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The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on Thursday set aside a Western Cape High Court judgment that found the Drakenstein municipality in breach of its constitutional and statutory obligations to provide emergency housing.

The SCA upheld the municipality’s appeal, dismissing declaratory orders and supervisory requirements imposed on the local authority by the high court.

The SCA found that the high court had wrongly shifted the burden of proof onto the state. The high court had required the municipality to disprove unreasonableness without first requiring the applicants to set out a clear factual basis for their claims.

The appeal arose from eviction proceedings brought by Green Willows Properties 2 in the Drakenstein magistrate’s court against Eric Lolo and his daughter Bernice Fransman, who live on Farm Langkloof Roses in Drakenstein.

In 2006, Lolo registered on the housing waiting list.

Green Willows brought eviction proceedings in 2015 after Lolo’s right to occupy his home was terminated following his retrenchment in 2013.

The eviction proceedings, brought in terms of the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, are still pending in the magistrate’s court.

The municipality was cited in the proceedings as the authority responsible for providing emergency housing to people evicted from their homes.

In its response, the municipality accepted its responsibility to provide housing and presented evidence of its efforts and the difficulties it faced in providing different types of housing in Drakenstein.

The municipality said it could not provide Lolo and Fransman with emergency accommodation at the time and could not say with certainty when accommodation would be available. It said, however, that arrangements could be made to provide such housing.

It explained that about 19,500 people were seeking accommodation in Drakenstein at the time, far exceeding availability. It had created between 400 and 800 formal “housing opportunities” a year with funding received from the Western Cape provincial government.

In response to the municipality’s report in the eviction proceedings, Lolo and Fransman applied to the high court for 10 declaratory orders stating that the municipality had breached its obligations to provide emergency and formal housing to the community, particularly people evicted from farms in the municipal area.

In their high court application, Lolo and Fransman contended that the municipality had no emergency housing policy. They also sought a declarator that the municipality must use its resources to meet its emergency housing obligations instead of relying on allocations from the province.

The municipality argued in both courts that Lolo and Fransman had not made out a proper case for the relief they sought.

The high court granted the orders Lolo and Fransman sought but also granted the municipality leave to appeal to the SCA.

Judge of Appeal Nambitha Dambuza said municipalities were required, as part of their integrated development plans, to set out housing delivery goals and land designation planning obligations under the Housing Act.

She said municipalities cannot escape responsibility for emergency housing by pointing to the roles of provincial and national government.

“With regard to the approach to determination of reasonableness of the measures put in place by a municipality, the basic principle that an applicant in motion proceedings must make out a proper case for the relief he or she seeks must apply,” Dambuza said.

She said the onus on the state was to set out the measures it had put in place to discharge its obligations under the Housing Act.

Dambuza said Lolo and Fransman were unaware when they launched the high court proceedings that the municipality had an emergency housing policy.

“Mr Lolo asserted that the municipality did not have an emergency housing policy. That this was incorrect was brought to the respondents’ attention in the municipality’s answering affidavit.”

Dambuza said the appeal record detailed extensive, documented efforts by the municipality to roll out formal housing and emergency options.

She said the municipality’s housing plans included the Vlakkeland project, a 2,500-unit development designed to include 500 emergency housing opportunities.

The SCA made no costs order against Lolo and Fransman in either court.

TimesLIVE

Motsepe announced at the Caf strategy conference in Cabo Verde earlier in the month the exco would be reassessing and reconsidering the decision it took last year for the tournament to take place every four years.

Caf said the reassessment and reconsideration was necessitated by the realisation that the proposed new Africa Nations League Pan-African competition, which was supposed to replace the current Afcon and take place every two years, would require several years to be in position.

“The decision by the Caf exco that the Afcon should take place every two years was based on advancing, protecting and promoting the interest of African football and Caf’s 54 member associations, as well as the interest of African players employed by football clubs outside Africa,” said Motsepe.

The Caf exco’s decision is in the best interest of African football and Caf 54 member associations and will also contribute significantly to the development and growth of football in Africa.

Caf president Patrice Motsepe

“We were also concerned by the several years required before the proposed new Africa Nations League Pan-African competition (which was supposed to be identical to the current Afcon and take place every two years) could make the substantial financial and football development contributions for African football and Caf competitions to be globally competitive and self-supporting.

“The next Afcon will take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and I am confident that it will be very successful. The subsequent Afcon’s thereafter will take place in 2028, 2031 and 2033.

“The forthcoming Fifa World Cup will take place in 2030, and in accordance with the Fifa tradition, the final tournament of the Afcon and other confederations’ national team competitions may not take place during the year of the Fifa World Cup.

“The Afcon competition is also about celebrating African football and Africa’s rich and diverse cultures, customs and traditions and bringing people together from Africa’s 54 countries, the African diaspora, and throughout the world.

“The Caf Exco’s decision is in the best interest of African football and Caf 54 member associations and will also contribute significantly to the development and growth of football in Africa.”

TimesLIVE

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As political parties prepare and ask residents for their votes, some people in Kensington, Johannesburg, say they have lost faith in government, with an unreliable water supply adding to their frustration before the elections.

Residents told TimesLIVE on Thursday they have been without water for days, forcing them to store it in buckets and bottles for whenever their taps run dry.

For Abel Mabooi, the ongoing water problems have left him with little hope that things will change, though he still intends to vote.

“We have not had water for a couple of days now. These days we experience problems with water. Sometimes we have it; sometimes we do not.”

He questioned why politicians competed for leadership positions but failed to deliver basic services to the people who voted for them.

“I wish they would come together and think about the people and not about filling their pockets.”

Mabooi said residents hoped the elections would bring meaningful changes to their community.

In the meantime, they have had to find ways to cope with the unreliable water supply, including filling buckets and bottles whenever water is available.

“We have to make sure that we fill our buckets and bottles with water because it is not guaranteed. We just hope that our votes will make a difference,” he said.

For 42-year-old Nomsa Khumalo, who also lives in Kensington, the decision to vote comes with little confidence that things will improve.

Khumalo said she was looking forward to casting her vote next week but did not want to raise her expectations about the outcomes.

“Even when they say casting your vote will make a difference in better results and change, it is unbelievable now.”

Khumalo said if circumstances allowed, she would consider moving to her marital home in Giyani, Limpopo, where she said she did not experience the same water problems.

“I have a borehole water pump there. Life is easier than here, where there are a lot of service delivery issues involving a basic need like water.”

However, she said finding work remained a major consideration, making it difficult to leave Johannesburg.

“The problem is that I have to work, and you know how the crisis of unemployment is,” she said.

Kensington ward councillor Carlos da Rocha said the water situation in the area had become increasingly unstable over the past two weeks.

Residents had experienced a pattern in which the water supply returned before disappearing again.

“The problem is that there is no water management system in place that is fair for everybody. It is unpredictable. We never know when residents can have water,” Da Rocha said.

Reservoirs had to be closed at night to allow them to fill before being reopened in the morning in an attempt to distribute water to residents.

However, this had not resolved the problem because the amount of water flowing into the reservoirs had also decreased.

Da Rocha suggested that an operational system allowing residents to receive water every two days could give households an opportunity to store enough water to get through periods when their taps were dry.

Engineers would need to determine the most effective way to manage the supply and ensure that water reached affected communities.

The problem extended beyond Kensington, with residents across Johannesburg struggling to access water.

He also questioned whether water tankers could adequately meet the demand.

“There is no way they have got enough water tankers to supply water to the residents,” he said.

TimesLIVE has approached Johannesburg Water for comment. Their comment will be added once received.

TimesLIVE

Stewart, knighted in 2010 by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to drama, died at his home in Los Angeles, according to a statement on his X account.

“We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday [Wednesday] at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife, Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia,” it said.

Stewart became an actor at age 18 and gained acclaim on the stage as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company beginning in the 1960s. But it was not until after he was hired at age 47 for Star Trek: The Next Generation — a TV series that ran from 1987 to 1994 as a sequel to the original 1960s Star Trek — that he gained mainstream fame, acting into his 80s.

“Make it so,” his character Picard often said, instructing a subordinate to carry out a command or sometimes deploying the similar catch phrase “Engage”.

It was a role he had debated taking after his long-time friend and fellow Shakespearean Ian McKellen advised him to spurn Star Trek and remain in theatre. Stewart did take the role and became a fan favourite and an indispensable part of a lucrative sci-fi franchise, playing Picard not only in 176 episodes over seven seasons of that series but also in several Star Trek films and in the later streaming series Star Trek: Picard that began airing in 2020 when he was 79.

“As the seven seasons of TNG (The Next Generation) went by, the distinction between Jean-Luc Picard and Patrick Stewart became thinner and thinner, until it was impossible for me to know where he left off and I began. So much of what I believed and felt went into that show,” Stewart told the Guardian newspaper in 2022.

Stewart also initially baulked at being cast as the wheelchair-using mutant Professor X in the X-Men movies, based on the popular Marvel comic book character.

“I said, ‘Look, I know this isn’t science fiction, but it’s fantasy, and I’ve done that.’ But they persuaded me that it wouldn’t be like Star Trek, so I did it. And yet again I was proved wrong,” Stewart told the Guardian.

He became a critical part of another big-money franchise, starting with the first entry X-Men in 2000, and followed by several more.

Acting was a safe space

Stewart was born on July 13 1940, in the English town of Mirfield in Yorkshire. He was raised in poverty, with a father who he said returned from World War 2 an alcoholic who suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome and physically abused Stewart’s mother. Stewart recalled putting his body between his father and mother to try to protect her.

As a child, Stewart said, acting became a “safe space” after a schoolteacher introduced him to Shakespeare — specifically The Merchant of Venice — during a class when he was 12. He started losing his hair at age 17 and was bald by 19. He was embarrassed at the time, but eventually embraced it.

Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry, presented a hopeful vision of the future, with humankind venturing into the cosmos in spaceships exceeding the speed of light and encountering alien races. The enduring popularity of the original series and the success of spinoff films prompted Roddenberry to create The Next Generation sequel series.

The Picard character was the opposite of the swashbuckling and sometimes unintentionally buffoonish Captain James T Kirk, played by William Shatner, of the original series — envisioned as more cerebral and disciplined, though sometimes coming across as stuffy, humourless, or self-important.

Stewart recalled being a bit too serious towards his cast mates early on.

“I tell the story of calling a meeting of my principal fellow cast members and telling them that I thought we were not disciplined enough, that we should not be fooling around on the set as much as we were but taking everything seriously,” Stewart told the New Yorker in 2023.

“And one of the cast members said, ‘Oh, come on, Patrick, we’ve got to have some fun.’ And I thumped the chair and said, ‘We are not here to have fun’ — which they have never let me forget. They taught me so much about loosening up and being freer,” Stewart added.

Stewart also felt the series improved as it went along, faulting his own portrayal of Picard in the first two seasons.

“I found it lacking intimacy. It was very authoritative, but there were few other qualities in him,” Stewart said, adding that his work got better in subsequent seasons.

In fact, the finest work for the entire cast may have been the two-part, time-bending series finale.

He became Sir Patrick Stewart when he was knighted by the queen at Buckingham Palace in 2010. He told reporters that his heroes were British actors Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Alec Guinness, who also had been knighted, adding that being “in that company is the grandest thing that has professionally happened to me”.

Stewart was married three times and had two children. His third marriage, in 2013, was to American musician Sunny Ozell.

Reuters

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President Cyril Ramaphosa ended his whirlwind two-day campaign in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday with a blunt warning to ANC councillor candidates: do not be aloof, do not look down on people, and do not steal development money once you are elected.

His blitz focused squarely on eThekwini, where polls predict the ANC is facing its toughest test in democratic South Africa and could lose the metro for the first time — ironically to the party of its former president Jacob Zuma, the MK Party. Whether his last-minute push will shift votes will only be clear after November 4.

The tour unfolded under a tight ring of security that followed him throughout, with SAPS, metro police and the presidential protection service lining his route and screening venues. Along parts of the route, MK Party supporters picketed, waving placards and chanting as his convoy passed.

In Hambanathi, where he ended, IFP supporters joined the MK Party picket, turning the roadside into a noisy display of opposition colours.

In an indirect attack on the MK Party, Ramaphosa told supporters only the ANC has the policies, capacity and experience to deliver meaningful development. He said during his campaign in KZN, many people told him they did not have jobs.

“We are working hard to grow this economy; in KZN there are many projects aimed at strengthening the infrastructure, growing the economy and creating jobs,” he said.

In his capacity as head of the government, Ramaphosa started Thursday morning in Montclair at Montclaire Lodge, identified as the first government-owned temporary emergency accommodation facility for families displaced by the 2022 floods. The Presidency said the visit was to assess progress in providing shelter and efforts to repurpose government buildings for affordable housing, with plans to refurbish 500 more units there to provide over 1,000 units for those still in temporary shelters.

From Montclair he moved to Cornubia, north of Durban, where he handed over houses to beneficiaries at one of the largest integrated human settlements in the province. The event took place in scorching heat, with residents waiting hours in the sun.

“This development represents hope for the many families who were affected by the catastrophic floods that swept through this province four years ago. In 2022, these families lost everything. Today [Thursday], they receive a permanent home they can call their own,” Ramaphosa said.

He recalled how the government had first sheltered families in mass care centres and then in cramped temporary emergency accommodation where public transport was hard to reach and pupils travelled long distances to schools before the provincial government identified Cornubia as the permanent solution.

He said another 145 houses were under construction in phase 2, which was launched on Thursday, and by mid-2027 a total of 460 permanent homes should have been completed. He said emergency accommodation must never become permanent.

After the government programme, he switched to party colours — first in Tongaat, then in Hambanathi.

In Tongaat Hall, he addressed South African Democratic Teachers Union members who came bearing a list of nine grievances about conditions in schools and communities.

Ramaphosa went through the grievances one by one and committed to solving them. He told teachers that the government will speed up the allocation of funds to schools and more teachers will be hired, along with other administrative positions, to fill vacant posts and ease the burden on teachers, before urging members to help the ANC in its final push.

Then on Hambanathi to address supporters and ANC election candidates.

“I’m saying to our candidates, the people chose you because they have trust and confidence in you. Do not disappoint them, work hard, don’t be aloof, don’t look down on them, don’t run away from them, and most importantly, don’t steal money for development.”

He told volunteers the ANC must earn back trust street by street, house by house, and that renewal would be judged not in Luthuli House but in the wards.

He ended his KZN visit with a call for discipline and unity on the ground.

“If we are united, if we are humble, if we do not steal, the people will renew our mandate. If we are arrogant, we will lose them,” he said.

TimesLIVE

Neither man is on the ballot, but Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic former president Barack Obama took prominent roles on the campaign trail on Wednesday, with less than a week to go before congressional races that could shift the balance of power in Washington.

While Trump has been on a weeks-long blitz that has underlined Republican concerns about losing control of Congress for the final two years of his presidency, Obama had kept a relatively low public profile until the past week, during which he has delivered blistering speeches criticising Trump.

Thirty-five of the 100 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are being contested next Tuesday. Nonpartisan analysts generally favour the Democrats’ chances of capturing a majority in the House, with the contest for the Senate seen as very close.

On Wednesday, Obama appeared in Morrow, Georgia, near Atlanta, where he urged voters to support Democratic senator Jon Ossoff, who faces a challenge from Representative Mike Collins, a Republican.

While delivering the standard Democratic critique of Trump for imposing tariffs and going to war in Iran, Obama also said America’s values were on the ballot, as he recalled the vision of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jnr, who is buried in Atlanta.

“There is a moral component to the choices we face right now,” Obama said. “We are not going to fix the system that’s broken; we’re not going to unrig our economy, so long as we’ve got a culture where anything goes, where people in the highest offices of the land think it’s OK to lie and cheat and bully, if we continue to have a culture where money is deemed the only measure of our worth.”

Trump’s public approval rating has fallen to a near record low, with Americans increasingly sour on the high cost of living and the Iran war, but he remains an animating force in the party and has campaigned hard to increase Republican turnout.

Americans have been voting for weeks, with 40-million ballots already cast, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab. A total of 45.9-million Americans voted early in the last midterm elections in 2022.

Addressing a rally inside a modest college gymnasium in the Ohio town of Chillicothe, the president appeared with Senator Jon Husted of Ohio as he faces a challenge from Democratic former Senator Sherrod Brown.

Trump attacked Brown for supporting immigration policies the president said had overwhelmed Springfield, Ohio, with Haitian migrants. “The town went to hell,” he said.

Trump spread false claims during the 2024 presidential campaign that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating cats and dogs, allegations local officials repeatedly said were untrue.

Trump faces protesters

Enthusiastic crowds have cheered Trump at rallies throughout the campaign, but hundreds of protesters lined his motorcade route in rural Chillicothe, raising banners that read, “Republican against Trump”, “Grab them by the ballot” and “GOP: Guardians of paedophiles”.

During the rally, protesters interrupted Trump several times, including at least one who shouted about deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“I threw Jeffrey Epstein the hell out of Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said in response.

Trump and Epstein socialised in the 1990s and early 2000s, but Trump has said they later had a falling out and that he barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Justice department releases from the Epstein files have included references to Trump, as well as many other prominent figures. The department has cautioned that some materials contain allegations that were unverified or uncorroborated.

Protesters have interrupted Trump at virtually all his recent rallies. He typically accuses them of being paid protesters as they are carted off by security.

In Cleveland on Saturday, Obama poked fun at Trump’s taste in interior decorating, saying, “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” referring to a chain of casual dining restaurants.

Trump defended his White House decor and said Obama left the property deteriorated.

“The White House, I think, is the number one symbol of our country, and we can’t have a White House with broken windows, with broken stone that hasn’t been painted in 30 years,” Trump said in Ohio.

Tight races

Democrats will need to pick up seats in traditionally Republican-leaning states such as Ohio, Iowa or Alaska to overcome the current 53-47 Republican majority in the Senate.

The New York Times reported that aides to Mary Peltola, the Senate Democratic nominee in Alaska, worked with the campaign’s lawyers and senior staff at Senate Democrats’ campaign arm to recruit two candidates who are on the ballot and could syphon votes from incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan.

Representatives for Peltola did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“Mary Peltola should resign from the race. I think she should be criminally prosecuted for what she did,” Trump told reporters before departing for Ohio.

In Michigan, where Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed are locked in a tight race for the Senate seat being vacated by Democratic senator Gary Peters, both campaigns are relying on high-profile allies to energise supporters and boost turnout.

Rogers spent the day campaigning with Senator Ted Cruz of Texas on a four-stop bus tour culminating in Imlay City, a small community northeast of Detroit.

El-Sayed, meanwhile, was scheduled to join Peters and fellow Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin for an evening canvassing rally in Downriver, southwest of Detroit.

Reuters

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When Zolani Zondani set off on his 1,071km walk from Gqeberha to Johannesburg, some people mocked him and called him names.

Fifteen days later, with his sneakers wearing thin and strangers helping him along the way, he is less than 200km from his destination.

The journey has tested his physical and emotional endurance, but Zondani is determined to finish what he started: raising awareness about men’s mental health and substance abuse and encouraging men to seek help before they reach breaking point.

In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked South Africa among the 10 countries with the highest suicide rates globally, at 23.5 deaths per 100,000 people.

The country recorded an estimated 13,774 suicide deaths that year, the third-highest figure in Africa. Men accounted for the vast majority, with 10,861 deaths compared with 2,913 among women.

Speaking to the Sunday Times during a break after leaving Kroonstad in the early hours of the morning, Zondani said the walk was deeply personal, shaped by childhood experiences, bereavement and the loss of his brother to substance abuse.

We live in a society where men are often expected to be strong, provide, endure pain in silence and carry their struggles without asking for help. Unfortunately, many suffer silently because they fear being judged, misunderstood or perceived as weak.

Zolani Zondani

“Growing up without a father figure, losing my mother and losing my brother to substance abuse taught me that some of the battles men face are not always visible,” he said.

“We live in a society where men are often expected to be strong, provide, endure pain in silence and carry their struggles without asking for help. Unfortunately, many suffer silently because they fear being judged, misunderstood or perceived as weak.”

This is not his first long-distance walk for the cause. In October 2025, he walked about 700km from Gqeberha to Cape Town to raise awareness about men’s mental health and substance abuse.

That journey showed him that his mission was bigger than himself.

“Along the way, I encountered ordinary South Africans who offered me food, accommodation, encouragement and stories of their own struggles. Those encounters reminded me that humanity still exists in the people we often overlook, and that sometimes a simple act of kindness can give someone the strength to keep going,” he said.

His latest walk is a continuation of that mission through Broski Brotherhood NPC, a non-profit organisation he founded to create safe spaces where men can speak openly about their struggles and seek help without shame.

“I want us to move beyond talking about men’s mental health only when another life has been lost. We need to act before someone reaches the point where they feel ending their life is their only escape,” he said.

The journey is also a personal challenge, pushing him beyond the limits he had placed on himself and turning his convictions into action.

It has not been without hardship. Zondani has endured blistering heat, thirst, dry winds and the constant danger of sharing busy roads with cars and trucks. He has also had to contend with doubt and a lack of support from some of the people he expected to stand behind him.

“There have been moments when I had to confront not only the road ahead of me but also the battles within me. I have questioned how much further I could go and whether the sacrifices I was making would eventually make a difference,” he said.

“Yet whenever I found myself close to giving up, I had to remind myself of where I come from, the life I have lived and the experiences that shaped me into the man I am today.”

His feet began blistering early in the journey, which he attributed to the heat, a new pair of sneakers and the pace at which he was walking. He has since adjusted his pace and the way he positions his toes to prevent further blisters.

He has worn the same pair of sneakers throughout the journey, and they are now nearing the end of their life.

“I was hoping that the right people with influence could help me, even Adidas, since the sneakers are from there. Now they are on their final stretch because they are wearing out,” he said.

One of his toughest challenges was the 98km stretch from Cradock to Middelburg, the longest distance he had covered in a single day.

The experience has exceeded my expectations. People have shown me Ubuntu, and men have also shown up throughout the journey by admitting that they need help and a safe space because they are really suffering.

Zolani Zondani

Walking under the scorching sun and through dry winds, he relied on the support of two men who accompanied him and the generosity of motorists along the N2, who gave him water, drinks and energy bars.

Messages of encouragement and prayers also helped him push through.

Despite having undertaken a similar journey before, Zondani said the response to this walk had exceeded his expectations. Beyond the practical assistance, he has been encouraged by men who have opened up about their struggles and acknowledged their need for support.

“The experience has exceeded my expectations. People have shown me Ubuntu, and men have also shown up throughout the journey by admitting that they need help and a safe space because they are really suffering,” he said.

For Zondani, those conversations are as important as the kilometres he has covered. He hopes the walk will encourage men to recognise that asking for help is not a sign of weakness and that emotional struggles should not have to be faced alone.

“Every kilometre represents a call for understanding, brotherhood and a society where men feel seen, heard, supported and valued,” he said.

“Ultimately, my destination is Johannesburg, but my mission goes far beyond reaching a city. I am walking towards a future where men are free from the burden of suffering in silence, where asking for help is recognised as courage, and where brotherhood becomes more than a word, it becomes a support system that restores hope and saves lives.”

We often hear people telling the youth to keep trying, update their CVs, apply for another job, learn a new skill, start a business, think positively and never give up, but what does that advice actually mean when you have been rejected so many times that you begin to question your own worth, when you have to weigh up spending money on transport for an interview or feeding your family, when nobody in your household is employed and when the future feels less like an opportunity waiting to happen and more like a door that remains firmly shut no matter how hard you knock?

For millions of young South Africans, this is not simply a question of motivation or resilience, but the reality of trying to build a life while carrying the emotional weight of poverty, unemployment and social exclusion, often in circumstances where the very things that might help them move forward, including financial security, supportive relationships and access to opportunities, are the things they lack most.

Mental health does not exist in a vacuum. Our emotional wellbeing is shaped by whether we have enough to eat, whether we have a safe place to sleep, whether we feel connected to other people and whether we can imagine a future in which our lives might actually improve. This is why any serious conversation about the mental health of young people must also confront the material conditions that leave so many anxious, isolated and struggling to find their place in society.

More than 3.5-million young South Africans aged 15 to 24 are not in employment, education or training, a group commonly described in policy discussions as NEET. But that acronym does little to capture the daily reality of young people who watch their peers graduate, find jobs, earn money and move forward while they remain at home, often financially dependent on families who are themselves struggling to make ends meet.

There is the frustration of sending out applications and receiving nothing in return, the shame of asking parents and extended family for money they do not have, the anxiety of wondering where the next opportunity will come from and the loneliness of watching life unfold around you while feeling that yours has been put on hold and when these experiences become part of everyday life. In this context, it becomes increasingly difficult to separate the economic hardship of being unemployed from the emotional toll of feeling unwanted, left behind or as though you have somehow failed.

Research by the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (Saldru) at the University of Cape Town helps explain why youth unemployment and mental health cannot be treated as separate problems, with a study tracking young people over a decade, found that those who remained outside employment, education and training were six percentage points more likely to be depressed than peers who were never NEET, and eight percentage points more likely to report being less happy than they had been a decade earlier.

Among young people without matric, those who were already classified as depressed in 2008 were also more likely to have spent more than five years outside employment, education and training, pointing to a relationship in which prolonged exclusion and poor mental health can reinforce one another, making it harder for young people to regain their footing the longer they remain disconnected from opportunities.

Importantly, the study developed a multidimensional vulnerability index and found that poor mental health contributes approximately 16% to the vulnerability. Further, multidimensional vulnerability predicts later NEET status.

This is where our public conversation often falls short, because we continue to talk about unemployment as though it is primarily a matter of skills, qualifications or young people not doing enough to help themselves, while mental health is frequently framed as an individual problem that can be addressed by encouraging people to seek therapy, exercise more, practise self-care or develop a more positive attitude, without adequately considering the social and economic realities shaping their distress.

Of course, looking after ourselves and seeking professional help when we need it matters, but what happens when the source of your anxiety is not simply a negative thought but the very real possibility that there will be no food on the table, or when the stress you are experiencing comes from being unable to afford transport to an interview, contribute to your household or see any realistic prospect of becoming financially independent despite years of trying?

These findings challenge us to look beyond the familiar explanations for youth unemployment and ask what happens when economic exclusion becomes a lived experience that affects a young person’s confidence, relationships, sense of purpose and belief in their own future, because the consequences are not confined to a CV that remains empty or a qualification that never translates into work, but can extend into how people understand themselves and whether they believe their efforts will ever make a difference.

Opportunities matter, but so does the emotional and social support that helps people reach them, navigate setbacks and remain in education or work when the inevitable difficulties arise, rather than becoming disconnected all over again.

There is, however, reason to believe that practical, community-based support can help young people begin to break this cycle, as demonstrated by the Basic Package of Support (BPS), implemented by Saldru and the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Social Development in Africa as part of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, which recognises that connecting young people to jobs and training is important but may not be enough when they are also dealing with distress, isolation, grief or difficult circumstances at home.

Since 2021, more than 5,000 young people have enrolled in the programme across Atlantis, Cato Manor and Orange Farm, where peer mobilisers and youth coaches work with participants to understand their circumstances, develop practical action plans and connect them to opportunities and services, including education, learnerships, psychosocial support, grants and childcare.

The need for this kind of support was particularly evident during the 2022–23 pilot, when nearly three-quarters of participants reported moderate or high psychological distress at intake and almost four in ten screened positive for a possible anxiety disorder. The study found that after just three coaching sessions, the proportion screening positive for a possible anxiety disorder fell from 40% to 25%, the share experiencing high psychological distress dropped from 18% to 5%, and the proportion who described themselves as thriving almost doubled from 11% to 22%.

Further, an initial analysis of a six-month study comparing 460 young people who received coaching with a matched group of 170 who did not found that psychological distress fell further among those coached, while life satisfaction improved almost twice as much.

Coached participants were also more likely to be in education or participating in a learnership or internship.

What stands out in the accounts of participants is that the value of the programme extends beyond being referred to an opportunity, because young people repeatedly describe the importance of having someone who listens without judgment, helps them navigate setbacks and reminds them that a rejection or a difficult period does not have to define the rest of their lives, particularly when they have spent years feeling that they must figure everything out on their own.

One young woman from Orange Farm described the relief of being able to speak to her coach without fear of being exposed or judged, while another participant from Atlantis spoke about how the support helped her recognise that she had a purpose to live, reminding us that being seen and heard is not a substitute for material opportunities or professional mental health care, but can be an important part of helping someone find the strength and support to pursue both.

This is what we risk overlooking when we reduce youth development to targets, training numbers and employment statistics. Opportunities matter, but so does the emotional and social support that helps people reach them, navigate setbacks and remain in education or work when the inevitable difficulties arise, rather than becoming disconnected all over again.

None of this means youth coaches can replace psychologists, psychiatrists or other specialist mental health services, and young people experiencing serious distress must have access to appropriate professional care. But it does remind us that support must extend beyond the clinic, just as youth employment programmes must look beyond skills training and job matching to the circumstances that determine whether young people can access opportunities and sustain them.

As Mental Health Awareness Month draws to a close, we need to move beyond telling young people to be resilient while leaving them to navigate poverty, unemployment and social exclusion largely on their own. Resilience cannot create jobs, put food on the table or guarantee a roof over someone’s head, and we should be careful not to turn it into another expectation placed on young people who are already carrying more than their fair share.

If we want young South Africans to build meaningful futures, we must invest in decent work, accessible education, social protection and mental health services, while strengthening the community networks that help people feel supported rather than forgotten. Because we cannot meaningfully address the mental health of young people without confronting the conditions that make so many of them struggle, and we cannot expect them to believe in a future that society has done too little to make possible.

Oliver Meth is a strategic communications consultant at the Centre for Social Development in Africa, University of Johannesburg

Lauren Graham is a professor and SARCHi chair on welfare & social development at University of Johannesburg

Ariane De Lannoy is a professor and deputy director at the Southern Africa Labour and development research unit at University of Cape Town

You expect hyperbole, of course, especially from party selling very little beyond revolutionary rhetoric. Honesty is all well and good, but “Victory Or Death” sounds so much better than more accurate promises like “Small Incremental Wins Or Fractionally Slower Growth For Julius Malema’s Personal Wealth”.

It’s also not as if any EFF voters will take the slogan at face value. I’ve written before about how most South African voters seem so easily satisfied by nothing but vibes from their parties, and the EFF faithful will understand that this slogan, too, is more of the same; that their party is not going to win anything close to a victory, and that nobody will have to face literal death.

Indeed, if we were having a general election next week, an event dictated almost entirely by vibes, I’d have to admit that the EFF’s slogan was pretty good, the sort of rousing, meaningless pap that ends critical thought even as it galvanises the faithful.

The trouble, however, is that we are not having a general election next week: we are have a local government election. And the fact that we’re still awash in vibes and ideological rhetoric and grand narratives about vague futures and ill-defined identities shows the extent to which we still don’t understand what we’re about to do on Wednesday.

It goes without saying that your vote is your business. Well, except if you vote ANC in Johannesburg: then it’s the whole country’s business because you’re actively trying to plunge the republic into collapse.

When we vote next week, we are not voting for vibes. We are not declaring our allegiance to a party and its broader ambitions for the country, or getting into lockstep behind a collective identity.

What we are doing is hiring the people who will fix a broken water pipe the same day it breaks, working into the night, after hours, to get the job done.

We’re hiring the people who have shown a willingness and an ability to keep streetlights on, or collect garbage regularly, or promote and support community centres and services.

