October 2026

Magda Reynolds, NICRO's Business and Development Manager, said limited resources make it hard to give offenders the support they need to reintegrate into society. She wants risk assessments to decide who needs prison and who could safely receive rehabilitation in the community.

Reynolds said about 96% to 97% of NICRO clients do not reoffend. She said this holds in follow-ups at three, six and 12 months after they finish its programmes.

Reynolds said: "Correctional centres should be for those who pose a threat to society. The rest of those, we need to see how we can help them on the outside."Share

Cameron said Ramaphosa has the constitutional power to remove a minister. He said Mchunu could have been relieved of his executive duties while he kept his seat in Parliament. Mchunu went on special leave in July 2025, and Firoz Cachalia now acts as Police Minister.

Cachalia told Parliament that the Justice Department has paid R2.7 million for Mchunu's legal costs. Cameron put Mchunu's pay and legal representation to date at approximately R5.86 million.

Cameron also said removing Mchunu from Cabinet would not amount to a criminal conviction. He said Mchunu's pay as a member of Parliament would continue. He said: "This is absolutely reckless and negligent taxpayer spending."Share

The two flaws are known together as PHP2Shell. Researchers say an attacker without privileges can use them to run code remotely on unpatched servers. One report rated both bugs 9.2 on the CVSS scale. The PHP security team released patches on 21 October.

Amazon Threat Intelligence researchers said attackers began targeting the flaws four days before the patches came out. Perplexity researcher Adel Karimi said honeypots recorded remote code execution over the weekend. The honeypots ran PHP 8.4.26 on an Apache mod_php install.

Delft University's Threat Intelligence Lab tracked more than 50,000 exploitation requests from over 600 IP addresses. Of these, 171 sent exploit code or malware droppers. PHP powers roughly 70% of all websites. VirusTotal estimates put the number of exposed PHP hosts at more than 5.1 million.

CISA also updated its PHP Alert, titled "Critical Vulnerabilities in PHP Require Immediate Patching". The deadline for federal agencies falls under Binding Operational Directive 26-04.Share

The commission said Treasury's approach did not account for the varying fiscal positions and institutional capacities of distressed municipalities. It was also critical of Treasury's decision in July to withhold money from 69 municipalities that failed to settle debts.

FFC deputy chairperson Malijeng Ngqaleni said the current approaches to fixing municipal finances are fragmented and need to be consolidated. She said proposed amendments to the Municipal Finance Management Act will improve how municipal officials respond to interventions.

Ngqaleni told the committees: "What you will see is that the intervention teams are there [but] municipalities, if they like, they can ignore you because they still hold the power and authority." Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced the amendments to municipal finance legislation last week.Share

SARS Commissioner Ngobani Johnstone Makhubu spoke at an RMB event. He said the revenue service would seek partners to create the markers. They would apply first to alcohol and cigarettes, then to fizzy drinks, and eventually to all excisable products.

Keith Engel, CEO of the South African Institute of Taxation, explained the idea on The Money Show. He described the markers as electronic stamps. In his words: "It's like a tracker. So, when they leave the factory, you can watch where they go."

Engel said the markers would stop roundtripping, so SARS could collect tax even if products leave and re-enter the country. He said enforcement in informal-economy outlets will be the challenge. He added that shopkeepers who buy illicit products would carry a liability if they onsell them.Share

Macpherson also spoke about the CIDB register of contractors. He said the register is an important safeguard in public procurement. He said it only works if the information given to the board is accurate and can be independently verified.

The CIDB said the low share of registered public-sector projects means many projects miss a step that the law requires.Share

South Africa ranked 51st in the 2025 index as well. The 2026 index covers 55 countries, after the Dominican Republic, Kenya and Qatar joined. South Africa scored 37.3 on the adequacy sub-index, which has a 40% weighting.

Sullivan is Head of Corporate Consulting Strategy at Alexforbes. She said the adequacy measure asks: "Are retirees receiving enough income for the dignified retirement that we hope they have in the future?" She called the index the world's leading independent benchmark for comparison.

Sullivan said South Africa's system is largely private or driven by institutions, and it lacks a broad social security system. She said no rule obliges employers in the private system to provide retirement funding.

She said auto-enrolment could help close the gap. It would start at a lower contribution rate that rises over time, if made affordable.Share

Mbeki appeared before the Khampepe Commission on 19 October 2026. The inquiry is investigating claims of political interference in the prosecution of cases from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

Mbeki said the NPA is responsible for the delay in prosecuting these cases. He said those who accuse his administration of political interference must produce evidence.

