The Australians may lack the aura of previous generations, but they produced a proficient street-wise display that will put the rest of the competition on notice.

Laura Wolvaardt’s team came into the Old Trafford fixture high on confidence but will have to put on their thinking caps as they navigate the rest of the tournament. There were some tactical miss-steps, with both bat and ball, while the fielding again left a lot to be desired.

A target of 173, was certainly well within reach, but like is so often the case in World Cups, the inability to build partnerships with Wolvaardt hampered SA’s innings.

View this post on Instagram

The South African captain top scored with 44, but the next best contributor was Nadine de Klerk with 25. The Proteas couldn’t come to terms with superb planning from the Australians, who cut off the batters’ favorite scoring areas, while SA’s changed batting order smacked of confusion.

Annerie Dercksen was chosen to bat in the troublesome no.3 spot with Dane van Niekerk and Tazmin Brits’ lack of form and in the latter’s case confidence, seeing them omitted. Dercksen made just four while De Klerk, who has developed into one of the game’s best finishers, was drafted up the order to no.4, but struggled against the Australian spinners, using up 22 balls in her innings and crucially denying Wolvaardt the strike in the first half of SA’s power play.

That put pressure on the captain and the rest of the batting order, leading to Marizanne Kapp’s run out - a major turning point in the match - and the skipper’s dismissal when she drove her opposite number Sophie Molineux to the ubiquitous Georgia Wareham in the covers.

Australia reached 172/8 at a breezy Old Trafford, with Phoebe Litchfield, producing an attractive innings, that reversed the pressure Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, playing in her first international in three years, had exerted.

View this post on Instagram

The Proteas new ball pair each picked up a wicket while sharing all six overs of the power play, but Litchfield’s aggression gave the Australian innings impetus. They ended the power play on 52/2, with Litchfield, mixing elegant off-side play, with powerful pulls and innovative scoops reaching 50 off 23 balls.

She was annoyed with herself however, when she drove a slower ball from Ayabonga Khaka to Wolvaardt at extra cover immediately after reaching that landmark.

Mlaba, who took 2/22, provided the control her captain needed and added the key wicket of Ash Gardner during a period when the Proteas rested the initiative away from Australia.

But Australia’s match awareness, which was more in tune than that of the Proteas, saw the veteran Ellyse Perry - playing in her 10th T20 World Cup - stitch together a crucial partnership of 58 for the sixth wicket with Wareham.

That stand came off only 38 bills and gave the Australians a foothold. Ismail was unable to complete her full allotment of overs after picking up a finger injury, when attempting to stop a firm drive off her own bowling from Perry. Australia scored 35 runs off the last four overs, benefitting from poor fielding from the South Africans.

That area, long a weakness, was a crucial difference in Saturday’s outcome. Australia caught better and their ground fielding not only cut off boundaries, but also saw them produce important stops inside the circle.

Besides Wolvaardt, who took a trio of catches, the third of those, an excellent grab in the covers to end Wareham’s innings, the rest of the Proteas were sloppy, with Tryon and Luus dropping chances, while there were a plethora of misses on the ground.

The defeat puts SA under pressure for the remainder of their group games, and they can ill afford a miss-step starting with Wednesday’s clash against Pakistan.

South Africa lost their opening match against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium on Thursday and they need to get something against a physical Czechia who also lost to South Korea.

Coach Hugo Broos will be forced to make a change to his starting line-up due to the absence of midfielder Sphephelo Sithole who received a red card and was joined in the naughty corner by substitute Themba Zwane.

WATCH | MAHLATSE’S DAILY WORLD CUP TALKING POINT | Bafana turns attention to clash against Czechia in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/TIDhv1noGw

— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) June 13, 2026

After their defeat to Mexico, where Broos used unusual tactics, there are growing calls for him to revert to the attacking formation that worked during the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.

There are also calls for him to give an opportunity to exciting Orlando Pirates attacker Relebohile Mofokeng.

Story audio is generated using AI

Somaliland has a right to choose its own relationships, and pressure tactics from Beijing and Mogadishu have not succeeded in altering its friendship with Taipei, its top diplomat in Taiwan said on Friday at the opening of a new office.

Strategically situated on the Horn of Africa, Somaliland has enjoyed effective autonomy — and relative peace and stability — since 1991, when it broke away from Somalia as that country descended into civil war.

Somaliland and Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory and likewise diplomatically isolated, set up representative offices in each other’s capitals in 2020.

Speaking to reporters at the opening, Somaliland’s representative to Taiwan, Mahmoud Adam Jama Galaal, said the island was a “very important ally”.

Asked about Beijing and Mogadishu wanting Somaliland to end those ties, Galaal said its main political parties were united in not succumbing to political pressure.

“We have the right to choose who we have relationships with. It’s our prerogative, and so it hasn’t been successful as far as pressure tactics,” Galaal said, saying his government has not had any communication with China recently.

China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In April last year, Somalia banned entry to Taiwan passport holders to express its anger at the relationship.

Somalia denounced attempts by Taiwan to host what it called “unauthorised” diplomatic representation for Somaliland.

“Somaliland remains an inalienable part of Somalia, and we strongly condemn external attempts to bypass the legitimate federal government in Mogadishu,” Ali Mohamed Omar, Somalia’s minister of state for foreign affairs, told Reuters on Friday.

Until late last year, Somaliland had failed to receive recognition from any other country, but in December, Israel recognised Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, a move Somalia termed a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty.

China likewise rejected the move, while Taiwan welcomed it.

Taiwan deputy foreign minister Francois Wu, speaking at the office opening, said co-operation had expanded across a wide range of areas over the past six years.

“Taiwan and Somaliland are beacons of democracy, freedom and rule of law,” he said.

Taiwan has been all but driven out of Africa diplomatically by China in recent years, with only tiny Eswatini maintaining full relations with the island.

Taiwan says it has a right to engage with other countries and that Beijing has no legal basis to claim the island or represent it on the international stage.

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday it discussed Mozambique’s request for a fund-supported arrangement as it concluded a week-long mission to the heavily indebted African country.

Mozambique is facing a “challenging economic situation”, said Pablo Lopez Murphy, who led the IMF team that visited Maputo from June 8 to 12.

“Economic activity is gradually recovering from a contraction in 2025, but growth remains subdued,” he said.

The IMF staff team told Reuters its objective was to review recent economic developments, discuss the authorities’ plans to restore fiscal and debt sustainability, and explore how the fund can best support Mozambique in future.

The IMF reclassified the Southern African country’s debt as unsustainable in February, citing a deterioration in public finances.

The country’s debt problems date back to a 2016 hidden-debt scandal, which wrecked investor confidence and curbed access to funding.

Reuters

Milford went to this final three-team playoff match having already collected six points in their previous three matches that included a 1-0 victory against Magesi at their home ground in Richards Bay last Saturday.

Magesi had collected four points in three matches and needed to beat Milford on Saturday to keep their place in the Betway Premiership.

With this draw Magesi are now relegated to the first division alongside Orbit College, the other PSL outfit that couldn’t avoid the axe at the end of the 2025-2026 campaign.

Magesi looked to be on their way to keeping their top flight status after they got the all-important opener in the 14th minute when Reegan van de Ross delivered an inviting cross which was headed in by Zimbabwean attacker Edmore Chirambadare who was left unchallenged on the far post.

Milford striker Cheswyn Philander missed a good opportunity to find the equaliser for Milford but saw his penalty hitting the crossbar in the 38th minute.

The visitors earned the spot kick after midfielder Menzi Chili’s shot was handled inside the area by Magesi defender Lehlogonolo Mtshali.

Philander’s miss was the biggest chance the KwaZulu-Natal outfit had of finding the equaliser in what was a lively first half.

But Milford’s resilience finally paid off in the 58th minute when their playmaker Chili unleashed an unstoppable ground shot just outside to beat Elvis Chipezeze in Magesi’s goals.

Milford will join Richards Bay in sharing the uMhlathuze Sports Complex as their home venue in Richards Bay in the 2026-2027 season while AmaZulu FC, Lamontville Golden Arrows and Durban City continue to use Durban-based stadiums.

Story audio is generated using AI

A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and sparked a fire at a sea terminal in the southern Russian port of Temryuk, in the Krasnodar region, governor Veniamin Kondratiev said on Saturday on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine’s military and the SBU security service said that Ukrainian drones hit several targets in Russia during overnight attacks — the oil and gas terminal in the Russian Krasnodar region and also an oil processing and pumping facility in the Volgograd region.

Ukraine continues to pummel Russia’s energy infrastructure as peace talks to resolve the four-year Ukraine war have stalled.

Ukrainian drones hit the Tamanneftegaz oil and gas terminal in the Russian Krasnodar region, striking five fuel tanks and also two oil loading stands, the SBU security service said.

It said fires were burning in the area of the Tamanneftegaz freight transport depot and its storage facilities.

Temryuk was previously targeted by Ukrainian drones in late May, when Kyiv’s security service said it had struck a gas terminal there.

A separate strike on Saturday sparked a fire in an industrial area of the Kotovo district in the Volgograd region, regional authorities said, citing governor Andrei Bocharov.

Bocharov did not disclose details of the damage or identify the facilities affected.

The Ukrainian General Staff said its troops hit the oil processing and pumping facility near the town of Kotovo in the Volgograd region, causing a fire. It said the facility handles processing, transportation and pumping of oil via pipelines to Russian oil refineries and its export infrastructure.

On June 1 Reuters reported that the Lukoil-owned Volgograd oil refinery in Russia’s south had suspended oil processing since May 29 after a Ukrainian drone attack.

Reuters

As mourners gathered to pay their last respects, many remembered Dhladhla as a kind, respectful and hard-working young woman whose life touched everyone around her.

Her younger brother, Hloni Dhladhla, delivered an emotional tribute, describing his older sibling as more than a sister.

“Gcina was my best sister, and she was more than a sister. Whenever I was not feeling well, she would always cheer me up and make my day better,” he said.

Colleagues who worked closely with Dhladhla said her death had left a huge void in the team.

“Today [Saturday] we want to celebrate Gcina and the life she lived. This is the last time we will be talking about her in this way, so let us make it a lasting farewell.

“We are deeply saddened because we worked with her every day. We never saw her angry or disrespectful. We had a great time with Gcina, but we never knew it would be for such a short time,” one colleague said.

For her uncle, Nhlanhla Zwane, the loss was even more painful because the family had buried Dhladhla’s grandmother just recently.

“A few weeks ago we buried my mother, who was Gcina’s grandmother. A week later, we are burying Gcina.

