January

• 3 January – A car and a minibus taxi collide in Fouriesburg, killing six people. ^[1]
• 6 January – President Cyril Ramaphosa announces the appointment of Andy Mothibi as the new National Director of Public Prosecutions, replacing the retiring Shamila Batohi. ^[2]
• 15 January – Authorities close the Kruger National Park to day visitors due to severe flooding caused by rivers overflowing after days of heavy rain. ^[3] The government declares a national disaster on 18 January after 30 deaths are reported. ^[4]
• 19 January – A truck and a school minibus collide in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, killing 14 people and injuring five others. ^[5]
• 22 January – South Africa announces its withdrawal from engagements of the G20 for the duration of the United States' rotating presidency over the group. ^[6]
• 27–31 January – West Indian cricket team in South Africa in 2025–26 ^[7]
• 29 January – A truck and a school minibus collide near Durban, killing 11 people. ^[8]
• 30 January – South Africa expels the Israeli charge d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, following the posting of official social media posts insulting President Ramaphosa, and a deliberate failure to inform South Africa of visits by Israeli officials. ^[9]

February

• 2 February – A white separatist group, Boervolk of the Orange Free State, files a formal claim in the Government Gazette of South Africa seeking land in KwaZulu-Natal, citing historical transactions with Zulu rulers and invoking the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. ^[10]
• 4 February – John Steenhuisen announces that he would not stand for reelection as leader of the Democratic Alliance in a party conference scheduled in April. ^[11]
• 6–22 February – South Africa at the 2026 Winter Olympics
• 6 February – The government announces the resumption of domestic production of vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease for the first time since 2005. ^[12]
• 7 February – South Africa announces the withdrawal of its military contingent from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). ^[13]
• 8 February – Roedean School for Girls in Johannesburg cancels a tennis match against King David High School Linksfield, leading to allegations of antisemitism. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies condemned the decision, citing a leaked recording of staff admitting to parental pressure. Roedean denied antisemitism, blaming administrative issues. ^{[14] [15]}
• 9 February – A man is fatally shot in Randburg, Johannesburg, during the filming of a television production linked to an alleged anti-drug operation, leading the South African Police Service to open a murder investigation. ^[16]
• 10 February – 1 March – Pakistan women's cricket team in South Africa in 2025–26 ^{[17] [18]}
• 12 February – President Ramaphosa delivers the 2026 State of the Nation Address in Cape Town, announcing military support for police against crime, gang violence in the Western Cape, and illegal mining in Gauteng. ^{[19] [20]} He also declares foot-and-mouth disease a national disaster, ^[21] pledging criminal charges for officials failing to provide water services. ^[22]
• 13 February – A woman is arrested for the murder of a 22-year-old e-hailing driver in Pretoria West ^[23] who was allegedly killed by a man and woman who requested a ride on 11 February. ^{[24] [25]}
• 19 February –
  • A bus crashes along the N1 in Limpopo, killing four people and injuring 31 others. ^[26]
  • A mudslide occurs inside a gold mining shaft in Kimberley, leaving five miners missing and presumed dead. ^{[27] [28]}
  • A chemical factory fire breaks out in Germiston, killing one person. ^[29]
  • Police arrest Bellarmine Mugabe, the youngest son of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, in Johannesburg on charges of attempted murder after a gardener was shot at his residence. ^[30]
• 26 February – Two people are killed and two are injured in a taxi industry turf-related shooting outside Atlantis Senior Secondary in Cape Town. ^[31]

March

• 2 March – A floor collapses in an under-construction building in Johannesburg, killing six people and leaving three others missing. ^[32]

Upcoming

• 2 November 2026 – 1 February 2027 (TBD) – 2026 South African municipal elections ^[33]

Country overviews

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