November 2026

Johannesburg Water expects storage to reach about 50% by the end of the week. Lesufi said the water losses in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane came from El Niño and related factors, as he was told. He said the deployment of the water and sanitation deputy minister and technical teams helped stabilise the system.

Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero said Crown Gardens, Berea and Kensington had seen improvements. He said Kensington was the worst hit and the city had restored it. Morero said the city bought 20 tankers in 2025 and 16 more in a second phase.

Morero said replacing ageing water infrastructure would cost R13bn. He said the investment would save the city about R300m in its water business. Reports said interventions could cut water losses by at least 10% in the short term.

Henk Boshoff, chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission, said municipalities should stop spending hundreds of millions of rand on water tankers. He said service providers and municipal officials are sabotaging infrastructure. WaterCAN executive manager Ferrial Adam said Johannesburg Water and the province should have seen the crisis coming.Share

Morero spoke at a media briefing at the Crown Gardens reservoirs on Monday. He said the loss of water has crippled supply while reservoirs run low. Outages continue in parts of the city.

The city's pipe network is 12,600km long. Johannesburg Water replaced 84km of pipe in the last financial year. Morero said the scale of the problem is enormous.

He said steps in the Johannesburg Water turnaround strategy could cut losses by at least 10% in the short term. He said this would come at a massive cost.

Morero also said the city's high consumption exceeded the allocation from Rand Water, and the city is battling to meet demand. He said Johannesburg Water officials are working around the clock to restore supply.Share

Locally made devices accounted for 29% of public-sector procurement and 25% of private-sector purchases, the study found. The Localisation Support Fund (LSF) says the findings give an evidence base for strengthening the local industry and reducing reliance on imports.

LSF chief executive Irshaad Kathrada said price is not the main obstacle to local products. He said government is not strategic enough in public-sector buying, and that individual hospitals buy on their own.

Kathrada said piloting across spheres of government could help, including hospitals, provincial health departments and national buying programmes. He said this has worked in the Western Cape. The LSF also says more predictable procurement, better coordination of public demand and targeted support for existing manufacturers could expand local production.Share

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media that indirect talks with Washington were taking place through mediators. He said consultations were very intensive. US Vice President JD Vance said the US had made some progress and would see if it could make more.

A senior Iranian official said Tehran was ready to open the strait within two days if Washington agreed to its list of demands. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that Iran wanted a settlement as soon as possible.

Hours later, a Wall Street Journal report said the US had carried out a string of limited, secret strikes on Iran in recent weeks. Iranian state media reported five explosions on Qeshm island. The report weakened the diplomatic overtures.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei warned that any act of aggression would meet a response that was powerful, immediate and comprehensive. Trump said he might still have to give Iran "the hammer" at some point. He said he also had to deal with one or two targets, including Pickaxe mountain, a suspected nuclear site that Tehran denies is one.Share

Helen Zille, the DA candidate for Johannesburg, defended her party's national coalition with the ANC. She said the alternative is the "doomsday option". Bongani Baloyi of the MK Party ruled out working with the DA or the FF Plus.

Herman Mashaba, the ActionSA candidate for Johannesburg, said he fired more than 900 people for incompetence and corruption. He said: "I’m not in this job to make friends." Willie Spies, the FF Plus candidate for Tshwane, said his party is building "a new majority".

In Ekurhuleni, ANC candidate Jongizizwe Dlabathi said the metro "is not a crime scene". He said R840 million of the R2 billion lost through under-collected electricity has been recovered. EFF candidate Nthabiseng Tshivhenga said vetting found more than 200 metro police officers with criminal records.Share

Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo told a media briefing on Monday evening that all logistical difficulties were resolved during the day. He described the count of 780,000 as conservative. The commission said 217 voting stations in the City of Cape Town had delays.

The commission expects 2.6 million voters to cast special votes on Monday and Tuesday. Mamabolo said Tuesday would be much improved and Wednesday would be better still. He also offered an apology to affected voters.

Ballot papers were late after about 28 million had to be reprinted in 107 municipalities. The reprint followed a Constitutional Court ruling of 15 October that ordered 181 ANC candidates reinstated, with 32 other parties given the same relief. About 29 million South Africans are registered to vote in the municipal polls.