We’re hiring the people who listen, yes, but then act, and act professionally, quickly, legally and on budget.

In short, we are voting in our own, very focused self-interest. We are voting for what we want, where we live, far away from the corridors of political power; for what is owed to us as taxpayers who employ everyone in all those parties.

It goes without saying that your vote is your business. Well, except if you vote ANC in Johannesburg: then it’s the whole country’s business because you’re actively trying to plunge the republic into collapse. But as you decide how you’ll vote on Wednesday, I’d like to close by urging you to visit ballotbox.co.za, which has revealed which of the candidates in your ward are also running in other wards.

To be clear, running in multiple wards is entirely legal, which is why a staggering 50% of all candidates contesting next week’s election are standing in multiple races.

Still, I think voters can benefit from knowing whether the person claiming to want to represent their neighbourhood is saying the same thing to people on the other side of the city. There’s a part of me that respects the hustle of the two candidates who are standing in a whopping 135 wards, but as a voter I’m not overwhelmed with confidence that they care about my ward, or, indeed, know where it is …

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More than a dozen officials from the South African Revenue Service (Sars) spent less than half an hour on a search and seizure operation in the office of City of Tshwane CFO Gareth Mnisi on Thursday morning.

The officials, clad in Sars-branded clothing, descended on Tshwane House, requesting access to Mnisi’s office for their operation.

Mnisi’s laptop and his mobile phone were among the personal gadgets that were confiscated during the raid before the officials left Tshwane House with the CFO apparently going to his residential property.

“There were about 14 officials from Sars that conducted the raid which was done within 30 minutes,” an insider said.

The operation was swift and limited to Mnisi’s office, according to an eyewitness.

Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo could only confirm the raid and would not comment any further.

Mnisi came under the spotlight earlier this year when it emerged that he owned multiple luxury vehicles.

His fleet of luxury vehicles included two Porsches, including a 2023 Porsche 911 Turbo worth R6m, two Range Rovers and two BMWs, among others.

The Sars raid comes barely three months after he returned to office after he was slapped with a warning following a suspension after his testimony at the Madlanga commission of inquiry earlier this year.

Sars declined to share any details about its operation.

“Given the Chapter 6 provisions of the Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011 on the prohibition of disclosure of confidential taxpayer information, Sars would neither confirm nor deny that it conducted operations against the taxpayer [Mnisi],” said Sars spokesperson Siphithi Sibeko on Thursday afternoon.

Mnisi could not be reached telephonically for comment on Thursday.

Earlier this year, a forensic report commissioned by the City of Tshwane stopped short of finding Mnisi guilty of financial misconduct, despite identifying procurement irregularities and recommending disciplinary action against him.

The report follows allegations that emerged during testimony before the Madlanga commission of inquiry into political interference, criminality and corruption, where he appeared in March.

While investigators identified several breaches of municipal rules and procurement processes, they found no evidence of impropriety by Mnisi, whose sanction was a final warning, a move which the Democratic Alliance opposed.

The report found that Mnisi failed to declare directorships in companies and his role as a trustee and beneficiary of the Mnisi Family Trust during the 2024/25 financial year.

Investigators also concluded that he failed to disclose his relationship with Ngaphesheya Construction and Projects, amounting to a breach of clause 5A of Schedule 2 of the Code of Conduct for Municipal Staff Members and clause 15(2)(e) of the City’s Supply Chain Management Policy.

Mnisi was further found to have taken no action against director of performance management Victor Kgopa, who chaired a bid evaluation committee, despite concerns that his conduct could be viewed as compromising the integrity of the procurement process.

On the issue of unpaid invoices, the report found that Mnisi failed to refer Tshwane Metro Police Department deputy commissioner Umashi Dlamini to the chief of police after Dlamini shared Gubi 585’s invoice with disgraced former police officer, Fannie Nkosi.

He was also found to have failed to prevent Nkosi from becoming involved in the city’s internal affairs.

The Buccaneers thumped Milford FC 3-0 in their Carling Knockout Cup last 16 match and Amakhosi returned to winning ways to beat TS Galaxy by the same scoreline at FNB Stadium, the venue of Bucs’ home Betway Premiership derby on Saturday (3.30pm).

Pirates are classified as favourites because of their recent strong record. They have won seven matches and lost one of their last eight in all competitions, with coach Abdeslam Ouaddou’s young Bucs also possessing the Premiership title.

“Being favourites doesn’t give you the guarantee that you are going to win the match because football is open and we know Chiefs is a big club,” Ouaddou said on Thursday.

“We are also a big club and among three of the biggest teams in Africa. We must bring the fighting spirit to the table and represent our fans very well.”

Pirates captain Nkosinathi Sibisi says recent results doesn't count in Soweto derby.

WATCH more on #PrimeSportsWithMahlatseTV ➡️➡️➡️https://t.co/44VuwptVFI pic.twitter.com/uhMGrTRC8k

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) October 29, 2026

Chiefs, on the other hand, have been inconsistent over the same period with two wins, as many draws and four defeats in their last six games ― which also included Friday’s blow of being booted out of the Caf Confederation Cup in the final stage before the group phase ― but they usually rise to the occasion in the Soweto derby.

One of the issues that has kept under-pressure Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz up at night was not putting away enough goals, but striker Wandile Duba found his scoring touch by netting a hat-trick against Galaxy.

One of the debates that has dominated the derby build-up is which side is under more pressure given their contrasting recent results.

Ouaddou and Da Cruz said their players cannot escape pressure in a big game and they asked them not to be overwhelmed by the weight of expectation.

“When you are in sports, you need to have positive pressure to bring happiness to yourself and those around you,” Ouaddou said. “I told my players pressure must not stop them from doing good things and showing their capacity to play.

“This is not only the biggest derby in South Africa but one of the biggest in the world. We have to give everything on the field by being physical and playing entertaining football. We will have to play with high intensity and try to reach a level.

“When you are going to play high-level football against Chiefs, it is important to have mental comfort and be able to express yourself on the pitch. If you allow bad pressure to stop you from playing, you will encounter problems.”

Chiefs midfielder Mfundo Vilakazi on showboating.

WATCH more on #PrimeSportsWithMahlatseTV ➡️➡️➡️https://t.co/yLZ8fHQnVY pic.twitter.com/NbPG22D3Mm

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) October 29, 2026

Da Cruz agreed with his Pirates counterpart, adding that the Chiefs players have to find a way of managing the expectations for the huge occasion at the packed, 94,000-seat 2010 World Cup final venue.

“I cannot answer for the opponents [about which team is under more pressure], but for our players it will be positive pressure. The players must manage it so they are able to play a good game with intensity and commitment.”

Da Cruz said the win over Galaxy has boosted his team. “We are going into this game with confidence because we won our last game and didn’t concede. When you keep a clean sheet, it helps with confidence, but there is always a reason to improve the team even when we win.

“Orlando Pirates have more experienced players in their squad. Some of them have played international competitions with the club or Bafana Bafana. Experience does not only come from age but from how many times you have played matches of consequence.

“But we also have young players who are used to playing in the derby and they will be ready to play on Saturday.”

Da Cruz said Amakhosi will try to throw off any form of underdog mentality by attempting to impose themselves on the game.

“We want to play a good game in front of our fans. We know it is going to be an emotional game with lots of passion around the field, but the most important thing is to be focused on how we want to play the game.”

In the last derby, the match turned physical with Chiefs midfielder Siphesihle Ndlovu dishing out unsporting tackles. Pirates captain Nkosinathi Sibisi expects a competitive but clean game.

“We were caught by their level of physicality and I think some of their challenges were over the top and not fair. I don’t think as Pirates we should be judged by such things. As Pirates, we just want to play football.

“If a team comes with a different approach it is on them; we will just try to create as many chances as possible and score as many goals as we we can.”

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Vuyo Zungula says financial management, service delivery and a clear five-year programme of action must be at the centre of any coalition agreement as the ATM positions itself for a potentially hung Johannesburg council.

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) will not commit to supporting a coalition government in Johannesburg without a written agreement setting out how the city will be governed and holding its political leaders accountable, its mayoral candidate, Vuyo Zungula, says.

With no party expected to secure an outright majority in the City of Johannesburg, Zungula said the ATM was open to discussions after the November 4 local government elections, but would not be swayed by political promises without a clear plan for addressing the city’s problems.

The party has yet to decide whether it would support a coalition led by the ANC or the DA, with Zungula saying its immediate focus was on the policies and commitments that would guide the next administration.

“The emphasis has always been there must be a coalition arrangement, an agreement, a coalition agreement, which then informs how we work,” he said.

Zungula, who has built a profile in parliament through his persistent questioning of President Cyril Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala scandal, said the ATM’s experience in coalition governments had taught it the importance of written agreements.

He cited the party’s previous participation in Joburg’s coalition administration, where an ATM representative served as a member of the mayoral committee for about 16 months before being recalled for what he described as political reasons.

The party has also held a mayoral committee position in Mogale City, where ATM councillor Danny Molefi Thupane was appointed to the human settlements and rural development portfolio in the DA-led administration in 2021. Thupane later became the municipality’s mayor in April 2023 after the removal of DA mayor Tyrone Gray.

Zungula said the absence of enforceable coalition agreements made it difficult to ensure accountability and continuity in government.

He said the ATM had raised similar concerns during discussions with the ANC about the formation of the national government of national unity in 2024.

“It’s not a case of hearing a politician or a party making a promise, because we’ve been in these spaces before. We know how, when parties want to force to get a mayor or to run a coalition, they’ll sell anything,” he said.

“But in the absence of a written agreement or a written programme which we could use to hold them accountable, it would be stupid for us to actually take the word of a politician.”

The ATM’s proposed conditions for Johannesburg include improving the city’s financial management, strengthening its institutional capacity, addressing the non-compliance of spaza shops and tackling hijacked buildings.

Zungula said the party wants financial management to be prioritised because the city needs to address the underlying problems contributing to its governance and service delivery challenges.

He said a coalition agreement would also have to contain a programme of action setting out what the incoming administration intended to achieve during its five-year term.

For residents, he said, the immediate priority was getting the basics right, including reliable water and electricity supply, functioning streetlights, maintained roads and improved safety.

“The mandate is basically to get Joburg to work, focusing on the basics,” Zungula said.

He said residents were prepared to wait for more complex problems to be resolved if the city could demonstrate that it was addressing essential services and delivering on its commitments.

The ATM’s position comes as smaller parties prepare to negotiate their influence in councils where the larger political parties fall short of a majority.

In the 2021 local government elections, the ATM secured about 0.62% of the total votes across all ballots nationally, according to the Electoral Commission’s results. Despite its relatively small electoral support, the party has participated in coalition arrangements that have given it opportunities to hold executive positions in municipalities.

We are just really agitating at a policy level, or at a political level. What must the city do differently so that the residents of Joburg do not suffer the way they have been suffering?

Vuyo Zungula, ATM's mayoral candidate for Johannesburg

Zungula’s Johannesburg candidacy represents a shift from his high-profile parliamentary role to a direct contest for executive power in one of the country’s most politically contested metros.

He has been a prominent voice in parliamentary efforts to hold Ramaphosa accountable over the Phala Phala farm scandal, which followed the theft of foreign currency from the president’s Limpopo property.

Zungula participated in the parliamentary process examining whether there were grounds to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president.

Asked why the ATM had chosen to field him in Johannesburg despite his parliamentary profile, Zungula said the decision followed the party’s candidate selection process, which involved consultations with community structures and other local formations.

He said the party’s Johannesburg regional executive had reported that those consulted wanted him to contest the metro.

Rather than focusing on which party it might support after the election, Zungula said the ATM was concentrating on what it believed a future administration needed to do differently.

“We are just really agitating at a policy level, or at a political level. What must the city do differently so that the residents of Joburg do not suffer the way they have been suffering?” he said.

The party’s final position on coalition negotiations will be determined after the election, he said, when the results establish the balance of power in the council.

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It is difficult to blame South Africans for losing faith in politicians. After years of broken promises, corruption and municipalities that struggle to deliver even the most basic services, many people are asking themselves what the point of voting is.

Why vote when the taps are dry, the rubbish is piling up and the roads are falling apart? Why trust politicians who suddenly remember their communities when an election is around the corner, only to disappear once the votes have been counted?

These are fair questions. And political parties should be worried that so many people are asking them.

But as South Africans prepare to head to the polls on November 4, there is another question worth considering: what happens when we give up on voting altogether?

The frustration is understandable. But not voting will not make those problems disappear.

Staying away from the ballot box might feel like a way of punishing politicians who have let us down. For some, it is a deliberate decision to reject a political system they no longer trust. For others, it comes from the belief that their vote will make little difference to the problems they face every day.

The frustration is understandable. But not voting will not make those problems disappear.

Local government has a direct impact on people’s lives. It determines whether communities receive reliable services, whether municipal money is spent properly and whether those entrusted with running our towns and cities are doing their jobs.

The people elected to municipal councils will make decisions that affect residents long after the election posters have been taken down.

If we are unhappy with how our municipalities are being run, elections give us an opportunity to say so. We can vote out parties that have failed us and give others a chance to prove that they can do better.

Of course, voting is not a magic solution. A party that wins an election can still disappoint its supporters. Promises made on the campaign trail do not always translate into better services. And changing the people in charge does not automatically fix a broken municipality.

That is why voting must go hand in hand with holding elected leaders accountable. Politicians should not be allowed to treat public support as a blank cheque, and voters should demand answers when promises are broken.

Political parties also need to understand that they cannot blame voter apathy without confronting what has caused it. People will not suddenly regain faith in democracy because politicians tell them to vote. Trust must be earned.

South Africans have every right to be angry and disappointed. But abandoning the ballot box risks handing more power to those who do turn up to vote.

Our politicians may have given us plenty of reasons to lose faith in them. We should not allow their failures to make us give up our own power.

“As it happens, October is pain awareness month,” says Parker, who pauses, before adding, “or is it September?”

It is in September, and Parker, who is on sabbatical (and not the working kind), is more keenly aware that tomorrow is the 20^th anniversary of her marriage to whale expert Ken Findlay, who is at work in an office on the lower level of their mountain eyrie.

“I’m exhausted. We may go around in circles,” she warns, looking relaxed and comfortable in a strelitzia-print T-shirt, her freckled arms testifying to a life spent as much outdoors as in.

Parker’s need to rest will not surprise those who know her. For years, above and beyond her formal responsibilities at the University of Cape Town (UCT), where she is the director of the pain management unit in the department of anaesthesia and perioperative medicine and works at the Groote Schuur Hospital Chronic Pain Management Clinic, she has been connected with (if not central to) much of the work that has been undertaken to improve South Africa’s pain response.

“In pain circles she’s known as the matriarch,” Parker’s long-time colleague (and director of UCT’s African pain research initiative) Tory Madden told me, in advance of my visit.

Parker has served two consecutive terms as president of PainSA, which strives to improve all aspects of pain management in Southern Africa, and she sits on the council of PainSA’s mother body, the International Association for the Study of Pain.

With others, Parker has been working on an advocacy document called the national pain strategy, which she describes as “a map of all the things that contribute to pain not being managed properly, with recommendations on how to address those issues”.

Pain is everywhere in the healthcare system. The most common reason why people seek out medical care is pain. Pain is a problem after having a baby, an accident, an operation, and when we’re dying. People living with chronic conditions like HIV, TB, cancer, diabetes and arthritis frequently experience pain. Lower back pain is the world’s single biggest cause of disability, and so it goes.

“Unfortunately,” says Parker, “because it’s everywhere and a problem for everyone, it ends up being no one’s responsibility.”

What are the issues with pain, exactly? Parker has outlined them thousands of times over the years, but apparently without any dimming of her passion for the subject.

“Pain is divided into two broad types: acute and chronic. Acute pain is short and intense, the type you would experience after surgery. Chronic pain lasts more than three to six months, sometimes longer, after an initial injury has healed. South Africa isn’t doing very well at managing either, but we’re particularly bad at chronic pain. There are so many issues, and they exist at every level,” says Parker, who lists them from the bottom up.

“It isn’t taught, which means too few healthcare professionals understand it [pain], and that means they’re unable to treat it. Even when they do understand, the resources needed to help — the pain medicines, the rehabilitation platforms — are often not available,” she says, stressing that good pain management “is about so much more than pills”.

“It requires an understanding of the whole human being, starting with their social reality, their psychology, and only then focusing on the biological aspect. Having an interdisciplinary team work to address all the areas that may be influencing a patient’s pain is the best approach. At the minimum this should include the person with pain, their family or support person, a prescriber (commonly an anaesthetist), a nurse, a physiotherapist or occupational therapist, a psychologist and a psychiatrist. For different conditions, other medical specialists can be included,” says Parker.

In the chronic pain clinic at Groote Schuur, Parker and her colleagues listen to people’s stories.

“We hear about the childhood trauma: the father that abused, the uncle that raped, the mother who didn’t believe the story. Often the patient is now having to care for these same people while trying to control the son who smokes tik and steals his brother’s laptop in the middle of the night. And they hear the gunshots in the street, and the bullet that came through the wall is still lodged in their leg. I am not making any of this up. And they say, ‘I have pain all over.’ Well, I’m not surprised.”

The person behind the pain

Earlier this year I attended a panel discussion chaired by Parker at UCT, titled “How can I find the right person for persistent pain? Navigating the health care system in South Africa”. One of the panellists was Huyaam Samuels, a doctoral candidate and person living with chronic pain, who has been treated by Parker and other members of the multi-disciplinary pain team at Groote Schuur for the past 10 years.

“When I first met Professor Parker she bombarded me with questions. She wants to understand the person behind the pain. Her approach challenges conventional thinking and recognises that effective pain management involves more than symptom relief; it also requires understanding how pain affects a person’s daily life, functioning and independence,” said Samuels, who had been on pain medication for eight years by this time. Parker suggested she come off the drugs, and start doing some exercise. Samuels resisted initially but started following this advice three years later.

“She gave me the time to come to terms with it. When I eventually took their advice the result was incredible.”

Parker smiles broadly when I recall these inputs. Today she is an acclaimed teacher (in 2019 she received UCT’s distinguished teacher award), academic researcher, and author, but for most of her career she has been a hands-on healer.

A life on the move

We’ve vaulted over her life story. After a pause for coffee (“I hope you’re ok with instant”) Parker obligingly goes back in time.

“I’m Brazilian — a Carioca [native of Rio de Janeiro],” she starts.

“My mother was South African of English descent, and my father was Zimbabwean, also of English descent. They met and married in Rhodesia, and when the government made its Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965, they were like, ‘This is not gonna go well.’ So my father was offered a transfer, and that’s how I spent the first 10 years of my life as a Brazilian beach kid.”

After some thought she adds, “My father finished matric and went to work in a factory. My mother did her O-levels and went to secretarial school, but there was never any question of their children not being able to do what they wanted. Dad worked for British American Tobacco. He made cigarettes but it wasn’t all bad. All that tobacco money led to my sister being a vet. My brother’s a psychiatrist, and I work in physio and pain management.”

Parker’s parents moved back to southern Africa in 1978 to be nearer to the family, initially settling in Johannesburg.

“I hated it. I attended an all-girls school [Brescia House], and it wasn’t a good fit for me. I also didn’t fit in with conservative white South Africa. Not everyone in our world was pro-apartheid — there was lots of handwringing over PW Botha’s Rubicon speech and that sort of thing — but nobody was sticking their necks out to do anything. I found growing up as a privileged white girl in apartheid South Africa very distressing. It made me into an outsider.”

Parker says she was conscientised by her mother’s voluntary social work, and trips she made with her brother — then studying medicine at Wits — to Alexandra.

“When I was 15 I tagged along whenever he went to vaccinate kids. Often he’d spend more time patching up people who’d had the shit kicked out of them by the cops, and were too scared to go to hospital,” recalls Parker, who at this point knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life.

“One: get the hell out of Joburg. Two: become a physio. I was always really sporty. Gymnastics, swimming, diving, hockey, squash, tennis, riding horses — we did everything in those days. Sport was how we played as a family. And camping!” says Parker, recalling how the family used to camp on the beaches of Rio’s Cabo Frio before it became a surfing mecca.

“I was six weeks old the first time we went, and there was nothing there. Mum’s joke was that she just needed enough fresh water to wash her boobs and my bum.”

Journey to pain

Parker studied physiotherapy at UCT, at the Sports Science Institute, and after graduating “shared a house with mates in London, and locumed”.

During a stint of work on a cruise ship, on a Saturday morning docked somewhere in the Caribbean, Parker walked past a newspaper stand and read that Chris Hani had been assassinated.

The memory brings instant tears to her eyes.

“Sjoh,” she says, taking a moment.

“I remember sitting on the pavement on the side of the road, just thinking, is this it? I think that was the first time I recognised that I am African. Up until that point I was like, ‘I could live anywhere,’ but it suddenly felt so weird to be so far away, hanging out with a bunch of people who had no fucking idea why I was upset, joking that I was a communist and that sort of thing. So I came back to Cape Town in 1993, back into boring old private practice.”

Parker’s memories of the Cape were good. She’d been a serious rower at university, and took it up again. Her clients were mostly sports people, and included the U21 provincial rugby team, which gave rise to the most humiliating moment in her life.

“The U21s were playing the curtain raiser for Springbok vs. Scotland at Newlands. One of my guys went down the other side of the field, so I ran across. I don’t remember what the injury was, but I must have opened my bag and forgotten to close it, because as I was sprinting back the whole stadium erupted in laughter, and of course I’d left a trail of bandages and scissors as I ran. The whole thing was on the big screen,” says Parker, who went out with the teams that night, carried from bar to bar by Scottish lock Doddie Weir, “who said you’ve done enough running today!”

Parker started her own practice but was mainly interested in rowing.

“My practice was in Grassy Park, and I rented a little house on the shoreline of Zeekoevlei, owned by the yacht club. All of my working life was built around my training. I had dreams of getting to the Sydney Olympics, in the lightweight sculls,” she says, joking that she was “starving all the time, trying to make the weight — not a genius move”.

When she realised she wouldn’t qualify, Parker “packed it all in” and travelled to the US, working in Arkansas and Michigan when Medicaid, the government-sponsored health insurance, was still fully reimbursing healthcare providers for services rendered.

“When the [Medicaid] bubble popped I couldn’t get work anymore, but I still had the visa, so I did a season in Vail, Colorado, as an optician’s technician,” says Parker, who took away from her American sojourn “a firm belief that there are two things that should never be privatised: education and health”.

“That was the first time I heard people speaking about the business of health care, and it made me feel nauseous. Like, how can you talk about the business of people suffering?” says Parker, who understood perfectly well how the US later came to be grappling with an opioid crisis.

News of her father’s death (“he smoked himself off the planet”) led Parker to return to South Africa, but finding no opportunities outside of private practice she took a job in Hereford on the border of Wales and England, “doing something that I never pictured myself doing, which was rheumatology”.

It was here that Parker truly began her journey in pain.

Lessons from tough Welsh farmers

“When people have rheumatoid disease attacking their own bodies — rheumatoid arthritis is the classic — the joints get hot and red and swollen, and you end up with joint deformities. I was working there before the modern drugs came in, so people had fingers that drifted off in weird directions, and elbows that bent in ways they shouldn’t.

“It’s a nasty, nasty disease, but a lot of my patients were Welsh farmers, and they were just getting on with their lives. They’d call and say, ‘I’ve had a bit of a flare up,’ and that usually meant their knee was swollen like a football, and we’d treat them and they would carry on with their lives,” says Parker, who had other patients come in with much milder disease, “and they were in agony, wracked with pain their lives falling apart”.

Wanting to understand this apparent contradiction better, Parker enrolled for a master’s in pain (“Sounds like it involves whips and chains, doesn’t it?” she quips) at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, returning to South Africa in 2004 with the aim of getting an academic job, teaching pain management.

“It just appealed to all of my base motivations of why I went into health in the first place: the belief that human beings are valuable, and deserve to be cared for and respected in every aspect of who they are, no matter what their background is or what they’ve done. There’s just an inherent value in life,” she says, though conceding her mission to get hired by a university proved so difficult she “almost became a horse physio”.

In 2005 Parker found work as a lecturer in physiotherapy at UCT, where she set about secretly subverting the curriculum, “integrating pain into absolutely everything that I taught”.

“At the time, pain simply wasn’t taught in South Africa, we were seriously behind,” she says.

After discovering there was a chronic pain clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital, run by the department of anaesthetics, Parker stepped in, “and pretty quickly started doing things that directly led to where I am now”.

In Hereford she had run a six-week self-management programme for people with rheumatoid arthritis, and adjusted it for people living with chronic pain, “including exercise, education, mindfulness — all of the known evidence-based self-management strategies for people with chronic pain that we know make a difference”.

She used to run the course with the fourth-year physiotherapy students, so that they would learn how to do it themselves, and was able to show that the approach was effective.

Parker’s doctoral thesis, which focused on pain in people living with HIV, was described by the university as a world first.

“A bit like my rheumatoid arthritis patients, people living with HIV are at increased risk of developing chronic pain but it’s not related to viral load, to opportunistic infections, or to their treatments. So what is it, and what should we do about it?” explains Parker, who developed and tested a peer-led exercise and education intervention (“Because who the hell am I to tell someone living in pain in Khayelitsha as an HIV-positive person that they should do some exercise and some deep breathing?”) and was able to show that it made a difference.

Parker was supervised by the late professor of psychiatry Dan Stein, and ended up with a degree “not in pain and HIV but in pain and behaviour change strategies”, looking at self-management strategies for people with pain, and how those change our physiology — how the body’s organs and cells function.

“One of the nuggets that I teach to students and health professionals is that the morphine our brain manufactures is 30 times stronger than oral morphine. So go for a run. Go for a walk. Have a laugh. Do some breathing. Get a hug. All of these things give you your own morphine. They aren’t just nice things to do, they’re medicine,” says Parker, making an example out of something we all know: the broken bone that traditionally ends up clad in plaster of Paris.

“Say it’s your dominant arm that is immobilised for six weeks, what happens is that the map of that hand in your brain shrinks, and the map of your non-dominant hand enlarges. When you take the cast off and start to move it again, that map should once again become bigger but for some people it doesn’t, and then they end up with complex regional pain syndrome, which is appalling, agonising pain,” says Parker, adding that a healthcare professional who doesn’t understand the complex ways pain shows up in the body might dismiss a patient’s complaints.

“Understanding the physiology is important, and not just for the clinician. The person living with that pain needs that information, too, so that they understand why we’re trying to treat them the way we are, and that it’s not about fixing their arm, or spine, it’s about their central nervous system — the very core of who they are as human beings — and what we need to do to rewire that.”

‘A gobby little shit’

Parker joined PainSA in 2010, “when it was still pretty small and very doctor-led, and still quite focused on medicines and drugs”.

At that year’s congress in the Drakensberg, she “met her people”, and was soon asked to stand for council, “because I’m a gobby little shit”.

The awareness of pain in South Africa was expanding, and PainSA played a key role in this, conducting outreach and education activities.

In the same year, Parker met Beverly Bolton, a physiotherapist based in Gqeberha, who had done her masters in pain through Sydney University.

“We realised we were on the same frequency, and soon afterwards put together and ran a two-day course we called ‘Principles of Pain’, which we’re still teaching. We offered it to working physiotherapists initially but within a few years realised that everybody needed this.”

Parker and Bolton formed the Train Pain Academy, which today runs a range of two-day courses on pain management for practitioners, via Zoom.

“It’s probably why I’m tired at the moment. I have my day job, then I do Train Pain Academy, then I do PainSA then, then it’s International Association for the Study of Pain, and I still go out trail running. This is me,” she says, shrugging her shoulders.

This story was produced by the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism. Sign up for the newsletter.

While the proceedings are separate, the charge of Zuma-Sambudla’s “we see you” social media campaign and March and March’s “abahambe (foreigners must leave)” bring the relationship between political mobilisation and violence before the Durban high court, in a city still carrying the memories of 354 deaths and an estimated R50bn in damage.

Police minister Firoz Cachalia and KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi filed an urgent interdict against March and March, founder Ngobese-Zuma, her husband Xolani and other respondents after weeks of tensions around the home affairs refugee reception centre on Che Guevara Road.

The urgency they claim is based on intelligence around an alleged threat to burn down the centre alongside fears of retaliation after the killing of a foreign national in the Durban CBD last week.

March and March spokesperson Sandile Dube accused the police minister of using the movement as a “scapegoat for policing failures” and relying on rumours to justify the interdict.

He dismissed intelligence about a possible arson attack on Durban’s home affairs refugee reception centre as false, arguing that members working at the site would have known about such plans.

He told the Sunday Times March and March opposed looting and infrastructure destruction, which diverted money from services into repairs. Home affairs was an important institution, he said, questioning why any threat against it should be associated with the movement.

Dube blamed inadequate patrol vehicles and failures in sector policing on police management, arguing that deploying soldiers would not resolve those shortcomings. He also accused government of consulting people who did not represent March and March rather than engaging its leadership.

Cachalia and Mkhwanazi want to prevent Ngobese-Zuma and the respondents from convening, organising, directing or mobilising marches or protest convoys in affected areas, including the refugee reception centre.

They also seek prohibitions on assault and harassment, looting, arson, damage to property and attacks on home affairs premises. The proposed relief covers blocking entrances and using intimidation to deny access to buildings.

But moments after posting news about the interdict on Facebook, Ngobese-Zuma said: “FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER 2026 🇿🇦🇿🇦 DBN HIGH COURT.”

“After our court appearance… WE WILL MARCH‼️ in a democratic country where people died for us to be liberated, we will never succumb to dictatorship tactics… NEVER.”

The Siyafana Sonke Action Campaign ― a coalition of about 190 civic organisations ― described the centre as having been blockaded for weeks and called for the camp to be shut down.

It welcomed the police legal action, saying: “The Constitution extends its protection to all persons within our borders, and this application protects both South African citizens and foreign nationals.”

It alleged that the camp had become a staging point for violent marches and attacks.

The Durban CBD has been on high alert for several months following ongoing anti-migration and xenophobic attacks, which last month prompted premier Thami Ntuli to call in the army.

Despite the army’s presence, Durban has continued to experience daily protests and violent flare-ups.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said four men appeared in court in connection with the attacks on foreign nationals in the city.

These included the assault of a foreign national in the Durban CBD and the murder of a foreign national who was allegedly beaten to death in the CBD on Thursday morning.

On Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was on campaign duty in KwaZulu-Natal, addressed the uncertainty facing businesses at the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 170th anniversary dinner.

“There are those who are exploiting public sentiment around illegal migration to stir up communities and to provide cover for criminality.

“We understand that this has created uncertainty for business, for whom the memories of 2021 are still fresh.”

He confirmed he extended the army deployment who were due to leave at the end of October.

“While these incidents have been isolated, we are taking no chances. I have authorised the deployment of the South African National Defence Force in the province until the end of November.”

Ramaphosa’s address also records the chamber’s concern about business closures, particularly among small and medium enterprises. It says research commissioned with the Human Sciences Research Council is intended to establish what is driving those closures, rather than attributing them all to the unrest.

Meanwhile Zuma-Sambudla, a former MKP MP, faces one count of incitement to commit terrorism and two counts of incitement to commit public violence, arising from social media posts during that unrest. She has pleaded not guilty.

In April social media expert Emma Sadleir testified about her posts using the words “We see you” alongside scenes from KwaZulu-Natal. Her evidence that the posts encouraged violence is contested by the defence.

