October 2026

The State alleges that Molefe orchestrated the November 2022 killing of the musician Oupa Sefoka, known as DJ Sumbody. The charges also include unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. The co-accused are Michael Tau, Floyd Mabusela and Musa Kekana.

The State says ballistic evidence links the firearms used in the Sefoka murder to other killings. These include the deaths of Hector Buthelezi, known as DJ Vintos, businessman Don Tindleni and Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart. Investigators said Swart was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity.

Mabusela and Kekana also appear in a separate case with alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi Matlala and two others. That case has 25 charges, including 11 counts of attempted murder. Reports said the Molefe trial could face complications over evidence that is also at the centre of that case.Share

Police said two unknown suspects arrived at Fipaza's home at about 7.30pm on Friday. They allegedly argued with him, and one of them drew a firearm and shot him dead.

Police also said the suspects pointed firearms at Fipaza's son and demanded the firearm of the deceased. Police spokesperson Brig Nobuntu Gantana said the suspects were shown a safe, which they broke open. She said they did not find a firearm before they fled.

The homestead is in the Taleni Administrative Area, in the Mbhashe local municipality in the Eastern Cape. No arrests have been made.Share

It is understood that the City of Tshwane did not chlorinate the water at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant. Unnamed sources gave this cause, and some people accuse the city of negligence.

Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya told Parliament that the plant manager is suspended. She said the investigation continues because it is a whole value chain and something in the communication broke.

The city is again under fire over unclean drinking water, for the second time in three years. About two dozen people died in Hammanskraal in 2023 after they consumed contaminated water supplied by the city.Share

Taps are dry in most parts of Johannesburg. Joburg Water said the shortage is largely due to the heatwave that has hit the country.

Separately, deputy president Paul Mashatile is expected to visit Bronkhorstspruit after an outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness linked to water.

In Ivory Park, Midrand, residents of the Mbona Section say they will not vote in the local government elections. They say they have waited 10 years for houses promised in a 2016 development, when 24 residents were allocated stands.

Resident Zolisile Sotsu, 63, said: "If we vote, what is it that we are voting for? For the rich to be richer while we continue to suffer more than 30 years later?"Share

Hlabisa is the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA). He is also a member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Local Government. He spoke after he called the chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

Hlabisa said preparations such as ballot paper printing, special voting and the inclusion of previously excluded candidates are well underway. He said all systems are go.

"We are satisfied, and we are ready as a country to host the elections," Hlabisa said.Share

Godongwana said government must phase out the general fuel levy and rethink how the Road Accident Fund is financed. The fund's levy on petrol is R2 per litre. He said removing only that levy would bring a major drop in the price of fuel.

He said refining capacity is important and South Africa should not rely on imports of refined products. He also said the spending problem is not about money but about capacity to spend and corruption.

Godongwana said about R8 billion of infrastructure spending is being rescheduled this year because departments could not absorb it. He said departments asked for R717 billion more over the Medium-Term Framework. He added that better credibility with markets is lowering the cost of borrowing.

He ended with a view on the country's direction: "Look, I'm quite convinced that we have steered the ship correctly".Share

The electoral court reported a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes for Lula after 100% of the vote was counted. Bolsonaro had finished first in the first round on 4 October. A Supreme Court justice extended voting by two hours at the last minute, which caused chaos at some polling places.

Analysts doubt that an annulment will succeed. They point to the size of the loss and say Bolsonaro's own campaign asked for the extension because of rain in the south. Latin America analyst Mario Braga said right-wing protests could follow, but "it's very improbable it will lead to the reversal of the result".

Bolsonaro campaigned on closer ties with US President Donald Trump. He also pledged to free his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup. Lula's next term starts on 5 January 2027.Share

Jordan Neil scored an unbeaten 71 from 41 balls for Heat. Blake Simpson added an unbeaten 51 from 31 balls. The two shared an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 129 runs.

In the chase, the Dragons were 22-3 after 3.1 overs when the match stopped. Hernus Marais dismissed Wihan Lubbe and Lesiba Ngoepe, and Ruan van Rooyen dismissed Diego Rosier.

The Dragons finished fifth in Pool B and Heat finished seventh.Share

Mokgadi spoke after the Poll Dancing live show at the Star Theatre in Cape Town. From the stage he said: "Comedy helps us listen to each other". He told the audience at the end that "democracy is hard".

Mokgadi says comedy can be a tool for education and understanding. He also says there was a real need for satire in a news setting, to give important information in a fun and accessible format.

Stephen Horn, the CEO and creative director of Politically Aweh, said the show was born out of a crazy idea. He said the idea was to make compelling content about politics for young people in South Africa. Zoë Human co-hosts the show.

Politically Aweh began in 2017. It won a South African Film and Television Award for Best Online Content in 2022.Share

Hill-Lewis told supporters the contest for eThekwini is a two-horse race between the DA and the MKP. He said the tight contest is likely to produce a coalition government, and that the DA is best placed to lead the metro.

