Remote Access Trojan (RAT) attacks are rapidly emerging as one of the most sophisticated and fast-growing enablers of digital fraud affecting consumers and organisations nationwide. Unlike credential theft scams that rely primarily on stolen usernames and passwords, RAT based attacks can provide criminals with remote control of a victim’s device, enabling them to operate in real time as if they were the legitimate user.

As the 2025 festive season approaches, a surge in criminal activity is expected, bringing heightened risks of scams, theft, and fraud that target both consumers and businesses.

Members affiliated with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) are expected to participate in a nationwide socio-economic protest on Tuesday, 7 October 2025, as part of the federation’s ongoing campaign against what it describes as “retrenchments to maximise profits.”

There has been a notable flare-up in protest activity across South Africa, with increasing numbers of communities embarking on demonstrations driven by a combination of various issues, including poor service delivery, growing conflict in the taxi industry, and increasing anti-immigrant attitudes especially in the healthcare system.

Messages circulating on social media claim that community members from the Ekurhuleni municipality including Tembisa are planning a complete shutdown of the municipality from Monday, 18 August to Wednesday, 20 August 2025 in response to electricity tariff increases, most notably the introduction of a fixed surcharge of R126 for certain residential users, effective from 1 July 2025.

A violent incident occurred at Maponya Mall in Soweto, Gauteng when four armed individuals opened fire on an e-hailing driver at the mall entrance and set the vehicle alight, causing widespread disruption on the evening of Wednesday, 13 August 2025.

Flyers and social media posts circulating widely claim that residents from Ga-Rankuwa, Gauteng, are planning a township-wide shut down on Monday, 18 August 2025 over a lack of service delivery.