This week her legal representative Adv Dali Mpofu challenged investigating officer Bheki Nazo’s credibility and put it to him that the prosecution was a political plot to tarnish his client and her father, former president Jacob Zuma.

Nazo rejected this.

On Thursday the judge heard arguments for and against Mpofu’s discharge application and adjourned the matter to study the submissions.

Story audio is generated using AI

Cast your mind back a few years. South African teams are in the midst of another infinite season of Super Rugby. Flights to Perth, trips to Dunedin, the most southerly rugby-playing outpost in the world. Jet lag, wear and tear, grumpiness from the four quadrants.

Long faces in the land of the long white cloud.

Now we’re playing up north, against the Irish and the Welsh mainly, sometimes against the English and French. It’s a whole new ball game. No time differences, no lag. And rugby is different there, too. The Irish don’t see the sun. They look fragile, as though they’ve grown up in a Petrie dish, or in a saucer in cotton wool. Don’t let first impressions mislead you.

Take Sam Prendergast, the Leinster flyhalf. He looks like a matchstick. That he’s got the best hands in Europe tends to get overlooked. Question: how do you play rugby against a praying mantis? Answer: don’t be seduced by his apparent fragility and the fact that coach Andy Farrell left him out of the British and Irish Lions squad for their tour of Australia last year; play against him with intelligence and care.

The Irish and their club sides, Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster, don’t only bring differences of body type and philosophy — they bring different ways of playing. The Irish are canny, they disrupt, they counter-ruck with the glee of rampaging political zealots.

Sam Prendergast haciendo cosas de Sam Prendergast... pic.twitter.com/EqzPtGUNEk

— Javier Señarís Senra (@RutgerBlume) October 12, 2026

Their approach to attacking rugby is more sophisticated than the South Africans: they flood their attack with deep-lying dummy runners, or they play fast and flat around the fringes. You have to be on point, otherwise they’ll score points against you, big ones.

“We tend to defend well in local derbies because we understand the opposition’s attack,” says John Dobson, the coach of the Stormers, who will encounter the trickiness a Irish combination when they meet Ulster in their United Rugby Championship clash at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

“The Northern Hemisphere sides attack in a more sophisticated way: they stack the blindside and bring it back if they can’t get through there and, because they’re slick, they compromise your line speed when they do.”

Dobson was talking just after the Stormers had been spooked by a Scarlets side full of attacking brio at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday and was slightly wide-eyed himself. Before two late Yaqueen Ahmed tries the score was locked at 40-40 and with a difference set of circumstances the young Welsh visitors might just have burgled a famous win.

“We missed Ruhan [Nel, outside centre and skipper] because he brings such defensive organisation to us. Hopefully he’ll be fit for our game against Ulster.”

Beautiful offload from Antoine Frisch and a great finish from Craig Casey.

Will surely be a try of the season contender. pic.twitter.com/tHO6QnzAmP

— Cian Tracey (@CianTracey1) November 26, 2023

Monday morning saw Nel on the physio’s table at the Stormers’ High-Performance Centre in Bellville. Later that morning he was on the field, testing out his calf strain. He felt at the time he’d likely be ready to play against Ulster on Saturday afternoon and was subsequently named in the Stormers’ starting line-up, his first competitive rugby for three weeks.

With Stuart McCloskey in front of him, a big player who gives off major attacking vibes, the Stormers need all the ballast in the centre they can muster. Nel brings a steady hand to the tiller with his experience and calm.

The Irish don’t only bring a structured attacking game, they bring character. Take the combative Craig Casey, the Munster scrumhalf. Casey’s the kind of guy who would walk into a pub in a strange town and pick an argument with the resident dog. He’s pugnacious, which is a possibly more acceptable way of saying he’s something else, also beginning with “p”.

Good on him. With Casey Munster have done well to fill the hole left by Connor Murray so comprehensively. When it comes to the Irish side, who the Springboks play in Dublin on November 21, Casey is snapping at incumbent Jamison Gibson-Park’s heels.

It’s going to be a grand afternoon out at Lansdowne Road as Ireland and South Africa continue their long dialogue. Sometimes it’s turgid; sometimes sublime. But it’s always different, and so captivating in the best way.

1998 — Jacques Kallis scores an unbeaten 113 as the Proteas, on 240/7, smash Sri Lanka by 92 runs on Duckworth-Lewis in Dhaka to advance to the Champions Trophy final. Steve Elworthy and Pat Symcox took three wickets each.

1999 — The Springboks’ World Cup campaign ends in heartbreak as they lose a try-less semifinal to Australia 27-21 after extra time at Twickenham. South African flyhalf Jannie de Beer had slotted two penalties in the final minutes of regulation time for South Africa to draw the match 18-18. But two penalties and a drop by the Aussies to a single De Beer penalty condemned the Boks to the third-place play-off. Australia went on to win the title.

1999 — Captain Hansie Cronje scores an unbeaten 60 on the second day of a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein to depose Gary Kirsten as the country’s top-scorer in the five-day format, lifting his career tally to 3,525. He added four more runs the next day. Kirsten had claimed the mark in the previous Test in March.

2005 — Herschelle Gibbs scores 81 to help the Proteas to a four-wicket win over New Zealand at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth, giving the home side an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-ODI series. South Africa reached the 244 target with four deliveries remaining, aided by a late flurry from Justin Kemp, who scored 30 not out off 19 balls, and Shaun Pollock with an unbeaten 21 off 14.

2011 — Cri-Zelda Brits scores 50, but the South African women, totalling 118/2, lose the third T20 against England in Potchefstroom by seven wickets, going down 0-2 in the series.

2013 — Wayne Parnell stars with bat and ball to help the Proteas down Pakistan by one run in the first ODI in Sharjah. Batting at eight he top-scored with 56 to lift the Proteas to 183. Then he took 3/41 and Imran Tahir 3/45. Morne Morkel bowled the final over, conceding just one single before taking the final wicket with three balls remaining to finish with 2/23.

2015 — The Springboks beat Argentina 24-13 in London to finish third at the World Cup. Wing JP Pietersen and lock Eben Etzebeth scored South Africa’s two tries, with flyhalf Handre Pollard landing one conversion and four penalties.

2021 — Captain Temba Bavuma top-scores with 46 to lead the Proteas, needing 143, to a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in their T20 World Cup group match in Sharjah. Tabraiz Shamsi and Dwaine Pretorius took three wickets each. Bavuma, Aiden Markram (19) and Pretorius (0) were dismissed off consecutive balls in different overs by Wanindu Hasaranga.

2021 — Matthew Sates becomes the fourth South African to win top male swimmer of the World Cup series, finishing less than three points ahead of American veteran Tom Shields on the overall rankings at the end of the final leg of the series in Kazan. Sates joined Chad le Clos, winner of the series four times from 2011 to 2017, Cameron van der Burgh, champion on three occasions from 2008 to 2015 and Ryk Neethling, twice from 2004 to 2006 as overall male winner. Sates achieved success across all four galas in Berlin, Budapest, Doha and Kazan, winning the 200m and 400m freestyle three times each, the 200m individual medley on three legs and the 100m and 400m IM on two.

2022 — David Miller scores 59 not out and Aiden Markram 52 as the Proteas, needing 134, beat India by five wickets at the T20 World Cup in Perth. Lungi Ngidi took 4/29.

2024 — Tony de Zorzi, resuming on 141, scores 177 and Wiaan Mulder 105 not out as South Africa declare their first innings of the second Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram on 575/6.

The team said the 20-year-old Italian was recovering from a viral illness and “feeling under the weather”.

“As a precaution, the FIA have excused him from his mandatory media duties to give him the chance to rest ahead of the weekend. We expect him to be back tomorrow,” a spokeswoman said.

Antonelli will be champion on Sunday if he finishes in the top nine at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday, even if closest rival and teammate George Russell wins the race. The Italian, who won in Texas last weekend, has a 123-point lead with five races and a maximum 125 points remaining.

Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas was also feeling unwell and taking a day of rest.

“This is a precautionary measure and does not currently affect his participation in the remainder of the race weekend,” the team said.

Reuters

“It’s simplistic, but the most important part of this game for us is the first hour of (Friday) morning,” said Harmer in response to a question about a likely target South Africa would feel comfortable setting Australia.

At stumps on the third evening, South Africa were 140/4, having lost their captain five minutes before the close after a tough final hour of play. It leaves Ryan Rickelton on eight and Matthew Breetzke, 19, to hopefully negotiate that first hour on Friday.

“We can’t get too caught up in what we want and what would be nice and what is defendable, because whatever that looks like is not achievable if that first hour doesn’t go well,” said Harmer.

“So I’m pretty sure that’s what the (team) chats will be around, is just making sure that we don’t get too carried away and look too far ahead, that we try and keep it as simple as possible, and just to make sure that if we have a good hour (on Friday) morning, it puts us in a much stronger position than trying to get 200 and you get sort of sidetracked.”

The Australians don’t want to chase more than 200, said their first innings centurion, Josh Inglis. “The further it goes into the game it’s only going to get harder and harder. It depends how long they bat for. You don’t want to be getting too many more than 200. It’s obviously spinning a fair bit.”

Everyone has recognised that this Newlands pitch has been an excellent one for batting - even the South Africans who wasted the opportunity to use it properly after Australia chose to bowl.

#Simon #Harmer all 4 wickets vs #AUS #SAvsA pic.twitter.com/m5pOKix6Cc

— Tanuj (@Chris_gayle90) October 29, 2026

By the end of the third day, Nathan Lyon was getting the ball to bite and spin significantly and until his dismissal Temba Bavuma’s decision to play primarily off the backfoot - as challenging as it was - proved to be correct. Nevertheless balls were still hitting him in the ribs as they bounced and ripped out of the rough.

The morning, after the heavy roller has done its work, seems to be the easiest time for batting, hence Harmer rolling out the cliche about Friday’s first hour. It’s the final session, when puffs of dust accompany every ball bouncing off the surface that the threat has grown for batters.

“If you look at how the wicket changed from (Thursday) morning to the evening, there’s been quite a dramatic change. Mitchell Starc does a pretty good job of churning up the wicket. I definitely think that spin is probably going to come into it a lot more than it has in the first two and a half days,” said Harmer.

“It was quite evident to see tonight how the ball was turning out of different footmarks. I don’t know if the middle of the strip is going to start going up and down for different seamers, but the way that I see it is I think that spin has a massive role to play in the rest of the Test.”

Which will raise the pressure on Harmer, when it’s South Africa’s turn to bowl a second time. He said he was disappointed by his performance in the second Test in Gqeberha, but that lessons had been learned - albeit conditions in Cape Town are very different.

“I think there’s going to be a lot more on offer from the wicket’s perspective. And there’s a lot more on the line in terms of the result of the series being at 1-1. It’s going to boil down to getting the ball in the right area the most amount of times - just trying to keep it as simple as possible. Understand the occasion, enjoy it, enjoy the pressure and hopefully do something spectacular,” he said.

TimesLIVE

Provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Jan Petrus Scheepers said security measures had been put in place to protect voters, electoral officials and election materials before, during and after the elections.

Speaking at a provincial state of readiness briefing in Polokwane on Thursday, Scheepers said security operations would be guided by intelligence assessments and risk-based deployments.

Through the Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (ProvJoints), police and other security partners are coordinating efforts to prevent election-related violence and respond swiftly to potential threats.

The security plan includes high-visibility policing, intelligence gathering, targeted law enforcement operations and investigations into electoral offences. The South African National Defence Force and State Security Agency are also supporting the operations.

Police will secure voting stations and election materials and act against intimidation, violence, vandalism and the unauthorised possession of dangerous weapons within voting-station perimeters.

Scheepers urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to respect differing political views and adhere to the Electoral Code of Conduct.

He also warned against the spread of fake news, unverified information and inflammatory messages on social media, saying these could cause panic, incite violence and undermine confidence in the electoral process.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) confirmed that Limpopo has 3,037,387 registered voters across five districts and 22 municipalities, comprising 568 municipal wards and 3,315 voting districts.

Provincial electoral officer Itumeleng Seanego said more than 99% of the required electoral personnel had been recruited and trained. All batches of ballot papers had been received and were undergoing quality assurance.

A total of 341,809 special votes have been approved, with special voting scheduled for November 2 and 3 ahead of the main election on November 4.

The department of home affairs will extend operating hours at its offices and mobile offices to help voters collect identity documents or obtain assistance if they have lost theirs.

Limpopo provincial traffic officers will also assist with escorting ballot papers and other election-related operations.

Scheepers said police officers had been instructed to carry out their duties professionally, impartially and within the law to ensure eligible voters could cast their ballots without fear, intimidation or harassment.

TimesLIVE

Kenyan runners reacted with dismay on Thursday to another doping case involving one of their compatriots, after former New York City Marathon winner Peres Jepchirchir was provisionally suspended, casting a shadow over the build-up to Sunday’s race.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Friday that it had provisionally suspended Jepchirchir after she tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO ​in a sample taken before her Sydney Marathon victory.

Her agent said at the time: “I can only say that I feel terrible ​about what happened and I think it’s only right that an athlete who ​uses the performance enhancing drugs should be disqualified.”

“It’s so shameful,” said men’s defending champion Benson Kipruto. “Somebody like that, high-profile name, can ruin the name of athletes not only in Kenya but all over the world because we are here now, running, and maybe people will say, ‘No, these people are not clean.’”

Jepchirchir completed one of marathon running’s greatest achievements when she won the five-borough classic just weeks after taking Olympic gold in 2021.

Kipruto called for more testing in the run-up to the World Marathon Majors, particularly among highly decorated athletes.

“If I’m coming to run the TCS New York City Marathon and I have some appearance fee, I would propose that they cut my appearance fee and send to AIU people to come and intensify my testing for maybe three months to make sure I’m clean and I come here to run clean,” he said.

More than 140 Kenyan athletes have faced doping sanctions since the AIU was established in 2017 and Jepchirchir’s provisional suspension is a fresh embarrassment just weeks after World Athletics awarded its world championships to Nairobi for 2029.

Athletics Kenya said on Monday that it maintains an “unwavering policy of zero tolerance to doping”.

Jepchirchir is allowed to appeal and request an analysis of her B sample. New York’s defending women’s champion Hellen Obiri said the news meant anti-doping measures were working but stopped short of assigning guilt until the B sample analysis occurs.

“If (it is) true, that would be shocking news and it would be so bad for the Kenyans,” said Obiri.

The announcement follows the arrest of two former home affairs officials and a member of the public in connection with passport fraud at the Bothaville home affairs office in the Free State in 2023.

The three suspects were arrested following an investigation by the department’s Counter Corruption Unit and the Hawks into the fraudulent processing of 10 passport applications.

They appeared in the Bothaville magistrate’s court on Monday, with the case postponed to January 20 2027.

The fraud involved exploiting weaknesses in outdated systems to obtain South African passports through the swapping of photographs.

Home affairs said it had since introduced biometric verification to close certain loopholes that had been used to commit passport fraud.

Home affairs minister Leon Schreiber said the arrests showed that those who exploited weaknesses in the department’s systems would be held accountable.

“Our approach is twofold: pursuing corruption without fear or favour, while using technology to eliminate opportunities for corruption in the first place,” he said.

He said the department’s digital transformation programme aimed to prevent corruption by eliminating opportunities for fraud rather than responding only after it had occurred.

TimesLIVE

Now, technology is reshaping how businesses connect with the people visiting the city and the goods moving through it, enabling them to reach new clients, expand into different markets and compete more effectively.

Consider a brick-and-mortar Durban retailer, for instance. A tourist discovers the business through social media, visits the store and pays digitally.

The business owner can use sales data to identify which products are selling and adjust stock accordingly, while using the same digital channel to stay connected with the client after they return home, helping to build brand loyalty and advocacy.

For a local supplier, digital platforms can help find new clients and build relationships beyond its existing network.

A recent Capitec BizTalk event in Durban explored the growth opportunities emerging at the intersection of tourism, trade and technology — and how businesses can capitalise on them.

Watch the recording of the event below:

BizTalk is a business-focused platform launched by Capitec in partnership with Business Day and Arena Events. It brings together entrepreneurs, business leaders and financial experts to share fresh perspectives and actionable insights to help South African businesses thrive.

Expert perspectives, practical business ideas

The Durban BizTalk featured practical insights from Capitec’s Riaan Klopper, executive head of Business Banking and the bank’s Business Support Centre, and Sicelo Mkhize, head of Commercial and Enterprise Banking.

For business owners, the discussion offered an opportunity to consider how developments in the local economy and the evolving role of technology can shape their next phase of growth.

Recognising an opportunity is only part of the equation. Preparing your business to capitalise on it also means understanding changing client expectations, ensuring financial readiness and having the operational flexibility to respond to new demands.

These topics formed part of the broader conversation at the event.

Watching the recording of this Capitec BizTalk could help you to:

• Understand Durban’s growth opportunities and how tourism, trade and technology are reshaping the business landscape.
• Reach new markets by looking beyond your existing client base and identifying opportunities to expand.
• Make technology work for your business by using digital tools to connect with clients, simplify transactions and support growth.
• Prepare your business for growth by ensuring financial readiness and operational flexibility.
• Build a more competitive business by responding to changing market conditions and client expectations.

Watch the recording above.

Visit the Capitec BizTalk hub to catch up on highlights and key takeaways from other previous events.

This article was sponsored by Capitec.

Story audio is generated using AI

In his 31st Test innings David Bedingham was dismissed in the same way as he was in his 30th.

In both innings there was no need to do what he did. It will lead to a question about Bedingham’s future in the South African Test team.

He started his Test career in Shukri Conrad’s third match in charge against India in December 2023. Conrad has known Bedingham since his days as a cheeky and extremely talented teenager who tore up the run-scoring records for Wynberg Boys High.

A windgat 22-year-old who started his professional career in the same manner he’d ended his school one, a car crash in 2016 changed his perspective on life and cricket. He spent a year in rehab for a fractured leg, hands and jaw and while learning to walk again also completed his BCom.

SA are 37/2 and trail by 63. 🇿🇦
Starc got Markram, Hazlewood got Bedingham. 🔥
Predict SA's 2nd innings total in the comments 👇#SAvAUS #TestCricket pic.twitter.com/DEFDva6fmg

— Md Haqbaaz (@mdhaqbaaz) October 29, 2026

Runs flowed for Western Province and Durham on his return — and he was close to representing England at one stage, until the Kolpak rules changed.

It was no surprise that Conrad picked him for the Test team. The 56 he made on debut against an Indian attack featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Ravi Ashwin was packed with typically elegant Bedingham strokeplay. On commentary, Ravi Shastri drew comparisons with Mark Waugh. It was a taste of what Bedingham had to offer at the highest level.

Conrad spoke after that Test of wanting South Africans to not only salivate about the rich talent in the opposition ranks, but also that which existed in the Proteas.

The problem for Bedingham is that the bulk of his 18-Test career has been a taste. The full buffet is still locked up in the kitchen somewhere.

He has passed 50 six times, but only once made a hundred. He’s been dismissed 16 times for scores between 10 and 49.

South Africa 2 Down David Bedingham Departs For 11 Josh Hazlewood Gets His 1st Wicket 🤩🔥 pic.twitter.com/PKkuesLXub

— Cricket Dani (@CricketDani56) October 29, 2026

He cut a desperately disconsolate figure, slumped almost all the way down in his chair in the back row of the home team’s viewing room on Thursday, rubbing his hands through his head. His pain was palpable.

Getting out caught on the deep backward square leg boundary twice in the same game, with the opposition plan obvious, provides strong reasons for the selectors to drop him for the rest of the summer.

But there is a weird context in which this Proteas batting line-up currently exists which would also justify them keeping Bedingham in the squad.

There are simply too many moving parts at the moment. A fourth new opening partner for Aiden Markram is being trialled. Bedingham is the sixth different batter to slot in at No 3 since Conrad took over as coach. Matthew Breetzke is playing his fourth Test and there’s a new wicketkeeper/batter.

Conrad doesn’t want to use it as an excuse, but it is difficult to build a batting unit given South Africa’s sporadic Test schedule. How do they create consistency and give players a sense of comfort when every error will be highlighted?

And then there is the match situation and the high pressure demands of the series between the top two teams in the world. “I mean this in the most respectful manner possible, pressure is a funny thing and I think sometimes it is easy to sit on the balcony or in the stands and pass judgment on somebody’s innings or how they get out or how they play a shot,” said Simon Harmer.

“But there’s a lot going through your head when you’re waiting to face a bowler and sometimes you make the incorrect decision at the wrong moment. And I’m pretty sure that the players that feel that those shots weren’t good enough will be the first people to put their hands up. I think everybody sitting in that dressing room wants to contribute, wants to win the game for the team and are despondent when they get out.”

It’s a feeling to which Marnus Labuschagne in the opposition ranks can attest, given his extended run of poor form.

Markram and Temba Bavuma also fell to shots they’d love to forget — Markram, an unconvincing drive, a shot he usually plays well, but which he lifted to mid-off, and Bavuma trying to whip Nathan Lyon across the line, out of the rough, five minutes before stumps and getting bowled.

Nathan Lyon Bowled out Temba Bavuma!!🔥

Aussies are truly Back into the Game. Now its time for South Africa and Rabada to prepare themselves for a defeat. pic.twitter.com/wRn8X3W67o

— Hamza Khan (@Hamzakhan17_) October 29, 2026

It was a dreadful error by the captain and his face froze with disappointment. “I don’t think anybody is going to be as shattered as Temba about getting out. But again, it’s the situation,” said Harmer. “You don’t want to go back into your shell right at the end of the day. You’ve played a certain way, and that’s cricket. It happens.”

Bavuma’s wicket means Australia still holds the advantage. South Africa’s lead is only 40 runs and they have just six second-innings wickets in hand. Those who can no longer contribute with the bat, will try to assuage their anguish overnight. Friday brings an opportunity for others to reignite the flame of hope.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired US Army Lt-Gen Brett Sylvia, a senior military planner on the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, over accusations he leaked classified information to the public, officials said on Thursday.

Sylvia’s firing is one of the highest-profile consequences to date from Hegseth’s sweeping hunt for officials suspected of leaking information to the news media as the unpopular Iran war enters its ninth month.

Hegseth’s effort includes a Pentagon task force to identify the source of leaks and the widespread use of polygraph exams on senior officials as part of these investigations.

Last year, he introduced a media policy that raised legal concerns among press organisations, and revoked the press credentials of journalists who refused to sign it.

We’re very much looking for leakers, and she’s going to have big problems, long-term problems.

US President Donald Trump

A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, accused Sylvia of failing three polygraphs questioning him about leaking classified information.

“The extent of his leaking became so critical that Secretary Hegseth took immediate action and fired Sylvia in order to protect national security. Urgent action was needed and could not wait another second,” the official said.

US President Donald Trump, who misidentified Sylvia as a woman, said the senior US general has “got problems.”

“We’re very much looking for leakers, and she’s going to have big problems, long-term problems,” Trump told reporters.

Sylvia could not be immediately reached for comment.

Key positions

Sylvia led the Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Policy at the Joint Staff, known inside the military as the J5, a key position that helps advise the top US military official, Gen Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He previously led the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division. His dismissal was first reported by The Atlantic magazine.

His removal comes as the US military plans for a potential resumption of intensive bombings in Iran, something Trump has called “another little Epic Fury.” The Pentagon has fumed about leaks during the Iran war, including about its planning and the expenditure of munitions.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that an internal US military analysis estimates it would cost more than $29bn (R482bn) in munitions alone to restock weapons used against Iran so far. That’s the bulk of the more than $47bn spent on operations in the war.

Our commitment was not an empty promise. We vowed to find you, and we meant it.

Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesperson

Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, said the decision followed an extensive investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

“This matter, along with others, have been referred to the justice department for potential further legal action,” Parnell said, without identifying other officials who may also be targeted.

Parnell added: “Our commitment was not an empty promise. We vowed to find you, and we meant it.”

A spokesperson for the Joint Staff withdrew an initial statement expressing gratitude for Sylvia’s 32 years of service, saying “we determined the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances.”

“Out of respect for the service member and the ongoing personnel process, we will not comment further,” the spokesperson said.

Reuters

Authorities in the Philippines said last week they were investigating Thomas Markle over allegations he possessed child sexual abuse images.

He has denied the accusations, telling Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper they were untrue and “sick lies”.

Last week, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said the news was “very distressing” and that she had been ​informed by British police of a letter with allegations about her father in the months after her wedding to King Charles’ younger son.

London’s Metropolitan Police said on Thursday it had received a letter in 2019 in which the author said they were raising concerns purportedly linked to Meghan’s security, but instead contained allegations of offending outside Britain.

“The letter was assessed and subsequently passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness,” commander Adam Slonecki said. “The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.”

He said an internal review had led to the matter being referred to the police watchdog and that the force was now sharing the allegations with overseas authorities.

“It is our intention to make a number of referrals to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies in relation to the allegations contained within the letter. That process is underway and will be completed in the coming days,” Slonecki said.

Reuters

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Kaizer Chiefs captain Brandon Petersen and his Orlando Pirates counterpart Nkosinathi Sibisi share the view that recent results count for nothing in the Soweto derby.

Pirates host Chiefs in their sold-out Betway Premiership clash at FNB Stadium on Saturday (3.30pm) with both teams confident after registering 3-0 Carling Knockout Cup wins over Milford FC and TS Galaxy respectively in midweek matches to progress to the quarterfinals.

Going into the derby, coach Abdeslam Ouaddou’s Buccaneers are the consistent team with a good recent run of seven wins and one loss from their last eight matches in all competitions.

In contrast, Amakhosi have been inconsistent during this period with two wins and two defeats and four losses in all competitions, leaving coach Fernando Da Cruz and his players under pressure.

Pirates captain Nkosinathi Sibisi says recent results doesn't count in Soweto derby.

WATCH more on #PrimeSportsWithMahlatseTV ➡️➡️➡️https://t.co/44VuwptVFI pic.twitter.com/uhMGrTRC8k

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) October 29, 2026

At their pre-match press conference at SuperSport’s studios in Randburg on Thursday, Petersen admitted Pirates are on an impressive run but said the derby is about which side is on top of its game on the day.

“The derby at times is not really about form, but it is about who is the hungrier team and who wants it the most on the day. On Saturday, we will make sure that we are 100% ready for a fight,” said Petersen, adding that Pirates have been playing fast, attacking football.

“They have been on a good run this season and they come from last season as [league] defending champions. That is football and people are going to give them the upper hand but for us it is important to ensure we are aware and respect that.

“They have been playing good football and getting good results but that serves as motivation for us. We know what we are up against and we know it is going to be a fight out there.”

Sibisi agreed that the derby is more about what happens on the day.

Brandon Petersen talks about the importance of winning the Soweto Derby. ✌️⚽️🔥 pic.twitter.com/zbwSfMf3iG

— SoccerBeat (@SoccerBeatZA) October 29, 2026

“With what I have experienced with the derby in the past years, past results count for nothing. You might be favourites because of recent results but on Saturday that can change.”

Public sentiment is that Pirates are favourites and Sibisi said Bucs will wear the tag even though they are fully aware it counts for nothing.

“We shouldn’t shy away from being called favourites, but we have to take that responsibility and pride of representing the club as best as possible by getting a positive result on Saturday.

“I have been fortunate to be part of this club for five years and every derby is special. We have won and lost some but for me the excitement remains the same.

“It is always exciting to be part of this match and we want to win to make our supporters happy.”

TimesLIVE

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Former MK Party MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla will know in a week whether terrorism charges against her related to her infamous “We See You” tweets she posted during the Durban July 2021 riots will be thrown out by the court.

On Thursday, Durban high court judge Mbuzeni Mathenjwa heard arguments from her defence counsel Adv Dali Mpofu who claimed that the state is targeting her because she is the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma.

Zuma-Sambudla is accused of incitement to commit terrorism and public violence linked to the July unrest in 2021 which resulted in 354 deaths and an estimated R50bn in economic and infrastructure damage.

During arguments to discharge the case against her, Mpofu said many people had retweeted Zuma-Sambudla’s posts but were not charged.

He questioned why the state had only charged his client.

Mpofu argued that the tweets made by his client cannot be proved as incitement.

“Who did my client incite? You cannot incite people from the air. There might be an inciter and an incitee. In this case, who is the incitee?” he asked.

He described the state’s evidence on the “We See You” tweets by Zuma-Sambudla as “laughable”.

Mpofu challenged the state to prove that someone broke the law because of Zuma-Sambudla’s social media posts.

Without that link, the state does not have a case, he said.

“Was there any connection or link between whatever she did and the looters? Or anyone else that was that way inclined? The answer was no. I do not believe the state’s case is that she is the cause of those unrests. But I believe the state’s case is that the incitement was through social media. So that is where their case is built.

“The point I’m making, my lord, is that whether it was through social media or a megaphone or whatever, it doesn’t matter. There must still be an ‘incitee’. That’s the point, really. You cannot have incitement [without an incitee]. That’s the crux of this case,” Mpofu said.

Senior prosecutor Mahendra Naidu said the state presented a strong case against Zuma-Sambudla, especially on count one.

He said the state had called witnesses who gave strong testimony against Zuma-Sambudla.

The matter was adjourned to Friday next week for a ruling.

TimesLIVE

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Durban has been named as the preferred host city in the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s (Sascoc) expression of interest to host the 2036 or 2040 Olympic Games.

Sascoc acting president Lwandile Simelane pulled “Durban” out of the ceremonial envelope in an announcement made at Sascoc’s headquarters at Olympic House in Melrose, Johannesburg, on Thursday.

Durban beat Johannesburg and Cape Town to the status. Durban was stripped of hosting rights for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in March 2017 due to financial constraints, budget disagreements and missed deadlines.

South Africa joins India, Qatar, Germany, Hungary, Türkiye and South Korea as interested parties for the 2036 Games. The UK and Egypt are among interested nations for the 2040 Games.

Simelane said the announcement does not “confirm any formal status of it being the preferred city; it’s just the city with which we will be engaging and participating in the bid”.

She said the next steps are that South Africa “remains in continuous dialogue”, Sascoc communicates the preferred city to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and works “with the relevant stakeholders to develop the project for the next international engagements”.

“Those preparations must bring the hosting vision together with a workable venue plan, appropriate funding strategy and clear accounting of the benefits for communities.

“The IOC has confirmed no additional interested parties will be considered for the 2036 Olympics after October 31.”

A digital presentation will be made by the interested parties to the IOC in November.

Sascoc CEO Nozipho Jafta said as the world “looks ahead to Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032, we are exploring whether South Africa can welcome the Summer and Paralympic Games in 2036 or 2040”.

“Sascoc formally communicated South Africa’s intention to enter this dialogue. Our engagement has provided a framework within which to explore the country’s hosting ambitions and develop a potential Games project.

“In partnership with the department of sport, arts and culture, under the leadership of [minister] Gayton McKenzie, formal support was received from the cabinet to pursue the project.”

Strategic engagements with the affected cities will begin only if South Africa progresses to the targeted dialogue phases

Sascoc CEO Nozipho Jafta

Jafta said Sascoc has “followed the IOC timelines and guidelines in advancing our engagement through continuous dialogue, [which] allows interested parties and the IOC to examine the vision and feasibility of hosting”.

“The first deliverable of this phase is the announcement of the preferred host city, referred to as the interested party. It is worth noting that this is not yet the right moment to engage with the cities at a strategic level, as several steps must still unfold, including our presentation to the IOC at the end of November and the IOC’s own feasibility study.

