🇿🇦 *SA UPDATE | Wednesday - 18 June 2025*   https://x.com/IpIndependent/status/1935267921552449818 Here's what's happening in *South Africa today:* 👇🏼 ◼️ *More power for traffic police:* Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is considering giving more powers to metro police officers nationwide to combat crime. These officers, initially focused on traffic and municipal regulations enforcement, could gain authority to conduct inspections at second-hand dealers, examine goods, seize records, and seal premises to enforce compliance with the law. https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2025-06-18-beefing-up-the-force-mchunu-proposes-more-powers-for-metro-police/ -------------  ◼️ *Where South Africans are relocating:* Over 1 million South Africans have emigrated to other countries, with around 107,000 leaving for other pastures in the last four years alone. Some of the countries that have seen the biggest influx of South Africans include the US, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK. https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/828246/south-africans-are-flooding-to-these-countries/ -------------  ◼️ *World Bank Loan Sparks Backlash:* The R26.5 billion loan, intended for infrastructure reform, has been welcomed by the government but condemned by the country's largest trade union federation as a "dangerous Trojan Horse." The federation, along with the Cry of the Xcluded, argues that the agreement will deepen the country’s reliance on foreign creditors and push a neoliberal agenda. https://independentpress.cc/world-bank-loan-sparks-backlash/2025/06/18/ -------------  ◼️ *How the illicit fuel trade is robbing SA:* The South African Revenue Service (Sars) reported that illicit fuels cost the fiscus roughly R3.6 billion per year, while police have identified 23 hotspots in three provinces. Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal are the hardest hit as syndicates operate in close proximity to Mozambique’s capital. https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/how-illicit-fuel-trade-robbing-sa-3-billion-per-year/ -------------  ◼️ *No, South Africa’s HIV care is not ‘under control’:* No one should be surprised that the health system in South Africa is straining in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s cruel gutting of HIV funding. What is shocking is the political will to pretend otherwise. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jun/18/south-africa-hiv-aids-health-system-donald-trump-funding-cuts -------------   🔴 Get short and instant News alerts by joining *INDEPENDENT PRESS* WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22