October 2026

De Kock said the NPA failed to ask him about killings and bombings that police generals and politicians allegedly ordered. He named former president PW Botha among them. He also named former ministers Louis le Grange and Adriaan Vlok, former State President FW de Klerk and Major-General Izak Engelbrecht. He alleged that they knew about his unit's operations, including a raid in which five children died.

De Kock also alleged that Meyer and a deputy minister of police took part in political interference in prosecutions. He said politicians helped ensure there were no prosecutions of apartheid crimes after 1994. Asked about this, he said: "The politicians can't say that they didn't know."

Former President Thabo Mbeki denied in his own testimony that a meeting on non-prosecution took place. He said difficult decisions were made for the sake of peace.

The commission is investigating alleged political interference in efforts to probe and prosecute crimes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) referred. De Kock was convicted of six murders in 1996.Share

Maritz, who is 42, said the red berets are the only political formation that can bring South Africa full circle by redressing its past, including apartheid. She said she is not the kind of person people would normally associate with the EFF. She said online trolls are emboldened by the Donald Trump kind of MAGA movement.

She also set out her campaign priorities for the ward. She said residents of Ocean View and Simon's Town must travel to False Bay Hospital if an emergency happens at night. On baboons, she said people should change what they do so that humans and the animals can live in harmony.

The DA won Ward 61 in the 2021 local government elections with 73.64% of the vote. The EFF placed 10th with 0.84%. The EFF has never won a ward in the City of Cape Town, and the party is banking on Maritz to change that.Share

Kashifa Ancer leads the trust's Rethink Your Drink campaign. She said sales after midnight, especially between 4am and 6am, are linked to a great deal of harm, especially interpersonal violence. She also said the later outlets stay open, the higher the risk of violence and road accidents.

Ancer said longer trading hours encourage people to drink more. She said this adds to health complications and other social problems.

She cited estimates that alcohol-related harm costs South Africa between 10% and 12% of gross domestic product. She said the alcohol industry contributes 3% to 6%.

Ancer also said a higher price per unit of alcohol could cut consumption and alcohol-related hospital admissions. She said evidence from Scotland and Wales suggests this.

She said South Africa has no single liquor law, and provinces set their own rules.Share

Malema spoke at an EFF rally at Letlhabile Stadium outside Brits on Saturday. He called Madibela a "small boy" and urged local mines to serve the community instead of enriching him. He said: "These mines will service our people,"

Madibela alleged that a political party leader hated him after he declined an invitation to the party's gala dinner. He said he does not want to help any political party. He also said some parties ask his clients to end his work.

Screenshots of WhatsApp statuses, allegedly posted by Madibela, called Malema a "small boy" and mocked his appearance. The origin of the screenshots is not confirmed. Malema has also questioned the source of Madibela's wealth before.Share

Saliwa argued that halaal certification is becoming dominant in the food industry, even though most South Africans are Christian. He also claimed that the Muslim minority is dictating how citizens eat.

Some social media users made a further claim. They said non-Muslim South Africans were being excluded from government catering contracts because of strict halaal requirements.

Zibi said narratives about halaal are part of an attempt to divide South Africans along religious, racial and ethnic lines. He said Muslim and Jewish South Africans have a right to halaal and kosher food. In his words: "This is not replacement; it is unity in diversity."Share

Mabaso spoke to presenter John Perlman on 702. He said Johannesburg has a huge revenue base and economic assets. He also said many accounts in the city are not billed, and that the city is losing big business.

Mabaso said officials in the system corrupt it by working with businesses and customers who do not want to pay municipalities. He pointed to disconnected customers who get reconnected without paying. He said: "we've got elements of corruption that we are going to deal with in the system".

Mabaso said the IFP can easily roll out a smart billing and digital account system once it is in government. Asked whether the party had costed it, he said: "Yeah, well, we have not costed that. Remember, we are not in government as we speak."Share

Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers went to the scene to manage traffic and diversions. Spokesperson Xolani Fihla said motorists travelling southbound on the M1 from Sandton or Rosebank should divert at Empire Road or Jan Smuts Avenue.

The JMPD said public order police dispersed the demonstrators before all lanes reopened. Fihla said the blockade caused severe back-ups along the main north-south route into and out of the CBD. Officers stayed on the scene to manage the flow of traffic.