“Strategic engagements with the affected cities will begin only if South Africa progresses to the targeted dialogue phases.

“Once the IOC engages us further, we will be in a position to consult the successful city further. This will allow us to clarify logistics and venue decisions and to explore the logistics of other cities hosting certain sporting codes under the IOC’s new multi-city hosting model.”

Simelane said an independent evaluation panel chaired by Ruben Reddy was formed to “inform the selection of the preferred city”. This month the panel met the cities, received their presentations and visited potential venues.

The cities were assessed against IOC guidelines.

TimesLIVE

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Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday the government has made progress in identifying state assets to be offered to the private sector and former owners, a move that could reverse widespread nationalisations ordered by former President Hugo Chavez.

“I have instructed that non-essential assets held by the state be assessed to determine which can be offered to the private sector or returned to their former owners. This process is already well advanced,” Rodriguez said in a televised address.

In April, Rodriguez appointed a government commission to audit and evaluate state-owned assets, including infrastructure in key industries such as energy, power and mining. They have been working on asset classification since, according to sources.

She did not provide further details on how the process may be carried out. Under Chavez, the nationalisation of key projects and industries left more than a dozen international arbitration claims, which mostly remain unsettled by the government.

Similarly, important negotiations are under way in the mining sector, specifically regarding gold, aluminum, and iron

Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s interim president

In her speech, Rodriguez said 44 energy contracts are being negotiated under the state’s new oil law approved in January. The government has stated that 61 oil agreements have so far been signed, without providing details.

“Similarly, important negotiations are under way in the mining sector, specifically regarding gold, aluminum and iron,” she added.

The president also said that she has instructed law enforcement agencies not to arrest people without a warrant, and vowed to defend the right to “peaceful protest” in the country, which has a history of political repression and last week saw its first nationwide opposition protest in ​nearly two years.

“The responsible exercise of political rights is guaranteed for everyone. Our doors are open,” Rodriguez said.

In her address, Rodriguez also said that the government has planned four quarterly increases in the national minimum wage in 2027.

Reuters

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Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Mfundo Vilakazi is relishing a sense of calm and confidence around the team after their morale-boosting 3-0 win over TS Galaxy in the Carling Knockout ahead of the Soweto derby.

Chiefs meet Orlando Pirates in the Soweto derby at FNB Stadium on Saturday at 3.30pm. Given Pirates’ upper hand in the previous derbies, having won four of their last five matches, the Amakhosi head into this fixture as underdogs, but Vilakazi said their previous win against Galaxy has done a lot in improving their confidence.

“I expect a physical game. Pirates are a good team and they have been doing well, so even us, in our last game against TS Galaxy we scored three goals,” Vilakazi told the media after the press conference in Randburg on Thursday.

“So, I think that will boost our confidence because we’ve been creating chances but not scoring. But in the last match, we scored three, and that will help us boost confidence. The chances we get we must use, otherwise they will punish us.”

Vilakazi, 20, grew up in Soweto watching the derby at the stadium and, having missed the last couple of matches against Pirates due to injuries, is looking forward to contributing on Saturday.

“It means a lot to me because as a young player growing up in Soweto, we used to go and watch the Soweto derby, but today I’m part of the players who will be playing. I thank God for the talent he gave me,” he said.

“I must focus on the game and play the football I know.”

Meanwhile, Pirates captain Nkosinathi Sibisi said they have got used to the demands from coach Abddeslam Ouaddou after he warned them that they should do more following their 3-0 win over Milford on Tuesday.

“For some of us who have been with him for the past season, it’s been easier for us to understand what he wants and what he demands,” Sibisi said.

“I think everyone who just came in also learned and understands him because he doesn’t demand good, he wants excellence. Whenever we win 3-0 or 4-0 or 8-0, he will say straight. He is a straight talker, so for us it is to take it in a positive manner and push.”

Sibisi also said that winning the derby will boost their confidence as they plan to go all out to win the remaining trophies.

Sowetan

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Public Interest SA has lodged a public interest complaint with the Prudential Authority and the Compensation Commissioner, calling for intervention at Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA).

This is after serious allegations of conflicts of interest, procurement irregularities and governance failures involving the institution’s leadership.

The complaint follows findings contained in an ENS forensic investigation, codenamed Project Clockwork, and revelations published by TimesLIVE on Wednesday concerning a disputed procurement process.

TimesLIVE reported that an executive head of investments at RMA knowingly participated in the assessment and evaluation of bids for a R32bn asset consultancy tender while serving on the investment committee of one of the bidding firms, 27four Investment Managers.

RMA is a mutual insurer licensed under Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (Coida) to administer medical costs, disability payments and pensions for workplace injuries or diseases in South Africa’s mining and metals industry.

Public Interest SA, a non-profit organisation, said it requested the two regulatory authorities to independently examine the forensic findings, scrutinise the RMA board’s handling of the investigation, assess the adequacy of RMA’s governance arrangements and establish whether sufficient safeguards exist to protect the financial security and statutory compensation rights of mineworkers, injured employees and their dependants.

“This is not merely a corporate governance dispute. It concerns the integrity of an institution entrusted with safeguarding the financial security, dignity and statutory compensation rights of some of South Africa’s most vulnerable workers,” the organisation said.

While confidentiality, legal privilege and procedural fairness may justify restrictions on circulation, they cannot legitimately be used to frustrate accountability or prevent the implementation of necessary corrective measures

Public Interest SA, non-profit organisation

It said it was concerned by reports that ENS completed and submitted its final forensic investigation report to RMA’s board, but that executive management has not been afforded access to it.

“While confidentiality, legal privilege and procedural fairness may justify restrictions on circulation, they cannot legitimately be used to frustrate accountability or prevent the implementation of necessary corrective measures.”

Public Interest SA said where allegations potentially implicated members of the very board entrusted with considering an investigation, independent oversight becomes indispensable.

It also urged RMA’s shareholders to exercise their lawful governance rights and insist on independent accountability, effective remedial action and the protection of compensation beneficiaries.

RMA occupied a critical position in the occupational injury and disease compensation system, Public Interest SA said.

“These beneficiaries have little influence over the appointment of directors, investment decisions or internal governance disputes. Yet they may ultimately bear the consequences should governance failures compromise the institution’s financial sustainability or operational effectiveness.”

Public Interest SA said the Compensation Commissioner has separately been requested to assess whether the reported governance concerns have implications for RMA’s continued compliance with its statutory compensation responsibilities and applicable licensing conditions under Coida.

The organisation requested written acknowledgement within three working days and an initial response within 10 working days.

Public Interest SA also disclosed that RMA, alongside other entities, recently sponsored its 2026 Whistleblowers Awards & Summit, a relationship it said had neither influenced nor constrained its decision to seek regulatory intervention.

TimesLIVE

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Two dreadful errors from Aiden Markram and David Bedingham have left South Africa in deep trouble in the final Test against Australia at Newlands.

The Proteas were 53/2 at tea, trailing the visitors by 47 runs.

Australia had been bowled out for 429, thanks to a century from Josh Inglis and half centuries from Matt Renshaw, Cameron Green and Alex Carey. Simon Harmer was the home team’s most successful bowler taking 4/104, while the newly top-ranked bowler and all-rounder in the Test format, Marco Jansen, finished with 3/60.

Although a deficit of 100 runs at the start of their second innings was substantial, the Proteas should still have taken solace from the fact that the Newlands pitch remains a good one for batting. Australia’s No 10 Nathan Lyon spent an hour at the crease and until the last few overs he faced from Wiaan Mulder, he looked largely untroubled.

But be careless, and no matter the conditions or the quality of the attack, you’re likely to be in trouble, and that’s exactly what happened to Markram and Bedingham.

South Africa 2 Down David Bedingham Departs For 11 Josh Hazlewood Gets His 1st Wicket 🤩🔥 pic.twitter.com/PKkuesLXub

— Cricket Dani (@CricketDani56) October 29, 2026

The cover drive is one of the Proteas opener’s favourite shots and one he plays with style and conviction. Neither of those elements were on display with the shot he struck straight to Travis Head, the only fielder stationed in front of the wicket on the off-side.

It was loose, and Markram looked like he wanted to be ill as he made his way off the Newlands pitch.

If anything, Bedingham’s was worse. Having been dismissed pulling in the first innings, he got out the same way again in the second, this time losing his wicket to Josh Hazlewood, who took the catch in the first innings to dismiss him, with Lyon stationed at deep backward square hardly needing to move.

If Bedingham is picked again — and it would be entirely justifiable if the selectors chose not to do so after Thursday’s mistake — he can expect a diet of short-pitched bowling from both Bangladesh and England later in the summer.

There were also two close run-out chances, with Marques Ackerman extremely lucky to be resuming his innings after tea, having set off for an ill-judged single after tapping the ball straight to Cooper Connolly in the covers. But the young Australian missed the stumps with his throw, with Ackerman already having given up the effort to regain his ground.

TimesLIVE

Finnish police said on Thursday they had launched a criminal investigation into suspected breaches of environmental law at the construction site of a planned Google data centre in northern Finland.

The project is part of a plan announced last month by Alphabet’s Google to invest $15bn in AI infrastructure in Finland, which the US company described as its largest investment in Europe.

Authorities have said Tuike Finland, a subsidiary of Alphabet’s Google, conducted forest clearing and drainage at a planned site near the town of Muhos before the environmental impact assessments required under Finnish law had been completed.

A Google spokesperson said the company would co-operate with the police investigation and continue to focus on maintaining compliance at its sites.

Drainage probe

“We are investigating whether the company’s operations have breached the Water Act and resulted in environmental damage,” detective superintendent Kari Pakanen said, adding that a guilty finding could lead to a corporate fine.

Pakanen declined to say whether any individuals could become a target of the investigation.

Preliminary information showed ambiguities and shortcomings in the drainage and water management at Tuike’s site, police said in a statement, adding that they would give an update in December but that the investigation would extend into 2027.

On October 6, Finland’s Supervisory Agency (LVV), which oversees environmental permits and assessments, ordered Google to halt preparatory measures altering the environment at Muhos as well as a separate site.

It is up to regulator LVV to decide on any permits to restart the work at the data centre sites, Pakanen said.

An LVV spokesperson said it was unclear how long it might take before the agency grants the relevant permits.

“We’ve partnered closely with the government and communities in Finland on infrastructure for over a decade and are actively responding to enquiries from LVV and other authorities,” the Google spokesperson said.

Finland’s appeal

Finland’s cool climate, low-carbon electricity and government endorsement of AI projects have contributed to making the country one of Europe’s main destinations for data centre investments in recent years.

Similar in size to Germany but with a population of less than 6-million people, Finland has had less vocal opposition to data centre buildouts than other places, including in the US.

AI data centres are among the main drivers of a projected rise of up to 40% in Finland’s electricity consumption in the coming years, if all agreed grid connection projects go ahead, grid operator Fingrid has said.

Google’s planned investments in Finland include data centres, electricity grid improvements and clean energy and battery projects to power services such as Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube.

Supporting Google’s plan, Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo last month said that the deal would be a boost for the economy, downplaying concerns that it would suck up energy and push up power prices.

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reuters

Maimane maintains voters have been deprived of a choice and made to think that their choices are limited.

However, he says this is a thing of the past.

“The old politics has made political survival the priority. South Africans need politics that makes their survival, their livelihoods and their future the priority. For years, we have been told that our choices are limited.

“We are told that the ANC is the only party with the experience to govern. We have seen where that has led. We are told that the DA is the only credible alternative. Yet its own decisions raise serious questions about what that alternative means when the negotiations begin.”

Maimane criticised sentiments that votes for newer political parties are wasted votes.

“I reject that argument completely. A wasted vote is not a vote for a new party. A wasted vote is a vote cast without asking whether the party you support will deliver the future you want.

“If you believe that the old politics has failed you, why would you automatically return to it? They do not own your vote. They are not entitled to your vote. If you are unhappy with the choices the established parties have made, you should never be discouraged from choosing something new.”

He was addressing the party’s final campaign event in Finetown alongside Bosa’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster, on Thursday.

Despite making the case for newer parties, the Bosa leader insisted that they needed to offer a serious alternative.

“South Africa needs a new vision under a new political leadership. But being new is not enough. A new party must offer a serious alternative, with clear priorities, credible candidates and a commitment to accountability. That is why we founded Build One South Africa. We did not establish Bosa to become another version of the old politics. We established it because we believe South Africans deserve an alternative that puts their interests first.

“We are not asking you to vote for us simply because we are new. We are asking you to examine what we stand for, look at the candidates we have put forward and decide whether our offer deserves your support.”

Following their electoral debut in the 2024 national and provincial elections, Maimane’s Bosa will be contesting the local government polls for the first time this year across 24 municipalities in five provinces, with almost 800 candidates standing for election.

“We have done this because we believe that the future of South Africa cannot be left to the same established parties and the same political calculations. We want to build a movement that takes the problems of ordinary people seriously and treats public office as a responsibility.”

He vowed that if the party garners enough votes to participate in municipalities, its representatives will tackle the issues facing voters and their families.

“Municipalities must deliver value for money. Residents must be able to see what their money is paying for. Budgets must prioritise essential services and infrastructure. Roads, water systems and electricity infrastructure must be properly maintained. Waste must be managed. Local businesses must be supported. And when municipalities fail, residents must be able to hold those responsible to account. This is what local government should be about.”

TimesLIVE

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By Dan Peleschuk

Kyiv — A Russian drone strike killed at least 14 people on a crowded rail platform in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday and five in daytime strikes on other cities, officials said, even as a local truce in Kherson raised cautious hopes for a resumption of diplomacy.

Two teenagers were killed on a central street in Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, and three people were killed in a strike on an apartment building in the central city of Kremenchuk.

“Russia is deliberately hunting civilians: on trains, at stations, in residential buildings,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi said on the Telegram app. “There is no justification for this terror, and there never can be.”

Moscow had made clear that a six-day humanitarian truce brokered with US help applied only to south Ukraine’s Kherson region to enable humanitarian relief to reach the Russian-held town of Oleshky, marooned in a war zone since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022.

Infrastructure hit

Elsewhere, Russian drone and missile attacks on critical infrastructure, including the rail network, have been making civilian life increasingly fraught as well as burdening the economy. They have exploited an acute shortage of air defence missiles.

Like Kyiv, Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians.

The state rail company Ukrzaliznytsia said a jet-powered drone had struck a platform at Dnipro’s main station, where a commuter train was preparing to depart for the nearby city of Zaporizhzhia.

Ordinary, peaceful people were attacked who were just going to work, going about their daily business, making plans for the day

Images posted by President Volodymyr Zelensky showed bodies strewn across the ground as rescuers rushed the wounded away on stretchers.

In Chernihiv, in addition to the two dead, 23 people were wounded in a drone attack on a busy downtown street.

“Ordinary, peaceful people were attacked who were just going to work, going about their daily business, making plans for the day,” said Dmytro Bryzhynskyi, head of the city’s military administration.

In Kremenchuk, the strike on the housing block killed three people and wounded 15, the regional governor said.

Zelensky responded to the Dnipro strike by urging partners to put more pressure on Russia with a glancing reference to the US withdrawal of sanctions on Russian diesel exports and the EU’s suspension of measures against two Russian billionaires.

“Just how many terrorist strikes has Russia carried out against our people since sanctions were lifted on certain Russian oligarchs and the Russian energy sector, rather than de-escalating?” he wrote on X.

Reuters

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Benjamin Netanyahu alleged on Thursday, without providing evidence, that Arab parties’ record gains in an election this week were driven in part by voter fraud, a charge rejected by Arab leaders who accused the premier of incitement.

The allegation represents an escalation of anti-Arab rhetoric by Netanyahu and his far-right partners after high Arab turnout in a national ballot on Tuesday effectively blocked a smooth path to power for either him or his main Jewish rivals.

Israeli election officials said on Thursday that there was a probe into fraud allegations, though the election’s integrity was not “systematically compromised”.

Analysts and critics say that by stepping up attacks on Arab parties, Netanyahu may be trying to ensure his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, feels unable to even consider forming a minority government with Arab help that could oust him from power.

Netanyahu’s goal is “delegitimising any Arab-Jewish co-operation”, said Eytan Gilboa, professor of politics at Reichman University.

Election officials were expected to finish tallying votes later on Thursday, in a tightly fought election that has produced no clear winner and is likely to be followed by weeks of protracted negotiations over a new government.

This entire campaign is directed against Eisenkot, to prevent him, intimidate and scare him off forming a government that relies on external support from the Joint List or Ra’am

Ahmad Tibi, one of the leaders of the Arab Joint List party

With nearly 93% of votes counted, Netanyahu’s nationalist-religious bloc held a modest lead in seats over a bloc of right-wing and centre-left parties led by Eisenkot, with both men’s coalitions short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in parliament.

Parties representing Israel’s 21% Arab minority were projected to win an unprecedented 19 seats, leaving Eisenkot’s bloc, with 48 seats against Netanyahu’s camp of 53, with no realistic path to power without broad Arab backing, an option Eisenkot has so far ruled out.

However, Eisenkot’s camp could also try to form a minority government with Arab support from the outside, without including them in a governing coalition.

Netanyahu accuses Arab parties of fraud; Arab parties call it incitement

Ahmad Tibi, one of the leaders of the Arab Joint List party, said Netanyahu was on an orchestrated, toxic campaign meant to undermine the election results.

“This entire campaign is directed against Eisenkot, to prevent him, intimidate and scare him off forming a government that relies on external support from the Joint List or Ra’am,” Tibi told Reuters.

During and after Tuesday’s election, Netanyahu and his allies warned against rising Arab turnout and his right-wing Likud party issued statements accusing the Arab parties of “stealing the vote”.

It demanded police and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service investigate incidents of suspected election bribery and intimidation at ballot stations in Arab towns. It said it possessed evidence of such activity but has not presented it to the public.

The police say they have arrested at least seven people since Tuesday in Israel’s south, where many Arabs live, on suspicion of voter fraud. Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said they were suspected of attempting to bribe voters to cast ballots for the Arab-dominated party Ra’am, which has Islamist roots.

We have one message in response to the campaign of incitement and delegitimisation he is waging against Arab citizens: Nothing will come of it, because there is nothing there

Mansour Abbas, Ra’am head

On Thursday, the head of Israel’s Central Election Committee, Supreme Court jurist Noam Sohlberg, said he had asked the Shin Bet to investigate suspicions that unidentified foreign players had tried to intervene in the election.

Likud seized on Sohlberg’s request, alleging an attack on Israel’s democracy, “an Islamisation of Israel and the toppling of the right-wing in order to bring about IDF withdrawal and defeat on all fronts, foremost Iran”.

Likud said Qatar was behind the alleged election intervention, which Qatar later denied.

Ra’am head Mansour Abbas said on Thursday his party was not involved in the reported suspicious conduct and urged a full investigation. He said that Netanyahu was on an incitement campaign against Israel’s Arab citizens.

“We have one message in response to the campaign of incitement and delegitimisation he is waging against Arab citizens: Nothing will come of it, because there is nothing there,” Abbas said in a statement.

In a letter sent to a parliamentarian and published by the Central Election Committee, the committee said there was “no base for claims that there was systematic harm to the election’s integrity.”

Israeli president: ‘We must not tarnish an entire community’

After vote tallying is completed, President Isaac Herzog will consult with party chairs and choose a candidate who he thinks has the best chance to form a government.

The coalition that last toppled Netanyahu, in 2021, relied on Abbas’s Ra’am party. But Eisenkot’s underperformance means the opposition would now need backing from the Arab-dominated Joint List, which includes an explicitly anti-Zionist party. Most Jewish leaders have shunned formal alliances with Arab parties since Israel’s founding.

Eisenkot called for an investigation that would protect election integrity but said Netanyahu was exploiting the suspicions to “spread chaos”.

He said in a statement that Netanyahu’s aim was to “challenge the official election results, in which the Israeli public voted against the government”.

Herzog said the allegations must be investigated.

“But even at a moment like this, we must not tarnish an entire community that sought to exercise its right to vote and take an active part in democracy,” Herzog said in a statement.

Reuters

Tech companies and publishers have been involved in a growing number of cases under litigation over content published on social media or used for AI training.

Under European Union law, print media are allowed to seek payment for the digital use of their content, and France has sought to strictly enforce the EU rules.

A previous agreement between Meta and press associations determining the amount due expired in 2024, and the two sides have since failed to agree. French media have received no payment since 2025.

The associations, in turn, reached out to France’s competition authority, which issued two interim measures against Meta in July.

They required the company to resume talks with media groups, provide them with information about the revenue of its social media platforms and the use of protected content and not to degrade the manner of displaying content from the press.

Meta appealed those decisions in August, which the court rejected on Thursday.

“The court concluded that Meta’s practices, specifically regarding the methods used to determine the amounts payable as ‘neighbouring rights’ to press publishers, may constitute an abuse of a dominant position, which is prohibited under both European and French competition law,” the court said in a statement.

A Meta spokesperson said the company was disappointed by the ruling. “We are assessing next steps but will continue to comply with the interim measures and negotiate in good faith, and hope the publishers will do the same,” the spokesperson said.

DVP, which is one of the media associations and which includes the French newspapers Le Monde and Les Echos, issued a statement welcoming the decision.

“DVP will continue to doggedly defend its members’ interests with the Competition Authority and through negotiations with Meta,” said DVP board chairman Jean-Marie Cavada.

Reuters

Positioned below the Indian brand’s larger and more premium Harrier model, it features revised exterior styling including a redesigned front bumper, new LED headlamp clusters and a sleeker pair of daytime running lights.

The rear of the Punch receives a similar makeover with the range-topping Accomplished+ S model sporting new LED taillight clusters linked by an illuminated LED crossbar, while the bumper incorporates a faux-aluminium skid plate. Tata has also introduced new wheel designs and, depending on the model derivative, the option of a contrasting roof.

Designed for soaking up the abuse of Indian roads, the new Punch retains a MacPherson strut front suspension and a semi-independent twist-beam set-up, with coil springs and shock absorbers at the rear. Ground clearance is listed at 193mm, which is more than enough to handle choppy rural dirt tracks.

Three derivatives are on offer, starting with the entry-level Punch Pure+. It rolls on 15-inch steel wheels (with plastic covers) shod with 185/70 profile tyres and features body-colour door handles and a shark-fin roof antenna.

Inside, you’ll find a new eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, two USB-C charging ports (65W front and 15W rear), a reverse camera, rear parking sensors, manual air-conditioning, cruise control and four-inch digital instrument cluster. Other notable additions include Tata’s new two-spoke multifunction steering wheel, a redesigned centre console with improved cupholders and an armrest, and rear air conditioning vents.

On the safety front, six airbags are fitted as standard across the range, as is traction control, electronic stability control, hill hold assist, rear ISOFIX seat tethers and ABS brakes with EBD. Tata claims the Punch has a five-star Bharat NCAP rating for both adult and child occupant protection.

Next in line is the Punch Adventure, identifiable by its 15-inch alloy wheels also wrapped in 185/70 profile rubber. This mid-tier model also benefits from additional features, including automatic headlights and wipers, push-button start with smart entry, automatic folding side mirrors, automatic air conditioning with an air purifier, cooled glovebox, blindspot monitoring and a 360º view camera.

The Punch Pure+ and Adventure are both powered by a 1.2l three-cylinder petrol engine producing 65kW and 115Nm of torque, paired with a five-speed manual transmission. Fuel efficiency is aided by an automatic stop-start system — Tata claims 5.5l/100km across the combined cycle — while drivers can choose between Eco and City drive modes.

The flagship Punch Accomplished+ S sits on a set of 16-inch alloy wheels shod with 195/60 profile tyres. Aside from its racier rear-end styling, it also gains LED daytime running lights, LED fog lamps with built-in cornering function, roof rails and a sporty tailgate spoiler.

Cabin upgrades come in the form of a 10.25-inch infotainment system, seven-inch digital instrument cluster, voice-assisted electric sunroof, rear armrest, puddle lamps, hill descent control, ambient lighting and a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel and gear shifter.

The Punch Accomplished+ S also promises more spirited performance as it comes bolted to a 1.2l three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine making 88kW and 170Nm of torque. Paired to a six-speed manual transmission, it offers three drive modes (Eco, City and Sport) and sips a claimed 6.1l/100km on the combined cycle.

Pricing:

Punch Pure+: R224,900

Punch Adventure: R244,900

Punch Accomplished+ S: R269,900

Pricing includes a five-year/125,000km warranty and a two-year/30,000km service plan.

TimesLIVE

Story audio is generated using AI

By Anuja Bharat Mistry

Bengaluru — DoorDash said on Thursday it would buy Instacart in a deal valued at about $17bn, stepping up its push into the fast-growing US grocery delivery market as competition among app-based platforms intensifies.

The deal, DoorDash’s biggest yet, will give the company greater scale as it expands beyond restaurant delivery into groceries and other retail categories, helping it to take on deep-pocketed retailers such as Walmart and Amazon, which have built vast store, warehouse and delivery networks.

“Restaurant delivery is maturing, and growth now lies in more frequent, higher-value orders: weekly grocery shops, convenience items and retail,” said Martin Szumski, analyst at Morningstar.

Meanwhile, consolidation has gathered pace globally as slowing orders, rising costs and tighter regulatory scrutiny of the treatment of gig workers pile more pressure on the industry.

Instacart founder Apoorva Mehta said the two companies had explored a combination on and off for years.

“Grocery is one of the hardest things to get right online,” said Tony Xu, co-founder and CEO of DoorDash, adding Instacart has spent years learning to do that well for grocers.

Online grocery delivery has also gained traction as consumers increasingly prize convenience, while a recent surge in gasoline prices linked to disruptions from the war in Iran could give shoppers another reason to avoid trips to stores.

Inside the deal

DoorDash has offered Instacart shareholders $65 per share held, representing a premium of about 26% to the stock’s closing price on October 22 before reports of deal talks first emerged.

The consideration will be at least 75% cash, with Instacart shareholders able to elect cash, DoorDash stock or a combination of the two, the companies said.

Shares of Instacart, formally known as Maplebear, were flat at $58.35 in early trading. They had hit a record high of $62 on Monday.

DoorDash shares jumped nearly 6% after the company also reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue. They have declined about 25% so far this year through their last close.

Regulatory hurdles

The transaction is expected to close at the end of 2027 or the first half of 2028.

“The main risk is regulatory approval,” analysts at CFRA Research said in a note, adding that the long timeline for the closing of the transaction suggests both sides expect an extended antitrust review.

“The current regulatory backdrop is generally favourable, but the long closing window leaves the deal exposed to changes in policy,” they added.

New York City’s department of consumer & worker protection (DCWP) said on Wednesday that a potential merger continued a “troubling trend” of corporate consolidation.

DoorDash plans to retain Instacart’s brand and app after the deal closes and combine the companies’ membership programmes, while pledging not to require grocers to use its delivery services exclusively.

Instacart would be required to pay DoorDash a termination fee of $650m, while DoorDash would have to pay $1.25bn if the deal is ended under certain circumstances, according to a regulatory filing.

Reuters

He is accused of attempted murder.

Video courtesy of SABC.

Sowetan

Former acting National Director of Public Prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe is taking the stand.

Video courtesy of SABC.

Sowetan

Story audio is generated using AI

A man in his 30s was killed and two women injured when a tree fell on them in Gold Street, Springs, next to the Ekurhuleni TVET College campus on Thursday morning.

City of Ekurhuleni disaster and emergency management services spokesperson Tikkie MacDonald said the emergency call centre received a report of the incident at 10.44am.

Emergency crews found the man trapped under the tree with no signs of life. He was declared dead at the scene.

Two women sustained moderate injuries. They were treated at the scene before being taken to a nearby hospital by Gauteng Emergency Medical Services.

“It is believed the people were vendors selling food,” MacDonald said.

The city’s parks department was called in to help with cutting and removing the tree.

MacDonald said the incident had been handed over to the police, who would open an inquest docket at Springs police station.

The man’s body was taken to the Springs government mortuary.

TimesLIVE

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The Miss South Africa organisation has announced the top 12 finalists, the judging panel and the hosts for the crowning of the 2026 titleholder.

The highly anticipated finale will take place on November 14 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg and will be broadcast live on DStv Channel 161.

The top 12 finalists in alphabetic order:

1. Alia Khan Koumantarakis, 21, (Durban): A creative entrepreneur whose Empower Youth Africa (EYA) initiative focuses on entrepreneurship and skills development.

2. Amogelang Bunu, 27, (Mabopane): A speech therapist dedicating her EYA initiative to health and wellness.

3. Bonolo Marang Motau, 25, (Johannesburg): A brand marketing professional championing education through her EYA initiative.

4. Cwenga Koyana Kotu-Rammopo, 27, (Gauteng): A social entrepreneur whose EYA initiative focuses on health and wellness.

5. Katlego Malebye, 31, (Pretoria): A candidate architect working towards community upliftment through her EYA initiative.

6. Lesego Khumo Nyathela, 30, (Springs): A model and entrepreneur focusing her EYA efforts on health and wellness.

7. Makhosazana Azana Masango, 25, (Ndwendwe): A musician, model, and philanthropist dedicated to community upliftment through her EYA initiative.

8. Ndivanga Muravha, 22, (Mbombela): An entrepreneur driving change through entrepreneurship and skills development.

9. Palesa van Rooyen, 27, (Hobhouse): A medical doctor centring her EYA initiative on community upliftment.

10. Simoné Nonhlanhla Tshituka, 26, (Johannesburg): A senior actuarial associate whose EYA focus is on education.

11. Tiyani Makamu, 27, (Bronkhorstspruit): An entrepreneur championing entrepreneurship and skills development.

12. Zoalize Jansen Van Rensburg, 20, (Gauteng): An entrepreneur dedicating her EYA initiative to education.

“The announcement places a new group of young women at the forefront of a platform that develops leaders, advocates, entrepreneurs and agents of change,” the organisation said.

“Alongside the entertainment, the top 12 announcement underscores the platform’s wider purpose: empowering women to lead and helping young people turn potential into possibility.”

While only one candidate will wear the crown, all 12 finalists will be named EYA ambassadors on the finale night. This initiative ensures their platform for driving social change extends well beyond the pageant stage.

EYA is Miss SA’s flagship social impact and leadership development platform, connecting contestants and titleholders to implement sustainable community programmes across the continent.

The platform operates around five core pillars:

• access to education and knowledge;
• youth unemployment;
• entrepreneurship and skills development;
• health and wellness; and
• civic engagement and Pan-African collaboration.

“The finalists are already championing causes ranging from literacy and mental health to youth employment and financial wellness, reinforcing the message that they do not need to wait for a crown to make a difference.”

Last year’s cohort made a significant impact, reaching nearly 17,000 pupils across 16 schools and communities.

Throughout the competition, the finalists have received comprehensive support through bootcamps, mentorship and project development, equipping them with valuable leadership skills for the future.

This year’s theme, Imbokodo, celebrates resilience, leadership, and strength, the organisation said.

“Under the 2026 theme, Imbokodo, the finalists embody the strength of the grinding stone: women who, through EYA, help shape South Africa’s youth into diamonds. While the competition will crown one winner, EYA champions every finalist and the work she carries into her community.”

