October 2026

Residents say the hostels are in poor condition and that drugs are a problem. One Kingsley Hostel resident, who did not give a name, said: "I don’t feel free living here. It’s bad. This whole hostel smells like human waste. I’m not comfortable."

Residents also say crime is a major concern in Mamelodi, a township in Tshwane, Gauteng. Police stations in the area rank high on the Gauteng list of reports for sexual offences, hijackings and robberies. Some residents say the government has failed to deal with crime.

Resident Rider Matabane said drug addicts vandalise municipal infrastructure for quick cash. He said they are the reason contact crimes are so high in Mamelodi. He also said the government has turned a blind eye to the crime in the community.Share

Mchunu claimed that Mabuyane is linked to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) operation in the province. He also made allegations about a satellite DHA office set up in a shopping mall.

Mabuyane accused Mchunu of promoting intimidation, violence and vigilantism. His spokesperson, Sonwabo Mbananga, said the timing of a government department's operation, on its own, does not show whether it was lawful or unlawful.Share

The EFF also opened a case against city manager Johann Mettler. It lodged complaints with the South African Human Rights Commission and the public protector. Investigations found the Bronkhorstspruit water treatment works ran without chlorination from September 24 to October 14.

EFF elections spokesperson Thembi Msane said the party holds the mayor personally liable for a preventable failure of coordination and resourcing. The EFF said the city failed to treat water after a supplier raised its prices. It also said the city had been warned to balance water services against paying debt to Eskom and Rand Water. The party called for a formal investigation into an alleged water tanker mafia.

ActionSA called the EFF stance hypocrisy and total madness. Its Tshwane spokesperson Henriette Frohlich said the EFF is entitled to demand accountability. She said neither of the EFF's two mayoral committee members joined the mayor and senior officials in meetings with affected communities this week. The EFF holds the environment and health portfolios in the city.Share

The council ended Buhlungu's employment with immediate effect. The hearing found him guilty of appointing senior managers without the required consultation. It also found him guilty of making disparaging statements about the university in the media.

A university statement said the chairperson of the disciplinary hearing found the misconduct serious enough to be gross misconduct. The council said his continued non-participation in the proceedings was an aggravating circumstance that undermined trust and confidence. The university placed him on precautionary suspension on 30 March.

Buhlungu resigned with immediate effect on 28 September. The council said he needed to serve a three-month notice period and face a disciplinary hearing. Council chairperson Siyanda Makaula later said the council had accepted the resignation and that he would serve a shorter notice period.

The university has appointed Professor Wezile Chitha of Walter Sisulu University as its next vice-chancellor.Share

Sindane's lawyer, Menzi Simelane, told the court the tax matter should not have been mentioned. He said Sars is not listed as an addition to the charge sheet. Simelane said: "The only reason the Sars issue was raised was to literally scandalise accused number five [Sindane]. Our submission is that that's grossly unfair"

A source said Sindane owes Sars tax for 16 years. Sars has not been quoted on the claim in this matter.

Sindane appears with co-accused Joe Sibanyoni, Mvimbi Masilela and Philemon Makhaya. He is alleged to be part of a group in Mpumalanga that extorts protection fees from local businesspeople.Share

The vote is on resolution 5.2, which covers the company's approach to executive pay. Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) recommends voting against the remuneration report. Glass Lewis & Co. advocates approval of both resolutions.

The State Board of Administration of Florida, which oversees more than $280 billion, plans to vote against. It said the vesting framework remains overly generous relative to market practice. British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, which oversees $224 billion, also plans to vote against.

Chief executive Paul Dunne earned R80.5 million in the year ended 30 June. Over the last decade, opposition to Northam's remuneration reports ranged from 10% to 67%.

Northam said in an emailed response that it is guided by the supermajority of its shareholders and not by ISS. It also said it is factually incorrect that it pays executives more than their peers. A Deloitte report commissioned by Northam says its CEO and CFO are at the bottom of the peer group for on-target pay.Share

Merz said: "That's why I urge that South Africa be represented at the G20 summit." He also said Africa belongs at the table.

Trump announced last year that South Africa would not be invited. He accused South Africa of committing genocide against white people in the country.

The presidency of President Cyril Ramaphosa rejected the accusation. It called the claim "misinformation and distortions about our country".

Separately, reports said Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to skip the summit.Share

Dr Manuel Lutango of the SADC Secretariat said El Niño could bring excess water or drought. He said, "It's either excess water or drought. So, at this stage, we are expecting both scenarios in different parts of the region."