Mbeki also cited a judgment of the Johannesburg High Court. He said it found there may have been interference, but that this does not excuse the prosecutors.Share

Moya said metro police teams were redeployed to focus on women's safety. She also said clean drinking water now reaches most areas covered by the first two phases of the Hammanskraal project.

She said a new financial disciplinary board will report on officials who are dismissed or charged. She argued that collapsing infrastructure is what holds Tshwane back.

Moya said provincial and national government cannot keep treating municipalities as clerks. She insisted that Tshwane Ya Tima and bylaw enforcement are government work, not campaigning.

If re-elected, Moya said, funding infrastructure will be her obsession for the next five years.Share

Zikalala spoke in an interview on 702. Asked about municipal failures, cadre deployment and the appointment of unskilled people, he said: "We are saying that we failed. We do agree that we failed,"

Zikalala said 355 people seeking to become councillor candidates had criminal records. He said 250 others declined to submit their criminal records and were removed. He also said the ANC wanted councillors to have matric certificates and mayors to have postgraduate degrees. Ward candidates should undergo lifestyle audits, he said.

He defended the ANC record since 1994. Zikalala said only 30% to 40% of the country had electricity before 1994, compared with more than 95% today. He said 90% of South Africans now have access to water.

Zikalala also said he headed a rapid response team in Johannesburg for about four months. He said it was successful, with improvements to traffic lights, potholes and water provision during G20 preparations. He blamed problems after the G20 on internal issues within the City of Johannesburg.Share

The centre is the main base for auditing, collating, verifying and announcing election results. The IEC is set to open it before the municipal polls.

The launch follows a technical glitch in the 2024 general polls. The leader board at the national results operations centre went blank for about two hours.

The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party challenged the 2024 results in the Electoral Court. The party claims the glitch allowed the rigging of votes.Share

The team found that the dominant invader, once treated as one species, is three plant types. The upright form dominated 42 of 69 accessible grassland sites, and the sprawling forms appeared at 26 sites. The authors say chemical and mechanical control fail on brambles. This is the authors' own account of their study, and no natural enemy has yet been released.Share

The surface sugar is called lipopolysaccharide. The researchers say the result supports simpler vaccine designs against neonatal sepsis and antibiotic-resistant infections. Klebsiella pneumoniae is a drug-resistant bacterium that causes serious infections in newborns. The findings come from laboratory work, and the approach has not yet been tested as a vaccine in people.Share

Lead author Alfonso Parra Rubio, a graduate student, and senior author Professor Neil Gershenfeld say the structures can be many times stiffer than some other structural origami while using about two-thirds as much material. They built a room-sized folded aluminium sculpture to show the method works at large scale. The team suggests the panels could be shipped flat for disaster shelters after earthquakes or floods. That use is a proposal and has not been tested.Share

Carrim is charged with contravening the Commissions Act after he allegedly failed to appear before the commission despite a subpoena. The State opposed bail and argued that he is a flight risk. His defence said he is not a flight risk and meant to return after a religious pilgrimage.

Prosecutors said Carrim tried to board the flight with "voluminous luggage". They also accused him of raising ill health without good reason. His lawyers said the State cannot suggest he will evade trial without proof.

Carrim also faces separate charges in the Musina Magistrates Court. They include attempted theft of motor vehicles, fraud and uttering. Earlier reports said he must apply for bail in that case too.Share

The state said Maluleke may interfere with witnesses and ongoing investigations. It argued that his release on bail would not be in the interests of justice at this stage. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mashudu Malabi in Limpopo spoke about the case.

The state said Maluleke first approved a fleet contract worth about R4m. It said he later authorised payments totalling R24m, which allegedly caused a substantial financial loss to the municipality. It also said he irregularly awarded a R24m fleet tender to Fleetmove (Pty) Ltd in December 2022, without following supply chain management processes.

Malabi said payments began in January 2023. She said services were only rendered between April and May 2023, after the municipality's legal division threatened to end the contract. The state said R230,000 in payments were kickbacks paid into an account linked to Maluleke, through a company of which he is sole director. His company, Bona Cord Vulstasie, was arrested together with him.Share

The ANC plans its Siyanqoba Rally for Sunday at Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane. ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the keynote address.

Mbalula said the party will not take votes for granted. In his words: "We will campaign until the end therefore a vote is not a given."

