October 2026

Judge Nomfundo Simpunzi of the Durban High Court changed an earlier ruling on media coverage of the trial for the murders of rapper Kiernan Forbes and businessman Tebello Motsoane. The media may now report on witness testimony, arguments by the State and defence, and exhibits shown in court. The media may not reveal the identities of witnesses or any information that could identify them.

The earlier ruling barred all such publication unless the court allowed it.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) led a procession through the Cape Town CBD on Wednesday. Marchers carried a 20-meter handwritten shroud with the names of Palestinian children killed in Gaza. The PSC also planned a silent demonstration outside the Holocaust Museum and a vigil at St. George's Cathedral.

PSC coordinator Yusuf Chikte said the event draws on the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu's 2008 visit to Gaza, when Tutu noted the absence of children playing.

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) sits from 5 to 13 October to interview over 40 candidates for 22 vacancies on superior courts. Three of the vacancies are on the Supreme Court of Appeal. Civil society group Judges Matter raised concern that the current round has no Electoral Court interviews, ahead of the local government elections.

Judges Matter coordinator Alison Tilley said the lack of candidates is concerning.

The Johannesburg High Court ordered that Fikile Mbalula's defamation case against Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma go to oral evidence. Mbalula is the ANC Secretary-General. Dlamini-Zuma, an ANC NEC member, made vote-buying claims against him on a podcast in August.

Mbalula said the order is not a finding that the claims are true. He said he has consistently denied them.

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal threatened to take the DA to the Electoral Court over a billboard in Durban. The billboard stood along the N2 near Newlands East. It showed eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba and two senior city officials.

The property owner took it down after complaints. ANC convenor Mike Mabuyakhulu said it broke the Electoral Code of Conduct signed on 29 September.

Design Week South Africa 2026 is running across Johannesburg for four days. The programme asks whether design can help with urban problems such as mobility, public space, safety and liveability. It includes talks, tours, studio visits and competitions that connect creatives with brands and audiences.

Founder Margot Molyneux said: "The real measure of success is what happens after the festival"

Former president Jacob Zuma is believed to be in hospital at a private medical facility in Pietermaritzburg. The facility is under lockdown, with heightened security. A Zuma confidant said he has been sick these days.

No official statement is given in the report.

The eThekwini Municipality said reported water leaks fell from 13,000 to 3,900 since its accelerated service delivery intervention started two months ago. On Wednesday, Mayor Cyril Xaba inspected water and sanitation infrastructure in uMlazi Wards 80, 81 and 88. Xaba said the misuse of public infrastructure remains a primary driver of recurring sewer system blockages across the municipality.

Umalusi CEO Dr Mafu Rakometsi said exam bodies have systems to manage irregularities in the final exams. The exams start on 13 October. SAnews gave the number of candidates as 1 079 879 across GETC: ABET, NC(V) Level 4 and NSC exams.

Rakometsi also warned teachers and principals not to stop registered candidates from writing. The timetable changed to fit the Local Government Elections on 4 November.

Umalusi, the body that checks exam standards, has approved the 2026 matric exams to go ahead. The approval means the national exams can proceed in South Africa. The fact sheet gives no further detail on the exam dates or on how Umalusi reached its decision.

Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela asked universities to prepare students for a world shaped by AI. He spoke on Thursday at the 4th Universities South Africa Higher Education Conference. Manamela said universities must move beyond general talk and make practical choices on teaching, assessment and research.

He said South Africa must ask who builds AI, whose languages it uses, who controls the infrastructure and who benefits.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration (IMC) set out steps to strengthen the asylum system after a Constitutional Court judgment in July. The judgment widened access to asylum determination. The steps include more capacity to process refugees, better identity checks and faster decisions on asylum.

The IMC said it will recommend moving Refugee Reception Offices from inland areas towards the borders, starting in December.

Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said a July Constitutional Court ruling on asylum does not legalise unlawful migration or grant automatic refugee status. She spoke at a briefing of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration in Pretoria. Kubayi said asylum seekers must now enter the formal process, and fraudulent or unfounded applications will still fail.

She also said refugee centres will move from inland areas to border regions from December.

The Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development welcomed better results from the Department of Small Business Development. The department achieved 93% of its annual performance plan targets in 2025/26, up from 88% in 2024/25. It used 97% of its budget.

However, its audit outcome fell from a clean audit to an unqualified opinion with material findings on compliance with legislation, the committee said. Chairperson Masefako Dikgale asked for measurable results for MSMEs and cooperatives.

Witness S was expected to testify at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday. The commission sat at the Bridgette Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria. He is a Crime Intelligence officer and would speak about undercover operations.

The operations targeted an organised criminal syndicate that had allegedly infiltrated the South African Police Service. The commission's evidence leaders asked to hear the evidence in camera because of confidentiality concerns. Media have 72 hours to oppose the application.

