There’s an urgent call for people to donate blood. The Western Cape Blood Service says currently, its O-negative blood stocks have dropped to just a 1-day supply. All healthy and eligible donors are asked to visit their nearest blood donation clinic as soon as possible.

An urgent call for you to donate blood

The Public Relations Manager for the WCBS, Marike Carli, says they urgently need blood donors, especially those with O-negative and O-positive blood groups. She says O-negative blood is particularly critical because it’s the universal blood type used in emergencies when there is no time to determine a patient’s blood group.

WCBS appeals for urgent blood donations

According to the WCBS, O-negative blood stocks have dropped to a critically low 1-day supply. At the same time, O-positive blood stocks are at only a 3-day supply. Carli says the WCBS aims to maintain a stable 5-day blood stock level. This will help to ensure that hospitals across the Province have sufficient blood available for emergencies, surgeries, cancer treatment, childbirth complications, and patients with chronic illnesses.

Requirements to donate blood

Carli says blood donation only takes 30 minutes. One donation can save up to three lives.

You should be able to donate blood if you are:

If you are between the ages of 16 and 75.
If you weigh 50kg or more.
If you are in good general health.
If you lead a safe sexual lifestyle.

MORE ABOUT: Your nearest clinic

Donate blood as blood stocks continue to decline across the province. There’s also a number you can message on WhatsApp. That number is 060 549 7244.

Six police officers are facing charges of housebreaking and theft after a break-in at a shebeen in Mfuleni.  

The four male and two female officers were arrested on Monday by the provincial Anti-Corruption Unit, after the Mfuleni SAPS issued a warrant for charges of housebreaking and theft.  

The Western Cape SAPS spokesperson, Captain F.C. Van Wyk, confirmed that the officers include one sergeant and five constables.  

Court documents note that the accused unlawfully gained access to a residence in Mfuleni on 20 January 2026. According to reports, they accessed the establishment through a window. They then left with several bottles of alcohol.   

As per the documents, alcohol to the value of R14,976 was taken, as well as R2,500 in cash and cigarettes. More than 300 units of alcohol were stolen, including ciders and spirits.  

The accused, between 24 and 35, include Malvern Eiman, Siphesihle Mxoli, Kangelani Dlelepantsi, Etheresia Goliath, Thembela Mahlasela and Mihle Mhlangala. They appeared in the Blue Downs Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. They were granted R2,500 bail. 

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, confirmed that the case was postponed to 24 July for further investigation.  

ALSO READ: Over R3 Million in Alcohol Seized in Eerste River Counterfeit Raid – Smile 90.4FM

The City of Cape Town has officially opened a supplementary public participation process on amendments to its 2026/27 Budget following the Western Cape High Court’s ruling that its tariff structures, linked to property value, were unlawful.

The City says a key impact of this ruling is that it must revert to the previous method of using meter size to determine fixed water and sanitation charges.

To mitigate the impact this will have on lower-value properties, the City has further raised the rates-free rebate to R620 000, up from R450 000, for all properties up to R8m (previously R7m).

Pensioners will continue to benefit after the monthly income threshold was previously raised to R27 000, regardless of property value. The Metro will also continue offering lifeline electricity to pensioners up to this threshold.

Aside from raised benefits, the City is also proposing the following measures to buffer the impact:

• A lower overall fixed charges portion of the tariff
• Consolidating the fixed tariff for the most common water meter sizes – those under 22mm
• Shifting costs to higher consumption users compared to the March tabled budget, through increases to the step-tariff for usage over 10.5kl. Water usage will cost R2,09 more per KL from 10,5 – 35KL compared to the March tabled budget, and R8.06 (excl VAT) more over 35KL, with similar increases for sanitation per KL in these usage bands.

Meanwhile, the City is proposing that City-wide cleaning costs move back into property rates.

Residents previously funded city-wide cleaning services via an electricity surcharge contribution to property rates revenue. In 2025/26, the cost of city-wide cleaning was made a standalone charge for residential properties, lowering electricity prices.

This standalone charge will be removed, resulting in an increase in property rates for residential customers – amending the -10,2% reduction tabled in March to -2,09%.

Commercial property rates will also increase, while electricity unit costs will reduce due to the phased reduction of the surcharge contribution to city-wide cleaning.

Residential electricity tariffs remain unchanged as these customers no longer contribute to city-wide cleaning in this way.

The overall average energy tariff increase for commercial customers has been reduced to 5.46% (from 6.82% in the March tabled budget), while the residential increase remains unchanged at 6.64%.

To accommodate the shift in City-wide cleaning to rates, and the phasing out of the electricity contribution for commercial properties, the rate-in-the-rand and the rates ratios are proposed to be amended as follows:

Hill-Lewis says no amendments will be made to the City’s R40 billion three-year infrastructure budget.

“This draft budget – even with amendments – still achieves several things at once that simply wouldn’t be possible in other cities: an SA-record infrastructure investment that outpaces all Gauteng metros combined; the most comprehensive relief for struggling households and pensioners; and the lowest property rates and total monthly bills of any metro.”

The court ruling’s effect is prospective and is applicable from 1 July 2026 onwards.

The City has stressed that all revenue raised in 2025/26 has gone to the intended purpose of infrastructure and service delivery.

“It is important to further note that the ruling does not take issue with the necessity of these funds to run the city. Ratepayers will now contribute to these same running costs but in a different way based on the new proposals for 2026/27.”

Supplementary public participation is open from today, 27 May, until 10 June. This will allow sufficient time to adopt a budget before the financial year begins on 1 July 2026.

Click HERE to read all the Budget amendments and submit comments. Residents can also visit their Subcouncil office or phone 0800 212 176.

Alcohol with a street value of over R3 million was seized in Eerste River during a major multi-agency crackdown on suspected counterfeit liquor operations.

The raid, carried out on Tuesday morning under Operation Prosper, involved the Counterfeit Unit, Liquor Authority, the South African Revenue Service (SARS), and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Officers targeted a liquor store believed to be storing illegal alcohol, possibly intended for export.

During the search, authorities confiscated 6,201 litres of various liquor products.

“By the end of the inspection they had already confiscated alcohol amounting to 6,201 litres of various liquor products with an estimated value of R3.5 million, which were booked in as exhibits,” police confirmed.

 

A Chinese national, identified as the shop owner, was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.

“The adult male suspect was arrested and detained at Kleinvlei police station and is due to make his first court appearance in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court once charged,” SAPS added.