A record low voter turnout characterised the 2021 municipal elections, with a resultant significant impact on the fortunes of some political parties. More than 13 million voters, eligible to vote, did not even take the time to register. It was the lowest voter turnout in the history of the country's democracy. And for the first time since 1994, the ANC's support fell to below 50%. News24 podcasts · News24 Podcasts

It's been almost two weeks since four young brothers were kidnapped while being driven to school in Polokwane, Limpopo. The case of the Moti brothers has been dominating headlines, and has highlighted the terrifying trend of kidnappings in South Africa. News24 podcasts · News24 Podcasts

Vaccinations of children between the ages of 12 and 17 started on Wednesday this week. The South African government wants to increase the number of Covid-19 vaccinations ahead of the final matric exams. A single dose of the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for children by South Africa's health regulator. News24 podcasts

Animal welfare organisations are alarmed by a case of dognapping that happened in Cape Town last weekend. A woman's dog disappeared from sight while she was walking on Table Mountain, and several hours later she received a phone call demanding a ransom of R500 for the safe return of her dog. Despite the police accompanying her for the exchange, no arrests were made. News24 podcasts · News24 Podcasts

On Monday, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) recommended the exact same candidates they originally put forward for appointment as judges to the Constitutional Court. CASAC challenged the legality of the JSC's April process, and as a result the high court ordered a rerun of the April interviews. But, the result was no different, with two top legal minds excluded for a second time. News24 podcasts · News24 Podcasts

This week on The Story, we take a look at the Special Investigating Unit (SIU)’s damning report into the R150 million Digital Vibes saga.

The department of health initially contracted Digital Vibes for the National Health Insurance (NHI) campaign in 2019, which was when former health minister Zweli Mkhize reportedly pressured officials to appoint the company for the contract. News24 Podcasts

Pretoria mother, Lauren Dickason, allegedly killed her three daughters last week in New Zealand. Lauren, her husband Graham and their 2-year-old twins Maya and Karla and 6-year-old daughter Liane immigrated from South Africa at the end of August. This week on The Story, we talked to Parent24 editor Elizabeth Mamacos and psychologist Gerda Kriel about what may have triggered Dickason to commit these murders. www.news24.com · News24 Podcasts

Former president Jacob Zuma dominated the headlines this week after the Correctional Services department announced his release on medical parole. It's since emerged that the medical parole advisory board did not recommend his release, but that decision was overruled by Correctional Services boss Arthur Fraser. www.news24.com

On Monday, six men appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court in connection with the murder of Gauteng health department finance official Babita Deokaran. A further two suspects were arrested on Thursday and subsequently released. Deokaran was a key witness in multimillion rand tender fraud investigations. Her death has turned the spotlight on the need to review protection policies for whistleblowers. www.news24.com

The brutal killing of women in the country has again come under the spotlight. This, after the recent murder of University of Fort Hare student Nosicelo Mtebeni. The case has sparked public outrage, but experts say that will not be enough to tackle the problem. News24 podcasts