“It has made me realise that life is unpredictable. Growing up, we thought it was only older people who died, but now even young people are dying. It is very painful because we were still expecting so much from her.”

Zwane called on labour unions and shop stewards to do more to protect workers.

“It is high time that unions and shop stewards stand up for their members. Young people need people they can turn to when they face challenges at work. Unions must fight for workers instead of looking out for themselves,” he said.

Another uncle, Sifiso Dhladhla, called for justice, saying the family are devastated by the circumstances surrounding Gcina’s death.

“We want justice. My niece should not have died in this way. Justice must be served. We have lost someone who was respectful, someone who cared for her mother and her family. We are deeply saddened and we need answers,” he said.

Dhladhla’s former teacher at Dr BW Vilakazi High School described her death as a painful loss.

“As a teacher, it is heartbreaking when you look forward to seeing your investment mature and suddenly it is cut short. Gcina was my [pupil], and her passing is deeply painful. We expected to see her achieve so much more in life,” she said.

As tributes continued throughout the service, mourners remembered Dhladhla not only for her warm smile and respectful nature, but also for the love and support she gave to those around her.

While the family laid her to rest, their calls for justice remained clear: they want answers and accountability for a death they believe should never have happened.

Sowetan

Broos is usually reserved during training sessions, with the fitness trainer and assistant coach Helman Mkhalele doing some of the work, but on Friday he was more involved in the drills where he was shouting instructions.

This is because he wants to get into the minds of the players as they are preparing for a crucial Group A clash where defeat will leave their hopes of qualifying for the last 32 in tatters.

South Africa were humbled by co-hosts Mexico at the bouncing Azteca Stadium, and they must bounce back against the unpredictable Europeans to get their campaign back on track.

Bafana are already on the back foot in the tournament, and it does not get any easier because they are up against a Czechia side that also lost their opening match.

Broos will be forced to make a change in the starting line-up because midfielder Sphephelo Sithole capped a bad day in the office with a red card and was later joined by substitute Themba Zwane.

They are unavailable for the outing against Czechia, and it remains to be seen who is going to replace Sithole, while Zwane’s suspension could see Relebohile Mofokeng given a start as the playmaker.

The loss to Mexico has been put behind, and Broos said their fate of qualifying for the next round is still in their hands with matches against Czechia and South Korea to come.

“In a tournament, you don’t have to think too far because anything can happen,” he said.

“We want to survive the group stages, and it is still possible to do that. It is a start that we did not want because we did not want to lose the game. But it is what it is, and we will try to get points over the next two games.”

Passionate South African football fans are urging Broos to consider changing his formation and return back to 4-2-3-1, which worked well during the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers.

The 3-5-2 formation, which became 5-3-2 when they defended, backfired spectacularly on Thursday, and there are growing calls to go back to basics against the physically imposing Czechia.

The company received the export control directive to suspend access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all foreigners without being given specific details of its national security concern, Anthropic said.

It is Anthropic’s understanding that the government believes there is a method of bypassing, or “jailbreaking”, a safeguard that would prevent Fable 5 from being used in identifying software vulnerabilities, the company said.

The order comes just as a previous dispute between Trump administration officials and IPO-bound Anthropic showed signs of easing across parts of the US government.

Anthropic’s relationship with the government ruptured this year after it refused to allow the US military to use its AI models for domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons systems. The government responded by putting Anthropic on a supply chain blacklist, set to take effect later in the year.

The action also marks a major escalation of US efforts to halt foreign adversaries’ AI capabilities. For years, US export controls have focused on the chips and tools that power AI rather than on restricting foreign access to AI itself.

Anthropic said the government has given it only “verbal evidence of a potential narrow, non-universal jailbreak”.

“We disagree that the finding of a narrow potential jailbreak should be cause for recalling a commercial model deployed to hundreds of millions of people,” the company said.

The government directive and Anthropic’s response highlight growing tension between AI developers and regulators over how to assess risks from so-called “jailbreaks” or methods used to bypass model safeguards.

On Wednesday Anthropic called for greater US oversight of AI, including the ability to block models with unacceptable risks. It said, however, the government action on Friday did not follow principles of fair and fact-based regulation.

The Pentagon’s chief information officer, Kirsten Davies, said in a post on X that the defence department supported prioritising national security.

“Some things are simply more important than revenue cycles, clickbait, and pre-IPO valuation. America First. Always,” Davies said.

Anthropic confidentially filed for a US IPO last month, edging ahead of rival OpenAI in the race to reach public markets.

Sophisticated cyberattacks

Earlier this week, Anthropic rolled out an AI model named Claude Fable 5, representing a new tier of capability it calls “Mythos-class”. The model is accompanied by guardrails barring its use in risky areas such as cybersecurity, which some users have complained are “overly broad”, Anthropic said.

Experts have said that Mythos models, in the wrong hands, could dramatically accelerate sophisticated cyberattacks, particularly in sectors such as banking that rely on complex, interconnected, and often decades-old technology systems.

Anthropic said it had worked with the US government, among others, on safety before the Fable launch and that models from rival AI providers showed a similar ability to unearth minor bugs in code.

“The net effect of this order is that we must abruptly disable Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all our customers to ensure compliance. Access to all other Anthropic models will not be affected.”

Anthropic said it believed there was a “misunderstanding”, and it is working to restore access to the models as soon as possible.

“If this standard was applied across the industry, we believe it would essentially halt all new model deployments for all frontier model providers,” the company said.

Amazon’s cloud unit AWS said late on Friday that Anthropic has asked it to revoke access to the models for “all users in all regions”.

A US official confirmed that the commerce department had issued an export control directive to suspend all access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 by foreign nationals.

Dean Ball, a former White House official who contributed to the AI Action Plan the administration issued in the summer of 2025, said in a post on X that the order suggests all “non-Americans” would be restricted from using Anthropic’s latest models, including those based in the US.

“This means you should expect to have to prove your citizenship to use Anthropic models,” Ball said.

Several key Anthropic personnel, including co-founder Chris Olah, AI researcher Andrej Karpathy and philosopher Amanda Askell, were born outside the US. Reuters was unable to determine their citizenship status, and an Anthropic spokesperson declined to comment on whether such staff would lose AI model access.

Reuters

The incident occurred while equipment was being transferred from England’s pre-tournament base in Florida to Swope Soccer Village, where it was due to be in place before the squad begin training after their arrival in Kansas City on Saturday.

“We are investigating a possible theft of equipment from a team vehicle that arrived in Kansas City with items missing this evening,” police said.

“The investigation is ongoing. Two subjects of interest were taken into custody pending further investigation.”

Balls and boots were among the items believed to have been stolen, according to British media reports.

Reuters has contacted the Football Association for comment.

The theft could affect England’s preparations for their World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday in Dallas.

• Parliament adopted a budget of 7.02-trillion Burundi francs (R38.54bn) for the 12 months starting in July, up from 5.4-trillion francs (R29.65bn) this fiscal year.
• Finance minister Alain Ndikumana had proposed spending of 6.7-trillion Burundi francs (R36.79bn) in a budget speech on Friday, but parliament voted to increase that figure in a vote early on Saturday morning.
• Economic growth is forecast to rise to 5.5%, up from 4.7% this year.
• Faster growth will be driven by “intensification of irrigated agricultural production, [and] a gradual increase in mineral production” among other things, Ndikumana said in his speech.
• Burundi’s mineral output includes gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten.
• The government will scrap import taxes on electric and hybrid vehicles, as fuel shortages have been worsened by the Iran war, the finance minister said.

Reuters

The DOJ said it spent eight months evaluating how the transaction would affect streaming video services, traditional TV and the film industry, weighing input from across the entertainment industry.

“The extensive investigatory record reviewed by the division suggests that the impact of the transaction will be to increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem, with benefits for American consumers and workers,” the DOJ wrote in a statement released on Friday.

Paramount CEO David Ellison’s father, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, has cultivated ties with President Donald Trump, and the company has hired former Trump officials.

Assistant attorney general Omeed Assefi said politics would “absolutely not” drive the DOJ’s review of the transaction.

Competition for audiences, talent, investment

Paramount issued a statement thanking the DOJ for its review of the transaction, which it said would allow the company to better compete in an industry defined by an intense scramble for audiences, talent, technology and investment.

“We remain focused on completing the transaction as soon as possible and delivering its benefits to consumers, creators and the entertainment industry as a whole,” Paramount said.

The Federal Communications Commission has not yet approved a petition seeking approval for foreign interests, including Gulf sovereign wealth funds, to own up to 100% of the debt in the proposed $110bn deal.

Democratic senators raised concerns about Middle East sovereign wealth funds and Chinese companies taking part in the deal. They noted that it involves sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi investing in a company that would control CBS stations as well as major cable news operations, including CNN. They also cited media reports that China’s Tencent may take part.

The family of David Ellison ‌will continue to control voting shares. Paramount said in a filing on Thursday that the “new foreign investors, which will receive only non-voting equity, will not have any ability to influence the company’s editorial decision-making”.

The DOJ said it reviewed more than 2-million documents obtained from 80 sources in evaluating the deal’s impact on various segments of the entertainment industry.

It concluded that a combined Paramount+ and HBO Max would create a stronger alternative to larger streaming services and increase competition in a way that would benefit consumers.

The deal is unlikely to harm the traditional TV business, where there is vigorous competition for live sports, news and political commentary, the DOJ found.

The theatrical business is similarly seeing more robust competition, as Paramount and Warner Bros compete not only with traditional Hollywood rivals but also with smaller independent studios such as A24 and newcomers such as Apple and Netflix, which have signalled continued interest in theatrical releases, wrote the DOJ.

Since the deal was announced, theatrical production has increased, it found.

The DOJ dismissed comparisons to the $71bn (R1.15-trillion) merger of Walt Disney and Twenty-First Century Fox, which closed in 2019, a year before the Covid-19 outbreak triggered dramatic changes in audience consumption patterns. Disney has substantially increased its spending on content in the years since, the DOJ found.

However, several in Hollywood — including actors, directors, writers and producers — have expressed concern that the merger would result in fewer jobs and less diversity of storytelling.

California, New York and other US states are preparing a lawsuit to block the deal, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last week.

California attorney general Rob Bonta posted on X that the proposed merger of Warner Bros and Paramount “remains under investigation by my office”.

