December 27, 2025 – South Africa Headlines

Story gist: Mohamed Salah scored in Egypt’s win over South Africa at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, securing Egypt’s qualification.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Al Jazeera frames the story positively around Salah and Egypt’s qualification success, emphasizing victory. Center outlet Orlando Pirates FC provides a neutral pre-match preview from a South African club view, omitting the result. Right-leaning coverage is absent, leaving no conservative perspective on the African soccer event.

Story gist: Two soldiers were swept away in a flooded river in Mpumalanga, South Africa. One body has been recovered.

Bias summary: Only center-leaning News24 covered the story with a neutral, factual headline mirroring the title, focusing on basic incident details. Left-leaning outlets absent, omitting potential emphasis on emergency response or climate links. Right-leaning outlets also missing, forgoing angles on military operations or infrastructure failures. No tonal differences observed due to limited coverage.

Story gist: South Africa’s Border Management Authority cleared the Christmas Day backlog at the Lebombo border post between South Africa and Mozambique. Officials had reverted to manual processing during the festive season delay.

Bias summary: Left-leaning IOL emphasizes security fears and overwhelmed systems reverting to manual processing, using alarmist tone. Center outlet Arrive Alive focuses on NATJOINTS inspection for safer operations, highlighting proactive safety efforts. Right-leaning coverage absent, omitting potential emphasis on border security achievements or government inefficiencies.

Story gist: Gauteng Health Department stated its strategy to combat teenage pregnancy is showing results.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets omitted coverage entirely, absenting progressive views on public health strategies. Center outlets like EWN framed the story neutrally, using the department’s direct claim in the headline to report the announcement without added emphasis. Right-leaning outlets also provided no coverage, leaving conservative perspectives on government initiatives unrepresented.

Story gist: The United States launched strikes on Islamic State targets in Nigeria on December 25.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like The Guardian emphasize Trump supporters’ praise, framing strikes as an ‘amazing Christmas present’ to highlight partisan enthusiasm. Center outlets like eNCA use neutral, factual headlines mirroring the event. Right-leaning coverage is absent, omitting potential emphasis on military success or anti-terrorism achievements.