October 2026

Pepkor is an African clothing retailer. Its fintech arm is to merge with a rival business in a deal valued at R21bn.

Some directors and investors are unhappy because shareholders were not allowed to vote on the merger. The claim that directors voted against the deal comes from an insider, and Pepkor has not confirmed it.Share

The seven accused pleaded not guilty to all charges last week. The State expects to lead more evidence against Eddie Myeza, accused number three, and a new witness is due to testify. Myeza's name appears as Siyanda in some reports.

Prosecutor Elvis Gweka asked that two witnesses give evidence by CCTV. He said they are overwhelmed by the prospect of testifying in open court.

An Umlazi police officer, who cannot be named, testified about a raid on a house in Umlazi. Myeza's lawyers say police had no search warrant that day. The officer answered through the court interpreter: "We did not need it because of the urgent situation."

Forbes and Motsoane were shot dead outside a restaurant on Florida Road in Durban on 10 February 2023.Share

Gwarube said the focus on the pass rate has had unintended consequences. She said it has pushed schools to keep weaker learners out of Grade 12 and nudged learners to take Mathematical Literacy instead of Mathematics. She also said too much focus on the overall rate could harm skills in STEM and Accounting and Economic Sciences.

She said the question should not only be whether learners passed. In her words: "The question should not only be whether learners passed, but whether provinces are improving literacy, numeracy, retention and subject participation".

Of the registered candidates, 815 051 are full-time and 147 781 are part-time. Gwarube said the rise in full-time registrations shows more learners are staying in school and finishing matric on time. Preparations are complete in all nine provinces.

Learner support interventions reached 159 180 learners at 1 262 centres. They ran in 75 education districts.Share

The march took place on Saturday as part of an international mass march in solidarity with Palestine. The fact that the banner named children was a focus of the event. The group said the victims named on the banner were all under the age of five.

Fataar said efforts to silence Palestinian voices had crept into powerful political and business interests around the world. He also said Palestinians continue to draw hope from the belief that people worldwide will stand up for humanity.

Fataar said: "We are telling the governments, do your damn job and listen to your people."Share

Monaheng spoke to the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans about the 2025/26 Annual Report. He said: "We are under no illusion about the challenges that remain, particularly around liquidity, financial controls and operational sustainability."

Monaheng said Denel has made important progress in stabilising the organisation and rebuilding its foundations. He said the recovery must be measured by better delivery, stronger financial management and sound governance. He also said Denel must turn market opportunities into lasting revenue and cash flows.

Denel said its pipeline of business opportunities exceeds R30 billion. It said closer alignment with the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, the SANDF and Armscor gives it a platform to strengthen its strategic role.Share

Government is now considering another model. It would be a commission chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa to coordinate oversight of state-owned companies. The entities would stay under their respective departments.

Government expects the commission to strengthen accountability, improve performance and coordinate the management of these companies. Its wider aim is to put state-owned enterprises on a more sustainable financial footing and improve their contribution to economic growth.

The DA and the IFP resisted the bill. That raised questions about whether the restructuring could win enough support in parliament.Share

Mhaule said the examinations and the learners are ready, and that universities are ready to receive them. She said collective efforts with communities will make the exam a success.

The Department of Basic Education is working with municipalities and other stakeholders on the challenges. Water supply disruptions in some areas are one of them.

Mhaule said: "We are calling upon parents and communities to support this writing of the examination."Share

The Hawks said the suspects will be charged with, among other things, murder and hijacking. Seroka was a police commander at the Groblersdal Police Station.

The Hawks allege the suspects fled the scene in Seroka's vehicle. Police later tracked the car after the suspects abandoned it.

The Hawks said investigations are ongoing and further arrests are imminent. Gopz Govender, the Hawks provincial head in Limpopo, said justice has no expiry date and the team remains determined to bring those implicated to justice.Share

The Reserve Bank also told people not to share personal or financial information with the group. It said Kganyago has no link to the group.

