Cape Town water quality showdown, and FlySafair wants probe widened

Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today:

• Cape Town water quality showdown: The City of Cape Town is clashing with academics working with an environmental group over claims that Cape Town’s seawater is not as pristine as the city asserts. The Project Blue report, a citizen-driven investigation, revealed sewage contamination at popular beaches. In response, the city criticized the report, claiming the labs used were not accredited for seawater analysis and that the report lacked proper scientific citations. The DA demanded a public apology from Project Blue. [Daily Maverick]

• FlySafair wants probe widened: FlySafair has urged the National Consumer Commission (NCC) to expand its investigation into overbooking practices to include other airlines in the country. Spokesperson Kirby Gordon defended overbooking as a standard, globally accepted practice that helps manage operations and keep air travel affordable. If a flight is overbooked and all passengers show up, airlines seek volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for compensation or may deny boarding if no volunteers are found. [Business Day]

• Stillfontein miners allege large death toll: For the first time in two weeks, illegal miners trapped underground at an abandoned mine in Stilfontein, North West, have provided an update on their conditions after another body was retrieved from the mine. A new letter from the zama zamas claimed that at least 109 people had died underground. [The Citizen]

• Expired food removed from Cape Town store: A multi-government departmental team raided Shoprite’s franchised OK Minimark store in Cape Town on Thursday and removed expired food items. Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said that it was  “disturbing that in 2025 there are still businesses that are brazenly selling expired foods”. [News24]

• Markets: The rand was steady on Thursday as investors mulled over the outlook for U.S. interest rates and the potential for aggressive tariffs by President-elect Donald Trump. On Friday (10 January), the rand was trading at R18.94 to the dollar, R23.15 to the pound, and R19.53 to the euro. Oil is trading at $77.21 a barrel. [Reuters]