SAPS costs clarified: Government pushed back on claims that senior SAPS managers earn R5m a year, saying R1.331bn in 2025/26 covers salaries plus allowances and state pension/medical contributions for 722 senior officials. Joburg-Eskom debt: City of Johannesburg has paid R4.3bn towards Eskom electricity arrears, with a court-backed plan to settle a total R5.12bn by 21 August. Phala Phala politics: A Western Cape High Court paused Parliament’s Section 89 impeachment hearings pending Ramaphosa’s legal challenge, but analysts say pressure remains. Madlanga Commission delay: The commission reserved judgment after arguments over whether North West businessman Suliman Carrim gets an open-ended postponement or a fixed return date for medical fitness. Municipal funding squeeze: SAMWU says Treasury withheld equitable share from multiple municipalities, leaving workers facing delayed or unpaid salaries and threatening service delivery. Digital finance trust: Bridgforte will launch a new policy report on trust architecture for platform-led digital finance, with SARB deputy governor Nomfundo Tshazibana set to keynote. Education basics: Basic Education data shows public schools still need 1.9m pieces of learner furniture across 7,166 schools, with Gauteng among the biggest gaps. Small Claims Court: The limit rises to R30,000 from 1 August 2026, expanding access to faster, cheaper civil claims. Halal trade link: Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim says Ramaphosa and other leaders want cooperation to obtain Malaysia’s internationally recognised halal certification. Xenophobia diplomacy: Ghana’s Mahama raised xenophobic attacks on Africans in South Africa with the AU Commission, seeking formal AU action.