The workshop is convened with the European Union and the Regional Anticipatory Action Working Group. Pumeza Tyali, Director of South Africa's National Disaster Management Centre, opened it for the South African Government. She said its success would be measured by the actions that come from its discussions.

Pablo Torrealba of the European Union's civil protection office said early warnings now arrive on time. He said the challenge is to turn them into pre-arranged financing, clear procedures, pre-positioned supplies and timely action. He said the EU has supported early warning systems and protocols over the past year.

Lewis Hove of the FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa spoke for the working group. He said delays in funding, inadequate supplies and slow response systems had limited the effect of past interventions.Share

The case was delayed earlier while the two accused tried to find legal representation. They then opted for Legal Aid. Reports described Majola as the alleged mastermind of the killing, which is an allegation.

Stock was shot and killed on 16 December 2025 outside the Zambesi Building in Johannesburg. Armando Pacula, a Mozambican national, shot him. Pacula pleaded guilty and received a sentence of 25 years in prison.Share

Demonstrators sat outside Parliament while they waited for the budget to be delivered. The organisations say austerity measures deepen inequality and put more pressure on vulnerable communities.

Equal Education says education has been sidelined since 2020. It says teacher posts were cut, allocations for school nutrition programmes fell, and infrastructure budgets did not keep pace with inflation.

Itumeleng Motlabame, Secretary General of Equal Education, said the cuts affect learners directly. He said: "Our learners continue to learn in overcrowded schools. They continue to start the year without scholar transport."

The marching organisations want the mid-term budget to show a clear commitment to protecting essential services. They say the burden of austerity should not fall on those who can least afford it.Share

Treasury announced the proposals after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tabled the Medium-term Budget Policy Statement on 21 October. The plan would modernise the two laws. Treasury would play a role in appointing municipal chief financial officers (CFOs).

Treasury Director General Duncan Pieterse explained the CFO proposal. He said: "The current proposal that is in the MFMA is for the National Treasury to play a role in CFO appointments only."

Pieterse said the proposal could change after the public makes submissions. The CFO proposal is open to public comment.Share

The prosecution alleges the couple unlawfully withdrew R11 million from 15 deceased estates and then laundered the money. The state raised concerns about witness interference. It also said Tibana contacted witnesses and police officials while under investigation.

The Polokwane Magistrate's Court first refused the couple bail in September. Police arrested them in August, and they have been in custody since then. Two co-accused, Rirhandzu Tibana and Jabulani Maluleke, received R60 000 bail each.

In the appeal, Tibana said she is the primary caregiver to her minor children. She said her continued detention could force her law firm to close and put jobs at risk. Nonyane said he is not a flight risk and will not interfere with state witnesses.Share

Treasury tabled the statement in parliament on Wednesday. It said three other provincial health departments received unqualified audits with findings for 2025/2026. Accruals, which are unpaid obligations, fell from almost R25bn to R20.5bn. Provinces collectively owed the National Health Laboratory Service R10.7bn.

Contingent liabilities for medico-legal claims peaked at about R110bn in 2019/2020. Treasury said: "Medico-legal payments continue to absorb resources from health budgets that could have been used for the delivery of health services". The South African Law Reform Commission has recommended scrapping lump-sum payouts for victims of medical negligence.

Treasury said better management of commuted overtime would free money to employ more doctors. It said efficiencies must be found in rural allowances, medical intern pay and remunerative work outside the public service. A ministerial advisory committee expects to finish its review of that policy in April 2027.Share

Mdlalose is accused of being involved in starting the fire at the Usindiso building. The fire killed 76 people. The state alleges that he played a part in starting it.

The state says the pathology report contains discrepancies. Bodies were first reported to have been burned to death, but the state says the victims died of smoke inhalation. The four witnesses will address this.Share

Van der Merwe told the inquiry that efforts to investigate his father's killing were frustrated for decades. He said this created the impression that suspects were being shielded. He also said Kasrils approached his mother through a lawyer after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to discuss the case.

Kasrils denied taking part in high-level secret talks to shield ANC and apartheid perpetrators from prosecution. He said that when he was alleged to have interfered, he was Minister of Water Affairs and not part of the security cluster. He said Lindiwe Sisulu was the intelligence minister at the time.

The Van der Merwe family said those responsible for the killing never came forward to seek amnesty.Share

Ramaite told the inquiry that Mabandla phoned him in 2004 and asked him to put TRC cases on hold until new prosecution guidelines were ready. One report gave the date of the call as 9 November 2004. Prosecutors Anton Ackermann and Vusi Pikoli have alleged political interference in these cases.

