It’s Thursday, 26 March 2026, and this is News Bite, your fast, reliable update on South Africa and the world, with Marcelle Gordon.
Acting police minister Firoz Cachalia is meeting President Cyril Ramaphosa as pressure mounts around national police commissioner Fannie Masemola, who has been served with a summons linked to the R360 million Cat Matlala tender now under scrutiny at the Madlanga Commission. Cachalia says Masemola has not been charged with corruption. Still, the commissioner is now the third national police chief to face legal trouble while in office, as calls grow for his suspension and analysts warn that exposing wrongdoing alone will not fix the deeper crisis inside SAPS.
The White House says Iran is desperate for a deal to end the war in the Middle East, but Tehran insists there are no talks underway, even as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt are drawn into efforts to broker contact. Back home, the fallout is becoming painfully clear, with Central Energy Fund data pointing to April fuel hikes of at least R5.17 for petrol and more than R9 for diesel, raising fears of another hit to food and transport costs.
The DA is trying to block the City of Johannesburg’s R10 billion wage deal with municipal workers, saying there was no feasibility study and no clarity on which service delivery projects will be sacrificed to fund it, while SAMWU is threatening shutdown action. In Tshwane, Mayor Nasiphi Moya says the Labour Court has ordered that an independent chairperson hear the case involving the Rooiwal Five after the metro challenged an arbitration award that reinstated the five senior city managers linked to the Rooiwal tender.
Police have meanwhile returned to Saldanha Bay for a renewed search linked to missing Joshlin Smith, more than two years after her disappearance, though authorities say they still have no tangible new evidence.
IN OTHER NEWS…
· The UN General Assembly has formally recognised the transatlantic slave trade and the enslavement of Africans as among the gravest crimes against humanity.
· A jury in Los Angeles has delivered a landmark verdict, finding Meta and YouTube responsible for harming young users, with a 20-year-old woman awarded six million dollars in damages and both companies preparing to appeal.
IN SPORT…
· Keshav Maharaj says the future of the Proteas limited-overs team is in good hands after South Africa’s 3-2 T20 series win in New Zealand, with special praise for player of the series Connor Esterhuizen.
· Mo Salah has confirmed he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season after nine years at Anfield, with supporters already framing his departure as the end of a modern club legend.
· The Soweto Canoe and Recreation Club has made history by securing the top team award at the 75th Dusi Canoe Marathon, with coach Nkosi Mzolo calling it a milestone moment after years of work.
That’s your News Bite for 26 March 2026.
For developments on these stories and more, visit enca.com or watch eNCA on DStv Channel 403.