October 2026

Police first arrested the men for possession of unlicensed firearms after the chase. Officers recovered two automatic rifles and a pistol. The court remanded the men in custody for a formal bail application.

Police spokesperson Ndakhe Gwala said detectives found evidence against the suspects. "Anti-Gang Unit detectives worked around the clock and obtained conclusive evidence that links the suspects to the double murder."

The five are due to appear in the Wynberg Magistrates' Court on Thursday.Share

Three shooting incidents took place on Tuesday morning within 90 minutes, and three people were wounded. In Gugulethu, two men were killed and another was injured on Tuesday. A 38-year-old man was shot dead in H Block, Khayelitsha.

Police believe the Gugulethu attack was taxi-related. Sergeant Wesley Twigg said the Khayelitsha attack was also believed to be taxi-related.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said metro police and police responded together to several incidents. He said the metro gives full policing support, including safety camera footage and surveillance technology. He said: "We utterly condemn the violence and lawlessness linked to disputes within the taxi industry."

JP Smith, the City's Safety and Security MMC, appealed to the public for information. The City runs an anonymous tip-for-reward line on 0800 110077.Share

Bloom said Gauteng loses 431 billion litres of treated water a year through physical leaks. One source put the share of water lost or not paid for at 48%, while the other gave 49% and said it was up from 42.5% in 2023/24. Emfuleni has the worst losses, at over 70%, and Mogale City follows at over 60%.

Johannesburg loses an estimated 49%, including 26% through physical leaks. Tshwane loses 45%, with 34% physical, and Ekurhuleni loses about 30%, with 22% physical.

The draft Strategic Framework for Water and Sanitation Services sets targets for 2035. It wants non-revenue water below 25% and at least 30% of end-of-life pipelines, pumps and process units replaced. It also wants 80% of urban households to have smart meters by 2032.

Bloom said Gauteng must roughly halve its water losses to meet the national target. He also said an independent economic regulator for water services should be legislated by 2029. He told councils: "We are only successful when every person experiences functioning, safe and reliable water and sanitation services."Share

The MK party took 48% of eThekwini votes in the 2024 national and provincial elections. If those results repeat in the local elections, the ANC could lose its place as the biggest party in the city. The ANC has held that place since the start of democracy.

ANC eThekwini coordinator Thanduxolo Sabelo said the party expects voters to return. He said: "We are quite confident that we will regain most of the lost ground from 2024."Share

Joburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said the city has no confirmed citywide contamination incident. She also said Johannesburg water meets quality standards. Any water quality advisory applies only to the areas named in the notice.

Shabalala spoke about a sewer pipeline incident in Bez Valley last week. She said a tree stump fell into a sewer pipeline being laid by a contractor, which raised concern that it might have mixed with drinking water. Samples taken on Thursday showed no contamination, and Joburg Water confirmed this on Friday.

Residents who notice an unusual colour or smell in their water can report it to Joburg Water on 010 061 4470.Share

Cosatu said its campaign follows resolutions of its 15th National Congress. The federation said its task is to make sure workers' voices help set the direction of local government and the country's development path.

Losi said Cosatu will pursue the reconfiguration and renewal of the tripartite alliance. She said this will happen through structured political engagement and an alliance political council.

Losi said: "Political support must be principled and linked to a clear working-class programme rather than treated as an unconditional mandate for any political formation."Share

Earlier on Tuesday evening, the boys were reported stuck on riverbanks while emergency medical services were on their way. Mabovula said a helicopter could not reach the site because of low-lying clouds. One report described the place as an island, another as riverbanks.

Heavy rain has hit the Eastern Cape. Eskom said the rain damaged power lines and caused outages in large parts of the province. The King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality said heavy rain affected roads in 37 wards.

The municipality reported no deaths. Mabovula said conditions may change quickly on wet and slippery roads. The municipality urged residents to avoid flooded routes and consider postponing travel.Share

The governance, public safety and justice report also shows that more people experience disputes and problems in daily life. Racial discrimination is the form of discrimination that people experience most often. Discrimination based on nationality comes second.