The union is in a wage dispute with the City of Johannesburg. In a separate protest in Lenasia on Monday, the N12 was also closed.Share

Trade Intelligence data shows that 57% of forecourt shoppers visit these stores at least once a week. In its survey, 92% of forecourt shoppers said financial pressure had forced them to change their broader spending habits.

Pantry CEO Greg Solomon discussed the shift in an interview with Stephen Grootes on The Money Show. He said the challenge is to turn quick fuel stops into repeat retail visits.

Solomon said: "I think there's a shift, a big shift, that maybe is even beyond petrol station forecourts. It's convenient shopping."Share

Mantashe said lab-produced diamonds and global inflationary pressures affect major producers, junior producers and small diamond miners. He said small-scale miners are the hardest hit.

The task team will examine ways to reduce these pressures on the industry. Mantashe gave his reply in Parliament in writing.Share

Godi spoke to party members and councillor candidates. He said the APC will align with any party that shares a common governance agreement.

He said the City of Joburg has a governance coalition but no signed governance agreement. Godi said: "We are ready to work with anyone, as long as there is a governance agenda, there is a signed agenda and the agreement is binding".Share

Adams spoke in an interview on 702 with presenter John Perlman on Monday. He said Joburg Water and Rand Water cannot cope. He called the money the two entities owe each other a major challenge for residents.

Adams said the city billing system is not right, so the revenue collected might not always be correct. He said this makes ring-fencing hard for water, electricity and refuse. He said the party still agrees it must be done.

Adams said the city has been run from the top down rather than from the bottom up. He said the pyramid needs to be flipped.

Perlman said the party manifesto alludes to solutions, but financing options are not fully worked out. Adams replied: "A lot of work has still to be done."Share

Residents say the Mahikeng Local Municipality has neglected the North West village for three decades. They also say the roads are in a deplorable state.

Moses Diseko, 80, says he has no water or electricity. He said: "I struggle a lot. I use paraffin to cook and the paraffin hurts my eyes and this is all because I don’t have electricity."Share

The attempted carjacking happened at Lee Place in Pinetown on 9 October. Police spokesperson Lt-Col Paul Magwaza said one suspect opened fire on a father. The father returned fire and fatally wounded the suspect.

Police said the arrested man was involved in the attempted carjacking and the shooting. Besides three counts of attempted murder, he faces a charge of attempted carjacking and other charges.Share

Meyer said the relationship matters because the US is the world's biggest economy. He said he would not blame anyone for the strain. He has been in the post for just more than three months.

Meyer said South Africa had been facing headwinds from the Trump administration. He said the government must find ways out of the current situation. In his words: "We can't go on like this."

He said persuasion is what is needed and that he would be the messenger to try to make it happen. The US has made demands on the South African government, largely on laws and policy. Those demands are fuelled by disinformation about alleged racial attacks against minority groups.Share

A Western Cape government inspection in September 2025 found only 11 of Knysna's 67 sewer pump stations fully working. Of 136 pumps needed, 56 worked, 28 did not work, 50 had been removed and 2 were not assessed. In January 2026 the Akkerkloof Dam fell to around 15% capacity, which left the municipality 10 to 15 days of water supply.

ANC provincial spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said the party ended Matika's membership because he declined to serve on a party list and campaigned for another organisation. The ANC considers that misconduct. Municipal manager Lulamile Mapholoba is on precautionary suspension.

Jan van der Westhuizen, chairperson of the Greater Knysna Business Chamber, said Knysna is "really in trouble". He said consultants hired by the chamber found a water management problem, not a water problem. Businessman Andrew Stuart, a ward candidate, said the parties are so polarised that they cannot talk to each other.

The 21-member council has 8 DA seats, 7 ANC, 2 KIM, 2 PA, 1 EFF and 1 PBI. The council has committed R630 million over the next five years to environmental compliance and sewerage infrastructure. Oakhill School cancelled its Waterfront Chukka Festival in 2026.Share

Ramaphosa spoke at a doorstop interview on Monday. He said: "Studies are just studies. We know what’s happening on the ground." He also said the ANC campaign is reaching a very high peak and people are responding very positively.