This year’s judging panel brings together heavyweights across law, medicine, finance, and entertainment:

• advocate Thuli Madonsela — former public protector and law professor;
• Natasha Vermaak — Miss South Africa 2023, entrepreneur and TV presenter;
• Dr Musa Mthombeni — media personality and medical doctor; and
• Pumla Molope — president of African Women Chartered Accountants

The main stage will be hosted by actor and presenter Lawrence Maleka alongside former Miss SA 2001 Jo-Ann Strauss. Red-carpet coverage will be brought to viewers by Kuhle Adams and Katleho Sinivasan.

TimesLIVE

Story audio is generated using AI

By Agency Staff

A Chinese Communist Party conclave on toughening internal discipline this week expelled a record number of senior officials and logged the highest-yet absence rate as purges thinned its leadership ranks.

The gathering, the party’s fifth plenum since the current leadership cohort was formed in 2022, also set the 21st Party Congress for the second half of 2027 in Beijing, effectively starting proceedings for China’s tightly choreographed, twice-a-decade top reshuffle, when President Xi Jinping is expected to extend his rule for another five-year term.

The closed-door meeting of the party’s Central Committee, the largest of its top decision-making bodies, was marked by the highest rate of absences in the post-Mao era, underscoring the scale of Xi’s anticorruption campaign and wider political shake-up.

The main messaging for the party to its domestic and external audiences is that it must be unified

Kerry Brown, director of King’s College London’s Lau China Institute

In total, 279 full and alternate members of the leadership body attended the gathering this week, compared with the 376 originally named in 2022, a summary of the proceedings dispatched by the official Xinhua news agency showed. This means more than a quarter, or 25.8%, of the original cohort was absent, many of them due to purges.

Despite the record churn, the party portrayed itself as stronger than before, hailing achievements it said were worthy of being “recorded forever in the history books of building Marxist political parties”.

“The main messaging for the party to its domestic and external audiences is that it must be unified,” said Kerry Brown, director of King’s College London’s Lau China Institute.

“The US will be emerging from the midterms, where the strong likelihood is yet more division and conflict,” and for Xi and his colleagues, Brown said, “the message will be: We are united, we are disciplined, and we are not like them.”

A matter of survival

Days after ascending to power in 2012, Xi told the party leadership that “if corruption is allowed to worsen unchecked, it will ultimately lead to the total collapse of the party and the state”.

He then initiated a sweeping corruption and discipline crackdown with an intensity unseen since the Mao era that has ensnared millions in China’s vast bureaucracy and has seen hundreds of top officials purged, including one-time allies and those once thought untouchable.

Xi called on the party, with the military, to “turn the blade inward” and unleash a revolution on itself and eradicate “viruses” that corrode its health.

Thursday’s communique argued Xi’s consolidated authority had enabled the party to curb long-unchecked misconduct, resolve entrenched institutional failings, eliminate serious hidden dangers in the party, state and military, and reverse the laxity of party discipline, making it stronger through “revolutionary tempering”.

The Central Military Commission — the supreme military command — has been nearly eviscerated, with five of the seven members appointed in the 2022 reshuffle purged, leaving only Xi and vice-chair Zhang Shengmin, a discipline enforcer rather than an operational commander, in office. Zhang was unexpectedly elevated to the elite Politburo this week.

The plenum formally ratified the expulsion of 33 officials from the party, including former Politburo members Ma Xingrui and Zhang Youxia, bringing the number of sitting Politburo members ousted during the current term to three, the highest since 1980. Former senior diplomat Liu Jianchao and former industry minister Jin Zhuanglong were also among those ousted.

It’s less about purging elite rivals, more about building a disciplined system that can sustain Xi’s political priorities across leadership cycles

Ruby Osman, senior policy adviser on China at London’s Tony Blair Institute

Xi’s public remarks suggest he regards the self-cleansing campaign as the party’s only safeguard against decay, essential for ensuring its survival and ability to rule indefinitely. Relentless self-discipline and periodic “self-revolution” for Xi offer the party a means of escaping the dynastic cycle of rise, decline and fall.

Xi “seems willing to tolerate significant short-term disruption as an investment in the party’s long-term resilience”, said Ruby Osman, a senior policy adviser on China at London’s Tony Blair Institute.

“It’s less about purging elite rivals, more about building a disciplined system that can sustain Xi’s political priorities across leadership cycles,” she added.

The party’s dilemma

After more than a decade, the campaign shows no sign of ending, with the party vowing on Thursday to keep waging the tough, protracted and all-out battle against corruption in the face of new problems and “major challenges”.

There are inherent dilemmas to party governance, said Joseph Torigian, an expert in Chinese politics at American University. “It’s necessary to keep trying to fight certain challenges that even Xi Jinping admits never go away.”

“People are always vulnerable to the sugar-coated bullets of bourgeois imperialism, so you need to continuously remind them why a sense of mission and zeal is imperative to the party’s mission.”

With few external checks on its power, the party appears reliant on campaign-style internal discipline drives to restrain the officials through whom it exercises its immense authority.

And “you need to keep having party plenums on ‘party building’,” Torigian added.

Leadership reshuffle

While some have speculated on a possible recalibration of Xi’s role, analysts widely expect him to secure five more years at the party’s helm next autumn.

State media have offered no hint of a loosening grip on power.

The Party is clearly going through a generational overhaul

Commentaries published by the party-run People’s Daily and Xinhua in recent days have called on the party and the nation to “unite even tighter” around Xi and further uphold his status as the party’s core.

The messaging casts Xi’s consolidated authority as the most fundamental guarantee of political stability, policy continuity and China’s drive toward national rejuvenation.

“The party is clearly going through a generational overhaul,” said King’s College London’s Brown. “But the key challenge, and the greatest unknown, is to what extent the old guard around Xi will be willing, and able, to let younger leaders assume greater power.”

The party should “improve the quality of training and selecting outstanding young cadres”, the plenum communique said.

Reuters

Members of the opposition Democratic Party of Albania also blocked access to the podium when a law on the Central Bank was being voted on.

“These (ruling politicians) are criminals and they deserve teargas, rubber bullets, cracked skulls and broken bones, not the young people,” opposition leader Sali Berisha said during his speech before his microphone was cut off.

Other opposition members surrounded him during the speech, holding photos of protesters injured by rubber bullets. Some held aloft blue flares, the colour of their party.

Student-led demonstrations, fuelled by anger over perceived government corruption, a lack of jobs and poor education standards, have engulfed central Tirana since mid-October and spread to other cities.

Demonstrators demanding Rama’s resignation have set fire to government buildings and banks, smashed shop windows and pulled up paving stones to throw at police.

The unrest, which followed months of largely peaceful summer protests against a luxury coastal development backed by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, poses the biggest challenge yet to Rama, who has governed since 2013 and won a fourth term in office last year.

On Sunday, Rama introduced new measures to curb violence, including fines of 500,000 lek (about R103, 200) for anyone who participates in a protest that turns violent, even if they do not personally commit acts of violence.

This week the protests were mainly peaceful, and another is planned for Saturday.

Prime Minister Rama has again called on students for dialogue and introduced new economic measures such as cheaper fuel and more money for poor families in an attempt to stop the violence in the streets.

Reuters

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As the two Soweto heavyweights, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, lock horns in the league at FNB Stadium on Saturday (3.30pm), we bring to light a few crucial things.

How many times have these two Soweto giants met?

Saturday will be the 186th meeting between Pirates and Chiefs. Amakhosi have recorded more derby victories (75), compared with Pirates’ 50, while 55 games ended in a stalemate, with five fixtures abandoned for various reasons.

Debutants ...

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz will be coaching in the Soweto derby for the first time, while players like his defender Thabo Moloisane and Pirates’ midfield dynamo Thapelo Mokobodi are expected to make their first appearances in this titanic fixture.

What does form say?

Pirates, who are also the league defending champions, head into this game with better form, having won four of their past five outings, with a single loss in all competitions. Chiefs boast just one win from their past five fixtures, with two draws and two defeats in all competitions.

In the league, Bucs remain unbeaten with seven wins and a draw in their opening eight fixtures. Fourth-placed Amakhosi are also yet to lose in the league, with five draws and three wins, sitting eight points behind second-placed Pirates.

Players to watch

Tshepang Moremi has scored six goals from 10 appearances this season, making him Pirates’ danger man. Moremi scored a brace midweek when Bucs thumped Milford 3-0 in the first round of the Carling Cup.

As for Chiefs, Wandile Duba, who netted a hat-trick in the 3-0 victory over TS Galaxy in the first round of the Carling Knockout midweek, will be crucial. Duba boasts six goals from seven games across domestic tournaments.

Safety and security

Security will be beefed up. Stadium Management SA issued a stern warning that ticketless fans will face arrest if they roam around the venue.

Spectators will first be subjected to a visual ticket check at the venue exclusion zone before being allowed to proceed further into the stadium precinct.

Story audio is generated using AI

The Western Cape government has called for urgent national intervention to address persistent public sector medicine shortages, warning that supply constraints are pressuring healthcare services and patients who rely on essential and chronic medication.

Health and wellness MEC Mireille Wenger first raised concerns about medicine stock-outs on June 2, ahead of the National Health Council (NHC) meeting on June 11, where the issue was tabled for discussion.

More than four months later, shortages persist. In September, Wenger wrote to health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi requesting urgent action and clear timelines to stabilise medicine supplies.

She has now approached transport minister Barbara Creecy for assistance in identifying and resolving potential logistical bottlenecks at South African ports that could be contributing to delays in getting imported medicines to public healthcare facilities.

In a letter to Creecy, Wenger requested that the processing and movement of imported medicines be prioritised, particularly at the Port of Durban, where concerns have been raised about possible delays.

“This is about protecting the health, wellbeing and dignity of patients who depend on these medicines. Every unnecessary delay in getting medicines into the country is another delay in getting them to the patients who need them,” Wenger said.

“With our healthcare facilities already experiencing significant medicine supply constraints, we cannot afford additional delays where they can be avoided.”

The precise nature and extent of the port-related delays have not yet been established. The provincial department is seeking urgent co-ordination between the authorities, terminal operators and other stakeholders to identify and address potential obstacles.

Wenger said the shortages reflect a combination of pressures across the pharmaceutical supply chain, including manufacturing constraints, international shipping disruptions, supplier backorders, procurement challenges, regulatory delays and delays in the testing and release of some medicines.

She said once imported medicines arrive in South Africa, they must undergo quality testing before they can be distributed to healthcare facilities. This process can take between three and four weeks, making timely port clearance and the movement of consignments particularly important.

“Patient safety must always come first, and the necessary testing processes cannot be compromised. However, when medicines still need to undergo several weeks of testing after arriving in the country, eliminating avoidable delays becomes even more important,” Wenger said.

“Every day we can save in the supply chain is a day gained in getting essential medicines to our patients.”

Wenger said healthcare teams were working to manage inconsistent medicine availability by sourcing alternatives and redistributing available stock, but warned that these measures were becoming increasingly difficult as shortages persisted.

“Medicine supply constraints are a country-wide challenge and require a co-ordinated national response. Our patients deserve access to the medications they need, and it is our responsibility to find and implement solutions to unblock and mitigate these challenges,” she said.

She also called for co-ordinated monitoring of medicine availability across provinces to improve early identification of shortages, strengthen planning and facilitate the redistribution of available stock where appropriate.

Such monitoring, she said, would give national and provincial health departments a clearer picture of supply pressures and help ensure that interventions were co-ordinated across the country.

The Western Cape department of health and wellness said it was monitoring stock levels and supplier performance weekly at the Cape Medical Depot and reporting the information to national government. Other measures include redistributing medicines between facilities, sourcing alternatives and supporting temporary imports where necessary.

“When a prescribed medicine is unavailable, pharmacists and clinicians work together to identify clinically appropriate alternatives, which may include a different strength, pack size, formulation or therapeutic substitute. Where supplies are limited, stock may be shared equitably or dispensed in smaller quantities while replenishment is secured,” she said.

The department urged patients to continue collecting their medication and to speak to a healthcare professional if their usual medicine was unavailable, their treatment changed, or their medication looked different.

Patients were also advised not to change their dosage or stop taking prescribed medication without first consulting a healthcare professional.

The national department of health said it is aware of the medicine stockout problem and is preparing a comprehensive statement to unpack it.

TimesLIVE

Stats SA said last year’s nominal GDP was now estimated at R8.04-trillion, up from R7.64-trillion.

Statistics agencies worldwide rebase and benchmark their GDP estimates to take into account changes in the composition of the economy and other factors.

Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest economy, recorded nominal GDP of 441.5-trillion naira ($328bn) last year, while South Africa’s rebased GDP in dollars is about $483bn. Nigeria used to have a bigger economy in dollar terms, but devaluations of its currency, the naira, meant South Africa overtook it.

South Africa’s latest rebasing exercise changed the base year for its GDP calculations to 2022 from 2015. It also incorporated previously non-observed parts of the economy, such as self-generation of electricity, illicit and illegal mining and manufacturing activity, and e-hailing services.

The 10 sectors it tracks were all shown to have higher output, with mining, finance and trade registering the largest increases.

Johann Els, chief economist at financial services firm PSG, said the revisions to the size of the economy would make South Africa’s debt numbers look better, in particular its closely watched debt-to-GDP ratio.

Reuters

WATCH ALL EPISODES

Click here to find previous episodes of Spotlight with all the movie news you need, and follow the show on Facebook for all the latest news and giveaways.

Spotlight ends spooky season with monstrous creatures, terrifying survival stories and a celebration of South African musical heritage, from a giant Amazonian snake to a chilling South Korean thriller and the return of an iconic female maskandi group.

Something deadly lurks in the Amazon in the horror film Beware Boiúna. When a team of doctors on a humanitarian mission awakens an ancient giant snake, their mission to save lives becomes a desperate fight for survival. From Wrong Turn director Mike P Nelson, the movie stars Kiana Madeira, Jessica Rothe and Logan Marshall-Green. With a monstrous predator deciding who lives and who dies, nowhere is safe in Beware Boiúna, showing at cinemas.

The hunters become the hunted in Hope, a chilling South Korean sci-fi horror where a mysterious creature emerges near a remote fishing village. What begins as an investigation quickly descends into chaos, forcing the community into a terrifying fight to stay alive. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Na Hong-jin, known for The Wailing, the film was selected for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander. This Halloween, even hope might not be enough to save you. Hope is at cinemas nationwide.

Missed these big-screen adventures? There’s plenty coming to your small screens this week. Before he became America’s first president, George Washington faced betrayal and impossible odds that helped shape his destiny in Young Washington, arriving on BoxOffice from October 30.

For a magical family escape, The Magic Faraway Tree follows a family who discover an enchanted tree leading to extraordinary worlds that bring them closer together. The film airs on M-Net on November 1.

For action fans, Beast follows a former MMA champion who returns to the cage for one last brutal fight to save his brother. Catch it on M-Net on November 1.

We switch gears from monsters to music as the iconic female maskandi group Imithente enters a new chapter with their album Imithente (Legacy). Now led by Nondumiso Ngubane, Nelile Mthalane and Nokuthula Manana, the next generation is carrying the group’s musical heritage forward with a seven-track album that honours its roots while introducing a contemporary sound. The faces may change, but the legacy lives on. Imithente (Legacy) is available on all major music streaming platforms.

For full interviews, breaking news, trailers and clips, visit our Spotlight Facebook page. See you at the movies.

Presenter Collette Prince is styled and dressed by Claris by Gerrit Pienaar when attending premieres and special events.

Facebook @Claris by Gerrit Pienaar/Instagram: gerritpienaardesigns.

TimesLIVE

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By Alessandro Parodi and Helen Reid

Along wide Parisian shopping boulevards, early Christmas lights glow around security grilles and boarded-up windows as stores brace for a third weekend of unrest that has already cost an estimated $2bn in damage and lost revenue.

Weeks of demonstrations against rising costs and worsening living standards have spiralled into violence and looting in several French cities, damaging 2,400 stores across the country, according to the French Chamber of Commerce.

With further protests planned on October 31 and November 5, the mood among Parisian retailers and consumers is anything but festive.

French consumer confidence fell to a 13-year low this month. That bodes ill for November and December, which together typically account for 40% of annual retail turnover.

Pulling down the shutters

“Commercial activities in city centres have been brought to a standstill,” said Alain Di Crescenzo, president of the French Chamber of Commerce, about the days of protest.

“Stores that were looted must recover, repair and reopen, but then there are all those that weren’t broken into but had to pull down the shutters and have made zero sales,” he added. Over a quarter of the outlets damaged during protests remain shut, Di Crescenzo told Reuters, and many stores are likely to be shuttered protectively ahead of the next protests.

Shops targeted included outlets from major luxury brands like Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Burberry, but also Carrefour supermarkets and corner shops.

The Chamber of Commerce estimates losses to retailers to exceed €1bn (R18.5bn), while Morningstar DBRS said the total could approach $2bn including uninsured damage and lost revenue, and rise further if protests escalate.

Besides the direct impact on looted stores, fears of further violence drove many more to close as a precautionary measure, turning major shopping streets into ghost towns ahead of the October 24 protests, during which security was tighter but 50 stores were still broken into.

Most store managers, avidly monitoring neighbourhood watch communication groups, will only decide on Friday whether to stay open on the day of the demonstration.

Counting the damage

Burberry’s store on the fashionable Rue Saint-Honoré, which was looted and damaged in the October 17 riots, reopened on Tuesday after 10 days, according to a spokesperson for the company.

Jeweller Pandora said two stores in Paris and one in Lyon were vandalised and looted, and remain shut. It said it would keep taking steps including boarding up windows and enforcing temporary closures to protect its property and staff.

Swedish fashion retailer H&M had four stores impacted by protests on October 17 in Lyon, Nantes, Tours and Chambery. Last Saturday, it closed two outlets and shut another 40 stores earlier than normal business hours as a precautionary measure. It said it was too early to say what it would do this Saturday.

Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden said on Thursday that the sportswear brand had some closures and declining store traffic in some cities due to protests.

“Of course, it was scary and it was not nice, but the impact on the total business for Q4, I would say, is not a level we can talk about yet,” he told journalists on a call.

Impact on tourism

Georges Kern, CEO of Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling told Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger that if there was a threat of more unrest occurring, its shops would stay closed.

“If the disruption continues in the weeks ahead, some businesses – particularly non-food retailers – could face serious difficulties,” Cooperative U CEO Dominique Schelcher told Reuters.

The protests are also likely to weigh on tourism. Well-known Parisian department store Printemps has had to delay the launch of its Christmas decorations, initially planned for November 5, while the Paris tourist office said extensive media coverage may deter visitors in coming months.

“Consumption is the engine of the French economy,” said Magali Marton, head of research and data at real estate advisory Knight Frank France. “For shops to survive, people have to feel safe enough to come in and buy.”

Reuters

The footballer was fatally shot during a home invasion in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, in October 2014.

Video courtesy of SABC.

TimesLIVE

Under glorious blue Cape Town skies, the 31-year-old, playing his sixth Test, earned a deserved reward for his tough labour on the second night, when he brought up the three-figure landmark with a reverse sweep for four off Simon Harmer.

The Proteas off-spinner led a fightback by the hosts, picking up two of the four wickets in the session. Australia went to lunch on 411/8, leading by 82 runs.

Inglis missed the first two Tests after fracturing his finger during the ODI series and would not have played at Newlands had Smith been fit. All the to-ing and fro-ing within the Australian camp, the night before the start and on the first morning before the toss, could not have been helpful to his mindset.

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However, you couldn’t tell, such was the way in which he and Alex Carey counterattacked on the second night. Inglis, who made a hundred on debut in Galle last year against Sri Lanka, defended solidly and unleashed punishing cuts when the South Africans dropped the ball short.

Thursday dawned with the Proteas knowing they needed to throw themselves into the first session if they had any hope of pulling off a victory. However, for the first half an hour, batting continued to look easy, and with Kagiso Rabada unable to bowl after leaving the field early on Wednesday morning, neither Marco Jansen nor Wiaan Mulder caused the Australian pair discomfort.

At 34 minutes into the morning’s play, Temba Bavuma eventually called on his spearhead, and Rabada found the edge of Carey’s bat, but the ball fell underneath Harmer’s attempt to catch it at slip. In addition to the anguish over the missed chance, with Carey on 65, Harmer also picked up a cut on his left ring finger and damaged the middle finger on that hand.

Fortunately, it didn’t affect his bowling. Having watched Inglis bring up his landmark, five balls later Harmer found the edge of his bat, with Ryan Rickelton taking a good catch standing up to the stumps.

Simon Harmer gets his third with a beauty 🤌

📺 Stream #SAvAUS on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw pic.twitter.com/EvSSz8kAbO

— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 29, 2026

The South Africans were ecstatic, having ended a partnership that was ultimately worth 185 runs.

Carey was dismissed four overs later, falling to a beautifully flighted delivery from Harmer that spun away to nudge the edge, with Aiden Markram taking an excellent low catch at slip.

Rabada finally got something going in his favour when umpire Richard Illingworth adjudged Pat Cummin lbw, a decision upheld on “umpire’s call” by the TV replays after the Australian captain reviewed.

Gerald Coetzee picked up his first wicket when Mitchell Starc swung wildly and was caught behind for 11.

Cooper Connolly, playing his second Test, was unbeaten on 20 at lunch, with Nathan Lyon on 2.

TimesLIVE

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A cattle farmer is fighting for his life in hospital after a brutal attack on his farm between Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp.

This is the second farm attack in the North West this month, coming after 55-year-old Hannetjie van Zyl was killed in an attack on her property near Ottosdal.

Donovan Marx was shot, beaten and stabbed during a farm attack on Wednesday morning, shortly after his wife left for work.

Marx was shot in the back and tortured. The FF+ said the details of the alleged torture were too disturbing to make public.

Ventersdorp police confirmed they are investigating a case of house robbery and attempted murder.

According to police, at about 8.30am, a farm employee mowing the lawn was approached by three unknown men who allegedly emerged from behind the house. The suspects, whose faces were covered with balaclavas, carried firearms.

The suspects allegedly pointed their firearms at the employee and demanded to know the whereabouts of the farm owner. They then tied the employee’s hands and feet with cable ties and took him to the back of the house.

Police spokesperson Capt Majang Skalkie said the situation escalated when the 50-year-old farm owner arrived at the property in a bakkie.

Two of the suspects allegedly approached him and shot him in the upper body.

“They subsequently dragged him inside the house, tied his hands and feet with cable ties, and allegedly stabbed and further assaulted him. The suspects proceeded to search the house and took three firearms from a safe before fleeing the scene in the farmer’s red Isuzu bakkie,” Skalkie said.

The farm worker managed to free himself and called for assistance, and the farmer was transported to a local hospital and admitted in a serious condition.

Skalkie said no arrests have been made and police are working to trace the suspects.

North West police commissioner Lt-Gen Arthur Peter Adams condemned the violent attack and called on members of the community to assist the police in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

“The use of firearms and the brutal assault of an individual in the course of a robbery are serious criminal acts that will not be tolerated,” he said.

The FF+ expressed its condolences and offered prayers for Marx and his family as he continues to fight for his life.

Van Zyl died on October 5 after being assaulted with an iron bar at the entrance gate to her farmhouse in the Ottosdal/Wolmaransstad area.

According to the DA in the North West, Van Zyl was attacked from behind and struck several times on the head and neck before her handbag and cellphone were stolen. She was getting back into her vehicle after opening the gate when the attack occurred.

She died on the way to hospital in Klerksdorp.

The DA’s Theo Venter said the attacks highlight the serious safety challenges facing rural communities.

“Farm attacks, stock theft and other rural crimes threaten the lives and livelihoods of farmers, farmworkers and their families, while undermining agricultural activity and the jobs it sustains.

“Rural communities deserve more than assurances. They deserve effective policing, accountability and the peace of mind that comes with knowing their safety is taken seriously,” Venter said.

TimesLIVE

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Acting police minister Firoz Cachalia has asked the cabinet to approve the appointment of KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as the new head of the Hawks.

Cachalia has submitted a memorandum seeking the cabinet’s concurrence for Mkhwanazi’s appointment as national head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), which investigates organised crime, corruption and other serious offences.

The memorandum will be presented at the earliest opportunity during a cabinet sitting, police ministry spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi said in a statement on Tuesday.

The appointment process is being conducted in terms of the South African Police Service Act, which requires the police minister to appoint the head of the Hawks with the cabinet’s concurrence.

The act also requires the appointment to be reported to parliament.

Mogotsi said appointing a national head was important to ensuring strong leadership, strategic direction and operational effectiveness in tackling serious crime.

The DPCI is a key part of the government’s efforts to fight organised crime and corruption, which Cachalia identified as priorities under the Police Reset Agenda.

Mkhwanazi’s appointment is not yet final, as it still requires the cabinet’s concurrence.

If approved, he will take over leadership of the elite crime-fighting unit responsible for investigating priority offences, including serious corruption and organised criminal activity.

Sowetan

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Tributes have been pouring in for internationally acclaimed environmental activist Desmond D’Sa, who died in a car accident on Thursday.

D’Sa, 70, who worked at the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), died in a crash on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, where he lived.

Two family members in the vehicle were also killed while travelling to the SCDEA offices in Wentworth.

The community organiser and Goldman Environmental Prize winner helped residents challenge industrial pollution, which closed a hazardous-waste landfill in Bulbul Drive, Chatsworth.

According to Goldman Environmental, D’Sa helped residents scrutinise expansion plans and access legal advice. He also trained communities to collect air samples using relatively simple equipment, giving them a way to document their exposure.

As a result, the operator withdrew its expansion application in August 2010 and the landfill closed in November 2011, culminating with D’Sa being awarded the prize in 2014.

But his activism came at a personal cost when shortly after this, unknown assailants firebombed his home, leaving him with burns, destroying possessions and traumatising his family.

Born in Cato Manor in 1956, D’Sa grew up with 12 siblings. His family’s forced removal to Wentworth brought him into the industrial neighbourhoods that would become the centre of his work.

His biography on SDCEA’s website traces a working life that began in 1971 and included years in the textile industry.

He later worked at Durban Fibres and Sasol’s Isipingo plant, becoming a trade unionist and learning about the risks chemicals posed to workers and neighbouring households.

As a safety and risk officer, the factory work gave him an understanding of the industries he would challenge, and of the people whose livelihoods depended on them.

“We are not anti-development, but we are anti-air pollution. We welcome sustainable development,” he said in the SDCEA biography.

His community organising extended beyond pollution.

Through the Wentworth Development Forum, he helped create public meetings where residents could raise problems and seek solutions together.

Durban University of Technology’s account of his work also describes early efforts to secure parks and playgrounds to keep children away from gangs and drugs.

SDCEA brought together communities across south Durban, including Wentworth, Merebank, Umlazi, Isipingo and the Bluff. Its work linked environmental concerns with human rights and encouraged residents to participate in decisions affecting their neighbourhoods.

His SDCEA biography recounts how he acquired shares in multinational companies so he could question their boards at shareholder meetings overseas. The concerns of people living alongside industrial plants could then be put directly to company leaders.

D’Sa was awarded the 2013 Diakonia Human Rights Award and an honorary doctorate in health sciences from Durban University of Technology, in September 2015.

Accepting the doctorate, he spoke about the sacrifices that had interrupted his education and the knowledge he had gained through life and work. He encouraged graduates to persist despite the obstacles they faced.

“For me, this is more than just a job. It’s my life,” he said at the ceremony, according to the university’s account.

His SCDEA colleagues said they were reeling from the news of D’Sa’s death and couldn’t comment.

Among the tributes was one from humanitarian activist Lubna Nadvi who said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Desmond D’SA who was a dear friend and comrade of mine and of the Palestine Solidarity movement. His work on environmental awareness and education and with SDCEA was outstanding.

“We met recently at a book launch co hosted by Abahlali basemjondolo and Groundwork. He always made time to support the Palestinian cause.

“Hamba Kahle Mkhonto.”

TimesLIVE

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The proportion of vehicle tracking customers affected by theft and hijacking has fallen from about 4% in the late 1990s to 0.5% in recent years, according to historical data from vehicle recovery company Tracker.

The figures, released on Thursday, come as the company marks 30 years in South Africa. While the data points to a substantial decline in the risk faced by its customers, it does not necessarily reflect the national vehicle crime rate, as it is based on Tracker’s own customer base.

The company’s latest figures, covering January to June 2026, show that business-owned vehicles remain more vulnerable than privately owned vehicles, though the gap has narrowed. Business vehicles were 17% more likely to be targeted, compared with 48% a year earlier.

Hijacking also remains a particular concern for businesses. Nationally, business vehicles are almost twice as likely to be hijacked as stolen, according to Tracker. In the Eastern Cape, hijackings involving business vehicles were almost five times as prevalent as thefts, while in Mpumalanga they were more than eight times as common.

The pattern differs for privately owned vehicles, where theft accounted for 55% of reported incidents and hijacking for 45%. Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal together accounted for 80% of all vehicle crime incidents.

However, the national picture masks regional differences. In the Eastern Cape, privately owned vehicles were twice as likely to be hijacked as stolen. Hijackings also exceeded thefts by 42% in the Western Cape, while Mpumalanga recorded more hijackings than thefts involving private vehicles.

Taken nationally, theft and hijacking were evenly split, marking a shift from recent years when hijacking became the dominant crime type as vehicle use returned to normal after the Covid-19 lockdowns.

The timing of incidents also varies by crime type. Tracker’s data shows vehicle theft is most common on Saturdays between 11am and 9pm, with another concentration on Fridays between 4pm and 9pm. Hijackings peak between 4pm and midnight on Fridays.

Business hijackings follow a different pattern, occurring most frequently on weekday afternoons and evenings, between 4pm and 9pm.

Tracker COO Duma Ngcobo said the changing patterns highlighted the need for motorists and businesses to adapt their approaches to vehicle security.

For businesses, the consequences of vehicle crime extend beyond the replacement cost of a vehicle to include downtime, disrupted services and lost revenue, he said.

Tracker said it had recovered 142,253 vehicles and assisted in 21,461 arrests since its establishment. It also reported helping recover 1,154 firearms and achieving a 96% industry recovery rate in the past financial year.

TimesLIVE

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The murder trial of rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane was adjourned in the Durban high court on Thursday until Monday to allow the defence to prepare for the cross-examination of car tracking expert Carel Rothmann.

He was giving evidence in the trial of seven men accused of killing AKA and Tibz outside the now-defunct Wish restaurant in Florida Road, Durban, in February 2023.

Defence counsel Simphiwe Mlotshwa asked for the matter to stand down on Thursday, saying the defence needed more time to prepare to cross-examine Rothmann.

“We have to consult with our experts; we will need more time. In the interest of time, we should stand down this witness and continue with other witnesses?” Mlotshwa asked.

Judge Nomfundo Sipunzi said she was not going to force the defence to continue cross-examining the witness if they did not feel ready.

She asked state prosecutor Lawrence Gcaba if he had other witnesses prepared.

Gcaba said he had not prepared other witnesses because he expected the defence to cross-examine Rothmann.

There was drama on Wednesday when the defence team tried to stop Rothmann testifying.

The incident led Sipunzi to adjourn the trial and summon all parties to her chambers for a meeting.

TimesLIVE

The more than 1,000-page report by the judge-led panel detailed a series of regulatory and supervisory failings in Hong Kong’s building renovation and regulatory system that it said had contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

KEY FINDINGS

* Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. Ltd, the main contractor for the works, and Will Power Architects Co, the consultant for the works, were fully aware of the fire risks and ignored all complaints raised by residents.

* Prestige failed to maintain proper oversight at every level and cut corners. It also did not effectively enforce anti-smoking policies on site, despite persistent complaints.