Democratic Alliance (DA) voters have written to the commission to complain about the delays, reports said. DA federal council chair Ashor Sarupen said the commission should convene an urgent meeting of the party liaison committee on the failures that caused the delay.Share

Masinga said 148 voting stations are tents. In some informal settlements, no permanent building is available. She said: "there is absolutely no permanent structure we can use as a voting station".

Masinga said temporary service providers are on standby. They will put the tents up again if anything happens to them. She spoke at the briefing on Monday.Share

The team found an electron-transfer effect in which only redox probes at the cell-electrode interface produce measurable current. They used it to build an electrochemical sensor. On 55 patient samples, the sensor showed 96% specificity and 87% sensitivity. The sample is small, and the figures are early and not independently validated. The work does not say whether the test will be available in South Africa.Share

Greer said the US is concerned by barriers to US trade and investment, corruption, and threats to US national security and foreign policy interests in South Africa. The office of the US trade representative also accused South Africa of high tariffs on US poultry, wine and spirits, and of unjustified animal health limits on US pork.

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau said Agoa remains important but is not the whole economic relationship with the US. He said government will speed up the diversification of export markets to protect jobs. Tau also said the US is raising new issues that were not part of talks that began in 2025.

Cosatu said thousands of agricultural and manufacturing jobs are at risk. The Citrus Growers' Association of Southern Africa called the exclusion a blow to the industry. Its chief executive, Boitshoko Ntshabele, said the US consumer will lose too.

Reports put Agoa goods at about 10% of South Africa's exports to the US in 2025. Tau said 89% of South African exports entered the US under ordinary World Trade Organisation terms that year.Share

The JSE All Share index closed at 109,528 points on Monday, up 1.8%. The Top 40 index rose to 101,439, up 2.0%.

The rand ended at R16.69 to the US dollar, weaker than R16.61 the day before. Gold was at $3,959 an ounce, up 1.5%. Brent crude was at $104.73 a barrel, down 11.0%.Share

Somizi will host a talk show called Life Lessons with Somizi. He will also front a television adaptation of MetroFM's Ask A Man.

The stories of three close friends will feature on Life Lessons: Cassper Nyovest, Lekau Sehoana and Ntombi Ngcobo Mzolo.

Somizi said a third television project is brewing for the festive season. He also said luck plays a huge role in success in the industry.

Somizi said: "I never thought I'd work that far in advance."Share

The taxi carried learners from grade 1 to 4 and a creche learner. Their reported ages range from 6 to 14. Amaoti is north of Durban.

Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) received the call and reported the incident. Rusa said the driver noticed the fire in the engine while travelling towards the main road. The driver then pulled over and quickly evacuated all the occupants.

Rusa said the driver was unsure how the fire started.Share

Mnguni spoke in an interview with presenter John Perlman on 702. He said contract workers earn far less than permanent city employees who do the same work.

He gave the example of a worker on a truck contracted by the waste removal company Pick It Up. Mnguni said the worker earned R10,000 before moving to a new contractor and R5,800 after. He said a full-time city employee on the same truck earns about 18,000 rands.

Mnguni argued that privatising critical assets would leave poor people behind. He said the city would lose its ability to set policy for indigent households. He said privatising water in Bolivia led to a revolution.

He also said money is siphoned from the city through contracts while contract workers are paid less. On grass cutting, he said: "You don't need to outsource grass cutting contracts because you'll always need to grass cut,"Share

Residents said they last saw water flow from their taps 4 days ago. They said the City of Johannesburg is failing to give households a reliable supply.

Mmapule Ramadibane waited at home for Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) officials to assist her husband with special voting. She asked how residents can be expected to vote when they are thirsty, and said government is failing them.

Ramadibane said: "There is no water, our rubbish bins haven’t been emptied, but we’re still expected to vote?"Share

Fridjhon said the review was driven by finance, not by the local business. He said the South African wine brands in the Heineken group have not performed brilliantly and the wine industry is under pressure. He also said Heineken as a global company faces pressure on sales and on fines it must pay.