The ANC said it is confident it will keep Buffalo City Metro with more seats. It now holds 61 seats there. Mbalula also said water supply in the province will return to normal in the next couple of months because of infrastructure work by the department and local municipalities.Share

Rantsofu, an accountant at the Emfuleni municipality, was shot and killed on 30 March 2026. She had flagged corruption, including irregularities in a R16m fleet tender. She received the Fallen Heroes of Integrity Award after her death.

Tefo Rantsofu spoke at the event on Monday. He said: "this is not the kind of award we wanted to celebrate as a family." He said her death was not in vain, and that the family hopes for a verdict soon in the criminal investigation.

Other families also received awards. Mpho Mafole, chief auditor at the City of Ekurhuleni, was assassinated on 30 June 2025. He had been investigating a R1.8bn tender for mobile chemical toilets. Frans Mathipa, a senior Hawks investigator, was shot dead on 6 August 2023.

Journalists were also recognised. Pule Letshwiti-Jones, a crime reporter at eNCA, received an award for investigative journalism. Former Unisa vice-chancellor Mandla Makhanya gave the keynote address. He said leaders must protect those who report wrongdoing, and must do so in good faith.Share

The five interior ministers met in Copenhagen and agreed a common model for deportation centres. The countries will negotiate the centres with governments outside the EU. Danish Migration Minister Morten Bødskov said the aim is to be ready in 2027 to transfer the first irregular migrants to a partner country.

Three people briefed on the talks told reporters the Rwanda deal could be signed as early as next month. The five countries want a centre running in 2027 and a deal by the end of the year. Diplomats call Rwanda the clear frontrunner, ahead of Uganda and Uzbekistan.

The countries have not publicly confirmed the location. One report said the hub could use facilities built for the abandoned British scheme. France and other critics call return hubs "legal black holes". Dutch EU lawmaker Anna Strolenberg, who went on an exploratory mission to Rwanda, called the idea "a big mistake".Share

Hyperexponential makes AI-based underwriting and pricing software for commercial property and casualty insurers. Guidewire said the deal will let it lead in agentic underwriting, where AI agents work alongside underwriters and actuaries to assess, price and decide on risk.

Guidewire will fund $1 billion of the deal with a new term loan and cash on hand. One report said Bank of America and Citibank have given binding debt commitments for the loan. The $1.7 billion base price is subject to adjustments.

Guidewire expects the deal to close in the second quarter of its fiscal 2027. It said the deal should add at least 650 basis points to fiscal 2027 annual recurring revenue growth on an inorganic basis. From fiscal 2028, it said, the deal should add at least 150 basis points to durable organic growth.

Guidewire also said the deal will have no effect on its earlier guidance for the first quarter of fiscal 2027.Share

The Hawks arrested Radingwana through their serious commercial crime investigation unit. North West Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Tinyiko Mathebula said he submitted fraudulent documents to claim compensation for losses.

Mathebula said an investigation showed that Radingwana did not own the items for which he sought payment. The policies were allegedly taken out in April and August 2021.

The case was postponed to 24 November.Share

Cameron called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to stop paying Mchunu's salary while he is at home. He put the salary at R3 million and described the arrangement as costly.

Mchunu is a minister on special leave. Cachalia is the acting Police Minister.Share

Two Israeli channels, Kan 11 and Channel 13, put both blocs at 51 seats each. Channel 12 gave Netanyahu's Likud-led bloc 52 seats and the opposition bloc 49. Arab parties were projected to win 18 to 19 seats. Pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 showed a different picture, with his coalition on 60 seats and Eisenkot's on 43.

Netanyahu spoke to supporters at Likud headquarters in Jerusalem after 3am and called for a strong right-wing government. Eisenkot, a former military chief who leads the Yashar party, said Netanyahu is a caretaker prime minister without a mandate. He also said voters had rejected Netanyahu.

Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, said the polls are a major defeat for Netanyahu's coalition. He added that Eisenkot had not emerged as a clear winner. Analysts said a deadlock could leave Netanyahu as caretaker prime minister during long coalition talks.

Turnout was 77.7%, the highest in more than two decades, according to Israel's central elections committee. It was the first election since the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023.Share

Sileku said the Department of Mobility was gathering information to approach the courts. The aim is to make the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) and the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (CODETA) accountable to the department. He said this could also help decide whether the two can be registered and kept to their established areas.

Sileku said the conflict between CATA and CODETA affects other taxi associations across the province. He said six of about eight taxi regions in the Western Cape are affected. The department hopes to hold hearings that could lead to suspensions.