Reuters

• The sit-in was organised by Coalition Article 64 (C64), a broad opposition alliance that includes former presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi.
• The protest turned violent when security forces fired teargas and live ammunition to disperse demonstrators who threw rocks, local residents told Reuters.
• A member of Fayulu’s political party, Jean-Baptiste Kasekwa, told Reuters that several protesters, including some prominent political figures, were injured. He said police, army and militants aligned with Tshisekedi’s party had been deployed outside parliament since dawn to prevent the sit-in from taking place.
• Opponent Delly Sesanga’s communication team said in a post on X that he was shot in the leg.
• The DRC’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether security forces used live rounds. A police official deployed at the scene told reporters that officers had acted to restore order.
• The demonstration came three days after the DRC’s National Assembly passed a bill that would allow constitutional changes to be put to a public referendum, a move opposition leaders say is designed to pave the way for scrapping presidential term limits and allow Tshisekedi to run for a third consecutive term.
• Under the DRC constitution, Tshisekedi is not allowed to stand for re-election after serving two terms. He was first elected in 2018 and again in 2023.
• Tshisekedi raised the possibility of a third term last month, telling reporters that he would run again if the DRC people asked him to.

Reuters

“At my direction, the US Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren de Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty terrorist organisations on the planet,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday evening.

“This action was co-ordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well.”

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth posted on X that the strike was conducted earlier this week and that Guerrero “was confirmed killed during the strike”.

Venezuela’s information ministry said that during the operation there were clashes with members of criminal groups, in which the leader, Guerrero, was neutralised.

The operation involved specialised technological support and was carried out through co-operation and intelligence-sharing between authorities of both countries, the ministry said.

The Trump administration has repeatedly targeted Guerrero and other leaders of the Tren de Aragua organisation with sanctions over alleged involvement in criminal activities such as drug smuggling, human trafficking and money laundering.

The state department has designated Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organisation.

Trump has claimed Tren de Aragua co-ordinated its US activities with the Venezuelan government of President Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration has cited the alleged connection to justify deporting some immigrants in the US to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.

Tren de Aragua is known for being involved in human trafficking and controls routes taken by Venezuelans and other South American migrants heading south to relatively prosperous Chile and other destinations in South America or Europe.

The group has also been linked to extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, contract killings, smuggling and organised retail theft from Panama to Brazil and along the Andean corridor, Latin American police officials say.

Guerrero escaped from the Tocoron prison in Venezuela along with other gang leaders just before a police raid in 2023.

Reuters

Earlier in the day, a federal judge in Washington declined a request to temporarily pause an order to remove Trump‘s name from the Kennedy Centre.

US district judge Christopher Cooper said he would not lift the order while a federal appeals court considers his ruling that only Congress could rename the venue memorialising former President John F Kennedy in the nation’s capital.

The Trump administration appealed the order to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which also rejected the government’s pause request later on Friday.

Attorneys for Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who brought the lawsuit, said: “The law is clear: only Congress can change the Kennedy Centre’s name.

“We are standing by for whatever Trump may try next, but his desperation is only making the spectacle worse for him,” said Norm Eisen, co-founder of Democracy Defenders Action, a Democratic-leaning legal advocacy group, and Nathaniel Zelinsky of the Washington Litigation Group.

The White House and the Kennedy Centre did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Cooper ruled on May 29 that only Congress could rename the arts centre. His order had required Trump’s name to be removed from the building’s facade, its website and other materials by 11.59 pm on Friday.

Lawyers for the administration had asked the appeals court to pause the order, arguing: “It does not make sense to alter the centre’s name and signage now, only to potentially revert the name again after what should be a successful appeal.”

The Kennedy ​Centre opened in 1971 as a memorial to the late president, who was slain in 1963. After Trump last year replaced several members of the board, the group voted in December to alter the centre’s name to include him.

Trump, in February, announced a two-year closure of the centre for a major renovation effort. The Republican leader has made a broader push to reshape Washington’s monumental core, including plans for a 76m arch and a 8,361m² ballroom at the site of the demolished East Wing of the White ​House.

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

All roads lead to KwaZulu-Natal this weekend as 22,000 runners prepare to take on the 2026 Comrades Marathon, the world’s largest and most iconic ultramarathon.

The host of Sowetan On The Move and seasoned Comrades runner Thulani Mbele, will be among them, not only tackling the gruelling race but also bringing you stories from the road and behind-the-scenes insights from one of South Africa’s biggest sporting events.

In the debut episode of Sowetan On The Move, Thulani sits down with fellow and first time Comrades runner Gugulethu Mthunzi to discuss their running journeys, lessons learnt along the way and what keeps them moving forward.

Watch, listen and be inspired as they share stories from the road ahead of this year’s Comrades Marathon.

Download the Sowetan app and join the conversation.

In this episode of The Political Arena, TimesLIVE and Sunday Times digital politics editor Lizeka Tandwa is joined by Sowetan editor Sibongakonke Shoba, Sunday Times political journalist Kgothatso Madisa and Business Day political journalist Thando Maeko to unpack South Africa’s increasingly heated immigration debate.

The panel examines whether government has done enough to address concerns about illegal immigration, crime and border management and explores the political calculations behind the growing influence of anti-immigration movements and calls for a national shutdown.

The discussion also looks at the role of political parties, including the ANC, DA, EFF, MK Party and SACP, as well as questions about accountability, public anger and the impact immigration debates could have on South Africa’s democracy, economy and regional relationships.

The team further analyses the role of the media, the spread of online mobilisation and whether South Africa can find sustainable solutions to one of its most contentious political issues.

TimesLIVE

Story audio is generated using AI

President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched an urgent court bid to stop parliament proceeding with an impeachment inquiry against him, arguing that the process should be suspended pending the outcome of a separate legal challenge.

Court papers filed in the Western Cape High Court on Friday show that Ramaphosa is seeking an urgent interdict against National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza and the chairperson of parliament’s impeachment committee, Makashule Gana.

In the notice of motion, Ramaphosa asks the court to order that the speaker and the committee chairperson be barred from commencing an impeachment inquiry in terms of Rule 129M of the National Assembly’s rules while a review application brought by the president remains before the courts.

The review application is still pending.

“The First and Second Respondents are interdicted from commencing an impeachment inquiry in terms of Rule 129M of the Rules of the National Assembly,” the application states.

Ramaphosa has asked that the matter be heard on an urgent basis, requesting that the court dispense with the ordinary rules governing time periods and service.

The application cites Didiza as the first respondent and Gana as the second respondent. The third, fourth and fifth respondents are ATM leader Vuyolwethu Zungula, the EFF and the African Transformation Movement.

The president is also seeking a costs order against any party that opposes the application.

According to the court filing, respondents who intend opposing the application have eight days after receiving the notice of motion to file a notice of opposition and any answering affidavits.

The filing is the latest legal step in Ramaphosa’s efforts to challenge the impeachment process and could have significant implications for parliament’s ability to proceed with its inquiry while the review application is unresolved.

TimesLIVE

What emerges is not simply a question of electricity supply but of how energy shapes daily economic activity.

A barber pauses mid-service because the clippers have gone silent, a shop owner loses sales as drinks warm in an unpowered fridge, and a tailor falls behind on orders with no way to run a sewing machine.

At home, similar trade-offs play out more quietly but no less significantly as families decide how to cook, light their homes or preserve food depending on what energy source is available at that moment.

In these settings, energy is not an abstract policy issue. It is a direct determinant of income, safety and productivity.

SA’s electricity system has been under sustained strain for more than a decade, with supply repeatedly falling short of demand and triggering prolonged periods of load-shedding. ​

In 2025, SA recorded nearly 92,000 unplanned outages averaging 12 hours each. Even when conditions improve temporarily, the underlying instability continues to shape behaviour, particularly for households and small businesses that have never experienced consistent access to reliable power.

To cope, many have turned to alternatives such as paraffin and petrol generators, but these solutions come with significant trade-offs. Paraffin, used by more than 500,000 households, is linked to thousands of shack fires each year and about 2,000 deaths annually due to burns and related injuries.

Generators, while more dependable, introduce a different kind of pressure. Running a small generator can cost between R150 and R300 a day, an expense that quickly erodes already thin margins.

For small, medium and micro enterprises, this pressure is particularly acute. These businesses contribute roughly a third of SA’s GDP and account for more than half of employment, yet they are also the most exposed to energy instability.

During periods of load-shedding, some small businesses report earning as little as 30%-40% of their usual daily revenue as operating hours shrink and customers turn elsewhere.

Households face the same instability from a different angle. Energy decisions are shaped less by preference and more by necessity, often requiring a balance between cost, availability and safety.

The same system that forces a business to close early can also push a household toward unsafe or inefficient energy sources.

What is becoming clear is that traditional coping mechanisms are no longer sufficient. As fuel costs rise and outages persist, households and small businesses are beginning to shift towards alternatives that offer greater flexibility and control. This is less about convenience and more about survival within an environment where energy cannot be taken for granted.

At the heart of this shift is a simple but important realisation: the challenge is not only about how much energy is generated but also about how it is accessed and used at the point of need.

SA’s electrification rate is relatively high on paper, yet reliability remains inconsistent, particularly in lower-income and underserved areas. Access does not always translate into usability.

Most small businesses do not require uninterrupted power throughout the day. They need reliable energy during trading hours, when customers are present and transactions are taking place. Households are not necessarily seeking complex systems, but solutions that are safe, affordable and available when required.

This is where the concept of “last mile energy” becomes critical. It shifts the focus from large-scale infrastructure to the practical realities of how energy reaches and serves end users.

The true measure of an energy system is not only how much it produces but also how effectively it works in the daily lives of the people who depend on it.

Solutions that rely on high upfront costs or assume stable income patterns often fail in this context. By contrast, models that prioritise accessibility, flexibility and ease of use are beginning to gain traction.

The impact is practical and immediate. A barber can continue working through an outage without worrying about interruptions or unexpected operating costs.

A vendor can extend trading hours into the night with reliable lighting. A household can reduce reliance on paraffin, lowering cost and safety risks.

Individually, these changes may appear incremental, but collectively they point to a broader transformation in how energy enables economic participation.

When power is reliable at the point of use, businesses operate more consistently, serve more customers and manage costs with greater predictability. Households benefit from safer and more stable energy options that improve the quality of life.

SA’s energy future will not be defined solely by large-scale infrastructure or national grid improvements. While these remain essential, they address only part of the challenge.

The more immediate question is how energy can be made to work effectively at the last mile, where its impact is felt most directly and most frequently.

This requires a shift in perspective. Beyond megawatts and generation targets, there must be a greater focus on accessibility, affordability and usability at the ground level.

When energy works at the last mile, the effects are immediate and compounding: businesses remain open, households become safer, and economic participation expands in ways that are inclusive and sustainable.

• Dr Madikane is the head of country marketing and operations for bPOWERd SA.