* Prestige refused to conduct works in phases as requested by the management committee, resulting in all eight blocks being simultaneously enclosed in combustible scaffolding and materials, which contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

* Will Power, as project consultant, failed to provide proper independent supervision of Prestige and did not intervene in key safety issues.

* Will Power approved the use of flammable foam boards and non-fire-retardant scaffolding nets, despite knowing the fire risks and initially expressing concern.

* Will Power failed to act as an independent supervisor, instead enabling or acquiescing to Prestige’s cost-cutting and unsafe practices, betraying the trust placed in it by homeowners.

* The fire was most likely started by a “glowing source ... likely a cigarette”.

* No government department took effective ownership of various fire safety issues, and complaints about fire hazards “fell into a vacuum”.

* Multiple government departments failed to properly investigate persistent and well-documented resident complaints about fire hazards, smoking, unsafe materials and procedural irregularities.

* The way in which the labour department handled complaints outlining serious safety concerns — such as smoking on site, and about fire retardancy of scaffolding nets and foam boards — was unsatisfactory.

* Hong Kong’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) failed in its supervisory responsibilities to ensure safety. The ICU’s systemic regulatory failures and operational lapses were major contributors to the unsafe conditions that led to the fire.

* There was inadequate regulation and verification of temporary building materials (scaffolding nets, foam boards, plastic sheeting), with authorities relying on paper certificates without laboratory testing or on-site sampling, enabling the use of non-fire-retardant materials.

* There was a lack of effective communication and co-ordination among government departments, leading to complaints and fire safety issues being passed between departments without resolution, creating regulatory vacuums.

* The disaster involved not just violations of safety rules but also long-standing flaws in the regulatory regimes and slack enforcement attitude.

* Various unlawful and dubious practices in the large-scale building and renovation industry are acknowledged, including bid-rigging. “Some of them have triad affiliations ... The committee is of the view that such a corrupt eco-system is intolerable.”

* The Competition Commission (CC) and Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) both found that bid rigging is a widespread, systemic and long-standing practice among building maintenance contractors in Hong Kong.

* Investigations revealed that some bid-rigging operations are orchestrated by syndicates, often with triad involvement, who co-ordinate which contractors will win certain tenders through cover bidding, bid suppression or bid rotation.

Reuters

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A new study has found that 85% of South Africans were affected by fraud in the past year, with one in five losing money despite widespread awareness of common scams.

A study by South African-founded research platform Yazi, “The global digital fraud study: who pays for trust?”, finds that one in five South African respondents had lost money to fraud, compared with just 7% of UK respondents.

The study, based on 1,234 responses from South Africa and the UK, found that 74% of South Africans already knew that AI could be used to clone voices and create fake messages.

However, this awareness made little difference to risky behaviour, according to the research. Almost half of the scam attempts reported in South Africa, or 45%, began with the promise of making money.

The financial consequences were particularly severe for low-income households. The median loss among victims from the lowest-income households amounted to 40% of one month’s household income.

Three-quarters of South African fraud victims recovered none of the money they lost, while 64% of those affected believed bank or institutional staff might be involved in fraud. This compared with 17% of affected respondents in the UK.

Yazi chief executive Tim Treagus said the findings suggested fraud awareness alone was insufficient to protect consumers.

“South Africans are not uninformed about fraud. Most already know the tricks,” he said. “What the data suggests instead is something closer to hope outweighing caution: the promise of a way out is often worth more than the risk of being wrong.”

The study finds that financial pressure could make consumers more susceptible to scams promising investment returns or other opportunities to improve their circumstances.

South Africans are not uninformed about fraud. Most already know the tricks. What the data suggests instead is something closer to hope outweighing caution: the promise of a way out is often worth more than the risk of being wrong.

Tim Treagus,. Yazi CEO

The research combined structured survey questions, written responses, voice notes and AI-moderated follow-up interviews to examine how fraud occurred and its financial and emotional effects.

The findings also highlight a gap in trust between consumers and financial institutions. Though 64% of affected South Africans suspected bank or institutional staff might be involved in fraud, 47% reported incidents to an institution.

Yazi described this as a reporting paradox, suggesting that consumers continued to report fraud because institutions offered their most realistic route to recovering lost money, rather than because they necessarily trusted them.

Self-blame was also a barrier to reporting fraud. Among those who did not report incidents, 24% of South Africans said self-blame was a factor, compared with 3% of respondents in the UK.

Maya Fisher-French, founder of Maya on Money, said the findings should concern financial institutions.

“Our financial institutions should be deeply concerned that 64% of affected South Africans suspect bank staff complicity in fraud, compared to only 17% in the UK,” she said.

The study also highlighted the impact of fraud on businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which can face financial losses and risks to jobs and livelihoods.

Dewald Müller, head of SaaS and AI at Stitch, said businesses whose payment systems were used to move stolen money could also suffer consequences.

The report called for stronger fraud prevention measures, including improved detection technology, behavioural monitoring, better identification of accounts used to move stolen funds and clearer processes for recovering money.

One participant described the emotional consequences of being defrauded, telling researchers, “It made me feel like I was no longer safe anymore, whether I’m outside my house or on my phone. It felt like I’m in danger everywhere I go.”

Another participant reported making repeated deposits after being promised investment returns that never materialised, losing R5,000-R9,999.

The findings suggest that consumer education alone may not be enough to address fraud, with stronger security measures and greater institutional accountability also needed to protect consumers.

Business Day

The three were among 47 French Islamic State suspects transferred from detention facilities in northeast Syria to Iraq last year.

On Tuesday, six French nationals from the same group were sentenced to life in prison, and a seventh to 15 years for belonging to the Islamist militant group.

Islamic State seized large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014 before being driven from its self-declared caliphate by a US-led coalition and local forces in 2019. Many of its fighters were detained, but remnants of the organisation continue to operate.

The US announced in January that it was completing the transfer of Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq amid concerns about the security of their detention facilities after Kurdish-led forces lost control of parts of the region.

Reuters

Net profit rose to 10-billion yuan (R24.95bn) in the third quarter, a stock filing showed, cooling from a 30% increase in the previous quarter.

That missed estimates from three brokerages compiled by Reuters, whose estimates ranged from 11.4-billion yuan (R28.4bn) to 12.95-billion yuan (R32.28bn).

Revenue was up 13.6% year-on-year at 221.5-billion yuan (R552.20bn), reversing a 3% drop in the second quarter and ending a four-quarter streak of declines.

Reuters

The letter, seen by Reuters on Thursday, gave the names of 11 Ugandans confirmed dead and 16 whose bodies could not be located anywhere, including among prisoners of war.

Uganda’s embassy said it had received the information from Russia’s foreign ministry through a “note verbale”, a diplomatic communication.

An official at Uganda’s foreign ministry confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

Russia’s embassy in Kampala did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reports of African men being lured to Russia with promises of jobs and ending up on Ukraine’s front lines have become frequent, triggering anger in countries like Kenya, Ghana and South Africa.

Ukraine said last year that more than 1,400 citizens from three dozen African countries were fighting alongside Russian forces on its territory, with some recruited through deception.

Russian authorities have denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in Ukraine.

Reuters

Stop after stop, Trump has pointed to the projects as evidence his economic policies are paying off, including an Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline, an Iowa steel mill, a Texas power plant, a Kentucky pharmaceutical project and a North Carolina quartz mine.

US presidents typically spend the final stretch before the midterms highlighting legislative victories and their economic records. Trump has gone further, dangling cash payments, federal investments and other benefits, some explicitly tied to Republican victories.

It is a bet that voters will reward Republicans at the ballot box, even as many remain frustrated by the cost of living, Reuters/Ipsos opinion polls show.

Some of the projects Trump is promoting are far from done deals, the companies and governments involved said.

After Trump heralded a $54bn (R897.56bn) South Korean investment for the Alaska pipeline in late September, part of a broader $200bn (R3.3-trillion) pledge, Seoul said no decision had been made on whether to invest or how much.

Financing and the construction timeline for the Texas power plant, included in the South Korean package, also remain uncertain, according to South Korean media reports citing unresolved questions over ownership, power purchase agreements and permitting.

Mesabi Metallics, the company behind the Iowa steel complex, said production would not begin until 2030. Sibelco, the quartz producer involved in the North Carolina project, said its agreement was subject to “further negotiations”.

The announcements underscore the urgency of Republican to show economic progress before Tuesday’s elections, especially around jobs and energy prices. Inflation has begun to outpace wages shortly before voters cast ballots, while rising energy prices from the US-Iran war are straining household budgets.

“It starts to feel pretty theatrical when you’re this close to an election and you’ve spent the last year-and-a-half creating chaos with your tariff policies,” said Todd Tucker, director of industrial policy and trade at the left-leaning Roosevelt Institute.

“It’s crucial for the country that these investments work out, so it’s tragic that we’d be throwing fake Monopoly money across the country in the days before an election.”

Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, said Trump has been leading “an aggressive, pro-growth economic and energy dominance agenda”.

“The president has a proven record of securing historic investment, creating high-paying jobs and bringing manufacturing back to the US,” Rogers said.

Campaign promises

Beyond the investment announcements, Trump has made election year promises of payments and policy changes, some tied to Republican wins.

One of the most high-profile was Trump’s September 9 promise of a $5,000 (R83,107) “dividend” to all US adults if Republicans retain control of Congress, a proposal that would require congressional approval and has gained little traction among lawmakers.

He also promised to allow year-round sales of corn-derived E15 fuel if voters re-elect senator Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican. Marshall faces an unexpectedly close race against Democrat Adam Hamilton in a state that hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly a century.

Trump is not the first president to tout major economic projects with uncertain futures or turn to financial assistance in an election year. Former Democratic president Joe Biden announced billions in student loan relief ahead of the 2024 election, while congressional Democrats backed expanded health insurance subsidies and other benefits aimed at easing household costs.

Announcements tied to tight races

When Trump unveiled plans for $200bn in South Korean investment in energy systems across the US, including the LNG pipeline, Alaska Republican senator Dan Sullivan, who is locked in a tight reelection race, stood alongside him.

Seoul quickly pushed back, saying no investment decision had been made.

The project, led by developer Glenfarne Group, would include a 1,300km pipeline carrying natural gas for export to Asian markets.

It has been discussed for decades, with previous efforts stalling over costs and uncertainty about whether overseas buyers would pay enough to justify the investment.

Trump also appeared with Iowa Republican senate candidate Ashley Hinson and other Republicans in competitive races in the state as he promoted a planned $15bn (R249.32bn) steel complex as evidence his tariffs are reviving US manufacturing.

That project, led by Mesabi Metallics and its Indian parent company Essar Group, faces questions over financing and site selection.

Iowa lawmakers approved more than $1.3bn (R21.6bn) in tax incentives for the plant, tying benefits to its operation and to hiring and production targets. A company spokesperson said it has not finalised a deal with the state, a site for the project is still under review and it is working to secure full funding.

The company expects announcements in the coming months, the spokesperson said.

Trump pledged $100m (R1.66bn) in Pentagon funding for pharmaceutical-ingredients maker Anthea to revive a shuttered drug plant in Kentucky, tying the money to Republicans winning the midterms. Details remain sparse, and the office of Democratic governor Andy Beshear said it knew nothing about the project.

In North Carolina, Trump and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick announced an investment worth “hundreds of millions” for quartz producer Sibelco during a late October rally. The firm mines and refines the mineral, a key semiconductor component.

However, shortly after the event, the company said the federal government’s investment would be a fraction of that at $56m (R930.8m). It said crucial steps, including due diligence, additional negotiation and federal and state approvals, remained before it could deploy the capital.

Reuters

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The Gauteng department of health has urged residents to seek emergency medical care immediately if they notice signs of a stroke, warning that delays in treatment can lead to death, permanent disability and loss of independence.

Gauteng health spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department was joining the global community as it commemorates World Stroke Day under the theme “Every Minute Counts”, highlighting the importance of recognising stroke symptoms and acting without delay.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted by a blocked or ruptured blood vessel. Without enough blood and oxygen, brain cells begin to sustain damage

Gauteng health spokesperson Steve Mabona

“A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted by a blocked or ruptured blood vessel. Without enough blood and oxygen, brain cells begin to sustain damage,” said Mabona.

The World Stroke Organisation estimates that about 1.9-million brain cells can be lost every minute during a stroke, making early recognition and urgent medical attention critical.

Data from the Gauteng department’s Provincial Rehabilitation Services unit shows that 32,444 new stroke cases and 105,441 follow-up cases were recorded between the 2019/20 and 2024/25 financial years.

In the 2024/25 financial year alone, the unit recorded 6,855 new cases and 22,771 follow-up cases.

Stroke can affect movement, balance, speech, swallowing and memory, as well as a person’s ability to carry out everyday activities. Survivors may require ongoing rehabilitation and support.

The department urged residents to remember the FAST warning signs: Face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty and time to seek emergency medical assistance.

People should ask someone suspected of having a stroke to smile and check whether one side of their face droops. They should also ask the person to raise both arms to see whether one is weak or drifts downwards, and to repeat a simple sentence to check for slurred or confused speech.

Other warning signs include sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, confusion, difficulty seeing, walking or maintaining balance, a severe unexplained headache and reduced consciousness.

Anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek emergency medical assistance immediately, even if the symptoms improve or disappear.

The department warned against waiting for symptoms to worsen, trying home remedies or waiting for a routine clinic appointment. Emergency Medical Services can be contacted on 112 from a cellphone or 10177.

High blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors for stroke and often has no obvious symptoms. Other risk factors include diabetes, high cholesterol, tobacco use, harmful alcohol use, obesity, physical inactivity, diets high in salt and unhealthy fats, certain heart conditions, increasing age and family history.

Residents are encouraged to check their blood pressure regularly, take prescribed medication consistently, attend follow-up appointments, maintain a balanced diet, exercise and reduce salt intake. They should also seek medical care to manage diabetes, high cholesterol and other cardiovascular conditions.

People with suspected strokes require urgent assessment at a hospital emergency unit. Treatment depends on the type and severity of the stroke, when symptoms started and the patient’s clinical condition. Early assessment is important because eligible patients may benefit from time-sensitive treatments to restore blood flow to the brain.

Rehabilitation should begin once a patient is medically stable and continue according to their individual needs. It may include physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to help survivors regain function, manage complications and improve their quality of life.

The department urged residents to take stroke symptoms seriously, noting that strokes can happen at home, at work, in a taxi, at a place of worship or in any public space.

Recognising the warning signs and raising the alarm immediately can make a life-saving difference.

TimesLIVE

The department received an anonymous call about the matter. It said no formal complaint had been lodged but it had opened an investigation to establish the facts and determine what action should be taken.

The allegations, which include reports of compromising pictures circulating on social media, have raised questions about how schools handle complaints involving teachers and whether pupils who speak out are adequately protected.

“The GDE can confirm that although no formal complaint was received and the matter was reported through an anonymous call, an investigation has been launched accordingly, and the outcome thereof will determine action to be taken,” said Onwabile Lubhelwana, spokesperson for Gauteng education MEC Lebogang Maile.

There have also been reports that a pupil who raised concern about the alleged relationship got the brush-off and that other teachers also knew about the situation. The department’s response did not clarify whether these specific claims were being investigated or if the teacher had been suspended.

The Atteridgeville investigation comes amid several cases involving alleged sexual misconduct by educators at Gauteng schools reported by TimesLIVE recently.

In August, Maile ordered an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving teachers and pupils at a school in Emdeni, Soweto. The investigation followed a sexual harassment complaint by a grade 11 pupil against a teacher. The department also said it would investigate claims that complaints about inappropriate conduct at the school dated back to 2022.

In July, TimesLIVE reported that an Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) arbitrator had ordered the dismissal of Andile Kunene, a departmental head at a Lotus Gardens school, in Pretoria, after finding that he had a sexual relationship with a matric pupil who became pregnant. The pupil was 17 when the relationship allegedly began.

More recently, a teacher at a primary school in Zola, Soweto, was placed on precautionary suspension after allegations that he raped a 9-year-old pupil. The allegations sparked protests by parents who questioned how the school had handled their concerns.

Lubhelwana said the department was required to refer the sexual misconduct allegations against teachers to the ELRC under a collective agreement in force since 2018.

“Such acts are a grave violation of professional conduct and learner safety, and as such, we act swiftly upon receiving allegations,” he said.

The department said teachers found guilty of such offences faced mandatory dismissal, with their cases also referred to the South African Council for Educators (SACE).

“When the teacher is found guilty of such an offence, dismissal is mandatory and the sanction is forwarded to the South African Council for Educators (Sace), for that educator’s name to be permanently removed from the Sace register,” said Lubhelwana.

“This would revoke the said educator’s teaching accreditation, preventing employment at any school or educational institution in South Africa in the future.”

The department provided figures showing that 34 cases had been referred to the ELRC for hearings before an arbitrator during this financial year. Of those, 16 cases had been concluded, resulting in 12 educators being dismissed, while 18 cases were in progress.

The figures cover cases referred to the ELRC and do not establish how many specifically involve sexual misconduct, rape or sexual abuse.

The department urged educators to uphold professional standards.

“We appeal to our educators to refrain from all types of misconduct and focus on learning and teaching,” said Lubhelwana. “Educators should lead by example to ensure that learners mirror their conduct in creating a safe school environment conducive to effective learning and teaching.”

TimesLIVE

Story audio is generated using AI

The case against UK fugitive Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, who is wanted in connection with the murders of his wife and two daughters, has been postponed to November 10 for further consultations with his defence team on the finalisation of a plea agreement.

Tshuma appeared in the Johannesburg magistrate’s court on Thursday, where the matter was postponed after his lawyer indicated that further consultations were needed before the plea agreement could be finalised.

He had pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, as well as contravening the Immigration Act by entering South Africa while allegedly being sought by UK authorities.

In his previous appearance, the proceedings could not continue as Tshuma’s lawyer told the court that his client had no recollection of the plea agreement and complained that he had not been sleeping well.

His lawyer had told the court he was unable to provide clear instructions, suggesting a medical evaluation, but did not bring a formal application for such.

At the time, the defence could not proceed without clarity from Tshuma on whether he acknowledged the plea agreement.

Tshuma, a 45-year-old British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage, also known as Mark, is wanted by Bedfordshire police in connection with the murders of his wife, Zandile, and their daughters, Natalie, 15, and Nala, 5.

After fleeing the UK on July 4, he was arrested by police in Kensington, Johannesburg, on July 10. He was allegedly found in possession of an unlicensed 9mm handgun.

Tshuma is also facing extradition proceedings after a request from the UK for three murders.

TimesLIVE

The short-range missiles were launched at about 12.30pm (03:30 GMT) from near Wonsan on North Korea’s eastern coast and flew about 250km, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said.

South Korea was strengthening surveillance and maintaining readiness for additional launches, while closely sharing information with the US and Japan, it added.

Japan’s defence ministry said North Korea had launched what could be a ballistic missile and that it did not appear to have landed within Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

South Korea’s presidential national security office convened an emergency meeting to assess the security implications.

It urged North Korea to halt its repeated ballistic missile launches, calling them a “serious violation” of UN Security Council resolutions, a presidential statement said.

“The launch can be linked to the tensions along the border as part of a broader series of North Korean shows of force, although it is difficult to say the border situation directly prompted the missile launch,” said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean Studies at Seoul’s Dongguk University.

Kim said the launch also appeared intended to demonstrate North Korea’s increasingly advanced ballistic missile capabilities to the US, Japan and the broader international community.

Tensions run high

The launch came as tensions along the inter-Korean border have risen sharply since two mine explosions in the Demilitarised Zone on September 21 wounded three South Korean soldiers.

Seoul says the mines were planted by North Korean forces and has called the incident an armistice violation and demanded an apology. Pyongyang has denied responsibility and accused Seoul of fabricating the incident.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, announced last week that Pyongyang would place loudspeakers capable of blasting anti-South Korean propaganda on standby across the border within days.

She had earlier said the broadcasts would operate along the entire border by the end of October, though analysts in Seoul questioned whether the devices would be activated.

“Rather than being a firm decision to begin broadcasts, North Korea seems to be saying it will have everything ready and watch how South Korea responds,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University in Seoul.

Artillery batteries

North Korea’s military has also deployed artillery batteries visible from across the border, which South Korea’s military said earlier on Thursday appeared largely intended for show.

“We assess that North Korea has several intentions, but the exposure of older weapon systems should be understood as being for show,” JCS spokesperson Jang Do-young told a briefing.

Defence ministry spokesperson Chung Binna said placing artillery where it could be easily seen “makes little tactical or military sense”.

Reuters witnesses this week saw three North Korean armoured vehicles, identified by South Korean experts as self-propelled 122-mm howitzers, positioned near the border with their gun barrels pointed south.

North Korean soldiers were also seen erecting fences inside the DMZ.

Jang said North Korean activity near the Military Demarcation Line bisecting the DMZ was continuing, while South Korean forces were issuing warning broadcasts and firing warning shots during incursions.

Seoul was awaiting a response to its two proposals for military talks and had urged North Korea to return to dialogue, the defence ministry said.

North Korea last fired ballistic missiles on October 12. Pyongyang has conducted missile tests on more than 10 occasions this year.

Reuters

But the 28-year-old says he now spends his days bent over cotton and wheat in fields that barely provide a living.

“We were doing well,” he said in an interview in his home in the Baba Yusuf village of Balkh province. “Now, my children are malnourished.”

In years gone by, Afghanistan’s poppy fields produced about 80% of the world’s opium, used in the manufacture of morphine as well as in illegal drugs such as heroin.

Four years ago, the Taliban began enforcing an opium ban so strict that poppy all but vanished from Afghanistan’s fields. But now their supreme leader’s edict is beginning to fray, worn down by a practical problem: legal crops no longer pay and many Afghan farmers say they are struggling to feed their children.

Some are turning back to poppy, and cultivation rose sharply this year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported on Thursday, in a reversal that could reshape heroin markets as far away as Europe.

Many farmers “don’t have any other choice than to go back to poppy cultivation,” Polleak Ok Serei, UNODC’s country representative for Afghanistan, told Reuters.

Dawood said he is still complying with the ban but on a bad day he makes one-fortieth of what he used to make with poppy, he said.

Not all of his neighbours are complying. Balkh province, which the UN office found to be poppy-free last year, is growing poppy again this year, the agency reported, although few farmers would dare admit it amid continued Taliban scrutiny.

Cultivation across Afghanistan more than quadrupled this year from 2025 to an estimated 43,300 hectares, according to satellite imagery analysed by the UN. Farmers now hide the poppies from Taliban officials inside cereal fields and behind mud walls.

Cultivation is still only at about a quarter of the 177,000 hectares planted in 2021, the year before the ban was imposed.

But opium sales in Afghanistan generated an estimated $525m (R8.74bn) this year, the most since 2018, with the exception of 2022 when the Taliban’s ban made prices skyrocket, UNODC said.

The Taliban rejected the report’s findings, saying actual cultivation was about half the UN estimate and that poppy eradication efforts continued.

The Taliban-run interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment by Reuters.

In the country’s farmlands, aid groups say, the economic pressure has become severe.

The toll is increasingly visible among children. UN agencies warned this month that 10 out of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces had critical levels of child malnutrition this year, and the number could climb to 14 in 2027.

Despite better harvests, they said, high costs and low crop prices are squeezing poorer farmers and limiting families’ access to food.

Foreign aid cuts and the Taliban’s international isolation over their crackdown on women’s rights have also played a significant role, diplomats say. But at the Alam Khil health centre in Balkh, doctors and patients primarily blamed declining farm income for the growing number of severe malnutrition cases the clinic treats.

Outside the clinic, Tahira, whose husband grows cotton, waited for treatment with one of her four children, seven-month-old Benjamin, who was suffering from fever and diarrhea.

“The doctors say he is malnourished,” she said, adding that the family was barely making ends meet. “Our lives used to be good.”

The clinic is surrounded by cotton fields, where white tufts still waited to be picked.

Salima Mohammadi, a nutrition nurse at the clinic, said many families had struggled to find another crop that could support them since poppy disappeared from local fields.

“People own farmland,” she said, “but agricultural yields decrease year after year.”

What happens in fields like these will have repercussions far beyond Afghanistan. A full return to poppy production would have major implications for global drug markets, analysts say.

“Combine this with the active trafficking networks within the country and the resilient smuggling operations to get the opiates out of the country, and you have a very bleak prediction for the future,” said Paddy Ginn, an analyst with the Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime.

Until the ban, the crop from the country’s poppy fields fuelled health crises across the world, corruption along the trafficking routes that carried it to Europe as heroin, and deadly clashes between counter-narcotics forces and smugglers.

After 2022, pre-ban stockpiles initially cushioned the global shortage and blunted price spikes in Europe, giving Afghan farmers less reason to openly defy the ban. But UNODC warned on Thursday that those stockpiles may be running out, strengthening the incentive to plant again.

The Taliban regard the ban as one of their signature achievements and have cited it in their efforts to win international legitimacy.

But Taliban officials themselves have publicly acknowledged the challenges in recent years. Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, said at a meeting this month that “support for alternative livelihoods for farmers” was crucial to “ensure the continuation and strengthening of this campaign”.

But UNODC’s Ok Serei said there “was not enough support for alternative livelihoods” either from the Taliban government or the international community.

The Taliban’s first ban, in 2000, collapsed about a year later when US-led forces drove them from power after the September 11 2001 attacks.

The current ban has lasted far longer but the farmers expected to uphold it face harsher conditions than a generation ago. Recurring droughts have shrunk rivers and canals.

Drought has choked off much of the fresh water in the fields around Baba Yusuf, said Gul Nazar, a 56-year-old landowner, leaving well water so briny that it damages crops.

Legal alternatives have faltered, too. Wheat barely covers its costs, farmers in Baba Yusuf said. Cotton prices have fallen by about two-thirds amid a sudden nationwide glut, Gul Nazar said, a slump he partly blames on Pakistan’s closure of the border late last year, which cut off a key buyer.

Higher-value crops promoted by aid groups, such as orchard fruit or nuts, take years to establish and depend on reliable water and open export routes.

More than four in five households in Balkh and two nearby provinces reported in a UNODC survey last year that they had replaced none or only part of their lost poppy income.

Gul Nazar said he would not grow poppy again if his family’s living conditions improved. But if they grew worse, he said, he could not promise the same.

“When a person becomes hungry,” he said, “they will do anything.”

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

South Africa have tried to be philosophical about this, but a first innings total of 329, after being 140/0 and later 203/1 midway through the afternoon on the first day, continued to haunt them as the shadows lengthened at Newlands and Australia took the lead at the end of day two.

Right now the tourists have the upper hand. But if this series has taught us anything, it is not to project too far into the future. In fact don’t project at all. Never mind one session, one over can change the whole essence of this most compelling of battles.

Mitchell Starc did it at the end of the first day. Simon Harmer followed suit at the end of the first session on Wednesday and then the world’s top-ranked all-rounder — and bowler according to the ICC — picked up two wickets in three balls, 10 minutes before tea.

The Proteas deserve credit for their grittiness. While outwardly calm, they must now be concerned.

Marco Jansen is fired up 😤🔥

He sends Green back to the dressing room 🙌

📺 Stream #SAvAUS on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw pic.twitter.com/AfH0OhGxTu

— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 28, 2026

They’ll be chasing the game from here on a deteriorating pitch, which Nathan Lyon, so instrumental in turning around Australia’s fortunes on day one, will believe can assist him even more.

Four Australians made fifties; Matt Renshaw after his heroics at No 5 in Durban, got 74 opening the batting here. His partnership with Cameron Green, returning to the starting XI after missing the first two Tests because of an abdominal strain, was worth 126, with Green playing fluently for 65.

He took down Kagiso Rabada after lunch in an intriguing session that included a trio of boundaries — two sixes and a four, all pull shots — that would’ve caused the Proteas batters to grind their teeth. A lengthy chat between the pair followed that sequence. “It was just about keeping him calm. You can get a bit giddy when hitting boundaries like that. But he was in the right, he’d just hit 16 runs, so it helped lift our run rate in that period.”

The final session saw Alex Carey and Josh Inglis, who only earned a starting place on the morning of the game because of Steve Smith’s late withdrawal, punish a tired Proteas bowling unit. They scored 139 runs in the last 36 overs.

Immediate Effect 🤩 Simon Harmer Takes Two Big Wickets In His 1st Over Head & Labuchagne Gone 😮‍💨🔥 https://t.co/i57T4UFqXd

— Cricket Dani (@CricketDani56) October 28, 2026

There was no magic with the second new ball for the South Africans, like there was for Starc, who was aided by cloud cover and floodlights on Tuesday.

Jansen and Rabada, sticky with sweat and no doubt stiff from the day’s exertions simply couldn’t create any sense of worry for Carey and Inglis.

Rabada didn’t look himself all day. Perhaps backing up so soon after Gqeberha was too hard following a lengthy period in rehab. It was another reason for the batters to lament their efforts on day one. Rabada will be miffed about succumbing so easily in that post-lunch battle with Green.

He’d spent significant time off the field with what bowling coach Piet Botha later claimed was stomach cramps. His two spells after tea — including the one with the second new ball — didn’t have the same levels of intensity normally expected from Rabada.

Jansen too had problems with his back, needing to be massaged late in the day, while it didn’t help that Gerald Coetzee, who’s not played much cricket in the last month, was off kilter with both his lengths and especially his lines.

South Africa could not build or sustain a period of pressure. Wiaan Mulder was the most disciplined of the attack, but didn’t threaten and after the double strike in his first over — a thrilling passage of play — Simon Harmer struggled as the Australian batters especially Inglis and Carey swept the ball purely.

South Africa will demand more of themselves on Thursday. This match is not yet gone, and the first session will require them to do their jobs, in a way that matches how Australia’s batters did theirs on the second day.

TimesLIVE

Saying the Lions have had a difficult month is an understatement. The Johannesburg team has only won one match in four fixtures, losing two in Europe against La Rochelle (31-14) and Edinburgh (31-10).

At this time of year, Europe is incredibly cold and wet. While the Sharks are also battling that continent’s weather on their tour, the Lions are also dealing with the shock of the death of lock Hyron Andrews in a hotel room in La Rochelle from an aortic dissection a little over 10 days ago.

This week promises to pose an even chillier challenge, as the Lions are visit Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow to face off against former Springboks and now Warriors coach Franco Smith.

Finals prep is well underway. Locked in. 🦁🔒#ForOurCity #LionsPride🦁 pic.twitter.com/tUI7Na7ThH

— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) October 29, 2026

Despite such a challenging tour, Roux remains adamant the team can play to the best of their abilities under the circumstances.

“Glasgow is a really quality side, so it’s a really difficult team, like most teams in Europe,” he said.

“We’re looking at the weekend, we’re looking at trying to be our best selves and to try to play the rugby we can play. Just to really fight for belief and confidence and surviving through the difficult tour we had.

“Our training has been good, preparation has been good. So we’ve tried to really focus on what the job is and how to go forward.”

Roux admitted the nature of the tour they have had has taken some toll on the team.

I think everybody is reacting towards the tragedy and what happened at La Rochelle in their own different way.

Wessel Roux

“Our tour started, and then La Rochelle was a really difficult week for us. I think we played well under the circumstances, but ... we had and a tough week and we knew it was going to be a difficult one to recover after that week and what happened there. We knew Edinburgh was going to be really difficult to focus on.

“I think everybody is reacting towards the tragedy and what happened at La Rochelle in their own different way.

