Commissioner Puleng Dimpane urged calm.

   Heard on 702 · 00:06 SASTAsk locl about this ↗: Asylum ruling sparks violence in Soweto and Durban, heard on 702
2. 02

   Krugersdorp Mandrax lab bust, the 11th this year

   702, 947, Cape Talk and Power FM all carried the discovery of a Mandrax lab on a Krugersdorp property, which 702 reported was valued at over R100 million. Five South African men were arrested. Reporters described the scene inside a small warehouse: drums of powdered chemicals, steel presses and freshly pressed tablets. The Hawks say this is the 11th lab found this year, with 30 people arrested so far, and are probing whether the labs are linked. An organised crime researcher on Cape Talk said those arrested are likely frontrunners for well-connected kingpins.

   Heard on 702 · 12:04 SASTAsk locl about this ↗: Krugersdorp Mandrax lab bust, the 11th this year, heard on 702
3. 03

   Pastor and wife sought after baby found dead near Hennops River

   SAfm, Cape Talk, Kaya 959 and Power FM led bulletins with a shocking Gauteng case. Police say a 43-year-old mother went to the Hennops River near the R511 with a pastor and his wife to perform a ritual, leaving her four-month-old baby with the wife. The mother was allegedly raped and tied up before the couple fled with the infant. She freed herself and raised the alarm. The pastor's wife later led police to the baby's body in a shallow grave. Officials on air described the crime as barbaric.

   Heard on Kaya 959 · 08:04 SASTAsk locl about this ↗: Pastor and wife sought after baby found dead near Hennops River, heard on Kaya 959
4. 04

   R10-billion fuel relief bill adopted as prices hit records

   Parliament's Standing Committee on Appropriations adopted the Second Special Appropriations Bill, which lets National Treasury draw R10 billion from the National Revenue Fund to stabilise fuel prices. SAfm carried the story repeatedly. Government voices on air blamed the Russia-Ukraine war and conflict involving Iran for pushing oil above $100 a barrel, made worse by a weaker rand. They warned that subsidies eat into the country's fiscal position. On 702, listeners and hosts discussed record petrol and diesel prices and what the fuel levy means for Road Accident Fund funding.

   Heard on SAfm · 17:01 SASTAsk locl about this ↗: R10-billion fuel relief bill adopted as prices hit records, heard on SAfm
5. 05

   Proteas face Australia in Durban as SA20 auction makes a schoolboy millionaire

   Sports desks on SAfm, 702, Kaya 959 and Power FM were busy with cricket. The first Test against Australia is set for Durban on a surface expected to favour spin. Shaun Pollock predicted a crowd that won't be overly hostile, despite a few Sandpaper-gate costumes. The SA20 auction also got plenty of airtime. An 18-year-old St David's Marist Inanda all-rounder fetched R2.9 million, while Pretoria Capitals signed Proteas captain Temba Bavuma for R500,000, a deal Pollock called an absolute bargain.

   Heard on SAfm · 07:34 SASTAsk locl about this ↗: Proteas face Australia in Durban as SA20 auction makes a schoolboy millionaire, heard on SAfm