Boitumelo Mooketsi, director of governance, public safety and justice statistics at Statistics South Africa, described what the report covers. She said it "provides statistics on the awareness and perception of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, experience of discrimination and disputes."Share

Reports say the proposals also include US oil firms helping to restart Russian crude exports to Europe through the Druzhba pipeline. They also cover Russian gas supplies to Europe through Nord Stream and US operating rights at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Reports also say US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian president Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in early September to discuss the ideas. Russian official Kirill Dmitriev has also held talks with Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Dmitriev estimated in February that the projects could be worth $14 billion.

ExxonMobil once held a 30% stake in a Russian project that Russia seized. The company said last year that it was discussing compensation and had no plans to resume business in Russia.

Separately, US president Donald Trump said at a rally in Texas that a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will be arranged very soon.Share

The Mossel Bay regional court heard that Ntsondolo killed both victims on 7 and 8 November 2025. He stabbed Mgwevelana once in the chest. Because the sentences run together, Ntsondolo will serve an effective life sentence.

Regional court prosecutor Makhi Cutshe said Ntsondolo's actions were not simply an impulsive outburst in the heat of the moment. The state argued that the events showed a deliberate intention to kill both victims. It also said the trauma to a child who saw the killing increased his moral blameworthiness.

The Western Cape director of public prosecutions, Adrian Mopp, welcomed the sentence. He said: "This sentence sends an unequivocal message that women are not the property of their partners or former partners."Share

Parliament's Standing and Select Committees on Finance hosted the hearings. Prinsloo presented for Math is not Mathing, an independent public interest initiative. She said pensioners cannot make ends meet and must pay for medical care because state facilities are overcrowded.

Prinsloo said Treasury must show evidence of how it expects pensioners to live on R2,400 a month. She asked: "After food, electricity, accommodation, transport and medication, can we please explain to the South African elderly how they are expected to live on R2 400 per month?"

Other civil society groups challenged how Treasury will spend the R38 billion in savings across government departments, announced in the mid-term budget. Family for Children said the money should help families raise their children. Its spokesperson Patricia Martin said parenting support across a life course is the most developmental use of the cash.

Lobbyists for a universal basic income grant said the government has no plan to convert the R370 social relief of distress grant. They said it has not risen with inflation.Share

Bester said he did not recall such a meeting. He also denied telling Macadam there was a solid case against former president Thabo Mbeki and the ANC 37. The ANC 37 is a group of 37 high-ranking ANC members who applied together for TRC amnesty.

Bester said he investigated the forgery allegations from 22 to 31 August 2007. He said Johan de Beer, then the divisional commissioner, instructed him to do so.

Macadam, a former deputy director of public prosecutions in the NPA's priority crimes litigation unit, gave earlier evidence. He said Bester and former investigator Sue Brits approached him to prosecute Mbeki and the ANC 37. He also said Bester had been asked to provide evidence in 2003.

Bester said he was not involved in the matter in 2003. He said he had no prior knowledge of the ANC 37 dockets, which stayed sealed under NPA control. Macadam also told the inquiry that the executive branch of government interfered with and stalled apartheid-era prosecutions.Share

National Coloured Congress representative Fadiel Adams said coloured nationalism was a direct response to the exclusion of coloured communities. He said: "Our story is of broken promises, suffering, and of compromise." EFF representative Carl Niehaus said the challenges facing coloured communities should be addressed through solidarity between coloured and black South Africans.

DA representative Francine Higham said the DA had invested over R40 billion in infrastructure over the last five years. She said this included a record R12.2 billion in the last financial year, and that 75% of it directly benefited lower-income households.

Brett Herron, the mayoral hopeful for The Good Party, said Cape Town had unfortunately earned the title of a tale of two cities. Jeremiah Thuynsma spoke for the ANC at the debate.Share

The campaign stops cover Inkanyenzi in Alexandra, which is in Ward 75, and Marlboro, which is in Ward 109. Residents in these areas say overcrowding is a problem.