“But I mean, it’s madness to think it’s something that happened to us about 10 days ago and just kind of forgetting about it; that’s impossible. It just created this really difficult place to survive and to think and to thrive and to play rugby in.”

In Saturday’s action in fifth round of the URC, the Bulls host the Scarlets at Loftus Versfeld and Stormers are at home to Ulster at Cape Town Stadium. The Sharks travel to Thomond Park in Limerick to meet Munster.

URC fixtures

Friday:

• Connacht v Leinster, The Sportsground (9.45pm)
• Glasgow Warriors v Lions (9.45pm)

Saturday:

• Stormers v Ulster, Cape Town Stadium (2.45pm)
• Bulls v Llanelli Scarlets, Loftus Versfeld (5pm)
• Benetton Rugby v Edinburgh, Stadio Comunale di Monigo (5pm)
• Munster v Sharks, Thomond Park (7.30pm)
• Dragons v Zebre, Rodney Parade (7.30pm)
• Ospreys v Cardiff Rugby, St Helen’s (9.45pm)

TimesLIVE

Martin fractured his right wrist during a sprint race battle with title rival Marc Marquez in Australia and was ruled out of the main race, which was later cancelled due to heavy rain and poor visibility.

Martin is 10 points adrift of Ducati’s Marquez in the MotoGP standings with four rounds remaining.

“Martin will be out on track in the opening stint of a crucial grand prix in the ever-changing 2026 title race,” Aprilia said.

“MotoGP’s medical team will review Martin again after free practice 1.”

Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez was declared fit after recovering from a finger fracture that forced him to miss the Australia round, while Honda riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir are also set to return after overcoming illness.

Reuters

Emergency workers were seen carrying what appeared to be a body wrapped in a blanket from one of the trains in a rural area in the central province of Toledo while cranes worked through the night to lift parts of the wreckage after Wednesday’s crash.

“Rescue teams are working very carefully because we cannot say with certainty there are no more victims trapped in the twisted wreckage,” Esther Padilla, a spokesperson for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, told TVE.

“A canine unit was deployed yesterday. They will go back in today to make sure nobody else remains there,” she said.

Train drivers in Spain went ahead with a previously planned strike to press for more investment in railway safety after what is Europe’s deadliest train accident since a 2013 derailment in Spain’s Santiago de Compostela.

The crash, which followed another fatal accident in January involving the same rail companies on the same line, has also upended campaigning for a November 29 snap election, with the leaders of Spain’s two main parties suspending campaign events.

Spain’s government has declared three days of national mourning for those killed when one high-speed train hit another.

Political leaders head to crash area

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was due to travel to Toledo on Thursday morning to take part in a meeting to monitor and co-ordinate the emergency response.

Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, leader of the centre-right People’s Party, which is leading in polls, was due to travel to the town of Urda near the crash site.

The crash has reopened a debate about safety on Spain’s railways, Europe’s longest and until recently a source of pride in the country.

Spanish transport minister Oscar Puente said on Wednesday the crash happened after several trains stopped automatically due to a signal failure. A state-run Renfe train was then authorised to proceed at normal speed even though there was a stationary Iryo-operated train ahead.

Semaf, the Spanish train drivers’ union, said it did not want to speculate on the cause of the crash.

“We wish to exercise caution until we have a detailed understanding of exactly what happened so as not to engage in speculation,” the union said late on Wednesday.

Train drivers would go ahead with the strike that had been planned before the accident to press for structural changes in railway safety, Semaf said, adding it was studying further action.

Reuters

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has been discharged from hospital following his collapse in training last week due to a meningeal irritation, board member for sports Max Eberl said on Wednesday.

The Belgian coach had been rushed to hospital on Friday after collapsing during a second team training session. He had been nursing a virus in the days before his collapse and had missed some of his team’s training sessions.

“Given the circumstances, he’s doing well,” Eberl told ARD broadcaster ahead of the German Cup game against Magdeburg on Wednesday. “He was discharged from the hospital today. That is the biggest and best news for all of us.”

BREAKING: Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has been taken to hospital today after collapsing at the training ground. His condition is said to be stable, according to Sky Germany. pic.twitter.com/6iVaYPN5ev

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 23, 2026

“It’s a meningeal irritation that caused this incident on Friday. “He will now rest and take medication, and I am certain that he will very soon be back on the touchline, operating at 100%.”

No date has been set for Kompany’s return, with Eberl saying the Belgian would resume his duties only after receiving medical clearance.

His assistant, Aaron Danks, has been in charge of the team since then and was on the bench for their 3-1 win at Freiburg. Bundesliga leaders Bayern face title rivals Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

“Henry will join fans at FNB Stadium as the Soweto giants go head to head in one of South Africa’s most celebrated sporting rivalries. As part of his visit, he will also meet and present the prize to the winner of Betway’s S’bonise & Win campaign, which celebrates supporters who proudly show their team spirit through their colours and regalia,” Premiership sponsors Betway confirmed in a statement.

His appearance comes as the Premier Soccer League celebrates three decades of South African football through its ’96-’26 commemorative campaign, adding another layer of significance to one of the standout fixtures on the 2026/27 Betway Premiership calendar.

The statement quoted Henry as saying: “I’ve experienced some incredible football rivalries around the world, and I know how much the Soweto Derby means to supporters in South Africa. I’m excited to experience that atmosphere at FNB Stadium and to meet some of the fans who make the occasion what it is.”

Henry won the World Cup with France in 1998 and is regarded as one of the greatest footballers to play in the English Premiership, where he represented Arsenal between 1999 and 2006.

Sowetan

Interior influencers, including Kim Kardashian and Nara Smith, created minimal spaces made for showing off and keeping up with the Joneses. Their fans have imitated their love for islands (perfect for vlogs and showing off wealth), but this has resulted in cramped cookeries.

“A lot of people will make the mistake of trying to squeeze too much into a smaller kitchen. It’s understandable to want as much storage and worktop space as possible, but adding more cupboards or appliances doesn’t always make a kitchen more practical,” said Hayley Manners, owner and interior designer at Unique Designs. She said a well-planned kitchen should be easy to navigate without sacrificing comfort.

Think carefully about a kitchen island

Kitchen islands are popular for their additional preparation space and storage, but they aren’t suitable for every layout.

In smaller kitchens, an island can restrict movement, prevent cupboard doors from opening fully or make it difficult for more than one person to use the room.

“If an island is going to leave you constantly squeezing past furniture, a peninsula or different worktop layout might be a much better option,” said Manners.

War of the cupboards

Manners also warned against filling every available wall with cabinets. Poorly designed cupboards can leave homeowners struggling to reach items or making full use of the space inside.

Manners recommended considering how storage will be used before deciding how many units to install. She said deep cupboards aren’t always practical as items may become hard to reach. A solution can be found in pull-out drawers and well-designed corner storage that can make items much more accessible.

“Expanding storage upwards is also helpful,” she said, noting taller cabinets can provide useful additional storage without taking up floor space when done proportionally to a room.

The chunky appliance nightmare

No matter how trendy or popular they may be, think twice about kettles, toasters, air fryers and microwaves that can take up a considerable amount of space, particularly in smaller kitchens.

“Worktop space is something people often underestimate when planning a kitchen. You might have enough room for all your appliances, but if there’s nowhere left to prepare food comfortably, the kitchen becomes frustrating to use,” Manners said.

She said homeowners should decide which appliances they use every day and whether others could be stored away.

“If you’re designing a new kitchen, it’s worth planning dedicated storage for them from the beginning.”

The importance of good lighting

Lighting can also influence how spacious a kitchen feels, particularly in rooms with limited natural daylight. Relying on a single central ceiling light can leave preparation areas poorly illuminated, while darker corners may make a room feel more enclosed.

“Under-cabinet lighting can make a noticeable difference because it illuminates the worktops directly, rather than relying entirely on a ceiling light behind you. Good lighting also helps show off the kitchen properly. A room with dark corners can feel much smaller than it actually is, even if the layout is perfectly practical,” said Manners.

Master the open shelf

Open shelves stocked with too many items can create visual clutter. Strongly contrasting cabinet colours and finishes can divide a small room visually, though that doesn’t mean homeowners need to avoid colour altogether.

“The problem comes when they’re overloaded because everything on them is constantly on display,” said Manners.

To make the room feel more balanced, she suggested keeping the walls and cabinetry in similar tones as one way to create a more continuous look.

Fix what’s broken

Ultimately, the most important consideration is how comfortably people can move between the sink, cooking area, fridge and main preparation surfaces.

A kitchen may look spacious in photographs, but if appliance doors obstruct walkways or frequently used items are difficult to access, it can become impractical.

Manners advised: “Before making any big decisions, think about what frustrates you in your current kitchen. It might be the lack of preparation space, cupboards that are difficult to access or people constantly getting in each other’s way.”

TimesLIVE

Europe’s top carmaker reported an operating loss of €5.9bn (R109.33bn) during the three-month period. Visible Alpha analysts had forecast a €2.6n (48.31bn) loss, after a €1.3bn (R24.1bn) loss a year earlier.

“The nine-month results make one thing clear: we cannot afford to lose any time. We must act quickly and decisively,” finance chief Arno Antlitz said in a video statement.

Sales revenue also fell by a stronger-than-forecast 6% during the third quarter to €75.3bn (R1.40-trillion).

Shares were indicated at 1.1% lower in pre-market trading.

The results underscore the pressure on Volkswagen to overhaul its business model in the face of brutal competition in China, billions in annual tariff costs and a costly ramp-up of EVs in Europe, where Chinese rivals are also making gains.

CEO Oliver Blume plans 100,000 job cuts across the company, which includes the Audi and Porsche brands. Up to four plants in Germany face closure under his plan, which has been met with fierce opposition from unions and possible strikes from early next year.

Antlitz said the hefty loss was caused by special items totalling about €8bn (R148.26bn).

“But even before these special items, our operating return on sales after nine months is just 3.8%,” he said. “That is not enough in the long-term.”

Last month, Volkswagen flagged €10bn (R185.50bn) in one-off costs, mostly linked to problems at Porsche, while slashing its 2026 profit margin forecast to a maximum of 1%.

Reuters

Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, is stepping up efforts to issue details and maps depicting locations where Chinese warships and Coast Guard vessels operate.

“We’re staying vigilant about their activities,” said Joseph Wu, the secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council. “The simultaneous threat to Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines is obvious.”

Wednesday’s remarks accompanied a map he posted on X showing the locations of 53 ships, 34 of them navy warships, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning.

The carrier and its accompanying battle group were positioned to the east of the Philippines, with other formations off Taiwan’s east and southeast, along with three off the southern coast of Japan, according to the map.

Wu published a similar map on X in May.

The defence ministries of China, the Philippines and Japan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

On Wednesday, Japan’s defence ministry said it had tracked three Chinese warships and a Coast Guard ship a day earlier as they passed through the narrow Osumi Strait off Kyushu island and into the Pacific.

This month, China’s defence ministry said the Liaoning was engaged in a routine training exercise not directed at any specific country.

China’s ties with Japan and the Philippines have tanked in recent months. It has been upset by Japanese support for Taiwan, while embroiled in an increasingly bitter standoff with Manila in the South China Sea.

“We are not happy to see any attempt to project deterrence that could undermine peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Taiwan defence minister Wellington Koo told reporters at parliament in Taipei on Thursday.

A senior Taiwan security official briefed on the matter said one thing to watch would be whether the Liaoning carrier group continues north towards Japan after drills in the Philippine Sea.

“If it keeps moving north, that would suggest a stronger intent to put pressure on Japan’s defence posture,” the official said.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, though it says it would prefer “peaceful reunification”.

US Army forces in the Pacific have prepared the Indo-Pacific theatre under the assumption that China could move on Taiwan as early as next year, the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes quoted their commander, Ronald Clark, as saying.

He made the comments at a forum in Hawaii on Tuesday, it added.

Taiwan was making efforts to build its own deterrence capabilities, Koo said when asked about Clark’s remarks.

“China has never abandoned the use of force to annex Taiwan,” he added.

China recognises no separate sovereignty for Taiwan, whose government says only the island’s people can decide their future and that Beijing has no right to claim it.

Reuters

In this series, Jansen is tied as the top wicket-taker (with Mitchell Starc on 12) and is the third-highest run-scorer averaging 49.80, with two half-centuries to his name.

The numbers don’t lie. His 52 on Tuesday threatened to become another full-on rescue act like his 85 at St George’s Park. It was ended by Starc’s high-octane burst with the second new ball.

On day three on Wednesday of the decisive third Test, he threatened again, this time with the wickets of Cameron Green and Matt Renshaw, within the space of three balls, ending a 126-run third wicket partnership that was dragging the game away from the Proteas. Green’s wicket was also his 100th in Tests.

100 Test Wickets For Marco Jansen He Gets The Priced Wicket Of Matt Renshaw & In The Very Next Over Gets Cam Green Both Set Batters Gone 😮‍💨🔥 https://t.co/S5EngJFy34

— Cricket Dani (@CricketDani56) October 28, 2026

The spell wasn’t enough. As Renshaw and Green did after Simon Harmer struck two crucial blows before lunch, so Alex Carey and Josh Inglis did after tea, hustling their team into a first-innings lead.

Jansen’s efforts in the series are starting to wear him down physically.

Only Harmer, with 124.5 overs, has bowled more than Jansen, who has delivered 81.1 overs. He spearheaded the attack in Durban in Kagiso Rabada’s absence and looked overwhelmed at times by the demands of doing so.

But he’s never shirked the work. “Marco, he’s just a very, very hard worker, just absolutely focuses on what he has to do, from practise to when he runs in, and when he plays,” said Proteas bowling coach Piet Botha.

“It’s all about trying to just get the same rhythm all the time, trying to get the same sort of rhythm that he does all the time, and learn from other people. That’s how he learns, and all his confidence, all that he needs, he uses it.”

We always knew it was going to be a tough day, with the way the wicket’s playing

Piet Botha, Proteas bowling coach

Jansen will be asked to go to the well once again on Thursday, with South Africa facing a critical few hours as they try to rescue what at stumps on Wednesday was looking like a precarious situation.

“We obviously felt we could have capitalised more on the opening stand [between Aiden Markram and Marques Ackerman on the first day], we played some shots, we maybe shouldn’t have played. And then the way the wicket played today, you definitely feel like we should have got more runs in the first innings,” said Botha.

While Botha couldn’t fault the effort of Jansen and the rest of the attack, he felt that they could have created more pressure through drying up the runs. All four Australian batters who reached 50 played busy innings, finding the gaps regularly and running hard between the wickets.

“We always knew it was going to be a tough day, with the way the wicket’s playing. There was no lateral movement there, so it was always going to be about big effort. I can’t fault the effort. I thought the effort was there the whole day,” said Botha.

“Maybe if we are being critical, maybe we didn’t hit our lengths or the right lines long enough. Once a wicket plays like that, you’ve got to create some maidens and hopefully create a false shot, and if you do that, chances might come your way.”

TimesLIVE

Story audio is generated using AI

Embattled Tshwane CFO Gareth Mnisi has allegedly been brought in by South African Revenue Service (Sars) officials, who were seen at the council offices on Thursday morning.

TimesLIVE has been reliably informed that Sars had notified the city that it needed to search Mnisi’s office and home for documents and evidence.

Tshwane mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi confirmed that the executive was aware of the matter.

“We can confirm that Sars had previously advised the city of its intention to execute search warrants at the office and residence of the CFO, Gareth Mnisi. We believe that Sars has since executed those warrants,” Mgobozi said.

“Sars officials were at Tshwane House this morning [Thursday], and we can confirm that Mnisi subsequently left the premises accompanied by individuals wearing Sars apparel.”

Mgobozi said any further questions regarding the nature of the operation, the execution of the warrants or Mnisi’s status should be directed to Sars.

This is a developing story.

TimesLIVE

Perez celebrates a milestone 300th Grand Prix start at the 36-year-old’s home race in Mexico City this weekend. A six-time Grand Prix winner, Perez moved to Cadillac for their debut season on the grid.

“Joining Cadillac from day one was a project I truly believed in, and extending my commitment feels like a natural continuation of this chapter,” Perez said.

“Building a Formula One team from the ground up takes time, relentless work and patience, but the progress we are making together is incredibly rewarding. There is still a lot of work ahead of us, and I am fully committed for the next three years.”

A veteran who has raced in Formula One since 2011, Perez finished third in the 2022 drivers’ championship and second the next season behind teammate Max Verstappen when he was with Red Bull Racing.

Reuters

The carmaker said it is facing higher costs from several factors, including the conflict in the Middle East, rising prices of copper and steel, steeper fuel costs and higher chip prices. Ford raised its full-year estimate for commodity costs to nearly $2.5bn from about $2bn.

The Iran war has added to cost pressures across industries, with rising diesel prices driving up freight costs and more expensive raw materials threatening to squeeze margins.

Ford raised the lower end of its annual guidance by $500m to $10.5bn, with the higher end of the range remaining at $11bn in earnings before interest and taxes.

Shares of General Motors fell sharply last week after it signalled that higher commodity costs would add pressure to its finances, despite posting strong profits in the third quarter. Ford shares are down about 10% this year, while GM is up about 1%.

Production of Ford’s F-150 trucks was disrupted last month for nearly a week due to an undisclosed supplier issue. The carmaker had already been racing to recoup a significant production hit to those trucks, following a fire last year at Novelis, a key aluminium supplier in New York.

Ford CFO Sherry House told reporters on Wednesday that “Novelis’ operational recovery is largely behind us”.

Adjusted earnings of 49 cents per share beat LSEG analyst forecasts of 40 cents per share. The carmaker posted revenue of $49.5bn and net income of $2bn. House said Ford is anticipating 2027 core profitability to be roughly in line with 2026.

Trade agreement urgency grows

RBC Capital Markets analyst Tom Narayan said carmakers have strong pricing power from sturdy demand, and Ford said it expects pricing to finish 1% higher this year.

Narayan also said Ford and GM would especially benefit from a US-Mexico bilateral trade agreement before year-end. Reuters separately reported this week that the US ​and Canada are working on a deal to ease US tariffs on Canadian steel and cars, after trade talks broke down in August.

Speaking at a Reuters event on Tuesday, a Honda executive warned that a pending increase in US tariffs on steel and car imports from Canada starting January 1 2027 would be “catastrophic” for the industry. Those levies currently stand at 25%, and are set to double at the beginning of next year.

Ford CEO Jim Farley has urged a swift resolution on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement so that US carmakers can compete with Japan and South Korea, whose vehicles face 15% US tariffs under those countries’ trade deals with Washington.

Ford produces some key components and assembles vehicles in the neighbouring North American countries, including the Bronco Sport and Maverick in Mexico and Super Duty trucks in Canada.

Ford’s US vehicle sales were down 8.6% for the year through the third quarter, as the company felt the sting of phasing out its Escape SUV, along with falling EV and hybrid sales.

Reuters

This weekend, 20-year-old Antonelli is set to become the only living Italian who knows what it feels like to take the chequered flag and win the Formula One championship. He would be the first to do it in 73 years, since Ascari’s second title with Ferrari in 1953.

“I know the corner in Monza is named after him,” the Mercedes driver said when asked what he knew about his illustrious predecessor, who was also champion in 1952 after Giuseppe “Nino” Farina won the first title with Alfa Romeo in 1950. Farina died in 1966.

“I know that he was the last Italian champion. And it was a long time ago. A very, very long time ago.”

Lucky blue helmet

Ascari was the son of a racing driver, as is Antonelli, with father Antonio a multiple race winner before his death in the 1925 French Grand Prix at Montlhery, south of Paris, long before the Formula One world championship started in 1950.

Antonio Ascari was 36 when he died, the same age almost to the day as Alberto when he crashed fatally at Monza while testing a Ferrari sportscar in 1955.

The younger Ascari had not been due to drive the car, present only to watch his friend Eugenio Castellotti in action, but decided to try it out.

Borrowing a helmet, instead of the lucky light blue one the superstitious driver always wore, and dressed in regular street clothes, the Milanese was thrown out of the car after it skidded and somersaulted off the track at the Curva del Vialone.

The chicane is now known to F1 fans as the Variante Ascari.

Four days earlier, wearing the blue helmet, he had plunged his Lancia into the Monaco harbour at the chicane coming out of the tunnel — miraculously missing an iron mooring hidden by a hay bale — and emerged relatively unscathed.

“You have to get straight back into the saddle after an accident, otherwise doubt sets in,” he was quoted as telling a friend before the fateful drive.

Italians turned out in their tens of thousands for the funeral, with his blue helmet resting on the coffin, and he was buried beside his father.

“He was the fastest driver I ever saw,” Britain’s first world champion Mike Hawthorn recalled later. “Faster even than [Juan Manuel] Fangio.”

Andretti, the 1978 world champion and now on the board of newcomers Cadillac F1, has described Ascari as his “absolute idol”.

“Very cool and relaxed. He sat back doing his thing, totally in control of his car. I loved that style,” the Italy-born American recalls on his website.

“When I was 14, I saw my first Formula One race in Monza, Italy — the Italian Grand Prix. Alberto Ascari didn’t win that day, but he was fighting with Mercedes, the stronger team at the time,” Andretti also wrote in the New York Times last April. “He was my hero regardless. That’s when the dream really was cemented.”

Until Antonelli came along, Ascari held the record for most wins by an Italian in a single season and for successive victories.

Ascari still holds the record for most career wins by an Italian (13 from 32 races) but, with Antonelli on nine from a single campaign, it is probably only a matter of time before that, too, falls.

Reuters

With a flying start to the 2026-27 Egyptian season with Pyramids FC, indications are he may have finally landed at a club that might just have the right blend of ambition, resources and relative stability in a region where that commodity can be as scarce as water, to match his own.

Mokwena joined Wydad Athletic from Sundowns, but the Moroccan giants were in the midst of a financial meltdown. While he raised them from the previous season’s sixth place in the Botola to the top three, Mokwena had been frozen out before the club clinched third position by May, unable to win over Wydad’s demanding fans.

Next came Algerian giants MC Alger, where Mokwena led Algeria’s Ligue Professionnelle 1 when he left in March, reportedly over some disagreements on recruitment and autonomy and with a lucrative offer from Libya’s Al-Ittihad SC. Alger clinched the league title two months after he left.

In Libya, Ittihad started on form under Mokwena but collapsed in a playoff stage that their Premier League has for the championship, failed to reach the Caf Champions League and also lost in the Libyan Cup final, with the relationship ending after four months.

At full time, Rulani Mokwena went over to appreciate the efforts of El Merriekh Bentiu players. 👏

Respect. ❤️⚽️#AfricanFootball #CAFCLwithMicky pic.twitter.com/3sdPG0M5yr

— Micky Jnr (@MickyJnr__) October 24, 2026

Mokwena, 39, remains a coaching prodigy who, for his age, has already had remarkable trophy success with Sundowns and has never failed outright at any of the big North African clubs he’s taken on, in one of the world’s most intense football environments. So he remains sought after.

Pyramids, who have only existed since 2008 and under their present name since 2018, are a young club in Egyptian and African football, but they have had quick success. That includes being Premier League runners-up for the last five seasons in a row and when Democratic Republic of the Congo striker Fiston Mayele led them to the Caf Champions League title in 2024-25, beating Sundowns in the final. With notable financial backing from Emirati investor Salem Al-Shamsi, they have won also three Egyptian Cups.

Mokwena, who works with South African assistants Wendell Robinson and Sinethemba Badela, has had a flying start since signing up for Pyramids in July. He has won all 12 of his matches across competitions. Seven of those leave them top of the Egyptian Premier League, four saw them reach the Champions League group stage and one came in the Egyptian Cup.

Mokwena follows in the footsteps into Egyptian football of his one-time Sundowns mentor, Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane, who coached Al Ahly with success from October 2020 to June 2022. Pyramids’ new boss was asked in a digital session with the South African Football Journalists’ Association what excited him about the club.

“I don’t know if I was excited or convinced more by the recent results of the club,” he said.

“They knew a lot about me because they had followed me for a very long time. And it’s a very good club. When I met some of the people who run the club a few times, the ambition, the objectives they set out for the club, these are things where you get a feeling this is the type of environment you want to be part of.

🚨 Rulani Mokwena equals a Pyramids FC record! 🔥

The South African coach has matched Hossam Hassan and Ramón Díaz by going unbeaten in his first 11 matches in charge of Pyramids across all competitions.

✅ Rulani Mokwena: 11 wins
✅ Ramón Díaz: 7 wins, 4 draws
✅ Hossam… pic.twitter.com/NAv4mXKvw9

— Micky Jnr (@MickyJnr__) October 21, 2026

“You want to be stimulated, you want to grow, you want to challenge yourself in a space with some of the best teams. Even in the Egyptian league, there are two other big clubs [Al Ahly and Zamalek] who are always dominating the space and fighting for trophies.

“And of course when I left South Africa and went to Morocco, I said I would love to have a sojourn, a safari in the North African space. I am still due a sabbatical and tell people a lot that I’m very strong on this but the timing just doesn’t seem to ever be right.

“One of the things I said I would really like to start before I take a sabbatical is I want to work in different leagues, with different players and cultures. I want to learn from different people, improve my ideas on football and challenge them, and see whether or not there are some things that can work in different parts of Africa and maybe other parts of the world.

“So yeah, Pyramids came at the right time. It was also very difficult to leave Libya. Because we were also committed to that project and were enticed [by Ittihad] to leave a team [MC Alger] where we were already league champions 20 matches into the season.

“You might have heard some negative things about Algeria. I have especially heard [former Bafana coach] Hugo Broos talk about his experiences in Algeria and mine were the exact opposite. Incredible league, home stadium [Ali La Pointe Stadium in Algiers], football passion and culture.

“The players. From a technical perspective, the Algerian league is fortunate it has one thing maybe lacking in Egypt, in Morocco, in Libya, which is the Algerian Francophone players who have dual passports and grow up in these academies in France — in St Etienne, Lyon, Lille — their level of technical education is incredible.

“… Egyptian football also has a very strong football culture. It’s not by chance that in the history of African football Egypt dominates not just at international level with the most Afcon titles [seven], but also the most Caf interclub titles. Every year you find an Egyptian team in the semifinals and final of not just the Champions League but the Confederation Cup ― last season Zamalek lost against USM [Alger].

“That tells you about very strong work being done in the league, of course, by the Egyptian FA and that goes right into the youth structures.”

Wydad and Raja are great foes; they are just separated by a streetlamp. The Raja training facility is separated by one road from that of Wydad.

Rulani Mokwena

Like most Egyptian clubs, coaches’ tenures can be short-lived at Pyramids — about 20 have come and gone since 2018. Yet that seems to have improved recently with Krunoslav Jurčić, Mokwena’s predecessor who won the Champions League, having lasted almost two-and-a-half years.

Mokwena was asked about the pressures of working there, as he looks ahead to a league Cairo derby against Al Ahly on November 23.

“On the Cairo derby, look, we are excited. I think the level of pressure that comes from that, I would say fortunately I’ve been marinated in pressure.

“The pressure from the Wydad fans is something you would not believe. You have to play the Casablanca derby ― there’s a lot of pressure. Wydad and Raja are great foes; they are just separated by a streetlamp. The Raja training facility is separated by one road from that of Wydad.

“The rivalry, the pressure from the fans, is incredible and expectation from the Wydad fans one of the highest you can experience as a coach. I was in a pressure cooker situation at Orlando Pirates, in a pressure cooker at Mamelodi Sundowns where you almost had to win every game.

“Pyramids is still a young club from a football perspective with regards to the heritage and what it has achieved. But what it has achieved surpasses what some teams have with more years to their name.

“From being formed in 2008 it has already won a Champions League and what is missing is to be [Egyptian Premier] League champions. That’s the pressure you feel is on the shoulders of the players, the staff, management and hierarchy.

“I’m looking forward to the Cairo derby against a good team. We also know we are a good team and that’s the pressure we put on ourselves, to keep pushing ourselves up to the next level.”

Story audio is generated using AI

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has clarified that the adjusted payment schedule for November 2026 is a strictly one-off arrangement applicable only to this month.

Sassa revised the November payment dates to accommodate the municipal local government elections on November 4.

The revised November 2026 payment schedule is as follows:

• Older persons’ grants: October 30 2026
• Disability grants: November 2 2026
• Children’s grants: November 3 2026

Sassa emphasised that these dates apply exclusively to November 2026 and do not represent permanent changes to the standard social grant payment schedule. The agency confirmed that grant payment dates from December 2026 through March 2027 remain unchanged.

“These dates will continue to apply until a new payment schedule for the 2027/28 financial year is announced through the agency’s official communication platforms,” Sassa stated.

“Beneficiaries are urged to rely on official Sassa communication channels for accurate information and to avoid being misled by unverified messages or speculation regarding changes to payment dates.”

Beneficiaries who do not receive their grants by November 5 are urged to contact their nearest Sassa office, as their payments may have been suspended due to failure to conduct a review.

Sassa called on all recipients who have received review notifications to respond promptly, warning that failure to comply with the review process will result in grant suspensions.

“Sassa is making an emphatic call to beneficiaries who receive notifications requesting them to present themselves for a grant review [and] not to ignore such notices.

“Reviews are an essential part of the agency’s efforts to safeguard the integrity of the social assistance system, ensure that grants are paid to qualifying individuals, and prevent irregular or fraudulent payments. Beneficiaries have a responsibility to respond to review requests and provide the required information and supporting documentation within the specified period.”

Beneficiaries are advised to proactively monitor their grant status using Sassa’s self-service WhatsApp line by sending a message saying “Hi” to 082-601-0111 to check if their grant is under review and access other digital services, including eLife Certification and new grant applications.

“This offers beneficiaries a convenient way to obtain information and access services without necessarily having to visit a Sassa office,” the agency said.

“Sassa encourages beneficiaries to make use of this service regularly, particularly when they are uncertain about the status of their grants or whether further action is required from them.”

Beneficiaries are reminded to notify Sassa immediately of any personal or financial changes, such as updates to marital status, income or contact numbers.

“Beneficiaries who change their cellphone numbers without updating their details with Sassa risk missing important notifications and may consequently fail to respond to requests requiring their attention.

“Such situations can easily be avoided by ensuring that the information held on Sassa’s database remains accurate and current.”

TimesLIVE

The kitchen belongs to Massimo Bottura, widely considered one of Italy’s most celebrated chefs. His three-Michelin-star flagship, Osteria Francescana in Modena, has twice been ranked the world’s best restaurant. Gucci Osteria is his collaboration with the Italian fashion house and earned its own Michelin star less than two years after opening in 2018.

The restaurant sits inside Palazzo Gucci, a 14th-century palazzo on Piazza della Signoria, Florence’s political and Renaissance heart, just a short walk from the Uffizi Gallery. The building also houses the Gucci boutique, a bookshop, and the Gucci Storia exhibition.

What was once largely a retrospective space celebrating the brand’s archives has been reinvented as a living cultural destination, and a walkthrough is an experience in itself, tracing the fashion house’s history back to its Florentine roots. You’ll find displays of handbags, scarves and clothes alongside a boutique where some pieces are bespoke and unavailable elsewhere.

Access to the restaurant for dinner is only possible at dusk through the eclectic bookshop. It’s worth spending a few hours beforehand soaking up the piazza and wandering through the museum. As night falls, the bookshop closes and quietly transforms into the restaurant’s entrance.

