November 18, 2025 – South Africa Headlines

Story gist: South Africa’s government is investigating the arrival of 300 Palestinian refugees from Gaza via flights organized by an unidentified group. The probe follows allegations of forced migration, with officials expressing concerns over further such transports.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like Al Jazeera frame the story with intrigue, emphasizing a ‘shadowy organization’ behind the migration to highlight potential exploitation or secrecy in Palestinian displacement. Center outlets such as News24 focus on official statements from Minister Lamola, stressing government suspicion and a desire to halt flights, presenting a procedural angle. Right-leaning coverage is absent, omitting perspectives that might critique government intervention or emphasize immigration policy concerns.

Story gist: Brown Mogotsi is scheduled to appear before the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday.

Bias summary: Left-leaning IOL frames the event with ‘tell all,’ emphasizing potential revelations and intrigue. Center outlet eNCA uses neutral language, focusing solely on the appearance without added drama. Right-leaning coverage is absent, suggesting disinterest or omission of the story, possibly due to differing political priorities or lack of perceived relevance to conservative audiences.

Story gist: The African National Congress (ANC) plans to announce candidates for metro mayors before upcoming elections. The party has released guidelines for the selection process of municipal candidates.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like IOL frame the story with emphasis on the early revelation of metro mayor candidates, quoting ANC figure Motlanthe to highlight proactive steps. Center outlets like EWN focus on the release of guidelines for the selection process, stressing procedural details ahead of polls. Right-leaning coverage is absent, omitting potential scrutiny of ANC’s election preparations or internal dynamics.

Story gist: S&P Global Ratings upgraded South Africa’s sovereign credit rating for the first time in nearly 20 years. South African bond yields subsequently fell to a record low.

Bias summary: Left- and right-leaning outlets provide no coverage, leaving progressive critiques of economic inequality or conservative skepticism on reform sustainability absent. Center outlets like Reuters frame the story positively, emphasizing the upgrade’s historic nature and traction of reforms, with a neutral tone focused on market impacts without deeper political analysis.

Story gist: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed concerns over non-attendance by some heads of state at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg. He stated that South Africa will hand over the G20 presidency to the United States with an ’empty chair’ due to the absences.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets provided no coverage, omitting any progressive perspective on global cooperation or criticisms of absentee leaders. Center outlets like Reuters framed the story neutrally, emphasizing the president’s direct quote on the ’empty chair’ handover and factual reporting without added interpretation. Right-leaning outlets also provided no coverage, leaving conservative views on international diplomacy or U.S. leadership unrepresented. This results in a limited, centrist-only narrative focused on the event’s logistics.