Emergency services were called to Coogee Beach in the east of Sydney, Australia’s largest city, in the morning on reports that the 35-year-old had been bitten by a large shark about 30m from the shore.

“The woman was pulled from the water by members of the public who commenced first aid,” police said, adding that the victim suffered serious arm and leg injuries.

“She has large flesh wounds to the leg and the arms that are going to require a lot of surgery,” New South Wales ambulance inspector Mike Corlis told reporters at Coogee Beach.

Coogee Beach and others in the city’s Randwick Council area were closed for 24 hours after the attack.

“We’ll be working closely with the New South Wales government, awaiting instruction as to when it is safe to reopen,” council mayor Dylan Parker told reporters.

A witness to the attack, Nicola Logan, told Reuters at Coogee Beach that she saw a “massive pool of blood” in the water, then “a lady kind of motioning to swim, lots of splashing, and then a ski paddler was out trying to bring her in”.

A week earlier, a man died after being attacked by a shark while fishing off ​the coast of Western Australia, in the latest fatal incident.

Last month, a 39-year-old man died after being attacked while ​fishing on ⁠Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef. Ten days earlier, a ​38-year-old was fatally mauled off an ​island near ⁠Perth in Western Australia.

Dozens of beaches along Australia’s east coast, including in Sydney, were closed in January ⁠after ​four shark attacks in two days. Those followed heavy rain that created murky water, attracting sharks and reducing their ​visibility.

Most shark attacks occur along the east and southeast seaboards of Australia, which ⁠average ​about 20 such incidents a ​year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Reuters

France forward Ousmane Dembélé has defended captain Kylian Mbappé, saying criticism of the Real Madrid striker has become excessive as the national team prepare for the World Cup.

Dembélé, who has emerged as a key figure for France at the tournament and is a contender for this year’s Ballon d’Or after helping Paris St Germain win the Champions League, told Spanish newspaper Marca that some commentators had gone too far in their assessment of his long-time teammate.

Mbappé remains one of the most scrutinised figures in French football since leaving PSG and joining Real Madrid in 2024.

Despite still being a prolific scorer, the France captain came under criticism during a season in which Real failed to win either La Liga or the Champions League, while some pundits and supporters have questioned his leadership with the national team since he inherited the captaincy following Hugo Lloris’s retirement from international football.

Mbappé’s performances, public appearances and even minor aspects of his behaviour regularly attract intense debate in France.

“The criticism towards him is very, very unfair,” Dembélé said before France start their World Cup campaign against Senegal on Tuesday. “Some people go a bit too far with the criticism of Kylian.

“He’s an incredible player and a very good person off the pitch. Some people overdo the criticism because he’s Kylian Mbappé. They shouldn’t keep going after him. Whether he ties his shoelaces or not, whether he pulls up his socks or not... it’s too much. He’s still a human being.

“With the France team, he’s very good with us, he’s a leader.”

The pair have developed a close relationship during their years together with Les Bleus. They are expected to play central roles in France’s bid for a third World Cup title in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Dembélé also paid tribute to coach Didier Deschamps, who has announced that he will step down after the World Cup following more than a decade in charge of the national side.

“He’s simply an exceptional coach,” Dembélé said. “He will forever remain a legend among French national team coaches.”

Deschamps guided France to World Cup glory in 2018 and another final four years later.

Asked about the prospect of former France great Zinedine Zidane succeeding Deschamps, Dembélé welcomed the idea.

“We hope to welcome him one day to the France bench,” he said. “I’m convinced he would do a fantastic job.”

Zidane, who won the World Cup as a player in 1998 and later enjoyed major success coaching Real Madrid, has long been linked with the France job but has repeatedly declined to discuss the position while Deschamps remains in charge.

• All the World Cup fixtures here
• World Cup page here
• All the group profiles here
• Star player profiles here
• Bafana news here

Their 2-0 defeat to co-hosts Mexico, who finally won an opening match of the World Cup after two unsuccessful attempts, means Bafana must get something from their next match against Czechia in Atlanta, Georgia, next week Thursday.

They will also be without Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane in that next match because they both saw red – in the 49th and 84th minutes – as Bafana were forced to complete the match with nine men.

The match ended with 19 players on the pitch after Mexico captain Cesar Montes received his second yellow card in the dying minutes.

Defeat against the tricky Europeans in Atlanta would leave South Africa’s participation in the tournament under serious threat with highly unpredictable South Korea to follow in Monterrey, Mexico on June 24 (early hours of June 25 SA time).

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞 🏆

🗣️ Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos deliberating on where they need to improve going forward...

🇲🇽 2⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/0AARL1wdX0

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

For ‘El Tri’ and their coach, Javier Aguirre, this is what they wanted as they turned it on in front of a passionate crowd to earn a valuable three points through goals by Julián Quiñones (ninth minute) and Raul Jimenez (67th).

Mexico have taken control of Group A and will be favourites to progress to the next round.

Bafana were unconvincing and the performance is going to open up debates among football-mad South Africans, who are sure to question the change of formation and personnel by coach Hugo Broos.

Broos sprang a number of surprises in his starting XI and his plan backfired spectacularly as South Africa did not have cohesion and authority on the ball.

The changes started in defence where he went with the back three of Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Ime Okon and Nkosinathi Sibisi in front of goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞 🏆

🥅 ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Mexico have doubled their lead!

🇲🇽 2⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/K1rrudIhGW

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

This defensive system was a risk because Mexico started with three attackers in Quiñones, Jiménez and Roberto Alvarado.

The change of formation at the back saw fullbacks Khuliso Mudau and Aubrey Modiba pushed forward as wingbacks, but they did not hurt Mexico with overlaps or crosses into the box.

In the midfield, Broos went with the experience of Teboho Mokoena, Sphephelo Sithole and Jayden Adams in an attempt to stifle Mexico.

Mokoena and Adams returned with commendable performances, but Sithole capped a disastrous afternoon with a red card early in the second half and, along with conceding such an early opener, his dismissal hurt South Africa.

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 🏆

🥅 ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Mexico are leading!

🇲🇽 1⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/b6th2WkUyq

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

These changes saw Broos start a match without traditional wingers Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi, and a playmaker, as he left out Relebohile Mofokeng and Zwane.

The first chance of the match fell for Jiménez, but his left-footed shot was saved by an alert Williams. Minutes later Foster and Iqraam Rayners miscommunicated to waste a good opportunity.

Mexico opened the scoring after nine minutes when Quiñones beat Williams after benefitting from Sithole giving away the ball in front of South Africa’s area.

Bafana survived a scare in the closing stages of the first half, with Williams forced into a diving save and a shot by Quiñones hitting the upright with the defence under pressure.

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 🏆

🟥 𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗: Sphephelo Sithole is sent off!

🇲🇽 1⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/zzxnHWPgzx

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

The second half got off to a terrible start for South Africa when Brazilian referee Walton Sampaio sent Sithole for an early shower for hacking down Brian Gutierrez on the edge of the box.

In response to the red card, Broos pulled out Foster and brought on Thalente Mbatha to restore numbers in the midfield so South Africa were not overpowered by Gutiérrez and Alvaro Fidalgo.

Mexico finally made their numerical advantage count when Gutiérrez delivered a pin-point cross that landed on the head of Jimenez, clear of his markers, who pounced and finished past Williams from close range.

Broos later introduced Zwane for Adams, but things went from bad to worse because the 36-year-old Mamelodi Sundowns veteran did not last long on the pitch as he received South Africa’s second red card after a VAR consultation.

It is back to the proverbial drawing board for Bafana after this sobering defeat and a big question will be whether Broos makes more changes for the Czechia match.

• All the World Cup fixtures here
• World Cup page here
• All the group profiles here
• Star player profiles here
• Bafana news here

TimesLIVE

FIFA reported an attendance of 44,985 for Thursday’s World Cup Group A match where South Korea beat Czech Republic 2-1 in Guadalajara, but swathes of empty seats around the stadium renewed concerns over ticket pricing and demand for the expanded tournament.

While more than 80,000 squeezed into the Azteca stadium to watch the opener between co-hosts Mexico beat Bafana Bafana 2-0 in the tournament opener, the optics of unoccupied rows at the 46,000-seat stadium in Guadalajara, a city with a deep-rooted football culture, have intensified criticism of FIFA’s commercial strategy for the first 48-team World Cup.

Some fans at the stadium blamed the high ticket prices for the rows of empty seats and criticised FIFA for their pricing model.

Reuters has contacted FIFA for comment.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday defended FIFA’s ticket pricing following criticism from supporters who argued the cost of attending matches had become prohibitive. He said ticket prices were on a par with other major sporting events.

FIFA has sold more than 6-million tickets for the tournament and previously highlighted strong interest from across the Americas, with Infantino saying demand had exceeded expectations by “a factor of 10 or more”.

However, groups such as Football Supporters Europe (FSE) had warned that “extortionate” pricing would exclude ordinary fans. According to FSE, ticket prices for this tournament have jumped fivefold compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

• All the World Cup fixtures here
• World Cup page here
• All the group profiles here
• Star player profiles here
• Bafana news here

Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said his side had overcome their opening-match nerves after beating nine-man South Africa 2-0 in the World Cup Group A opener at the Estadio Azteca on Thursday, but warned they still had plenty to improve.

Julian Quinones fired the co-hosts ahead with a composed finish before Raul Jimenez sealed the win with a second-half header in front of an expectant home crowd.

“This could have been a 4-0 match, but people were happy. It is the start of the World Cup, we left the nerves behind and we go with three points,” Aguirre said. “Now we are thinking about what is next.”

Mexico were the better side for long spells and played most of the second half with a numerical advantage after Bafana midfielder Sphephelo Sithole was sent off five minutes after the restart for a foul on Brian Gutierrez.

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞 🏆

🥅 ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Mexico have doubled their lead!

🇲🇽 2⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/K1rrudIhGW

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

The visitors were reduced to nine men in the 84th minute when Themba Zwane was dismissed for violent conduct, but Aguirre said Mexico had made the game more complicated than necessary.

“We didn’t play well in the first half. It could have ended 3-0 easily. We were superior in the first part, but the score did not reflect that. We complicated things for ourselves.

“After the second goal we got overconfident, then came the sending-off. We need to improve, but it was a good game.”

Quinones opened the scoring after Erik Lira won possession following Sithole’s defensive error and Jimenez headed in Mexico’s second in the 67th minute from Roberto Alvarado’s incisive cross.

Mexico, who ended a seven-match wait for an opening-game victory at the World Cup, next face South Korea in Guadalajara, while South Africa take on the Czech Republic.