Police arrested three Limpopo police officers on Wednesday over alleged theft and corruption. Police said a 46-year-old officer faces two counts of theft after R9,000 left a complainant's bank account. Two officers, aged 33 and 47, face corruption charges for allegedly demanding R1,000 from a foreign national.

Provincial Commissioner Jan Petrus Scheepers said investigations continue.

Police leaders told Parliament's Police Portfolio Committee that a cancelled health contract left the police short of more than 5,000 officers. The R360 million Medicare24 Tshwane District contract ended in January 2025. Without it, police could not finish the medical screening of 6,125 recruits.

The February enlistment moved to the current financial year. Major-General Leon Rabie said the target for that year is now 11,000 trainees.

The South African First Forum says about 4.4 million South African citizens have no identity documents. Its CEO, Xolani Zuma, wrote to the Home Affairs Minister. The forum wants a plan to document citizens within 90 days.

It also gave the department 14 days to draft that plan. The forum's figure is an estimate.

National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza said on Tuesday that many countries fail to turn their promises into results. She spoke at the 153rd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Arusha, Tanzania. Didiza said the main challenge is implementation and enforcement of laws.

She said this gap lowers public confidence in democratic institutions. She named transparency, accountability and the fight against crime and corruption as ways to rebuild trust.

Here is the weather forecast for four cities. Johannesburg is drizzly, with 12 to 24°C and a 37% chance of rain. Pretoria is drizzly, with 14 to 27°C and a 31% chance of rain.

Cape Town is cloudy, with 10 to 17°C and a 0% chance of rain. Durban is cloudy, with 17 to 26°C and a 21% chance of rain.

The National Taxi Alliance said it will meet government officials on Tuesday to ask for relief from higher fuel prices. Petrol is expected to rise by between R3.12 and R3.33 per litre from midnight on Tuesday. Diesel is expected to rise by between R2.84 and R3.24 per litre.

Spokesperson Theo Malele said operators may have to raise taxi fares if they get no help.

Fuel prices rose from midnight on Tuesday, according to the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources. Petrol went up by R3.12 to R3.33 per litre, depending on grade. Diesel went up by R2.84 to R3.24 per litre.

The department said rising crude oil prices, linked to US/Iran tensions, and a stronger Rand played a part. Political parties asked government for relief.

Cosatu asked government to give fuel levy relief after steep fuel price increases took effect at midnight on 6 October. Matthew Parks, the federation's Parliamentary Coordinator, said relief for October and November could help cushion society. He said it could also help avoid another Reserve Bank repo rate increase in November.

Parks said: "So I think for us, the plea to government is to act now and provide some relief."

Cape Town will host the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships on Table Mountain from 6 to 10 October. It is the first time these championships will take place in Africa. It is also the first World Championship in an athletics discipline in South Africa since 1993.

The festival will have elite races in five core disciplines and over 2,000 amateur runners.

Dr. Steven Gordon of the Human Sciences Research Council warned about low voter turnout before the local government elections. He spoke in an interview with 702 and CapeTalk. Of an estimated 40 million eligible voters, just over 29 million are on the voters' roll, according to the South African Government News Agency.

Gordon said people stay away because they do not trust politicians. He said Generation Z is the group least likely to vote.

Police uncovered a mandrax lab near Hartbeespoort in the North West and arrested four suspects. They are a 39-year-old Zimbabwean man and three women aged between 23 and 29. Police also seized firearms, including a rifle.

The suspects face charges of possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and of dealing in and making drugs. Police said the facility is a multimillion-rand lab.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the province is close to a revolution in how government delivers services. He spoke on Tuesday at the launch of the Gauteng Public Transport Regulatory Information System. Lesufi said the transport and health departments are part of his plan to modernise government.

He said technology must make government services faster and easier for residents to reach.

Former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma will testify before the inquiry linked to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission this month. Mbeki is expected to testify on 19 and 20 October. Zuma is expected to testify on 22 October.

Both face accusations of political interference. In August, the Constitutional Court dismissed their joint bid to make Justice Sisi Khampepe step down as chairperson of the inquiry.

South African cricketer Dewald Brevis says he wants to be himself and not live up to comparisons with AB de Villiers. Fans call Brevis by a nickname that links him to his childhood idol. In an interview with Eyewitness News, Brevis said: "I only compare myself to Dewald, and I want to be Dewald in the next 10 years"

The World Bank raised its growth forecast for sub-Saharan Africa in 2026 to 4.3%, up from 4.1%. The bank said stronger domestic demand and better economic conditions in several countries helped. It also said high public debt, limited access to finance and weak job creation remain problems.

Its latest Africa Economic Update urges governments to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) foundations and in digital skills and connectivity.