Fridjhon said Heineken South Africa needs to do some soul-searching. He said the brands are flagship brands and that is a concern.

He said an overseas buyer might see a sale as a toehold in the South African market. Such a buyer could use it as a springboard into the rest of Africa. Fridjhon spoke to CapeTalk presenter John Maytham.

Distell merged with Heineken in 2023.Share

The study says Johannesburg will grow to 8.9 million people by 2050. It puts the city's population at 7.1 million in 2025. Statistics South Africa reported 4.8 million in its 2022 census, and the study uses a broader urban definition than municipal boundaries.

The study puts Cape Town's population at about 4.5 million. It says the city will no longer rank among the largest in the region. It says Luanda's population may top 20 million.

Other cities will grow fast. The study projects that Bamako will grow by 80% to 7.6 million people over the next 25 years. It projects 64% growth for Mogadishu over the same period.

The study says the urban population of sub-Saharan Africa will rise by 320 million to 823 million by 2050. The figure rises to 1.7 billion when peri-urban areas and towns are included. The World Bank and the European Commission's Joint Research Centre assessed current city sizes together.Share

The peer-reviewed work offers a possible biological explanation for lung problems that affect many children with Down syndrome. The summary we read gives no sample sizes or methods. The findings may come from lab or animal models, so they need further testing before anyone can say how they apply to patients.Share

McKenzie spoke to party supporters on Facebook on Sunday evening. He said of the fourth-place goal: "That's what we're aiming for." The EFF now holds fourth place.

Ipsos data puts the EFF at about 10% of the vote in Wednesday's elections, behind the ANC, the DA and the MK Party. Ipsos forecasts the PA at 1% in Johannesburg and 4% in Cape Town.

The PA won 0.95% of the vote in the 2021 municipal elections and 77 council seats. In the 2024 national elections it won 2.06% and nine seats.Share

Warrick "DJ Warras" Stock was shot and killed outside the Zambezi Building in Johannesburg on 16 December 2025. Co-accused Joaquim Pacula shot Stock.

Pacula was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Buthelezi and Majola will stand trial on the same killing.Share

Morero said some communities will keep facing low water pressure and interruptions, because recovery will not be immediate. Joburg Water said some systems remained critically low. It said restoration will stay gradual and carefully managed to avoid overwhelming the network.

Some residents complained on social media that they had been without water for more than two weeks. The areas named include Bedfordview, Sandton, Midrand, Randburg, Roodepoort and Soweto.

Morero said: "I appeal to all residents to use water sparingly during this recovery period". He also urged residents to vote in the elections on 4 November.Share

ActionSA's KwaZulu-Natal chairperson, Zwakele Mncwango, said the party was disturbed by two serious incidents involving its members and their families over the weekend. He said the timing, just days before the elections, is deeply concerning. He called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to investigate.

Preliminary reports said Mkhize was stabbed with a knife and strangled just outside her home. She was an activist and the party's candidate in Mnyameni, in the Maphumulo Local Municipality.

Mncwango said: "Political differences must never lead to violence or loss of life". At least 50 people have died in suspected political murders this election year.

A September report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime counted 43 suspected political assassinations since January. Police have opened 139 election-related criminal cases and arrested 48 suspects. National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola said KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of high-risk voting stations in the country.Share

The researchers found that blocking GLS1 protected male mice against this heart enlargement. Heart enlargement is a common and serious complication of chronic kidney disease, so the enzyme may be a possible drug target. The work is peer-reviewed but early and preclinical. It used male mice only, and it has not been tested in people.Share

The IEC said the theft was reported to the uMkomaas police station. It also reported other incidents in its KwaZulu-Natal special voting update, including police escort and vehicle delays. The commission said the delays and problems at voting stations had been attended to.

In Umzinto, MK Party members approached a voting station at Umzinto Town Hall and asked for information about how election material is distributed. The IEC said a person who claimed to be a Political Liaison Committee (PLC) member was also at the hall. It said that person had not taken part in earlier PLC meetings.

The IEC said PLC members were reminded that the storage locations of election materials are confidential and may not be disclosed to unauthorised persons.