Mabandla said she would never have called Ramaite about who the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should prosecute or when. She said the usual way was a memorandum from the minister's office. She said the amended policy mainly concerned people who had not taken part in the TRC process and wanted pardons.

Mabandla said Ramaite himself blocked the arrest of three apartheid-era police officers in the Frank Chikane poisoning case. She said former NPA head Bulelani Ngcuka told her she had probably made the call and was within her rights. Of Wagener she said: "I don't know him. I've never met him."

Advocate Howard Varney, who represents victims' families, plans to apply to cross-examine Mabandla. Ronnie Kasrils is expected to give evidence next.Share

The father faces charges of murder, rape, assault and child abuse. The mother faces charges of murder, failure to report sexual offences and child abuse.

The State alleges that the father assaulted and sexually abused the girl on 6 August last year while the mother was at work. The girl later died in hospital.

The State also alleges that neighbours heard the child screaming and alerted the police. Police found the child unconscious with severe injuries.Share

Most of the accused pleaded not guilty. Jose Brandt and Chevonne McNabb pleaded guilty to charges linked to a 2023 shooting at a petrol station in Maitland.

The State says Stanfield and his co-accused took part in several high-profile killings. It names the victims as Wendy Kloppers, a City of Cape Town official, and Hard Livings gang boss Rashied Staggie. It also names William Stevens, a 27s general, police officer Faizel Adams and Adams's cousin Ismail Abrahams.

Prosecutors rely on the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. They say the accused took part in the activities of an organised criminal gang and benefited from them. The matter is expected to run for several months.Share

Godongwana spoke in his medium-term budget policy statement speech on Wednesday. He said the step taken in June had changed the behaviour of municipalities that used the equitable share for unintended purposes. In June, the government suspended July equitable share transfers to 69 municipalities over continued mismanagement of public funds.

Godongwana said 38 municipalities concluded council-approved repayment plans with creditors. Their payments to creditors reached R4.2bn by 31 July. He said the government required these municipalities to negotiate payment plans and enforce consequence management for irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

Treasury is also clamping down on departments and public entities that owe municipalities money. Godongwana said municipalities that contract Eskom to manage, maintain and bill for electricity distribution safeguard their revenue. New municipal administrations are elected on 4 November.Share

The directive also bars personal use of state vehicles. It orders departmental vehicles to be parked at designated facilities after staff finish their duties. The aim is to conserve the limited fuel the department has left.

The directive says the restrictions will safeguard the department's limited resources and reduce disruption to essential policing services. Jaca described the fuel shortage as a "significant risk to operational continuity".

The directive warns that failure to comply may lead to appropriate disciplinary action.Share

Godongwana said the amendments to the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) will strengthen Treasury's ability to act against financial misconduct and persistent non-compliance. He said they will also protect accounting officers who make lawful decisions in good faith. Treasury said the bill for municipalities will require them to show that their budgets are genuinely funded.

Reports said Treasury will also take over the appointment of municipal chief financial officers. Godongwana and Treasury said political office bearers and board directors will be held personally liable for unauthorised and wasteful expenditure.

Treasury said earlier this year it withheld equitable share transfers from 69 municipalities over non-compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act. It later released funds to 49 of them despite continued non-compliance. By the end of July, 38 municipalities had concluded repayment plans and R4.2 billion had been paid towards creditor debt.

Treasury said municipalities reported that public bodies owed local government R27.6 billion at 31 December 2025. More than half was owed by provincial departments.

Godongwana said: "South Africa needs accountable, well-managed cities and towns that provide reliable services."Share

Police intercepted the two vehicles at the Beitbridge border post in Musina, Limpopo, on 22 July. NPA Limpopo spokesperson Mashudu Malabi said Carrim allegedly colluded with his employees to take the vehicles out of the country using fraudulent documents.

Carrim was arrested on 15 October at OR Tambo International Airport. He was preparing to travel abroad, and the arrest related to his alleged failure to appear before the Madlanga commission of inquiry.

The two other accused in the cases are expected to appear in the Musina regional court on 27 October.Share

Godongwana spoke in the National Assembly. He said the R3.8 billion is reprioritised over the 2027 MTEF period. He said the funds give effect to President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement on the unacceptably high levels of gender-based violence and femicide.

The R186 million will increase forensic and investigative capacity. Sexual offences courts will grow from 55 to 101 by 2028/29. Thuthuzela Care Centres will increase from 72 to 80 in the same period.

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities gets an extra R157.4 million for coordination and oversight of the fight against gender-based violence and femicide.

