RC 260825SAfmJon Gericke
Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Student protest, corruption in university accommodation and warnings of a hot, dry El Niño-driven summer dominated a sharply critical episode about institutional trust.
- 22:14
A Labour Court ordered former UJ official Andres Helani to pay more than R18 million after finding he accepted over R3.2 million in bribes linked to accommodation accredited for 1,441 beds but containing only 299.
- 23:05
CPUT suspended academic activity, closed campuses and evacuated residences after student protests; Sasria’s Muzi Dladla said violence undermines legitimate grievances while adding substantial costs eventually passed to students.
- 23:27
Stellenbosch climate professor Guy Midgley warned that a super El Niño could bring a hot, dry summer, with Western Cape water problems and tougher conditions for grain production in 2027.
- 22:29
Student accommodation providers called for an independent central accreditation system, saying fragmented university processes are vulnerable and NSFAS’s R5,200 rental cap falls about R13,000 short of the cost of compliant housing.
- 23:51
The sports ministry gave SAFA R30 million for VAR, but the broadcaster reported SAFA took 21 days to offer the money back after VAR failed to materialise, calling the situation “very fishy”.