The IEC approved 362,878 special vote applications in KwaZulu-Natal. Of these, 211,449 are for visits to voting stations and 151,429 are for home visits. The province has 5,028 voting stations, and 4,988 of them received applications. The other 40 received none and will not open for special voting.Share

Turok acts for Wingfield residents through the legal organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi. She says the interim order also blocks the city from stopping residents rebuilding their shacks. She said: "only the Ndabeni Communal Property Trust can obtain an eviction order to remove my clients."

The city says it stepped in to protect land owned by the Ndabeni Communal Property Trust from a mass land invasion in Kensington. JP Smith, the city's Mayco Member for Safety and Security, said six community members with a court order had permission to build on site on Sunday. He said about 50 more people without a court order joined them and began to put up structures.

The matter is due back in court on 26 November 2026. The court will then decide whether the interim order should be made permanent.Share

The department says 28 approved Sporong households still wait for homes. It is processing 19 further applications. Spokesperson Tahir Sema said 26 households received houses on 29 October. He said delays in completing housing units slowed the relocations.

Sema also said illegal mining around Sporong creates safety challenges for residents and officials. He said the remaining households will join the next allocation, with other targeted informal settlements in the Rand West City local municipality.

Resident Maria Motlhasadi said people live in fear because they do not know what will happen in the festive season, and they still have trauma. Residents said the government response was short-lived. They said soldiers stayed only a few days and the mobile police station left about four months ago without explanation.

Community leader Elsie Mokobane said there have been no further attacks since the interventions.Share

The commission said in a statement that its monitors will visit voting districts in urban, peri-urban and rural communities. They will also go to informal settlements.

The commission will publish an Election Monitoring Report after the elections.Share

The judgment came on Friday, 30 October. The husband must pay up to R230,000 for a forensic accountant and up to R34,590 for an industrial psychologist. The fee contribution is payable in eight monthly instalments of R32,401.25 from 30 November. The accountant's fees are payable when invoices are presented.

Stanton found that the husband had not made full and frank disclosure of his financial affairs. She said the wife needed enough financial backing to fight the divorce on an equal footing. In the judgment she said: "The applicant is entitled to a contribution sufficient to secure equality of arms in the divorce proceedings,"

The husband had offered R150,000 towards her legal costs. He called the legal bill "shocking, astonishing and absurd" and said the expensive experts were unnecessary. He also said a forensic accountant was premature because discovery was not complete. His legal team said the woman should use qualified local experts where possible.

The woman first sought R915,400 in legal fees and R265,190 for expert investigations. The husband is the sole director and shareholder of a private company. His declared monthly salary is R15,832.97, and he offered R30,000 a month towards the maintenance of the two minor children.Share

Saayman testified for the defence in the attempted murder trial of Vusumuzi "Cat" Matlala. His evidence forms part of a trial-within-a-trial over whether evidence obtained on the day of Kekana's arrest is admissible. Kekana is accused number one.

Saayman questioned why blood alcohol results were missing. He said they could have shown whether Kekana was acutely intoxicated during the earlier admission. He also said Kekana's alcohol use during the 4 March hospitalisation does not necessarily prove that intoxication directly caused his condition.

State witness Dr Pooja Panicker said Kekana was admitted after taking alcohol and cocaine. She said he lost consciousness and suffered respiratory failure, and doctors had to intubate him. Kekana says poisoning caused his condition, not drugs and alcohol.

Matlala, Kekana and three co-accused face 25 charges in total. These include 11 counts of attempted murder.Share

Godlimpi, the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, spoke on Saturday. He said government is considering tighter import controls to help stabilise the domestic sugar industry.

He said a main concern is to guarantee enough sugarcane to meet possible bioethanol quotas without harming existing supply. He warned that legislative changes could push demand for sugar in fuel blends beyond what local growers can supply.

Godlimpi said milling capacity in areas such as Umfolozi and Zululand appears sufficient. He said an agreement on blend requirements could create significant business opportunities for producers.

He also said existing boundary rates on dollar-based reference prices limit the scope for further increases. He said the sector must cut energy costs and use water better to compete without raising prices.Share