Historically, an osteria was a simple tavern — somewhere travellers could eat, drink wine and rest, less formal than a ristorante, but a step up from a café or bar. This is no traditional osteria in that sense. It’s a Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant that draws on the warmth and hospitality of an osteria while operating at a very different level, with gastronomy, design and fashion woven together. Even the dishes on the tasting menu carry cultural references and wordplay.

The space is intimate, with about 50 seats, decorated in the brand’s signature green with playful design touches throughout. Nearly every piece of tableware, from dinner plates to dessert plates and coffee cups, is custom-made by Ginori 1735, the historic Florentine porcelain house owned by Kering, Gucci’s parent company. The crockery patterns fold classic Florentine porcelain craft into Gucci’s herbarium motif — floral and faintly whimsical.

The space isn’t overly sumptuous; rather, it’s gently elegant, with a certain homeliness to it. Some diners dress up, though most don’t seem to. Service is attentive but unobtrusive, with an eye for the smallest details.

Dinner opens with three regional Italian breads, in keeping with the restaurant’s habit of elevating everyday staples: pane guttiau, an ultra-thin, crisp Sardinian bread brushed with olive oil, sea salt and herbs; long, feather-light Piedmontese grissini; and a bouncy, soft Ligurian-Emilian focaccia that melts in the mouth. “I feel sorry for people who don’t eat carbs,” my friend said, reaching for the butter and olive oil.

We began with Dits-Lieux, a champagne my friend, who knows a thing or two about it, declared the best she’d ever tasted. The amuse-bouche arrived in three small elements: a ricotta cannelloni (our favourite of the three); a take on vegetable soup rendered in dark chocolate as an interpretation of Italian espresso; and pralines of dark chocolate and toasted almond, something of a nod to the Italian breakfast — sweet and salty all at once.

Think Green is a salad built from 20 different leaves and greens, from arugula to centocchio, erigeron and begonia. It looks deceptively simple but rewards patience: herbaceous notes surface as you eat. Only afterwards do you recognise that the plate resembles a small meadow lifted from a garden, turning a salad into a meditation on biodiversity, sustainability and Italian agriculture.

Fuori Dalla Norma (“outside the norm”) reinterprets the Sicilian classic Pasta alla Norma, with aubergine, pecorino di fossa and cherry, but without a strand of pasta in sight.

Non Dire Cassata is served on a hand-painted Italian ceramic plate, and it’s a showstopper. Room-temperature spaghetti, lightly sauced, is arranged to look almost like dessert. It draws on one of Sicily’s richest sweets, the cassata, using spaghetti, pistachio and bergamot — a fragrant citrus grown almost exclusively in southern Italy. It’s Bottura’s style distilled: nostalgic and rooted in Italian tradition.

Memories of a Summer in Versilia (zucchini, fennel, tomato dashi) is the creation of the restaurant’s head chef, Takahiko Kondo, who is Japanese by birth but, after years in Italy, has become captivated by the rituals of the Tuscan seaside: long lunches, salt air and fennel growing wild by the beach.

My friend had Fungo! (mushroom, quinoa, and salsa verde); we were both on the vegetarian menu, though I strayed for a small, delicious piece of steak. We skipped the formal wine pairing, but a glass of Castello di Monsanto Vigneto Il Poggio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2020 complemented the meal beautifully.

Dessert was Orto di Venere (Venus’s Garden), with asparagus, white chocolate and spirulina algae, inspired by the Italian Renaissance and its imagery of gardens. A thin meringue crowns the dessert, while edible flowers and herbs echo the floral motifs of Renaissance painting. Avocado ice cream sits alongside. It’s one of the restaurant’s signature finales and possibly its most photographed dessert, telling a story about Florence, the Renaissance and Botticelli before you’ve taken a bite.

To finish, we were served piccola pasticceria, the restaurant’s take on petit fours, including miniature sweets such as candied jellies and cantucci.

The Saturday night of our visit drew an interesting mix of guests: a dressed-up couple in their mid-20s; a mother with two teenage daughters, both understated in appearance; an older fashion-conscious man in casual black with a long ponytail and a younger companion; two men dining together; an older couple; and a glamorous woman in Gucci shoes, sipping wine alone, who had changed into walking shoes by the time she left.

The soundtrack drifted from Serge Gainsbourg to Ain’t No Sunshine, adding another subtle layer to the atmosphere.

Gucci Osteria opened in January 2018 as a collaboration between Bottura and Gucci. It began with a friendship — former Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri, a childhood friend of Bottura, brought him in to build a restaurant inside the newly reimagined Gucci Garden. One friend went on to lead one of the world’s great fashion houses; the other became one of the world’s great chefs. Chef Karime Lopez made history there as the first Mexican woman to earn a Michelin star, an achievement that came within two years of opening; Takahiko Kondo stepped into the role of head chef in 2025.

Bottura is known for taking iconic Italian dishes such as tortellini, lasagna and even a Caesar salad and pulling them apart at the seams and reassembling them in unexpected forms. Many of his dishes read as memories or private jokes turned into food. At Gucci Osteria, his kitchen draws on the influences of wherever his collaborators have trained or travelled, while remaining anchored in Italian technique and the Italian pantry. As he put it when the restaurant opened: “Haute couture and haute cuisine are a recipe made in heaven.”

The restaurant has since expanded to Tokyo and Seoul, though Florence remains the original. It’s one of nine Michelin-starred restaurants in the city for 2026 and holds its own alongside more traditional Tuscan fine dining.

Gucci Osteria does something unusual. It takes the emotion of Tuscan tradition and turns it into a story told through Florence, a fashion house and Bottura. It’s an alchemy that lingers long after the meal is over.

gucciosteria.com

Wanted

Story audio is generated using AI

South Africa is making progress with its structural reforms, but the continued dysfunction at municipalities such as Johannesburg risks deterring much-needed investment into the country, Business Leadership SA (BLSA) has warned.

At the release of its latest reform tracker on Wednesday, BLSA also flagged concerns about stalled progress in the reforms that helped South Africa exit the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) greylist in October 2025.

The failure of numerous municipalities to deliver basic services such as water, a stable electricity supply and road repairs has been the focal point of campaigning ahead of what many see as make or break local government elections on November 4.

BLSA’s reform tracker — which monitors reform deliverables across economic, criminal justice, and governance categories — showed that momentum turned positive in the third quarter of 2026, moving from minus 0.4% to 1.7%, the strongest reading since September-December 2025.

“In the previous quarter, I was concerned that more reforms were losing ground than advancing, so it is heartening to see that reversed,” BLSA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso said in a statement accompanying the report.

“It’s also encouraging to see progress in water, energy and transport. These are network sectors, and it is crucial to eradicate dysfunctionality. Once they are functioning efficiently, they will provide the foundation on which to build a strong and growing economy.”

Still, Mavuso told a media briefing at the release of the tracker that municipal reform must now become an area of much greater urgency.

“When multinational companies consider expanding their investments, they assess more than the size of a country’s market. They assess the operational reliability. They assess infrastructure, they assess logistics, they assess productivity and the risks of doing business,” she said.

“And that, for me, is why municipal reform is becoming one of the most important economic reform priorities that are facing South Africa. We can stabilise electricity generation nationally. We can celebrate the fact that Eskom is sitting for more than 500 days without load-shedding. But if municipalities cannot maintain their distribution networks, businesses will still be without electricity.

“We can attract investment into new infrastructure, but if municipalities cannot provide reliable water, if they can’t maintain roads, if they can’t manage waste and deliver basic services, then businesses will struggle to operate.”

It would not be possible to have a successful national economic reform programme “sitting on top of failing municipal infrastructure”, Mavuso said.

“With the local government elections taking place next week, it is an important moment to reflect on what must change. Whatever the outcome of those elections, we need municipal administrations that are capable of delivering basic services, of maintaining infrastructure, of managing public finances,” she added.

Of the 179 reform areas scored in the third quarter that could be compared like for like with the previous quarter, 40 changed scores, with 33 advancing and seven declining. Electricity reform rose from 67.8 points to 69.4, while freight logistics ticked up from 69.6 to 72.5, and the score for financial sector reforms was up from 88.1 to 89.5.

The criminal justice category edged up from 84.2 to 84.5, but governance declined for the first time, from 55 to 54.6, reflecting the Constitutional Court’s declaration of the Public Procurement Act as unconstitutional and invalid because parliament had not facilitated meaningful public participation at the National Council of Provinces stage.

Organised crime

Shortcomings in investigating organised crime, as well as successfully prosecuting and recovering criminal assets, could see the country again greylisted by the FATF, BLSA warned.

The global watchdog placed South Africa on the list in early 2023 after identifying weaknesses in its systems to tackle money-laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing, but removed it a year ago, citing improvements in the country’s capabilities.

The FATF commenced a mutual evaluation earlier this year, which will conclude in October 2027. In September, deputy finance minister David Masondo acknowledged that South Africa still needs to resolve remaining weaknesses in its system to avert another greylisting.

“Exiting the grey list of FATF was an important achievement last year, but we are at risk of re-entering that grey list,” said Stuart Theobald, executive chair of consultancy firm Krutham, which compiles and analyses the reform tracker for the BLSA.

The outcomes of the ongoing inquiry by the Madlanga commission into criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system would be key, he added.

“Various issues are going to be picked up as part of FATF’s review. One of those is the Madlanga commission’s findings, which have clearly unveiled significant problems in the leadership of the police and intelligence services, and one of the new reform areas that we will be adding to the tracker will be the recommendations coming from the Madlanga commission,” Theobald said.

Business Day

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There was drama in the murder trial of rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes on Wednesday when the defence team tried to gag a vehicle tracking expert about the cars allegedly used to tail the rapper.

Defence counsel Adv Simphiwe Mlotshwa objected to Carel Rothmann, a Cartrack expert fleet administrator testifying, forcing judge Nomfundo Sipunzi to intervene.

AKA and his celebrity chef friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane were gunned down outside Wish restaurant on Florida Road on February 10 2023.

Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, 30, Lindani Zenzele Ndimande, 35, Siyanda Eddie Myeza, 23, Mziwelithini Gwabeni, 36, Lindokuhle Mhlaliseni Ndimande, 29, Malusi Dave Ndimande, 30, and Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande, 31, pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms when the trial began on October 5.

The proceedings were interrupted by other defence team members who also supported Mlotshwa.

Mlotshwa demanded Rothmann’s full affidavit before he could testify.

“We need to consult with the accused and our own expert before this witness can continue,” said Mlotshwa.

Sipunzi initially ruled that Rothmann would be allowed to give evidence after hearing the defence already had his affidavit and reports.

However, shortly after Sipunzi’s ruling, Adv William Nicholson SC demanded not only the full affidavit but all materials the witness planned to use in his testimony.

Nicholson claimed that 95% of Rothmann’s testimony wasn’t in the original affidavit.

“We need our own expert present when this witness testifies,” he said.

Sipunzi made a ruling that Rothmann would complete his evidence, then the matter would stand down to allow the defence time to prepare before cross-examination.

Rothmann’s testimony focused on two vehicles allegedly used to monitor AKA ― a grey VW Polo and a Hyundai Grand i10.

The state alleges accused number four Gwabeni leased both cars from Sonwabile Bani, who confirmed the rental arrangement in his testimony.

The state alleges that these vehicles were used by spotters who tracked AKA’s movements on the day he was killed.

Rothmann’s tracking data revealed that both cars left Keeler Place in Durban on February 9 2023, a day before the rapper was gunned down.

Both vehicles were parked at the same Keeler Place location in the afternoon and evening of February 10, the day AKA and Tibz were murdered.

He said the two cars followed each other in the same direction throughout the surveillance period.

The objections by the defence came after they questioned extensive video surveillance presented by KwaZulu-Natal organised crime unit sergeant Rajen Sanders.

He had collected 17 video clips tracking the movements of the accused, which last week linked three men to being the spotter, tail and supplier of guns that killed AKA and Tibz in the Durban high court.

The trial continues.

Hit by the loss of its decades-long dominance in China and mounting competition from Chinese competitors in Europe, Volkswagen is pressing ahead with deep cost cuts, including plans for 100,000 job reductions and the possible closure of four German plants.

Zwickau is among the sites under threat, with no vehicle production currently planned beyond 2031, casting a shadow over Wednesday’s launch of Volkswagen’s first “Circular Economy Hub” at the factory in the eastern state of Saxony.

Volkswagen said 100 workers had been retrained and would begin dismantling 4,100 vehicles a year at the site from 2027.

“For us, dismantling and recycling doesn’t mean a scrapyard; it means creating value,” said Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen’s volume brands.

‘Pilot project’ for now

The project was awarded to Zwickau in a bid to secure up to 1,000 jobs over the longer term. Volkswagen plans to invest up to €90m (R1.66bn), while the regional government has pledged €10.7m.

However, the initiative offers only limited relief for a site where about 8,000 jobs are at risk under Volkswagen’s overhaul announced in July. Production shifts are also expected to create excess capacity from mid-2026.

With support for the far-right opposition running high, Saxony’s government is under pressure to protect an auto industry linked to one in four jobs in the state.

State economy minister Dirk Panter said the new facility showed Volkswagen was working with employees and the region to find durable solutions for the sector’s future.

“The circular economy for automotive components opens up new business opportunities, creates additional value and offers long-term employment prospects,” Panter said.

However, company sources and industry observers said the recycling venture alone would not secure the plant’s future.

Henning Wilts, a circular economy researcher at Germany’s Wuppertal Institute, said the Zwickau hub remained an experiment whose commercial viability had yet to be proven.

“This is a pilot project you launch to see if it’s scalable and if it’s really an investment that will pay off quickly enough,” Wilts said, adding: “It is certainly not the answer to all the questions in the European auto industry.”

Reuters

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The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has received more than 1-million applications for the 2027 funding cycle, with prospective students having until Saturday to apply for financial assistance to study at public universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges.

In a statement, NSFAS urged applicants to submit their applications before the October 31 deadline, warning that there would be no extensions.

The scheme said the high number of applications reflected the continued interest of prospective students seeking financial assistance to further their studies.

With the closing date approaching, NSFAS said its board would join a final outreach programme aimed at helping more prospective students apply for funding. The initiative will focus particularly on rural communities, townships and areas where access to information and application assistance may be limited.

For many young people hoping to pursue higher education, financial assistance can make the difference between continuing their studies and having to put their plans on hold.

NSFAS called on pupils, parents, guardians, educators, community organisations and other stakeholders to help spread accurate information and encourage prospective students to apply before the deadline.

Applications can be submitted through the official NSFAS website, www.nsfas.org.za, or the NSFAS mobile application.

Applicants who need to provide supporting documents must upload them through the official application platform.

The scheme warned that missing documents, incomplete information or incorrect details could affect the verification and processing of applications.

“Applicants must carefully review the requirements applicable to their circumstances and ensure that all necessary documents are submitted as prescribed,” said NSFAS.

The scheme urged prospective students not to wait until the last minute to apply to avoid potential challenges that could prevent their applications from being submitted on time.

The 2027 application period closes on October 31, with NSFAS confirming that no extensions will be granted.

TimesLIVE

However, while they may have helped block an outright win by Netanyahu and his far-right allies, parties representing Israel’s 21% Arab minority have so far been shunned by the prime minister’s main opponent, Gadi Eisenkot, who has no clear path to power without them.

Vote tallies show the two main Arab parties on course to win about 19 of parliament’s 120 seats, nearly double their current representation in the Knesset. Netanyahu’s coalition bloc is on track for 53 seats, short of the 61 needed for a majority, with Eisenkot’s grouping expected to win 48 seats.

‘Getting rid of Netanyahu’s government’

Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Arab-dominated Joint List, said his party would seek to use its projected 12 seats “to facilitate getting rid of Netanyahu’s government and hopefully helping to change the political situation in Israel”.

Jabareen said the Joint List could not join an Eisenkot-led government because of its support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and occupation of southern Lebanon.

However, he left open the possibility of bolstering Eisenkot’s bloc from the outside, propping up a minority government that could survive confidence votes.

“We have our demands to protect our community, to advance the rights of our community and to promote equality for our community,” said Jabareen, speaking from his home in the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm.

He said the priorities were tackling soaring crime, boosting funding and opportunities in Arab communities, and reopening peace talks on a Palestinian state.

The second main Arab party, Ra’am, is led by Mansour Abbas, who joined Naftali Bennett’s government in 2021, the first time an independent Arab party entered an Israeli coalition. That government collapsed after 18 months, partly because of disagreements over the occupied West Bank.

This time, Abbas, a dentist-turned-politician, has sought to make Ra’am a more attractive coalition partner, adding a Jewish former police official to its slate and saying he would join an Eisenkot-led government.

Speaking to Israeli television after voting wrapped on Tuesday night, Abbas said: “I believe we can overcome the difficulties, and I think most voters for the [Eisenkot] bloc do want to see a government with the Ra’am party.”

He said senior members of Eisenkot’s bloc had discussed a possible deal with him even before the election.

Eisenkot ruled out forming a government with Arab parties during the campaign, citing what he called a lack of shared values, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

In remarks to supporters after exit poll results were published on Tuesday night, Eisenkot said he would work to form a “stable Zionist government that serves all Israeli citizens”.

Ameer Fakhoury, a political sociologist at Jerusalem’s Van Leer Institute, said Arab votes may block Netanyahu and make an alternative government possible.

“But arithmetic is not legitimacy. The Jewish opposition may need Palestinian votes while refusing Palestinian partners. That is the central paradox,” he said.

Arabs frustrated by right-wing rhetoric

Israel’s Arab minority is mostly descended from Palestinians who lived under Ottoman and British colonial-era rule and who remained inside the borders of what became the modern state of Israel in 1948.

Throughout the elections campaign, Israel’s far-right have demonised Palestinian citizens of Israel and branded Arab political participation as a threat to the state.

Ahead of the vote, finance minister Bezalel Smotrich proposed a plan to “Judaize” areas around Nazareth and in southern Israel where many Arabs live, comparing it to Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank.

Pollsters had predicted high Arab turnout, and on election day Netanyahu, Smotrich and far-right partner Itamar Ben-Gvir repeatedly warned Arabs were voting in large numbers, appealing to their own supporters to turn out.

Mohamed Abbas, 19, speaking in Nazareth, said he and many others in his generation were driven to vote by what he described as rising racism toward Arab Palestinian citizens.

He said: “We want equality. We do not want displacement laws or preference given to Jewish people.”

Reuters

The world’s biggest carmaker saw global sales decline 2.2% from a year earlier to 860,107 vehicles, while production dropped 3.2% to 889,079 vehicles.

Sales in China fell 19.7%, extending their decline to an eighth consecutive month, as higher petrol prices weighed on demand for petrol and hybrid cars, Toyota said.

Sales in the Middle East slumped 29.8%, while they rose 1.8% in Japan and 8.4% in the US, Toyota’s top market.

Output fell 18.6% in China and 2.9% in the US, while it rose 5.8% in Japan.

Toyota’s figures include its luxury Lexus brand.

Reuters

The decision marks the latest setback for President Donald Trump’s effort to boost the federal government’s role in elections ahead of the November 3 midterms, with his Republican Party locked in a tight battle to retain control of both houses of Congress.

US district judge David Carter issued the decision after a hearing on Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court over the justice department’s request for a temporary restraining order barring officials from counting any ballots from the individuals it flagged.

The justice department’s lawsuit, filed on October 15, was a rare intervention in the voting process weeks before an election and signalled the Trump administration’s willingness to contest the midterm results in court.

“Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own constitutional elections procedures and bend to the will of the executive branch,” Carter wrote on Wednesday.

The judge, an appointee of Democratic president Bill Clinton, said the justice department’s last-minute request to exclude more than 20,000 ballots ran afoul of “longstanding constitutional principles mandating that states have control over their elections”.

Carter warned that a ruling in the Trump administration’s favour would “wreak havoc” and cause thousands of registered voters to “potentially lose the right that generations of Americans have fought to preserve”.

“Eroded trust in our democracy is irreparable,” Carter wrote. “Once a vote is segregated, lasting harm has occurred. If the executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger.”

The justice department swiftly appealed the decision to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

“Every day, more ballots are processed by election officials,” justice department lawyer Bill Essayli said in a statement. “This ongoing emergency disenfranchises American citizens through dilution.”

California has said the state’s safeguards against non-citizen voting are robust. It said the justice department’s assertions relied on “suspect data” and that complying with its demands would risk disenfranchising eligible voters.

California is the most populous US state and a Democratic stronghold. It has more seats in the House of Representatives — 52 — than any other state.

Trump has made California a focal point of his sweeping immigration crackdown since returning to the White House, accusing it of undermining public safety through its “sanctuary state” policies that ‌limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that states are not doing enough to stop voting by non-citizens, which he says is widespread despite multiple studies and state audits showing it is rare.

Appeals court rejects urgent request

Carter ruled two days after a federal appeals court on Monday rejected an unusual emergency request by the justice department asking the appeals court to temporarily block California from counting the ballots before Carter had the chance to rule.

The justice department did not indicate how many of the more than 20,000 people it flagged in California had actually submitted a mail ballot.

It had argued that a restraining order was necessary to ensure that California did not impede prosecutors’ ability to enforce a federal law that makes it illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections.

But Carter said the justice department never explained why counting ballots would impair any prosecutions under the law, as states are not required to help the federal government investigate and prosecute crimes.

Apart from California, the Trump administration has sought to intervene in elections in two states that are home to competitive races.

In Alaska, the justice department last week asked a judge to prevent certification of election results if the Republican incumbent senator loses by a slim margin, alleging that the presence of another candidate with a similar name on the ballot could confuse voters. Alaska has urged that the case be dismissed, arguing it has taken steps to distinguish the two candidates on the ballot.

In Washington state, the justice department on Monday sent a letter asking officials not to count any ballots received from 400 voters it said may not be citizens. Washington’s top elections official said the timing of the request indicated it was intended to cast unfounded suspicion on election results.

California had 23-million registered voters as of December 2025, while Washington had 5-million registered voters as of 2024, state records show.

Voting rights activists have expressed concern that the federal government’s methods for scrutinising state voter lists to identify non-citizen voters risk wrongly flagging naturalised citizens for removal from the rolls.

Reuters

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) and Airlines for America, in separate previously unreported letters reviewed by Reuters, urged the CDC to reconsider the plan announced last week that takes effect on November 3 and is aimed at preventing entry by people exposed to Ebola.

“It is unreasonable for the US government to require all airlines serving the US market to modify their procedures to accommodate the collection of attestations from each individual (passenger and crew) flying to the US in less than two weeks,” Iata, which represents more than 370 member airlines in more than 130 countries, said in the letter dated Tuesday.

The new CDC order requires all US-bound airline passengers and crew members to file digital or paper attestations. The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Airlines for America, which represents United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines, said in a separate letter to the CDC that the plan was unworkable.

“Changes to check-in systems, digital signatures, station procedures and training cannot readily be completed in the allotted time,” the group said, calling on the CDC to “reconsider a more proportionate and measured US response”.

Airlines for America said that in 2025 US customs and border protection screened about 130-million air passengers, but fewer than 25,000 of them had a connection to the DRC.

Iata also questioned why the plan only applied to air travellers. “The US government has clearly decided the risk of the importation of Ebola into the US is high enough to justify this global process. It is difficult to understand why other modes of transportation, maritime and surface, were not included in this mandate,” it said.

The CDC in May adopted rules barring foreign ‌airline passengers who had been in the DRC, the centre of the this year’s outbreak, in the three weeks before. The restrictions were extended to US citizens in July.

Airlines for America urged the CDC to exempt crew members, the US military and jumpseat travellers, calling the plan “overly stringent, costly and burdensome to Americans and the US airline industry”.

As part of the Ebola measures, the CDC since earlier this year has barred foreign nationals from the US if they were in Uganda or South Sudan in the three weeks before.

The Bundibugyo strain of the virus spread undetected for months before ​the outbreak was declared in May. It kills about half of those infected and has no approved treatment or vaccine.

The outbreak is confirmed to have killed about 4,700 people in Africa, according to the Africa CDC.

Reuters

She recently moved back to Britain from the US with her family, with media reports suggesting she was keen to find a new acting role. Meghan was an actress in the US before she married Harry in 2018.

Channel 10 said on Instagram Junior MasterChef Australia would return in 2027, hosted by Poh Ling Yeow and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

Australian website News.com.au said filming was expected to take place in Melbourne from early to mid-2027.

Harry and Meghan have attracted global media attention since they stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020 before moving to the US, where they gave interviews criticising the institution.

The couple returned to the headlines last week after authorities in the Philippines said they were investigating whether Thomas Markle, Meghan’s father, had possessed child sexual abuse images. She said she was “deeply distressed” over the allegations.

Reuters

The suspects allegedly planned to set fire to a building or critical infrastructure facility in the Nuremberg area, the prosecutor’s office told Reuters.

It added that the suspects — two men, aged 39 and 50 — had acted on behalf of a foreign government or organisation and for payment. They have been in custody since October 7. It did not name the country they are suspected of working for.

Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations made by Germany and others of carrying out sabotage attacks.

Der Spiegel reported that Romanian authorities are also investigating the two men for suspected involvement in an arson attack on an industrial park in the Romanian city of Brasov on the night of September 14, the site of a defence firm making grenade launchers and ammunition.

Romanian organised crime prosecutors have said they are seeking the extradition of the two suspects apprehended in Germany and one Ukrainian detained in Poland who were all suspected of involvement in the arson case.

Reuters

The body of Antoine de Massy, 29, was found on Sunday evening in a park. Authorities are still determining the cause of death, Monaco’s prosecutor’s office said.

“All hypotheses are on the table, including that of a simple accident,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

De Massy was the grandson of Princess Antoinette, the older sister of Prince Rainier III, who was the father of Prince Albert.

Reuters

An estimated 100,000 people gathered for the Cadillac driver’s showrun, his fourth in Mexico during his Formula One career.

You guys are one of the main reasons I came back to Formula One. Thank you for all the unforgettable moments

Sergio Perez

Mexican flags lined the avenue along with giant images of the 36-year-old as Perez drove the Formula Two-adapted car, performed tyre-smoking doughnuts and stopped near the Angel of Independence monument to greet fans.

“I know some of you were here since last night. I really appreciate it,” Perez told the crowd. “You guys are one of the main reasons I came back to Formula One.

“Thank you for all the unforgettable moments,” he added.

Perez, a six-time Grand Prix winner, returned to the grid this year with Cadillac, and the team announced earlier on Wednesday that the Mexican driver had signed a multi-year contract extension until 2029.

For fans priced out of the Grand Prix or unable to secure tickets before they sold out, the free street event offered a chance to share in the spectacle.

Twenty-year-old Sebastian Perez, no relation to the driver, came dressed in a homemade replica race suit and helmet that he said cost almost 3,000 Mexican pesos (about R2,675.45).

View this post on Instagram

“I’m not going [to the race]. To be honest, I couldn’t get a ticket but I would have liked to. I feel the prices are a little high; not everyone can afford to go. But also, because there are so many fans now, it sells out really quickly.”

A Perez fan for nearly three years, Sebastian said his namesake’s resilience had made him a hero.

“I started following him when he was still at Red Bull, and then I got to see his retirement and then his return,” he said. “I really like him because he has always shown that he doesn’t give up — that ‘never give up’ attitude.”

Virginia Cano, 62, who said she had followed Perez for around a decade, praised his impact beyond the track.

“It brings me joy, knowing that he is a world-class competitor — not just a national one, but a global one — and an excellent person,” she said. “Also handsome.

“As Mexicans, having someone in racing who has gone so far. It’s wonderful.”

While families and fans of all ages pressed against barriers for a glimpse of the hometown hero, children sat on their parents’ shoulders, and some even climbed up trees or over monuments.

Perez signed autographs and posed for photographs before getting into a classic Cadillac convertible to wave to the crowd.

His teammate Valtteri Bottas was also invited; although the Finn did not drive, he drew cheers with an enthusiastic message in Spanish: “Amo los tacos, amo Mexico”.

Reuters

Just ask the Brookings Institution, which reports African logistics start-ups have raised more than R29bn in the past five years, maritime trade is expected to grow from 58-million tonnes to 132-million by 2030, and the African Continental Free Trade Area is expected to boost intra-African freight demand by 28%.

How does South Africa look in this picture? The 2025 budget included R402bn for improving transport and logistics, which can only be good news. The government is also pushing ahead with public-private partnerships in the hope of leveraging expertise and capital to improve operations and infrastructure.

The freight rail network will soon have 11 private registered mandate services operating trains on it. Last year, Durban Port entered into a 25-year partnership with International Container Terminal Services to upgrade and expand Durban container terminal pier 2, and a request for proposal has been issued for a private-sector operator to finance, upgrade, operate and maintain a multipurpose terminal at port of Cape Town. Check out our feature on page 13 to learn about the implications for port operations, risk management and infrastructure investment.

Speaking of infrastructure, long-distance freight movers continue to face significant operational challenges and risk (page 25), particularly along critical arterial routes (page 21). Many of these movers are turning to electric vehicles (page 42), while micrologistics operators are being well served by smaller vehicles (page 34).

On the retail front, technological developments are powering South Africa’s e-commerce growth (page 26), and integrated logistics platforms, vendor management and streamlined distribution networks are helping build resilience across channels (page 8). Meanwhile, skills providers are aiming to grow resilience through greater industry collaboration (page 30). Finally, though load-shedding has receded, energy resilience, sustainability and cost remain top of mind for supply chain professionals (page 16).

Hopefully, these developments can help South Africa ride the wave of growth sweeping across Africa.

Happy reading.

Anthony Sharpe, editor

TimesLIVE

Youssef Siher, a 30-year-old Italian freelance journalist and geopolitics graduate of Moroccan origin, was detained by Milan prosecutors on October 24 on charges of incitement to commit crimes, aggravated by alleged terrorist purposes.

But in a setback for prosecutors who had portrayed him as a dangerous militant, Milan judge Tiziana Landoni said the investigation appeared deeply flawed.

“There are no serious grounds for believing that [Siher] committed the offences with which he has been charged, nor is there a risk of flight,” Landoni wrote in her ruling.

Siher himself always denied any wrongdoing. Prosecutors did not immediately comment, but Meloni was swift to denounce the decision.

“I think this is an unbearable humiliation of the work of the police and investigators,” she said in a video posted on social media.

“I really don’t know how a normal state can defend decent people in the face of these decisions by certain sections of the judiciary,” she added.

In a statement signed by court president Fabio Roia, judges said Meloni’s remarks were “unacceptable”, reflecting what they described as “a poor understanding, whether real or feigned, of the legal institutions of a state governed by the rule of law”.

Italian police had identified Siher as the administrator of the Telegram group “October 17 Movement”, which was created following violent protests in Milan.

According to the detention order, Siher published what investigators described as “subversive content” and messages calling on protesters to gather on October 24 with the aim of carrying out offences against public order.

However, Landoni said such comments were posted by other group members, not Siher himself. “Siher was not found to have encouraged or in any way supported the violent actions advocated by those users,” she wrote.

The case is notable because prosecutors cited a new offence introduced under a security decree enacted by Meloni’s government this month as part of its latest law-and-order crackdown.

The newly defined crime carries prison terms of between four and 12 years for organisers of groups that, while taking part in public demonstrations, endanger public safety or cause damage.

Siher’s arrest has sparked concern among legal observers and members of the Italian Bar Association.

Critics also questioned the extensive media coverage of the case, with some Italian newspapers portraying him as guilty and revealing detailed descriptions of his life and family.

Reuters