A fresh MarkData poll put MK Party support in eThekwini at 48%, the DA at 25.2% and the ANC at 14.5%. In Tshwane, 25.9% of respondents named Nasiphi Moya as the ideal mayoral candidate, and 20.1% named the DA's Cilliers Brink. The poll interviewed just more than 1,000 people in each metro, with a margin of error exceeding 3%.

The poll also asked about service delivery. In Tshwane, 62.5% of respondents blamed the ANC for failures, and in eThekwini the figure was 74.6%.

Ramaphosa also visited the Kingsley hostel precinct, which accommodates 800 people. He said funding is already budgeted for shortcomings there, including electricity problems. He said the provincial government and the municipality would install more transformers and move vulnerable ones.Share

Majodina spoke at a media briefing in Pretoria. She said Rand Water, working with Tshwane, will buy more chlorine as quickly as possible. The plant stays closed and tankers continue to supply the community.

Tshwane blamed the shortage on a dispute with its regular supplier. The city said the supplier raised its chlorine price by 400% without warning. The plant manager has been suspended.

Majodina also said the incident has prompted government to review the state of water treatment plants. She said more than 90% of South Africa's water is safe to drink. She said Johannesburg could face a water crisis if leaks are not fixed urgently.

She said the country's water and sanitation infrastructure needs R400 billion.Share

Nasila said staff must be able to explain the factors behind a credit decision. He said they should not simply rubber-stamp an algorithm's recommendation. He spoke in an interview with presenter Stephen Grootes on The Money Show.

Deutsche Bank says AI has cut decisions on some small-business loans from weeks to minutes. Nasila said FNB is seeing similar applications in South Africa.

Nasila said AI in banking is about more than speed. In his words: "It's about complementing the algorithms with a human touch."Share

Lobe said the cash-strapped municipality does not have the money to protect its assets. In his words: "We don't necessarily have the hard cash to do that."

The South African Municipal Worker's Union (SAMWU) said the municipality has repeatedly made payment agreements with creditors and later failed to honour them. The union also said there might soon be no municipality. Regional chairperson Tshepo Kobane said the fleet is a public asset, and the vehicles are meant to take workers to sites such as water pumps.

Kobane also said the municipality is under administration, so it should not face this while under intervention. EFF councillor Koloi Mokalolise said the situation worsens daily because of weak political leadership and a dysfunctional administration.

Opposition parties in the council said unpaid workers could take industrial action before the 2026 Local Government Elections. FF Plus councillor Willem Potgieter gave the election date as 4 November. DA Whip Marieta Visser said she hopes the election outcome will ease the municipality's financial problems.Share

ANC president Ramaphosa visited Mamelodi on Monday, ahead of the local government elections on 4 November. Residents said Gauteng ANC colleagues prevented them from showing him where they live. They also said the conditions pose a serious health risk, especially for small children.

Residents said they had been without electricity for three weeks and also complained about water. An unemployed mother said she pays R1 200 a month in rent for a three-room unit.

Ramaphosa spoke at a media doorstop in Mamelodi. He said the electricity crisis comes from illegal connections. He said the province and the municipality will install more transformers and move them away from illegal connectors.

On water, Ramaphosa said government has set up an interministerial committee and has budgeted for El Niño. He said he is certain the ANC will win the elections, despite polls showing opposition parties doing better.Share

Meyer spoke in Cape Town, where he is launching his political memoir. He said it is neither here nor there whether South Africa gets a seat at the table. He also said that smoothing over political tensions with the US is just as important as building strong trade relations.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz appealed to US President Donald Trump to include South Africa in the leaders' meeting. Trump said South Africa was excluded from G20 events in the US throughout this year.

Meyer said South Africa will send business representatives to the B20. He said: "We, as an embassy, will participate in the B20. So, at that level it goes on."Share

Mbalula said staying at home on voting day would destroy the ANC and the dreams of the people of the country. He said white people come out in numbers on voting day even though they do not attend rallies. He told the crowd: "Please do not stay in the house during the voting day, because the enemy wants to destroy the ANC."

Mbalula said the ANC will win the elections and keep Buffalo City metro. He also said the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa is steering the economy in the right direction. He referred to a R10 billion amount that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced to ease the burden of fuel costs.

Mbalula told councillor candidates to be honest and said the party will not support councillors accused of stealing. Princess Faku, the ANC regional chairperson and Buffalo City mayor, said the party will keep the metro with an outright majority.