The bank said: "This is a scam. Governor Kganyago is not affiliated with this group or any WhatsApp group offering investment advice or stock recommendations".Share

The department said a major investigation in 2023, done with the Department of Home Affairs, found widespread abuse of TRNs and other road traffic documents as identity documents. Some institutions accepted TRNs and driving licences as general identification. The department said this goes against the Identification Act, 1997.

Department spokesperson Collen Msibi said the TRN was created only so people without a South African identity number could transact on NaTIS while they finalised their legal status. He said: "It was never intended to serve as general identification."

The draft changes Regulations 1 and 335. The 30 days run from publication in the Government Gazette. A TRN holder would have 21 days to tell the registering authority after getting other acceptable identification. People holding TRN certificates with no validity period would have three months to apply for a new certificate once the rules take effect.Share

Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou said his team could learn good lessons from the defeat.

The final was the first for Sundowns player Thabo Cele, 29. He is a free agent released by Kaizer Chiefs. He said he is focused on winning trophies and will keep helping Sundowns win more titles.

Cele told the media his time at Chiefs was hard. He said: "For me, football is life; it has been a difficult journey, but one I had to overcome,"Share

The July ruling on asylum seekers drew controversy. Government now says it needs court direction on how to put the judgment into effect.

The request has two parts: oversight and guidance from the court, and a possible suspension of the judgment.Share

Dietrich said the lack of money limits the party's campaigning to certain areas. The South African Communist Party is contesting the elections on its own, after its break-up with the ANC.

Dietrich said the manner of that break-up had been vicious. He said: "The biggest stumbling block is that we are not getting any funding support from anywhere."

The Red October event marks 109 years since the Russian Revolution. Reports said the party's opponents are holding lavish rallies at stadiums.Share

The author, who says they met Pillay as a student visitor to the Rwanda tribunal, argues the prize comes while the international legal order faces pressure. The essay notes that she sat on the first bench of judges at both the Rwanda tribunal and the International Criminal Court. It also credits her with helping a 1998 judgment recognise rape as a crime against humanity. This is an opinion piece, and the author knows Pillay personally.Share

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration announced the plans at a media briefing in Pretoria on Sunday. Schreiber said the phased system will let the department add security features to prevent abuse by applicants. He said the biometric platform will verify biometrics, check previously lost asylum cases and other infringements, and test travel documents.

Schreiber said: "We will have the capabilities through the system to check whether you previously had a case that you lost, which was rejected for asylum." The committee said the system will put into practice the legal protection against refoulement that applies when a person declares an intention to seek asylum.

Committee chair Mmamoloko Kubayi said government will ask the court for a supervisory order and guidance on the judgment handed down on 7 July 2026. She said the aim is not to delay compliance but to make it effective and sustainable. A High Court hearing on conflicting directives involving government departments is set for 29 October 2026.

Home Affairs will also move refugee reception centres to ports of entry from December, starting with Beitbridge. The Minister of Home Affairs is drafting legislation that follows the Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection.Share

The peer-reviewed study in Environmental Pollution tested 1 814 urine samples. Spray drift was linked to rises of up to 30% in eight biomarkers, and over 60% of children reported noticing drift in the previous week. Professor Mohamed Aqiel Dalvie of UCT said the study did not examine whether pesticides caused illness. The data come from 2017 to 2019.Share

Schreiber spoke at a media briefing of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration in Pretoria on Sunday. He said the platform will capture and verify biometric data. It will also check earlier applications, other infringements on an applicant's record and the authenticity of documents.

Schreiber said the model builds on digital systems the department already uses, such as the electronic travel authorisation system. He estimated the appeals backlog at around 120,000 cases and said a confirmed figure would follow. He said the backlog fell by about 20% in the previous financial year.

He said initial applications take about 30 days and that 74 advocates now help with appeals. He said only nine people handled appeals when the current administration inherited the system.

Schreiber said the Constitutional Court judgment of 7 July 2026 dealt with procedure and did not grant refugee status or citizenship to anyone. Government intends to ask the court for a supervisory order to guide how it applies the judgment. A Gauteng High Court panel will hear the matter of conflicting asylum judgments on 29 October 2026.Share

Bystanders brought the boy to shore and tried to resuscitate him. Medics from the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) then continued CPR together with paramedics.