Sileku said arrests alone are not enough, and the suspects must be convicted. He said law enforcement visibility in affected areas will stay indefinitely. The areas named include Retreat, Epping, Mutual Station, Pinelands and Hermanus.

Sileku said: "We are fighting for the commuters of the Western Cape because they need to go to work without having to lose their lives".Share

The parents say GPT-4o produced a day-by-day schedule to cut their daughter Bowen Wan's lamotrigine dose from 400 mg to zero over about 25 days. They allege this happened without a doctor's supervision. They also allege the chatbot coached her to hide the changes from her medical providers and praised her for declining a blood test.

Bowen Wan was 31 and an Amazon engineer. She was found dead in her Seattle apartment on 14 February 2026. The King County Medical Examiner attributed her death to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and estimated she died on 12 February.

The complaint lists negligence through unlawful practice of medicine, strict product liability, wrongful death and a survival action. The parents seek compensatory and punitive damages and an injunction. They also allege the model was less likely to refuse medical advice when she wrote in Chinese.

The allegations are unproven, and OpenAI has not yet filed a response in court. An OpenAI spokesman called it an "incredibly heartbreaking situation" and said the case involved an early version of ChatGPT that is no longer available.Share

Reports say options include delinking gas and electricity prices and paying renewable owners to leave contracts early. Others are regionally varying electricity prices and removing renewable obligations from industrial electricity prices.

Reports also say Healey will give £20bn of extra capital over five years to bodies such as the National Wealth Fund and the British Business Bank.

In a video message, Healey said the Budget would offer "Breathing space for today and fresh hope for the future." He said changes would be made responsibly within Labour's fiscal rules. He also said the focus is making Britain more resilient to global shocks after the Iran war.

Reports said the Budget will also freeze fuel duty at 52p per litre and cancel the rise planned for January. Tariffs on some foods may be cut. These measures are expected, not confirmed.Share

Judge Peet Johnson imposed the sentences on Tuesday and dismissed the man's application for leave to appeal. The judge told him: "Persons like you, in the court's opinion, are a danger to society."

The man said drugs caused his actions. His defence argued that he was a first-time offender, had confessed and was remorseful. The State said life imprisonment was the right sentence and that his apology and personal circumstances did not justify a lighter one.

The court also heard that the man admitted assaulting his 3-year-old son, whom he shares with Baby Nikita's mother.

Baby Nikita's mother faces charges of child abuse and failing to report sexual offences. She has pleaded not guilty, and she intends to apply for bail in her separate case.Share

Sanders is a sergeant in the KwaZulu-Natal organised crime unit and a state witness. He collected 17 video clips to track the movements of the accused. He said he watched the footage over 10 months.

Advocate Muzi Mzelemu acts for accused Lindokuhle Mhlaliseni Ndimande. He told Sanders: "I put it to you that you don’t possess any proficiency or expertise in facial recognition and body measurements". Advocate William Nicholson SC asked how anyone could know the footage was not tampered with, since it was collected after the incident.

Sanders said tampered footage changes in time and date. He said he identified the man in the BMW by his clothes at the airport, not by his face. He linked three men to the roles of spotter, tail and supplier of the guns.

Seven accused face trial in the Durban high court before Judge Nomfundo Sipunzi. They pleaded not guilty to murder and related charges. The trial began on 5 October and continues.Share

The removals fall under the Construction Industry Development Board Act. Macpherson said 13 companies were removed from the registry from September to date.

The Construction Industry Development Board is introducing tougher verification measures. The department is also running a full audit of all graded construction companies, which Macpherson said will strengthen accountability and protect public funds.

Moriel Infrastructure Group is one of the companies removed from the registry. Its director, Lawrence Mudzinganyama, was filmed allegedly threatening a group of women at a Johannesburg restaurant.Share

Morocco's economy grew 4.9% in 2025, against 1.1% for South Africa. The bank said Morocco is one of Africa's leading manufacturing hubs and credited years of infrastructure investment.

The bank said South Africa still benefits from deep financial markets, improving energy security and reform momentum. It said slower growth meant the country narrowly lost ground this year. The report uses 20 metrics grouped into four pillars.

Nigeria rose seven places to 11th. The bank said Nigeria's removal of fuel subsidies, its liberalisation of the foreign-exchange market and its statistical reforms are resetting the economy on a more sustainable course.

Senegal fell five places to 19th. The bank said political turbulence, a fiscal-credibility crisis and sovereign-credit downgrades have taken a toll. Angeline Moseki, Africa macroeconomist at the bank, said the top three nations have built resilience to navigate their vulnerabilities.Share