He also attacked the African National Congress (ANC). Hill-Lewis said the ANC is panicking and becoming desperate, and is not an honest organisation. He said it will use every dirty trick to stay in government so it can keep stealing.

He called on voters to unite behind Hanif Hoosen, who is the DA candidate for eThekwini mayor.Share

Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said demand in Ivory Park is higher than the President Park reservoir is designed for. The utility says the population has grown, people have made illegal water connections, and informal settlements have increased.

Shabalala said: "We acknowledge the inconvenience this causes residents. However, these measures are necessary to manage the limited available supply".

Residents have criticised the utility. Some say complaints to their ward councillor have fallen on deaf ears. One resident said water tankers deliver dirty water.Share

Willie Spies is a practising lawyer and former MP. He said he would give up his law practice if elected mayor. He also said his first 100 days would focus on removing corrupt officials.

On coalitions, Spies ruled out putting the ANC in power. He called the DA a likely coalition partner and ActionSA a possible one.

Spies said BEE has enriched a connected few and that trade, not BEE, creates wealth. On crime, he said the metro's 4 000-strong police force could make communities safe if it were properly managed.Share

The six local municipalities are Mantsopa, Setsoto, Phumelela, Dihlabeng, Maluti-a-Phofung and Nketoana. Motsoeneng said the party aims to win control of the councils to address historical service delivery backlogs. He also said people of the district want the party to take over.

Motsoeneng said all the factories in Maluti-a-Phofung were once working, but now they are white elephants. He linked jobs to crime in an interview.

Motsoeneng said: "If we deal with unemployment, we deal with crime because the cause of crime is partly people who are not working".Share

Malema claimed that the ANC only hires its own members for municipal jobs. He said the EFF would hire the children of Thembisa through an open process, and that everyone would get a job.

He also said poor households should not pay for electricity and water under an EFF-led government. He said the exemption would use SASSA social grant lists to identify those households.

The EFF mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni, Nthabiseng Tshivhenga, said the party had fulfilled all its commitments. She asked the community to keep voting for the EFF.

The party won 13% of the vote in Ekurhuleni in the 2021 municipal elections. In 2016 it won 11%.Share

Police spokesperson Paul Magwaza said police members from Durban Search & Rescue responded to the report. The body was pulled from the water and handed over to the Durban Central Police Station.

Reports said a white cord was tied tightly around the man's neck. Police did not confirm this detail.Share

The shop trades under the name Economic Innovative Bags. The National Consumer Commission inspected it on November 13 and December 2 last year. The shop has 60 business days to pay the fine.

The shop argued that it was a small business and so did not issue receipts. The tribunal rejected this explanation. It said the shop's cooperation with investigators was "purely perfunctory and devoid of any genuine effort to resolve the matter or remedy the contravention identified."

The commission issued the 167 compliance notices between April and September 2026. Acting National Consumer commissioner Hardin Ratshisusu said non-compliance, particularly among food retailers, could put consumers at risk.Share

Nyhontso said the PAC now holds two seats in Mnquma Local Municipality. He said the party will grow to more than 32 seats. He also said a second prize would be a council with no outright winner, so that local government unity can start.

Tyali is a local traditional leader in ward 26. He described 85% or 90% of the Mnquma area as rural. He said skills development must be at the centre, to build people who can sustain themselves in rural areas.

Tyali also said there is no connection between urban and rural areas. He said residents need jobs more than roads. Nyhontso promised a focus on rural development.Share

Duduzane Zuma spoke at a mini rally in K section uMlazi, south of Durban, ahead of the local government elections. He said Jacob Zuma is healthy and in charge of the party. He said his father showed a few days earlier that he is in charge.

Duduzane Zuma also said the party is dealing with manipulation of candidate lists and with sabotage. He said investigations will get to the bottom of it. He said some of those investigations may not end by 4 November.

The party removed its Secretary-General, Sbonelo Nomvalo. The party linked his removal to concerns about the process to select councillors.Share

Flyhalf Hugo Reus scored 20 points for Bordeaux-Begles. South African prop Carlu Sadie also scored a try for the visitors.

La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara saw Springbok lock Salmaan Moerat make his first start for the club. Samoan international Theo McFarland scored a try for the hosts. Antoine Hastoy went off with an ankle injury, and 18-year-old scrumhalf Valentin Bouju took over the goal-kicking.

In other Top 14 games, Toulouse beat Perpignan 38-33 and Toulon beat Pau 41-20. Toulon's Melvyn Jaminet scored 26 points in his first hat-trick. Vannes beat Clermont 27-26, with former France full-back Anthony Bouthier landing the conversion.Share

Zolisile Sotsu, 63, is one of the 24 residents allocated stands. She said residents have lived at the site since 1993. She asked: "If we vote, what is it that we are voting for? For the rich to be richer while we continue to suffer over 30 years later?"