They also raise concerns about water and sanitation, and about electricity supply. These service delivery issues are likely to shape the ANC's campaign in the area.Share

The team scored living conditions such as enclosure size, shelter, food and tourist contact. Venues offering lion petting had the worst conditions, and in some cases tourists handled lions for up to eight hours a day. Cubs were often separated from their mothers very young. The researchers say the data can inform policy. The authors worked with campaign groups, the item names no journal, and the sample is 34 venues.Share

The overall reform completion index rose to 72.5 from 71.3 in the previous quarter. One report said this is the highest score since monitoring began in March 2024. Krutham, a research consultancy, compiles the tracker.

Stuart Theobald, executive chair of Krutham, told a media briefing: "We are at risk of re-entering that greylist. There is significant risk." BLSA said weaknesses in law enforcement could count against South Africa in the Financial Action Task Force evaluation.

BLSA chief executive Busi Mavuso said weaknesses in the criminal justice system remain. National Treasury did not respond to a request for comment. Treasury adviser Ismail Momoniat led the campaign to exit the greylist in October 2025.

South Africa spent more than two years on the greylist. Business groups said at the time that the listing deterred foreign investment.Share

The team of Associate Professor Canan Dagdeviren combined a drug reservoir with an array of 24 miniature ultrasound transducers. Doctors can set the ultrasound doses wirelessly after surgery. In a paper in the peer-reviewed journal Device, the researchers report that molecules spread further in tissue models and in a mouse study. The work is early, and the page text mentions no tests in people.Share

The North West Provincial Treasury is working with the provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and municipalities. The Greater Taung Local Municipality is named among the places involved.

Any withholding of the December 2026 equitable-share tranche would be subject to statutory processes. National Treasury would be the body to withhold the transfer.

Linda Nengovhela, Chief Director for Municipal Financial Management at the Provincial Treasury, set out what she expects. She said: "Municipalities must move beyond reporting UIFW balances to implementing tangible systems that prevent irregularities, recover losses where applicable and hold those responsible accountable."Share

The comments come from Nagle's remarks in a private meeting. The value of each sale is only described as multibillion-dollar.

Glencore is a commodities house and miner listed in the UK.Share

Makhubele says the application protects her judge title while the litigation continues. She argues that if parliament passes an impeachment vote, the constitution leaves President Cyril Ramaphosa no choice but to remove her title. In a replying affidavit filed this month, she said: "I deny that an application for interim protection is necessarily inconsistent with the National Assembly’s duties or judicial accountability."

Unite Behind opposes the application. The group says it poses serious harm to the National Assembly's constitutional mandate to consider impeachment recommendations. It also says she can seek legal relief after the parliamentary process, and that parliament's decision would collapse if the review court found in her favour.

Unite Behind also says her conduct undermined the independence of the judiciary and breached the separation of powers. Makhubele argues she was not a judge when she accepted the Prasa interim board position at the end of October 2017. The National Assembly and the portfolio committee on justice and constitutional development have not opposed the application.Share

Lungisa told residents the ANC needed to regain the faith it lost after it lost its majority in 2016. He said Nelson Mandela Bay voters had new faith then and chose the DA under Athol Trollip. He also said Trollip's coalition-era capacity "died" when coalitions started leading.

Lungisa said that even without an outright majority, the ANC must come close so that it leads the government again. At a Mission Vale meeting, he said he would note the names of families who did not vote ANC, so the party could fetch them to vote on 4 November.

Some residents recalled that shanty areas were electrified while Lungisa was the municipality's infrastructure MMC. Two Mission Vale residents said the DA takeover of Ward 31 brought no dramatic change. They blamed the ANC councillor for failing them.

In 2016 the DA won 46.71% of the vote in the city and 57 council seats. The ANC won 50 seats, down from 62 in 2011. In Ward 48, the DA vote share fell from 69.70% in 2016 to 44.63% in 2021.Share

Ingram, a personal financial adviser, said the effective capital gains tax rate inside a trust is 36%. He said the maximum rate for an individual is 18%. He also said donating assets into a trust costs 20% donations tax.