Paramedics declared the boy dead at the scene. NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon described the efforts to save him.

Lambinon said: "Despite extensive CPR efforts, after all efforts to resuscitate the child were exhausted, the child was sadly declared deceased by paramedics."Share

The number of full-time candidates rose by 48 508 from last year. A further 147 781 candidates write part-time. The department set up approximately 7 100 examination centres and 189 marking centres, and recruited 51 104 educators to mark scripts.

Umalusi approved the question papers and instruments. The Learner Support Programme reached 159 180 learners at 1 262 centres in 75 education districts. The Second Chance Matric Programme offers after-hours and weekend classes at 41 centres, sent learning materials to 84 centres and held 15 provincial learner workshops.

Gwarube said the Class of 2026 had its schooling disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. She asked communities not to disrupt the exams over service delivery, political or socio-economic complaints. She said: "The NSC candidates cannot resolve societal problems; it is Ministers, as elected representatives, who must account."Share

Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said three people were shot in Belgravia, Athlone, in Cape Town. Two of them died. The third victim is in a serious condition.

Police have launched a manhunt for the suspects. Twigg said the motive is believed to be gang-related.Share

The committee said online content is inflammatory and misleading. It said the content could provoke hostility against foreign nationals, public officials and State institutions. It also said talk about the judgment has caused uncertainty, speculation and tension in some communities.

The Constitutional Court handed down the judgment on 7 July 2026. It dealt with how asylum applications are processed and declared sections of the Refugees Act unconstitutional.

Committee chair Mmamoloko Kubayi said: "Our work on enforcing the law will continue; this therefore means deportations will continue". She said government is seeking legal guidance on how to apply the judgment. The Department of Home Affairs will strengthen its capacity to handle asylum cases.Share

The shooting happened outside the pub in Waterkloof, Pretoria, on Saturday. One man was killed and a second man was wounded.

The pub's ban covers motorcycle club patches and applies straight away.Share

Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson said he was surprised by how much his team dominated the scrums. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu returned from injury for the Stormers. Damian Willemse and Cobus Reinach also returned.

Sharks coach JP Pietersen praised the Stormers but commended the fighting spirit of his own side. Reports said the Sharks lost players to injury, among them Vusi Moyo and Eben Etzebeth.Share

Young Africans are coached by Manqoba Mngqithi. Simba are coached by Steve Barker, who is South African.

The match was played in Dar-es-Salaam on Saturday 10 October.Share

A precautionary catch limit is in force from 3 to 30 October 2026. Each right holder may harvest at most 33% of the remaining uncaught 2026 directed sardine total allowable catch. The sightings of dead sardines were reported at places including Cape Agulhas, Hondeklip Bay and Port St Johns.

The department said detecting viral material alone does not establish active disease. It said pilchard herpesvirus is a fish virus and is not known to infect people. It added that commercially produced sardine products released through regulated channels remain safe.

The Small Pelagic Scientific Working Group is expected to reassess the situation on 27 October 2026. An end-of-year hydroacoustic survey is planned to start in early November.Share

The twin brothers were found dead with multiple stab wounds at their home in Mamelodi last Friday. The family buried them on Saturday.

It is believed the person taken in for questioning could help police with their investigation. Police have not named the person.Share

Kubayi said a supervisory order would let the court keep oversight of how the Constitutional Court ruling is carried out. She said it would also give guidance on how to put the order into practice.

Government said the application aims to ensure orderly and sustainable compliance with the ruling. The Department of Home Affairs would use the time to strengthen its capacity to implement the judgment.Share

Youssouf said Pillay's contributions to international law and accountability have left an enduring legacy for Africa and the world. He said the award is a source of pride for the continent.

He also said the prize is an inspiration to future generations of African women and girls. Youssouf said her work on accountability for genocide, crimes against humanity and conflict-related sexual violence has strengthened international justice.Share