• All the World Cup fixtures here
• World Cup page here
• All the group profiles here
• Star player profiles here
• Bafana news here

Story audio is generated using AI

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos strangely defended his unusual tactics that backfired spectacularly in their 2-0 2026 Fifa World Cup opening match defeat to Mexico.

Broos started with two strikers in Lyle Foster and Iqraam Rayners at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca but they did not have enough supply because there was no playmaker who could break the lines and create chances.

WATCH | A disappointing start for Bafana Bafana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Senior reporter Mahlatse Mphahlele unpacks South Africa's 2-0 loss to Mexico and the key moments that shaped the result.

Click on the link for more details: https://t.co/0iUWC9coeV. pic.twitter.com/tDOshffiV4

— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) June 12, 2026

Going into the next match against Czechia in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday (6pm SA time), Broos may be tempted to revert to the 4-2-3-1 formation that he used successfully during the qualifiers.

It was strange to see Broos start a match without traditional wingers Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi and a playmaker in either Relebohile Mofokeng or Themba Zwane, who came on as a substitute but was one of two South African players who received red cards — the other being Sphephelo Sithole. However, with this result the coach may be forced to change tactics against Czechia.

The match against the Europeans takes on significance because Czechia lost their opening Group A match 2-1 against South Korea at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara later on Thursday.

• All the World Cup fixtures here
• World Cup page here
• All the group profiles here
• Star player profiles here
• Bafana news here

TimesLIVE

It was the tale of “Beauty and the Beast” that lit up Estadio Guadalajara on Thursday, with South Korea’s prettier, stylish football triumphing over the Czech Republic’s rugged, route-one tactics in an adrenaline-fuelled World Cup encounter.

South Korea were more than worthy of the 2-1 win, showing their trademark indomitable spirit with a come-from-behind victory to join Mexico atop Group A, all packed into the scintillating second half of a match the Asian side dominated.

The Koreans had their game plan and stuck to it, taking it to the Czechs throughout, with silky, intricate play and precision passes that put their opponents on the back foot.

Talisman Son Heung-min got the lion’s share of the chances, yet - frustratingly - none of the goals.

Off the bench to make the difference for South Korea ⚽💥

Hyeon-gyu Oh finds the winner 👏#SSFootball | #DStvFIFAWorldCup2026 | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/KhBQGgMzut

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) June 12, 2026

South Korea demonstrated their World Cup pedigree, present in 11 successive tournaments and unbeaten in qualifying with a whopping 40 goals scored, delivering on Thursday an early message of intent that a deep run could be on the cards.

Son worked seamlessly with the impressive Lee Kang-in and Lee Jae-sung to create a host of first-half chances, with the trio combining darting runs through the middle with a succession of dangerous pass-and-go moves that they just could not finish.

But in a game of stark contrasts, it was the Czechs and their direct, physical play who scored first through Ladislav Krejci just before the hour with a perfectly timed header from a 35-metre, slingshot-like throw from Vladimir Coufal.

South Korea were buoyed by a largely Mexican crowd in Guadalajara that was clearly rooting for them.

They kept cool heads and levelled eight minutes later, when Hwang In-beom picked up Lee Kang-in’s neat through pass and turned brilliantly to fool two defenders, before deftly lifting the ball over advancing goalkeeper Matej Kovar.

South Korea SCORESSSSSSSSSS pic.twitter.com/CSrN7xA8jc

— Noir (@BadassNoir) June 12, 2026

They seized the momentum and battled hard for the win, going ahead after 80 minutes when Hwang turned provider with a precise low cross for substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu to turn into the net.

Strong and dangerous on almost every set-piece, the Czechs stuck with what they knew best as they pushed for an equaliser in a dramatic finish, with Adam Hlozek close to scoring from another gargantuan throw and Tomas Soucek’s headed goal from a free kick disallowed for offside.

South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo commended his players for their fighting spirit and an approach that went just as he had instructed.

“Before the match I gave the players two messages,” he said. “To not give up until the end, and to unite as one and play together.”

• All the World Cup fixtures here
• World Cup page here
• All the group profiles here
• Star player profiles here
• Bafana news here

Story audio is generated using AI

Millions of people all over the world were glued to their screens as the Fifa World Cup 2026 officially kicked off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico.

Mexico, co-hosts along with the US and Canada, faced South Africa in the opening game.

With all eyes on her, South African singer Tyla stood before the global audience and sang the country’s national anthem Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika on football’s biggest stage.

Here are some of the highlights from that moment:

• The Joburg-born singer was the first South African to sing the country’s national anthem at the soccer World Cup opening ceremony and was accompanied by members of the Mzansi Youth Choir.
• She performed in an optical-illusion knee-length dress created by Berlin-based fashion designer Naomi Tarazi, which featured colours of the SA flag with a lace-up section at the back, as well as a sculptured wired flounce at the bottom, representing the shape of a vuvuzela.
• She completed her look with Jeffrey Campbell’s Booyah sandals, a distinctive wedge-heel design featuring a sculptural cutout, transparent vinyl strap and metallic ring detail.
• As Tyla sang the national anthem, Bafana Bafana players sang along proudly on the pitch, joined by coach Hugo Broos and thousands of South African supporters in the stands.
• Tyla will be performing again at the World Cup on Friday evening in Los Angeles with US rapper Future, alongside performances by Katy Perry, Anitta, LISA and Nigerian artist Rema.

Sowetan

Story audio is generated using AI

At 35, Thandeka Jwara did what many people only dream about.

The qualified chemical engineer sold her Pietermaritzburg home, walked away from a successful career in water and sanitation, and enrolled as a full-time first-year medical student at Stellenbosch University.

For Jwara, who grew up in uMgababa on KwaZulu-Natal’s south coast, the decision was not about changing careers. It was about returning to a dream she had buried for years while helping to support her family.

“Being a doctor was always the only option for me,” she said.

Growing up as the eldest daughter in a household where her father, a breadwinner, battled epilepsy, diabetes and hypertension, Jwara quickly learnt that financial realities often shape career choices as much as passion does.

“I know firsthand what the health system is like in South Africa. It is overburdened and sometimes fails the very people it is meant to serve,” she said.

Her father was later diagnosed with colon cancer and died from the disease.

“His passing stayed with me. Had I been a doctor as I envisioned as a little girl, maybe I would have helped him somehow.”

Unable to pursue medicine because of funding constraints, family responsibilities, and limited access to career guidance, Jwara opted for chemical engineering, a qualification she believed would get her into the workplace faster and allow her to support her family.

“That is how I got into chemical engineering, and my dream was left behind,” she said.

The decision proved successful professionally. Jwara built a career at uMngeni-uThukela Water, earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering (cum laude) and later completed an MBA.

Yet despite her achievements, she felt something was missing.

“There is something about what you owe yourself or what you are passionate about,” she said.

“With all the accolades I had acquired over the years, there was still a gap in honouring myself, which was being in the medical space.”

The turning point came in late 2025.

Jwara had already secured a fully funded scholarship to pursue a master’s programme in governance and compliance in water management in the Netherlands. She sold her home and was preparing to relocate abroad when she submitted one final application to medical school.

“This was for me to have peace,” she said.

When the acceptance letter arrived, her plans changed overnight.

“When I was accepted, it was a no-brainer that I was going to do medicine.”

Her story reflects a growing trend of South Africans returning to the classroom or pursuing entirely new careers later in life.

Professor Alewyn Nel from the department of human resource management at the University of Pretoria said many adults are increasingly seeking careers that better align with their personal values, passions and long-term aspirations.

“In South Africa, significant drivers also include economic necessity, such as seeking better pay or job security in more stable industries like information technology and green energy,” Nel said.

He noted that many professionals are now making use of micro-credentials and short courses to gradually build new skills without committing to lengthy qualifications, adding that changing careers mid-life is rarely easy.

Nel warned that career changers often face financial uncertainty, age bias during recruitment, and the psychological challenge of becoming a beginner again after years of experience and professional status.

“Personally, people may also be balancing caregiving responsibilities, financial commitments and family obligations, which can make the transition emotionally demanding,” she said.

For Jwara, those challenges were worth it.

After years of pursuing success for everyone else, she believes she is finally pursuing something for herself.

“You can achieve all the qualifications in the world,” she said.

“But if you have not honoured who you truly are and what you have always wanted to become, there will always be a part of you that feels unfinished.”

Sowetan

US coach Mauricio Pochettino said his side must be prepared for a very difficult World Cup opener against Paraguay on Friday, warning that the South Americans are dangerous opponents despite the hosts being favoured.

After Mexico’s 2-0 win against Bafana Bafana in the World Cup opening match in Mexico City on Thursday, both the other two co-hosts are in action on Friday, with Canada meeting Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The US begin their World Cup campaign at Los Angeles Stadium in Group D, carrying the expectations that come with playing on home soil and with a squad Pochettino said has arrived in strong physical, tactical and emotional condition.

But the Argentine, who knows Paraguay well from his playing and coaching career, said Gustavo Alfaro’s team would pose a serious challenge.

Everything we've been building toward.

This is 26 USMNT Moments: Past to Present.

Ep. 26 - Our Year 🎬 https://t.co/uXkhiyjJKe pic.twitter.com/yRxLlri6FU

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 12, 2026

“I know very well the mentality, the aggressivity, the competitivity,” Pochettino said on Thursday.

“Paraguay showed in qualification for this World Cup how tough it is to play against them and how they performed so well. They beat Argentina, Brazil. My expectation is tomorrow is going to be a very tough game.

“They have good quality and a great coach in Gustavo Alfaro who I respect and admire him a lot.”

Pochettino, appointed in 2024 to lead the US into a home World Cup, said he was encouraged by the team’s growth in the months leading into the tournament, particularly in their final two warm-up matches — a 3-2 win over Senegal and a narrow 2-1 defeat by Germany.

The coach said those performances helped convince the squad they could hold their own against leading teams.

The California kid @maxarfsten has been relishing his first experience on the biggest stage.#USMNT x @LaColombeCoffee pic.twitter.com/YLIadnjLeP

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 12, 2026

“The last two games allowed us to think and to feel that it’s possible to do whatever we want and compete in our best way, and to compete with big teams,” he said.

Pochettino said the team had improved not only tactically but also mentally, adding that the players had embraced a more demanding culture around the national team.

“I think they are much better players. The mindset is starting to change,” he said.

Pochettino said all 26 players are available for selection, including defender Chris Richards, who had been working his way back from an ankle injury.

One decision Pochettino has already made is who will start in goal, though he declined to reveal whether Matt Turner or Matt Freese would get the nod.

“I decided,” Pochettino said when asked about his starting lineup. “The starting 11 is there, unless something happens before the game.”