Ingram said initial costs to set up a trust are likely to range from R8,000 to R25,000. He said annual fees are probably R3,000 to R8,000 for financial statements and tax returns. Trustees add R10,000 to R35,000 a year.

Ingram said many finance professionals describe family trusts as a powerful tax-planning tool. He said trusts make sense in some cases. These include a child or adult dependant with mental incapacity, a family business, farm or holiday house, or a very large estate that spans generations.Share

Chauke faces several charges, including attempted murder and assault. State prosecutor Advocate Kgaugelo Lekoloane is due to cross-examine him when the hearing resumes.

His testimony was earlier adjourned after his lawyer called a ballistic expert, Jan de Klerk. De Klerk testified about how police photographed the vehicle allegedly used by Chauke on the day of a shooting in Ladanna, Polokwane, in October last year.

Chauke has been in custody since his arrest in November last year. The Magistrates' Court and the High Court dismissed his earlier bail applications numerous times.Share

The rapes happened between December 2024 and February 2025. The first incident was on 15 December 2024. The incident of 15 February 2025 led to a report to police.

Police said the accused, who is well known to the girl, lured her to a bedroom and raped her there. Police said the court heard that he gave her money after each rape. The court also declared him unfit to possess a firearm.

Lejweleputswa District Commissioner Major General (Dr) Tholie Afonso welcomed the sentence. She said any action that undermines the rule of law will be dealt with decisively.Share

Gardee said the slogan is a political battle cry. In his words: "It does not in any way say people must die. It says there must be victory."

He urged voters to back the EFF in the local government elections. Gardee said South Africans endured decades of poor service delivery under the ANC and other parties that governed municipalities. He also claimed the EFF has built houses for poor people, run soup kitchens and constructed roads.

On drugs and crime, Gardee said law enforcement needs more personnel, better training and stronger checks against infiltration by drug cartels. He also said several parties have emerged since 2013 without significantly damaging the EFF's electoral support.Share

The exercise is a joint safety and security drill. It will take place in Sunninghill, and roads in the area include Tumbach Road, Rivonia Road, Leeuwkop Road and Witkoppen Road.

JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla spoke about traffic during the exercise. He said: "Traffic management measures will be enforced."Share

Prosecutors allege the car was taken from the Palm Springs Security Complex in November 2022. They say Stanfield, described as an alleged underworld gang boss, stole it. The trial is in the Western Cape High Court.

The witness said Johnson claimed that the car and R1 million in cash had been stolen from her and Stanfield. His identity is withheld.

Bruce Hendricks, the lawyer for Johnson, is cross-examining him. Hendricks says the witness has inconsistencies in his evidence. He told the witness: "I put it to you that essential evidence of this testimony, you cannot remember."Share

Nortman worked for the local Crime Intelligence Unit and served 34 years in the South African Police Service. This year she celebrated her 30th wedding anniversary with another warrant officer.

Gupta faces a murder charge among others. He returns to court next Friday. He entered South Africa from India two years ago on a visitor's visa, which has since expired.

Residents attended the court case on Tuesday. Lichtenburg resident Anton van Eeden said: "She was a household name in Lichtenburg. It's bad for us; some of the people don't take it well."Share

WhichParty asks users questions on local and national issues. It then matches their answers with parties, using party documents and statements. The tool is free to use.

Abrahams said voters have no easy way to learn what parties stand for without hours or days of research. He said the response to the tool has been encouraging.

Abrahams said: "Everyone that I've spoken to, we all feel that we're voting blindly." The Local Government Elections take place on 4 November.Share

The seven accused face charges of murdering musician Kiernan "AKA" Forbes and his friend Tebello "Tibz" Motsoane. Reports said both men were shot and killed outside Wish Restaurant on Florida Road in Durban in February 2023.

On Tuesday, defence lawyer William Nicholson questioned SAPS technical detective Constable Rajen Sanders, a state witness. Nicholson raised concerns that the CCTV footage may have been tampered with.

Sanders rejected this and said the footage is authentic. He said tampering would show on the screen, and that altering footage would change the date, time and whole DVR. Sanders told the court: "I’m going to disagree with you about the authenticity."Share