Resident Sibusiso Gebashe, 52, claimed the city sold the residents' stands to other people. He also said the city's housing offices failed residents with empty promises. Lydia Mazange said the site has no power and the chemical toilets are barely drained, which she called a smell and safety hazard.

The city's human settlements department said the community rejected a plan to move overflow families to Allandale or Rabie Ridge. It said the original approved layout was designed to yield 24 stands, but 70 families need housing. The department said its system may show the 24 as having benefited, because stands linked to ID numbers update automatically.

The city said talks with Eskom and the provincial human settlements department are under way to electrify the site. The provincial department said the City of Johannesburg is responsible for the project. Residents sent a petition in 2019 to the legislature, ANC Luthuli House, the human settlements department and the public protector.Share

The trial sits at the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Palm Ridge, on the East Rand. It was due to resume on Monday.

Jayden's partially clothed body was found in an apartment building. The August inspection took place at that building. The charge that Meek murdered her son is the prosecution's case.Share

Chikane spoke in an interview ahead of the African Diaspora conference in Ekurhuleni. He said opponents of change tried to stop it by force. "They exploded bombs until the last week to stop this from happening."

Chikane rejected the word "genocide" for attacks on farms. He said more black farmers than white farmers are killed on farms. He also said change will affect those who were privileged.

Asked about his nomination for Johannesburg, Chikane said he never wanted to return to government. He said he would do it if there is a crisis people want to resolve.Share

Ramaphosa spoke on Sunday. He said democracy opened opportunities that apartheid denied to the majority, but deep inequalities in education and economic opportunity persist.

He said government must provide quality education and good healthcare. It must also support enterprise development, protect vulnerable people and remove barriers to economic participation.

Ramaphosa said: "the responsibility for building a prosperous, just and inclusive South Africa cannot rest on government alone".Share

The JMPD urged motorists to avoid the area. Spokesperson Xolani Fihla said: "The situation remains highly tense. Motorists are strictly urged to stay clear of the area for their safety."Share

Tankers are supplying areas including Naturena, Bertram, Bezuidenhout Valley and Turffontein. Joburg Water said a tree fell on pipes during construction work in Bez Valley, and sewage entered the supply. The utility said it closed the supply there for testing.

Joburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said the city's supply systems are under significant strain because of high consumption. She said the entity will apply targeted restrictions in areas with high water losses, excessive wastage and low payment levels. Joburg Water asked residents and businesses to comply with Level 1 water restrictions.

Residents described long waits. Michelle Ackermann of Bertrams said she had been without water for four days and described paying R1 a litre from a private source. Residents of Melville said they had gone four weeks without water.

Westbury community leader Sainy van Zyl said: "The city has lost the ability to distribute water properly." She also claimed that pumps cannot generate enough pressure and that residents get inflated bills. President Cyril Ramaphosa said the water challenges are being addressed, and called intermittent supply problems water throttling that happens when a reservoir runs low.Share

Rand Water spokesperson Makenosi Maroo said several municipalities, including Johannesburg, put growing pressure on the bulk supply system through extremely high consumption. Level 1 water restrictions apply in Johannesburg.

Johannesburg Water says pipe bursts and leaks cause the city to lose 32% of its water. The city reports an average of 140 burst pipes every day. Non-revenue water costs the metro R3bn-R3.8bn a year, and the infrastructure renewal backlog is estimated at R26.6bn-R64bn.

Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said the entity will set targeted restrictions in areas with high water losses, excessive wastage and low payment. It will also step up bylaw enforcement against illegal connections.

Helen Wilson of Parktown West said 23 houses have had no water for 10 weeks, and she received a water account of R28,000 this week. Shamima Bhabha of Kensington Ridge said it cost R30,000 to drain and close her pool. Central Park business owner Nelson Fernandes said he uses 280 litres of diesel a day to run his business.Share

The campaign covers the Greater Cape Floristic Region and involves more than 150 scientists from over 40 institutions. Two NASA aircraft carried four instruments, and NASA had not combined these four in one biodiversity campaign before. The team says it follows a "No Parachute Science" approach, with equal partnership between local and international scientists. Wits University describes the findings as still to come, so the award recognises the work, not results.Share

The article says researchers at the company Wiz used Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT to search PHP's code in August. They found ways to break into systems built on Drupal and WordPress. A leak on Hacker News forced the PHP developers to release emergency patches on 21 October. Australian, American, British, European and Japanese agencies warned developers to update, and the Port of Rotterdam took websites offline. This is a fresh, fast-moving story, and the text names no CVE or affected versions.Share

Dr Gillian Bedwell, a postdoctoral research fellow at UCT's African Pain Research Initiative, led the study, which appears in the journal PAIN. Pain was most common after trauma, where 84.1% of patients had pain and 20.3% had severe pain. Patients with severe pain had 27% greater odds of dying within seven days. Bedwell stressed that the study was observational, so it does not show that severe pain causes death.Share