December 10, 2025 – South Africa Headlines

Story gist: ANC veteran Amos Masondo advocated for female leadership in the party. A News24 podcast discusses succession races in South Africa’s ANC, with Thoko Didiza rising, and DA, where Geordin Hill-Lewis awaits.

Bias summary: Left-leaning IOL emphasizes Masondo’s advocacy for female ANC leadership, focusing positively on gender diversity. Center News24 offers balanced podcast coverage of both ANC (Didiza rising) and DA (Hill-Lewis waiting) successions. Right-leaning outlets absent, omitting potential scrutiny of ANC infighting or DA positioning.

Story gist: South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit froze a luxury home and vehicle owned by an Eskom official. The action relates to a R54 million tender fraud investigation.

Bias summary: Left- and right-leaning outlets provided no coverage, omitting this corruption story from Eskom, South Africa’s state power utility. Center outlet EWN frames it neutrally as an asset freeze on an ‘Eskom employee’ in an R8 million kickback scandal, downplaying luxury details and the full R54 million tender fraud scale from the story title.

Story gist: ANC leaders delivered a sharp diagnosis of the party’s electoral decline. Nomvula Mokonyane advocated for women’s leadership in the ANC ahead of the presidential race.

Bias summary: No left- or right-leaning outlets covered the story, leaving progressive and conservative perspectives absent. The center outlet Daily Maverick framed it positively, emphasizing Nomvula Mokonyane’s promotion of women’s leadership and downplaying the electoral decline diagnosis in favor of forward-looking internal party renewal.

Story gist: Police identified three persons of interest in the killing of whistleblower Marius van der Merwe. The murder reignited memories for families of slain whistleblowers.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Daily Maverick reports factually on police identifying suspects, emphasizing Van der Merwe’s whistleblower role. Center News24 frames via podcast questioning motives, nicknaming victim ‘Vlam’ and calling him crimefighter. Right-leaning outlets absent, omitting potential emphasis on law enforcement progress or skepticism toward whistleblower protections.

Story gist: South African suspects, including the daughter of a former president, face accusations of recruiting South Africans to fight for Russia in the Ukraine war. Their court case was postponed to 2026.

Bias summary: Left-leaning CNN sensationalizes with ‘shocking claims’ and ‘luring men,’ emphasizing the former leader’s daughter’s role to highlight scandal. Center outlet EWN reports neutrally on procedural postponement without drama. Right-leaning coverage absent, omitting potential angles like critiquing Russia’s recruitment or South Africa’s foreign ties.