Energy & Industry: Riversdale in the Western Cape has secured energy independence from Eskom with a R210m, 10MWp solar PV plant plus 10MWh battery storage, designed to keep the town running for up to 24 hours and soften Eskom tariff hikes. Industrial Policy & Trade: Coega Special Economic Zone is being positioned as a major industrial and logistics engine, with 2024 income up to about R25bn and a wide mix of sectors from automotive and agro-processing to renewables and metals. Digital Identity & Compliance: Home Affairs says it will stop producing the green ID book by 31 March 2027, with it becoming invalid on 31 March 2028 as a digital ID prototype is demonstrated and Smart ID rollout ramps up. Crime & Public Safety Tech: Cape Town’s Elsies River CCTV debate heats up as community leaders question monitoring effectiveness, while the City insists cameras are monitored 24/7 and incidents are dispatched. City Governance: A new push for competent leadership in Johannesburg follows warnings that the metro’s financial spiral and delivery failures can’t be fixed by funding alone. Tax & Business Operations: SARS reports South Africa’s trade surplus widened to R20.5bn in August, while diesel refund reforms point to a shift toward a dedicated framework with tighter registration and oversight. Tech & Skills: Emeris is developing an AI qualification focused on workplace implementation skills, while Microsoft’s Azure maintenance reportedly triggered connectivity failures across multiple regions.