NEW: #CANMNT On Guard - S2 EP5

“This Time, It’s Canada”

Full episode 📺: https://t.co/ZEFAj7bqha pic.twitter.com/UqwFCoYk06

— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) June 12, 2026

Asked whether the goalkeepers had been informed, he smiled and added: “I don’t know if they know, because if I tell you they know, you are going to start to call them.”

Canada coach Jesse Marsch has a simple message for anyone wondering whether his side are ready for the weight of a home World Cup: they are not just ready for it, they want it.

Canada will arrive at Toronto Stadium on Friday for their first World Cup game on home soil carrying the weight of a nation after a build-up that has been defined as much by the treatment room as the training pitch, but Marsch is undaunted.

“If you do this for a living, this is where you want to be,” Marsch said on Thursday ahead of the Group B opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“I came to Canada to be the coach because I liked these guys and I believed they could fit the way I wanted to play, but I came here to lead them in the World Cup — in the home World Cup. I wanted this responsibility.”

The biggest injury concern remains captain Alphonso Davies, who will miss Friday’s match with a hamstring injury suffered during Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final last month. But Marsch said an MRI on Wednesday brought encouraging signs.

We are ready to play some big games. We are ready to make our country proud, make our fans proud. We are ready to go after this

Canada coach Jesse March

“We’re getting ready to ramp things up,” the American said.

“He will not be available for tomorrow, but he’s showing, like he always has, a real good ability to recover from muscle injuries. We’re really hopeful that over the next days and weeks we can accelerate things and give him a chance to contribute here soon.”

Midfielder Ismael Kone sent a scare through the camp when he left training early on Wednesday before it had even properly begun, but Marsch was quick to put those fears to rest — with a touch of exasperation.

“He just felt a little sick, so we sent him home because we were doing nothing on the day, and it was like a five-star red alert,” Marsch said. “Ismael trained today, he’s totally fine, he’s ready to go.”

Even defender Moise Bombito, whose recovery from a broken leg appeared to stall after lasting just 30 minutes in a warm-up match against Uzbekistan, will be ready if called upon.

“He’s not fully at 100%, but he’s reached his top speed,” Marsch said. “I don’t see any reason that a week from now he’s not ready to even be considered as a starter.”

Canada have made major strides since Marsch took over in 2024, notably reaching the Copa America semi-finals that year. This is also the first time Canada have appeared at back-to-back World Cups, and they are still searching for their maiden point after six defeats across the 1986 and 2022 tournaments.

Marsch declared his team ready. “We are ready to play some big games. We are ready to make our country proud, make our fans proud. We are ready to go after this.”

This weekend’s World Cup fixtures:

(SA times)

Friday:

• Group B: Canada v Bosnia & Herzegovina, Toronto, 9pm

Saturday

• Group D: US vs Paraguay, Los Angeles, 3am
• Group B: Qatar v Switzerland, San Francisco, 9pm
• Group C: Brazil vs Morocco, New Jersey, 12am

Sunday:

• Group C: Haiti vs Scotland, Boston, 3am
• Group D: Australia vs Turkey, Vancouver, 6am
• Group E: Germany vs Curacao, Houston, 7pm
• Group F: Netherlands vs Japan, Dallas, 10pm

• All the World Cup fixtures here
• World Cup page here
• All the group profiles here
• Star player profiles here
• Bafana news here

Story audio is generated using AI

BYD Auto South Africa has introduced the new Atto 2 DM-i as the country’s cheapest plug-in hybrid car. The front-wheel drive compact SUV brings the Chinese manufacturer’s hybrid technology to one of the most competitive segments.

Designed for urban commuters and families seeking lower running costs without fully transitioning to battery-electric vehicles, the car combines BYD’s DM-i Super Hybrid system with its Blade Battery technology.

The powertrain pairs a 1.5l petrol engine with an electric motor, offering a claimed driving range of up to 930km, a pure electric range of 40km and an average fuel consumption of 5.1l/100km. The petrol engine delivers outputs of 72kW and 122Nm, with the electric motor mustering 145kW and 300Nm.

BYD claims a 9.1 second 0-100km sprint and a 180km/h top speed for the Atto 2 DM-i.

At 4,330mm in length, the Atto 2 competes against rivals such as the Toyota Corolla Cross, Chery Tiggo Cross, Jaecoo J5 and Volkswagen Taigo.

Inside, the Atto 2 DM-i features a rotating touchscreen infotainment system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless entry and start, and a suite of driver assistance and safety systems.

Two derivatives are available locally: the R449,900 Comfort and the range-topping R489,900 Dynamic. Both models include panoramic sunroofs, wireless connectivity and advanced safety features. The Dynamic version adds premium synthetic leather upholstery, a 50W wireless charging pad, adaptive cruise control, a 360° camera system, front parking sensors, electric driver seat adjustment and rain-sensing wipers, among other features.

Steve Chang, MD of BYD Auto South Africa, said: “The introduction of the Atto 2 DM-i is another significant step in BYD’s mission to accelerate the transition towards smarter and more sustainable mobility in South Africa.”

Story audio is generated using AI

As AI-generated songs gain traction on South African streaming platforms and social media, the country’s music industry is facing a new reality: who owns an AI-created hit, who gets paid and should radio stations play music made by machines?

According to industry players, artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept. It is already changing how music is produced, marketed and consumed, while broadcasters, artists and lawmakers grapple with questions that have few clear answers.

Here are reasons why industry players say while AI is changing the landscape, it should be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat:

AI can’t think for itself: producer

South African keyboardist, composer and producer Gabriel Le Roux, best known for producing Mandoza’s iconic hit Nkalakatha, believes AI is transforming music production but cannot replace human creativity.

“AI does not think for itself; it’s trained from many resources created by humans. It relies on prompts and information fed into it by people. Human creativity, emotion and lived experience remain at the heart of making meaningful music,” he said.

Le Roux said he embraces technology and uses AI as a supporting tool rather than a replacement for creativity.

AI hasn’t removed the human element and probably never will, but it is changing the landscape. We should see it as an opportunity rather than a threat

Nkateko Maluleke, The Music Arena Africa

“I write the songs, physically play the instruments and sing the music myself. I may use AI to assist with a music video, but not to create the art itself. What makes something art is the creative process, and that process is not perfect. That’s what makes it human.”

According to Le Roux, AI-like tools have long existed, like the one he used for the Nkalakatha intro.

Regulation struggling to keep pace

While artists debate AI’s role in the creative process, legal experts warn that regulation is struggling to keep pace.

Advocate Nkateko Maluleke, general manager of The Music Arena Africa, the holding company of Gallo Music, said AI is changing both music production and consumption.

“AI hasn’t removed the human element and probably never will, but it is changing the landscape. We should see it as an opportunity rather than a threat,” he said.

However, he warned that South African copyright and intellectual property laws are not yet fully equipped to deal with AI-generated content: “There are legal questions around copyright administration, ownership and royalties. The law is still catching up to the technology.”

The use of AI-generated voices that resemble existing artists could create legal and financial liabilities, added Maluleke.

“If you use AI to create a voice or sound that resembles an existing artist, there may be an obligation to credit and compensate that person, particularly if revenue is generated from the work.”

Mainstream radio ‘cautious’ of AI, says DJ

Perhaps the biggest unanswered question is whether AI-generated music belongs on mainstream radio. Vow FM music compiler and DJ Thabo “DJ Tee” Mosima said broadcasters have yet to reach a consensus on how AI-created music should be treated.

“We have not really had a serious conversation in radio about playlisting AI music. That’s a discussion the industry still needs to have,” he said.

Mosima pointed to Rea Gopane’s viral AI-amapiano track Suka! and the AI-assisted international hit Let Me Be by The Second Voice as examples of how the technology is already influencing music charts.

He said AI offers opportunities for emerging artists who may not have the budget to hire established vocalists or producers, but it also raises concerns about fairness.

South African music genres such as amapiano, maskandi and Afrikaans pop are deeply rooted in lived human experiences, cultural heritage and storytelling. Preserving this authenticity is central to our broadcasting mandate

Mmoni Ngubane, SABC communications head

“If we’re going to support AI-generated music, we have to ask what that means for artists who spend time, money and resources creating music. They already compete in a difficult industry — and now they’re competing with technology that can generate millions of songs in a single day.”

For now, Mosima said most mainstream radio stations remain cautious.

“The artist currently getting radio play is Credo V Daniels because AI wasn’t used to create the entire product. The challenge is deciding where we draw the line between music assisted by AI and music created almost entirely by AI.”

SABC ‘avoiding’ airing fully AI-generated tracks

Mmoni Ngubane, SABC head of communications, said their radio stations do not actively play fully AI-generated tracks owing to stricter policies.

“We maintain strict policies requiring original human composition, guided by the following considerations: authenticity, copyright and licensing and artist development,” she said.

“South African music genres such as amapiano, maskandi and Afrikaans pop are deeply rooted in lived human experiences, cultural heritage and storytelling. Preserving this authenticity is central to our broadcasting mandate.

“The South African Music Rights Organisation is currently addressing complex issues around intellectual property, fair use, and royalty distribution under the Copyright Amendment Bill. Given these uncertainties, our stations avoid airing fully AI-generated works until clear legal frameworks are established.”

According to Ngubane, radio airplay remains a cornerstone for discovering and supporting South African musicians, vocalists, and producers.

“Broadcasting AI-generated tracks risks diverting royalties and exposure away from human talent,” she said.

Ngubane said as AI music enters mainstream playlists worldwide, South Africa must address unresolved questions before integration into radio rotation.

Sowetan

Video courtesy of SABC

TimesLIVE

Stream courtesy of SABC

TimesLIVE

Story audio is generated using AI

AI executives from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Mistral AI are expected to attend next week’s G7 summit, said officials from France, which is crafting an agenda aimed at discussing the world’s crises and broad economic challenges.

The attendees include:

• Sam Altman (OpenAI);
• Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind);
• Dario Amodei (Anthropic);
• Arthur Mensch (Mistral AI);
• Aidan Gomez (Cohere);
• Robin Rombach (Black Forest Labs);
• Pratyush Kumar (Sarvam AI);
• Victor Riparbelli (Synthesia);
• Alex Wang (Meta);
• Marc Benioff (Salesforce); and
• Ren Ito (Sakana AI).

The June 15–17 gathering in Evian-les-Bains, France, will bring together the leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US, alongside the EU.

The leaders will discuss a declaration on the protection of minors online, Macron’s office said.

They will also meet tech business leaders at a working lunch on Wednesday to speak about broader technology issues, including regulation, AI infrastructure and networks.