Cosatu provincial secretary Mkhawuleli Maleki also spoke. He said there are things people are not happy about in the ANC, but they will continue supporting it.Share

Kubayi chairs the inter-ministerial committee on migration. She spoke at a media briefing in Pretoria on Monday. She said the plan also includes biometric tracking of foreign nationals.

Kubayi said the committee met protest organisers who target home affairs offices, and community leaders. She said the committee did not oppose legal migration by people who respect South African laws. She also said improperly registered SIM cards could help criminals and make suspects hard to trace.

Community leaders told the committee that hijacked and derelict state-owned buildings are used for human trafficking and drug dealing, Kubayi said. They also alleged that some NGOs take part in illicit activities. The committee has met eight metropolitan municipalities about reclaiming such buildings.

Kubayi said community leaders criticised government communication on migration as ineffective. The Government Communication and Information System will help explore communication in more languages. She also said protests undermine investment and tourism.Share

CMH said the affected cars are brands sold at competitive prices four to five years ago. The company said Chinese brands rose from 14.8% to 20% of national new-vehicle sales.

Motoring journalist Justus Visagie discussed the resale concerns on The Money Show with presenter Stephen Grootes. Visagie said many buyers now choose a cheaper Chinese brand regardless of resale value.

He also said many of the brands are new to consumers. In his words: "Many brands are new to consumers, so they don't know what to expect."Share

Minnaar says a small group of men threw petrol bombs into her home at around 8:15pm and damaged a bedroom window. Two adults and two children were in the bedroom. Reports gave four petrol bombs at the home.

About half an hour later, five explosives were thrown at the safe house where Minnaar had gone. One went through a window, but nothing exploded. Minnaar thinks the attackers followed her there. Police believe the same people were behind both attacks, because the rags at both places were made of the same cloth.

Zille visited Minnaar on Monday and said the attack was personal and targeted. She said Ward 58 is an ANC ward that Minnaar will win. Minnaar said: "this is not going to stop me from carrying on because to be honest, if they really wanted to get me, I was right there"

Colonel Frans Marweshe, the Florida police station commander, promised that police would take the case seriously and patrol the area. Electoral Commission spokesperson Kate Bapela said it was a matter for the police and that the parties know the code of conduct. The election is on 4 November.Share

Zondi is Chancellor of the Zulu King. The meeting follows marches to Home Affairs offices by groups raising concerns about illegal migration. Ngizwe Mchunu, president of Binca Nation, was represented in the delegation.

Kubayi said the delegation opposes illegal migration and undocumented migrants, not lawful immigration. The delegation also alleged that South African immigration officials issue illegal documents. It said a call to enforce immigration laws should not automatically be seen as xenophobia.

Kubayi told the media that government has identified hijacked buildings by street in the eight metros. She said it has appointed legal representatives to help remove unlawful occupants. She alleged that some of these buildings are used for crimes such as drug dealing and human trafficking.

Kubayi also urged citizens to check their sources on the Constitutional Court judgment on asylum seekers. She said unverified information about the ruling is circulating.Share

The JSE All Share index closed at 109,130 points on Monday, up 1.0%. The Top 40 index rose to 100,977, up 1.0%.

The rand ended at R16.63 to the US dollar, weaker than R16.48 the day before. Gold was at $4,021 an ounce, up 0.3%. Brent crude was at $109.75 a barrel, down 6.0%.Share

The software prints the sensors and the wire-like parts from two different materials, so their signals do not interfere. Users can choose up to three axes of motion: compressing, up and down, or to the sides. Postdoctoral researcher Jiaji Li and PhD student Xiang Chang made a glove that teaches a robot hand to grasp blocks, and a lamp that dims when pinched. This is an early research tool, and the team describes the work in a paper without independent testing.Share

The study found that people label that hybrid system "capitalist" or "socialist" depending on their political identity. So the disagreement lies more in the words people choose than in what they want. The study covers only the United States and Brazil, not South Africa. Details of the sample and methods were not available to us, so the size of the effect is unclear.Share

The team used MapBiomas land-cover maps to follow the Amazon, the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest. They link the changing pattern of loss to environmental policy. The study is published in Environmental Research Communications, a peer-reviewed journal. One caveat: the figures for Lula's current term cover only its first three years, so they are early.Share