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Making headlines: Liam Jacobs apologises for ‘disgraced departure’ from DA; S&P flags Middle East oil risk for South Africa; And, World Health Oirganization says suspected Ebola cases drop to 116 after hundreds ruled out

Liam Jacobs apologises for ‘disgraced departure’ from DA

In a political turnaround, former DA defectee and PA member Liam Jacobs has officially returned to the DA, issuing a public apology today for his "distasteful" and "disgraceful" departure from the official opposition last year.

Jacobs, who joined Gayton McKenzie’s PA last year, announced that he is returning to the DA not as a public representative, but as an ordinary activist.

Reflecting on his exit, Jacobs expressed “deep regret” for what he believes is the harm created for DA voters, leadership, public representatives, activists, and staff by his social media commentary and sudden departure.

He acknowledged that regaining the party's trust will take time.

Jacobs credited the DA with launching his political career, noting that the party took a young activist from the Northern Cape, developed his skills in Gauteng, and placed him in the National Assembly at just 23 years old.

He stated that his time inside the PA served as an “eye-opener”, claiming that what he "saw behind the curtain" was a political culture that explicitly contravened his personal values.

S&P flags Middle East oil risk for South Africa

S&P Global Ratings warned that rising oil prices from the Middle East crisis pose a growing risk to South Africa's consumer-led economy, even as the fiscal consolidation push remains broadly on track.

Ravi Bhatia, director at S&P, said at a conference in Johannesburg that South Africa was “really an outlier” among peers, consistently ranking near the bottom on growth — a weakness that feeds into fiscal pressure through softer revenues and weak job creation.

S&P left its South Africa ratings unchanged at BB on foreign-currency and BB+ on local on Friday.

It had upgraded ratings in November, its first upward move in nearly two decades, citing falling inflation, improving growth and fiscal consolidation.

S&P revised its oil price forecast to $100 for the rest of the year and $75 next year, with knock-on effects expected for inflation, fertiliser and food costs.

South Africa inflation rose in April, largely tied to the energy sector; the central bank responded quickly with rate hikes, though higher borrowing costs risk dampening consumer spending.

And, World Health Oirganization says suspected Ebola cases drop to 116 after hundreds ruled out

The World Health Organization said there have been 321 confirmed cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo outbreak and 116 suspected cases, marking a large drop in the number of suspected cases as hundreds were ruled out after investigation.

The agency said there had been 48 deaths and six people had recovered in Congo. The Congolese authorities first put out the new case numbers yesterday.

In Uganda there have been nine confirmed cases and one associated death, World Health Organization spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva.

Later, Uganda's health ministry confirmed six more new cases of Ebola, bringing the total confirmed in the country so far to 15, the health ministry said. The ministry said in a statement on its X account that the six were confirmed among contacts of other confirmed cases.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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