It’s Monday, 30 March 2026, and this is News Bite, your fast, reliable update on South Africa and the world, with Marcelle Gordon.
A massive fuel price hike is looming for South Africa on Wednesday, with the latest surge driven by the oil price crisis linked to the US-Israel war on Iran. President Cyril Ramaphosa says he and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana are losing sleep over the impact, as government looks at ways to soften the blow for consumers.
The wider Middle East conflict is also intensifying. Egypt’s President says Donald Trump is the only person who can stop the war in the Gulf, even as diplomatic talks hosted in Pakistan try to get the US and Iran to the table. On the ground, Israel has struck more than 140 sites across Iran, Tehran has hit Kuwaiti infrastructure, and fears are mounting over possible US ground involvement and control of Iranian oil assets.
Trump is meanwhile claiming regime change in Iran may already have happened, saying he is in contact with a key figure there, though he has refused to identify who that is.
All of this comes as anti-Trump anger spills onto the streets in the United States, with an estimated 8 million people taking part in No Kings protests across American cities over the weekend.
Justice Sisi Khampepe will remain chair of the TRC Cases Inquiry after a full bench of the Johannesburg High Court dismissed an application for her removal. The bid had been brought by former presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki, and Lukhanyo Calata says the ruling confirms the application should never have been entertained in the first place.
There was chaos on the streets of KuGompo City in the Eastern Cape as police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at protesters demonstrating against the alleged coronation of a Nigerian king. Twelve vehicles were torched after images of Chief Solomon Ogbonna Eziko being crowned “Igwe Ndigbo” of the city went viral, with ActionSA’s Athol Trollip arguing that such a coronation on South African soil is unconstitutional.
In the Western Cape, the family of a 14-year-old boy in Delft is demanding answers after he was shot dead when police allegedly chased children who ran after a police van approached them. And in Diepsloot, there are conflicting accounts over the death of 16-year-old Thabani Mazibuko, with police alleging attempted hijacking and his family insisting he was not a gangster.
There is also growing anger in Nelson Mandela Bay, where environmentalists say raw sewage has been flowing into the ocean for 10 straight days, even while the city hosted the Lifesaving National Champs at Hobie Beach in Summerstrand. Residents accuse the municipality of poor communication as concern grows over the environmental and public health impact.
IN OTHER NEWS…
· The ANC in the Eastern Cape has been summoned to Luthuli House after its provincial conference was postponed indefinitely following a court interdict brought by members alleging branch manipulation.
· Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has denied links to drug cartels after Forum for South Africa called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire him over allegations made by convicted fraudster Jermaine Prim.
IN SPORT…
· Caster Semenya has slammed IOC President Kirsty Coventry over a decision to ban transgender women athletes, saying the move also affects female athletes with medical conditions such as her own.
· And Bafana Bafana’s friendly against Panama at Cape Town Stadium has sold out, with the match potentially marking Hugo Broos’ final game on South African soil before he retires after the FIFA World Cup.
That’s your News Bite for 30 March 2026.
For developments on these stories and more, visit enca.com or watch eNCA on DStv Channel 403.