Reuters

Speaking at a Gauteng department of social development anti-human trafficking dialogue this week, survivors who were recently repatriated to SA recounted how they were lured with offers of high salaries, free accommodation and paid flights, only to discover that the jobs did not exist.

Among them was Soweto resident Thami Mangesi, who said he was recruited by a trusted former colleague.

“I trusted him like a brother and never doubted his intentions,” Mangesi said.

The marketing graduate said he was told there was an opportunity in Thailand for online marketers and believed it was a chance to improve his life.

Instead, he and others found themselves transported to Myanmar, where they were allegedly expected to participate in online scamming operations.

“Today I sell snacks, kitchen cloths and sweets at a taxi rank,” he said.

“What happened to me does not define who I am, but I want young people to do proper research before accepting any job offer, especially opportunities advertised online or abroad.”

The warning comes amid growing concern about international trafficking syndicates targeting unemployed young people through social media platforms and informal recruitment networks.

Gauteng MEC for social development Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said human trafficking is a serious threat that requires co-operation between government departments, law enforcement agencies, civil society and the private sector.

“This is one of the initiatives that I have found most impactful. We cannot fight trafficking in persons alone …. We must continue working together to protect our young people from exploitation.”

Nkomo-Ralehoko has urged young people to verify job offers independently, be cautious of recruiters promising quick placements abroad, and report suspicious recruitment activities to authorities before travelling.

Sowetan

More than 28,000 job cuts have been agreed as a binding target for 2030, according to a transcript of Blume’s speech for the event on June 18.

“We reduced factory costs at Volkswagen’s German sites by more than 20% by 2025,” he said.

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

The department of home affairs has confirmed that more than 500 Nigerians found to be living in South Africa illegally have been processed for repatriation.

The first repatriation flight departed on Thursday morning carrying 268 passengers back to Nigeria, while a second flight transporting the remaining individuals is scheduled to leave on Monday.

According to spokesperson Thulani Mavuso, all 586 individuals were processed for repatriation after they were found to be residing in the country unlawfully.

The department said all those repatriated were issued with emergency travel documents by the Nigerian High Commission to facilitate their return to Nigeria.

“All foreign nationals residing in South Africa are required to be in possession of valid visas or other authorisations that entitle them to remain in the republic lawfully.

“Foreign nationals must ensure that their immigration status remains compliant with South African immigration laws at all times and regularise their stay,” Mavuso said.

Home affairs minister Leon Schreiber said the department is committed to enforcing the country’s immigration laws and restoring the rule of law.

“Home affairs is irrevocably committed to enforcing South Africa’s immigration laws. Our orderly and lawful deportations and repatriations, which have increased by 46% over the past two years, is clear evidence of this,” Schreiber said.

He said a series of reforms aimed at modernising the department’s systems would further strengthen immigration enforcement.

These include the continued rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation system, which will record biometric information for all foreigners entering South Africa, the replacement of the green barcoded ID book with smart ID cards, and the planned introduction of a digital identity system.

Schreiber urged members of the public not to take the law into their own hands.

“The public is again urged to never engage in violence or take the law into their own hands,” he said.

Sowetan

Indian groups representing alcohol giants Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Heineken and Carlsberg, accused the southern Indian state of Telangana of breaching accounting rules over dues it owes them totalling nearly $400m.

Telangana, the country’s biggest beer-consuming state by volume, like many other local governments in India, requires liquor companies to supply only to state-run depots, which then sell to retailers, forcing the companies to rely on state governments for payment.

The system has long soured relations with big drinks companies and last year Telangana officials acknowledged they owed money to liquor firms without giving reasons for the delayed payments.

The state government has from this month been paying off new dues early, while old debts pile up, the industry leaders said. Contractually, early payments can be made at a slightly lower rate, but that has to be agreed with the companies that say the government is acting unilaterally.

On Friday, industry bodies the Brewers Association of India, the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies and the International Spirits and Wines Association of India, which together represent 80% of the country’s liquor, beer and wines market, issued a joint statement raising concerns about the risk of bad debts.

RISK OF BAD DEBT?

“Old outstanding (payments) may remain unpaid turning into bad debt over time thus creating massive financial burden and risk for the industry,” the groups said, adding not paying old dues first was “fraught with non-compliance” with accounting standards.

The statement assessed the amount owing for December 2025 to April 2026 dues at 37.25-billion rupees ($392m).

The Telangana government did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters, and neither did Diageo, Pernod, Heineken’s United Breweries, Carlsberg and Anheuser-Busch InBev.

For international companies, India has the lure of being one of the relatively few places where alcohol demand is growing, but the many obstacles to profitability include high taxation and separate regulations in each state as well as the current payments row.

Pernod is also locked in an antitrust case and fighting a $314m tax demand from India, while Anheuser-Busch InBev is contesting a competition law case.

Reuters

Ontshiametse Tlhophane, a Soweto-born beauty queen, says she was raised to believe in the power of her voice and the value she brings to the spaces she enters. As she prepares to take part in Miss African Beauty SA, that is the attitude she carries in all her encounters.

Click here to read more.

Sowetan

LISTEN | How a matric teenager from rural KZN built his mom a house

Mpendulo Zulu, now a 20-year-old student from rural KwaZulu-Natal, was only 17 and just finishing matric when he used money from making ironing boards to build a house for his mother.

At the time, Zulu, his mother and two younger siblings were living in a household of 20 members that included aunts, uncles and their children.

Click here to read more.

Sowetan

READER LETTER | Mastering maths is the key to SA’s future prosperity

Standard mathematics teaching provides learners with essential critical thinking, analytical and logical proficiency tools that extend beyond the classroom, enabling them to deal with complex difficulties in technology, funding and alternative STEM-driven sectors that are compulsory for the second development of the South East Motherland (Eastern Cape).

Click here to read more.

Sowetan

Story audio is generated using AI

While intense El Niño conditions could hurt harvests in much of the world, the climate phenomenon is likely to boost agricultural production in Argentina in the second half of the year, climate specialists said.

On Thursday, the US Climate Prediction Center said El Niño conditions will intensify as the second half of 2026 progresses.

The El Niño phenomenon causes warm ocean waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, leading to lower rainfall in large parts of Asia and Australia, and raising fears about diminished global food supplies and higher prices due to droughts.

However, in Argentina, a leading exporter of soybeans, corn and wheat, the phenomenon increases the frequency and intensity of rainfall, which generally favours crop development, climate specialists said.

“The 2026/27 season will be entirely marked by the presence of El Niño and will be a positive factor,” said German Heinzenknecht, meteorologist at the Argentine Applied Climatology Consultancy.

The last intense El Niño occurred in the 2015/16 cycle, when Argentina recorded the second-largest soybean harvest in its history at 59.1-million metric tonnes, and the average corn yield was 7% higher than the average of the past 10 years, according to official data.

“In the agricultural heartland, an area that doesn’t flood because it has good water drainage, El Niño produces very good yields,” said climate specialist Eduardo Sierra.

Corn planting in Argentina will begin in September and soybean planting in October.

The country’s producers are sowing the 2026/27 wheat crop, which could reach 20-million tonnes, according to the Rosario Board of Trade, which would be the third-largest harvest of the cereal for Argentina.

Reuters

The addition is subject to regulatory approval after a public comment period which runs until June 17.

The late EV entrant, which has rapidly emerged as a strong rival to established brands including Tesla, currently offers the battery-powered SU7 sedan and YU7 SUV.

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

The November local government elections will take place in the “most challenging and tough” pre-electoral climate of the last 30 years, characterised by high levels of pessimism, frustration and disengagement with the political process, the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) says.

These were the conclusions from a face-to-face IEC survey conducted between October 2025 and February 2026, which align with the findings of several other surveys of public political sentiment.

The country will go to the polls on November 4 with the first registration weekend scheduled for June 20-21. Political parties will be vying for 10,439 seats, with more than 100,000 prospective candidates being put up by more than 500 registered political parties.

Briefing a joint meeting of the home affairs committee and the select committee of security and justice, IEC deputy chief electoral officer Masego Sheburi noted there was widespread disillusionment with political leadership, leading to growing demands for more decisive, authoritarian approaches to government.

Survey participants indicated that they would vote if socioeconomic conditions improved

“Many respondents feel betrayed by broken promises and pervasive corruption, leading them to believe voting is meaningless,” Sheburi said. A number of survey participants called for new, younger and more honest leaders to replace the current ones. They indicated that they would vote if socioeconomic conditions improved.

“Dissatisfaction with democratic functioning and local service delivery has deepened, contributing to a softening commitment to key democratic norms such as the perceived importance of free and fair elections,” he told MPs.

Sheburi said the 2026 local government elections were likely to be “highly competitive, low trust and high risk”, taking place in the context of sustained public frustration with the status quo.

Dissatisfaction with the way democracy is functioning has risen sharply, from 63% of people expressing happiness with democracy in 2004 to 68% expressing dissatisfaction in 2025/26. But there was nevertheless a high proportion of the electorate (62%) who believed it was a national duty of citizens to vote.

Sheburi said confidence in core political institutions, especially the national government and parliament, had weakened further with trust indicators at historic lows, including for the IEC itself.

Trust in the national government had declined from 69% in 2004 to 19% in 2026, and in parliament from 65% to 20% over that period, while trust in local government had fallen from 55% to 18%. Trust in political parties has declined to 11% from 42% in 2005. Trust in the IEC has fallen to 32% among the total population from 74% previously, but among voters the trust level was 85%.

Asked whether they would vote if an election were held imminently, 64% said yes on certain conditions such as the responsiveness of political parties, down from 76% in 2015. The highest intention to vote was recorded in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.

Respondents to the survey had low expectations of political responsiveness and delivery, which shaped voter behaviour, with disillusionment emerging as the primary driver of non-registration and intended abstention. These signs of diminishing trust dated back to the mid-2000s, intensifying during the 2010s.

Voter turnout has declined from 58% in 2016 to 46% in 2021.

There were clear signs of an electoral divide between contented voters and disengaged, discontented non-voters.

Business Day

The grandmother, who lived with 17-year-old Sylvester Muigai and spoke to Reuters in an interview, said police told her he was killed by a teargas canister and not a bullet, contrary to what multiple eyewitnesses and a protest leader had said on Tuesday, the day he died.

Two Reuters reporters, who did not witness Muigai’s death themselves, saw a body lying motionless with a large wound to the head in a police van in the town of Nanyuki where the protest took place.

Asked for comment on Friday, local police commander Daniel Kitavi said the person who died “was a rioter, I don’t know if he’s a student”.