Government is also reprioritising funds for HIV and AIDS services after the withdrawal of US PEPFAR funding. It will move R556.7 million over the MTEF period to sustain those services.Share

Godongwana said government is considering measures to strengthen the capacity of border inspectors and immigration officers. He said the aim is to address illegal migration.

BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato welcomed the announcement in a statement. He said: "Strengthening the Authority’s capacity is fundamental to building an effective, integrated and intelligence-led border management system."

The BMA said building its capacity is essential so that it is adequately equipped to respond to the growing demands of integrated border law enforcement.Share

The savings come from grants, departments, public entities and an early retirement programme. Social grants account for R13.1bn over the medium term. Of that, R6.2bn comes from a decline in the number of beneficiaries, from 17.8-million in 2026/27 to 17.1-million by 2029/30.

Pausing the human settlements development grant over three years saves R7.8bn. National departments will save R11.7bn over the medium term. Some public entities have built up cash surpluses, and R5.5bn will move to the National Revenue Fund in 2027/28.

The early retirement and voluntary exit programme is projected to save R4.3bn in 2027/28, R4.4bn in 2028/29 and R4.6bn in 2029/30. So far 27,450 applications are approved. The statement says the average annual saving could fund 7,101 additional posts without breaching compensation ceilings.

The statement says savings will go to preventing gender-based violence and femicide. It also says they will support health interventions against child malnutrition and stunting. A ghost worker audit flagged 4,323 high-risk suspicious cases in the payroll system.Share

Monamana said Tshwane was heavily indebted and struggling to deliver basic services when ActionSA took over the city government in 2024. She said the party inherited the problems from the previous administration, which it led with the DA.

Monamana said: "When we took office, Tshwane endured consecutive years of unfunded budgets and we have carried more than R3 billion in debt, including approximately R6 billion owed to Eskom."

Brink, the DA mayoral candidate for Tshwane, pointed to the water contamination crisis in Bronkhorstspruit. He said Moya is seized with a governance crisis and caused it. Moya was not at the debate, and Brink criticised her absence.

ActionSA points to the nearly two years Moya has served as mayor. The party governs in a coalition with the African National Congress and the Economic Freedom Fighters. The ANC has pledged to address crime in the capital.Share

Godongwana named four reforms: the Infrastructure Finance and Implementation Support Agency (IFISA), faster PPP approval, the Budget Facility for Infrastructure and a review of infrastructure conditional grants. IFISA has supported projects across all spheres of government since 1 April 2026. The R207 billion is the potential investment value of the projects it supports.

The Budget Facility for Infrastructure has approved more than R100 billion in fiscal support. The infrastructure bond has raised over R14 billion since its first issue in December 2025. Amended Municipal PPP Regulations will go to Parliament for a 30-day scrutiny period.

Between 2017/18 and 2023/24, R887 billion went to provinces and municipalities through infrastructure conditional grants. Godongwana said the review found that most funds are spent, but projects are often delayed, incomplete, or fail to deliver the intended benefits. National Treasury said the reforms will reduce underspending and speed up delivery.

Godongwana said on Wednesday: "Our goal is not simply to spend more, but to spend better."Share

Cachalia spoke in Cape Town at the launch of the Western Cape police's Safer Festive Season operations. He said police have a responsibility to ensure the elections take place in a safe and free environment.

He said, "we are not free of the risks associated with political intolerance." Cachalia said vigilance from law enforcement and other public servants will be critical as the country heads to the polls.Share

SAMATU says the rural allowance has worked as a short-term recruitment tool. It says the allowance fails as a long-term retention strategy. The union wants the gap between urban and rural medical professionals addressed.

General Secretary Dr Cedric Sihlangu said financial incentives attract junior doctors to fill rural vacancies. He said inflation has eroded their impact. He also said doctors in rural facilities battle unreliable water and electricity and chronic shortages of medicine and equipment.

Sihlangu said: "Money is simply not enough to compete with severe workplace burnout and lack of career progression faced by doctors who work in rural areas." He also said the idea that doctors refuse to work in rural areas is not true.Share

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said two men broke away from a marching crowd and approached the man, who stood on the roadside. A group of about 50 people then allegedly assaulted him. One report put the attack on Dr Pixley kaSeme Street.

The attack happened as anti-immigration protests continued in parts of Durban. Police described it as an apparent xenophobic attack.

Protesters also allegedly targeted a visa office. One report placed the office in Essenwood, and another placed a visa and permit office in Morningside. Private security said protesters armed with sticks and knobkerries fired shots and tried to force their way in.

Netshiunda urged community members not to spread unverified information while the investigation continues.Share