US Ebola facility angers Kenyans

The plan for the facility at the Laikipia Air Base, next to Nanyuki, has angered many Kenyans, triggering several days of protests.

A court has ordered a stop to work on the proposed 50-bed unit, but US and diplomatic sources and flight tracking data show US military planes have continued to ferry in staff and equipment since the court’s rulings.

“We went to the police station yesterday, and after being taken round for hours, the police told us that it was a teargas canister that killed him and not a bullet,” Muigai’s grandmother, Miriam Njoki, told Reuters by phone.

She said Muigai was a student at Nanyuki’s Thingithu Secondary School and that he had left home to get a new uniform from his aunt’s house in Likii, a nearby neighbourhood, when he got caught up in the protest.

Protesters say US is offloading Ebola risk

The facility’s opponents say the US is offloading the risk of caring for those exposed to the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has ⁠said it will not allow any Ebola cases to enter the US.

The Nanyuki facility is designated for Americans who ​have been exposed to the virus but do not show symptoms. Kenyan officials have said the facility would also serve Kenyans and foreigners, but US officials have not confirmed this.

Many protesters have also directed their anger at Kenyan President William Ruto, who last week said his government was doing “the right thing” by allowing the US to build the centre.

Security sources say at least two other people have been killed in the Nanyuki protests.

Reuters

The federal high court in Lagos found the crew of the merchant ship MV Aruna Hulya guilty after authorities discovered 31.5kg of cocaine concealed aboard the vessel at Apapa port earlier this year.

The case is part of a broader crackdown by Nigerian authorities on drug trafficking through key commercial entry points such as Lagos.

Nigeria has been working to strengthen enforcement against drug trafficking networks, which often use the country as a transit route for illicit substances destined for Europe and other markets.

The crew, including captain Sharma Shashi Bhushan and 10 other Indian nationals, were arrested on January 2 after NDLEA operatives found the drugs hidden in one of the ship’s storage compartments, the agency said.

In its ruling, the court convicted all 12 defendants, including the vessel itself, under Nigeria’s anti-drug laws. The ship, which transported the drugs, was also tried under the local law. A spokesperson for the drug enforcement agency said the defendants had agreed the terms of the conviction and this was presented to the judge for the seal of the court.

Each crew member was ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 naira (about R1,200), while the ship was directed to pay $5.3m (R86.1m) in restitution to the Nigerian government. The ship’s owners are liable for the fine, and if they can’t pay, the vessel is auctioned off.

Three senior officers on board were also fined $100,000 (R1.6m) each, while the remaining crew members were ordered to pay $50,000 (R813,000) each, bringing the total financial penalties to about $6m.

NDLEA chair Mohamed Buba Marwa said the judgment sends a strong signal to international drug trafficking networks.

Story audio is generated using AI

Starting XI

In his 50-odd matches in charge of Bafana for the past five years, Broos had hardly used a 3-5-2 system. There were gasps of worry when the lineup was announced, featuring five defenders (Aubrey Modiba and Khuliso Mudau were to be deployed as wing backs). The untested system backfired badly, as it reduced Bafana’s best player, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, to a leftback covering for Modiba, while Nkosinathi Sibisi ended up being a rightback, leaving Ime Okon isolated in the centre of defence. The two strikers, Iqraam Rayners and Lyle Foster, were running aimlessly without supply.

Inflexibility

From the first minute, when Bafana did not touch the ball until the 90th second, it was clear Broos got it wrong with his selection, but for some reason, he remained hopeful it would work. It didn’t, sadly, especially as Mexico took just nine minutes to score their first goal. The Bafana coach wouldn’t budge, he saw no need to tweak the system when it was still early.

No changes at halftime

Midfielder Sphephelo Sithole’s failure to control a central pass from keeper Ronwen Williams, amid the press from Mexico, led to the hosts’ opening goal by Julián Quiñones. Mistakes happen, yes, but they can also contribute to players switching completely off. Sithole was a victim, as he was never the same after the error. But Broos kept him on when he could have removed him at halftime. Instead, a Sithole battling to find his feet committed another error just five minutes into the second half, bringing down Brian Gutierrez to earn a red card.

Poor substitutions

Only after Sithole’s red card did Broos feel the compulsion to make a change. Even then, his decision was to persist with a three-man midfield which lacked creativity. He introduced Thalente Mbatha for striker Foster, but the move had no impact. His worst mistake on the night was to introduce Themba Zwane shortly thereafter, the veteran, who has had limited gametime, going on to receive a sending-off. Had Broos brought on Oswin Appollis earlier, Bafana could have had a creative spark.

Lack of proper briefing

Bafana were obviously overawed by the occasion, as they seemed rushed and edgy. Nobody was trying to calm them down as simple passes were misplaced. Broos stood almost motionless in his dugout, hardly shouting instructions. We accept that at 74, he may not have the requisite energy to jump up and down like Mikel Arteta or Luis Enrique, but to slump into your seat when the chips are down is not going to energise any team. Also, from the moment Teboho Mokoena received an early yellow card, it was clear the refs had been briefed by Fifa to be stricter on discipline at this World Cup. Sithole and Zwane may, on another day, have got away with yellow cards for their transgressions — clearly not at this World Cup. But were they properly briefed? Even the late red card to Mexico’s Cesar Montes seemed harsh.

Sowetan

The advocate also received censure from Justice Bess Nkabine and her team for attempting to get her side onto the record through a “back door” approach.

Andrew Chauke, the South Gauteng director of public prosecutions, was suspended last year by President Cyril Ramaphosa, almost two years after Batohi recommended the move amid withdrawals of state capture cases.

Batohi was called as a witness to the panel set up to ascertain Chauke’s fitness to hold office. When she began facing questions about some of her own actions in the position, she seemingly took umbrage. After her December refusal to continue her testimony, following an adjournment, she told the panel through a lawyer in April that she would not be returning.

She has subsequently petitioned the panel for leave to file formal written submissions to be admitted into the official record of the inquiry. The application sought to provide context to her uncompleted cross-examination and her subsequent decision to discontinue oral testimony before the panel.

Nkabinde has denied this request, finding it lacked merit.

She also declined to permit Batohi’s written submissions to be admitted into the record. This was after the ex-NDPP annexed to her application “the very written submissions she seeks the leave of the panel to file”.

“She seeks to place evidential material on record by way of written submissions, and I might say through a back door, which axiomatically ought to have been presented orally at the hearing.

“This inexplicable tactic is extraordinary. It offends the principles of procedural law. If this is not a display of a disdainful attitude toward the panel, it is not clear what it is,” Nkabinde said. “The only reasonable conclusion one may reach is that advocate Batohi did so to ensure that the panel reads the submissions before they are properly admitted into record.”

Outlining the reasons for the decision, Nkabinde said Batohi’s previous attempt to explain her conduct and reasons for declining to resume the witness stand to complete her partial evidence through a letter from the Bar was refused.

Before this latest approach, Batohi had unsuccessfully attempted to give the reasons, by a letter, for not returning to the inquiry to complete her evidence.

Chauke’s legal team had argued he would be prejudiced if it was allowed, because Batohi’s “curated, untested, self-justifying narrative on matters relevant to her credibility and her evidence would not be subjected to cross-examination”.

The evidence leaders argued that Batohi’s written submissions would not deal with the central issue at stake before the panel, namely Chauke’s fitness to hold office.

Batohi conceded this was the case.

“The concession is correct, but it illustrates the self-seeking nature of the application,” Nkabinde said.

“The point regarding the circumstances informing advocate Batohi’s decision not to continue with her testimony is irrelevant to the work of the panel, as provided for in the terms of reference.”

Batohi could not be allowed to interfere with the workings of the inquiry, Nkabinde said.

“Advocate Batohi has created a storm of her own making. She must make peace with her election not to return and complete her evidence and must stand by her decision.

“She must have made the election with a full knowledge of the fact that the incompleteness of her evidence may have implications on the weight to be attached to her evidence.

”Therefore, she cannot have her cake and eat it too.”

TimesLIVE

Across 62 countries, 38% fewer people received pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, at least once in 2025 compared to 2024, the agency said. That was a decline of 1.2-million people, from 3.3-million to 2.1-million, in countries that include Nigeria, Cameroon and Uganda.

Funding for condoms, another preventive tool, fell by more than 90% in some countries, the report revealed.

“We are undergoing perhaps the most serious disruption to HIV services since the HIV response started,” said Winnie Byanyima, head of UNAids. “We can’t sit here thinking the impact isn’t so dramatic.”

RISE IN INFECTIONS

She said funding cuts combined with rising pushback on the rights of key populations, notably LGBTQI+ people, had combined to bring about the drop in access, which would lead to a rise in new infections and deaths in the coming years without action.

In 2025, new infections declined slightly on 2024, by about 100,000 to 1.2-million, the report showed. However, HIV testing fell by 22% in some high-burden countries so the full picture is unclear, Byanyima said.

However, the number of people on treatment rose by 2.7% year-on-year, with 32.1-million people taking antiretroviral drugs as of December 2025.

This was slightly below previous annual average increases of about 4%, UNAids said, but was also a sign that countries and communities had stepped up to fill in the gaps on treatment and avert the worst-case scenario some had predicted when funding fell. Nevertheless, they were not coping as well with the funding cuts to prevention, the data showed.

Domestic funding for addressing HIV rose in a number of countries for the first time since Covid-19, the report added, though the agency warned about the closure of large numbers of community-based organisations that were the backbone of the response and largely funded by international aid.

UNAids released the data before a high-level meeting on HIV/Aids at the UN in New York later this month, calling for global solidarity. The agency itself is battling for its own future after the UN proposed closing it this year to cope with its own funding crisis.

Byanyima said there was a “transformation” of the agency under way and a final report would come out in October.

She said: “What I’m certain about is that the UN will not drop its leadership role in the global response.”

Hundreds of young people gave their lives in that fight. The Class of 1976 fought against a system that treated black children as less deserving of dignity, opportunity and freedom.

The violent regime these children went up against wielded various tools of oppression, including the education budget, where it invested an average of R1,211 a year on each white learner, compared with a measly R146 a year on each black learner.

Many of us in the born-free generation have walked through doors the Class of 1976 suffered to open, aided by redistributive gains like no-fee schools. However, we risk betraying the sacrifice of the Class of 1976 if we allow education inequality to remain the inheritance of another generation.

If apartheid used the education budget as a tool of destruction, democratic SA must wield it as a tool of restoration: restoring dignity, overcoming inequality and building schools worthy of the freedom they fought for. This Youth Day, honouring 1976 must mean using public funding to dismantle the unequal status quo and build an education system worthy of their courage.

A budget keeping inequality alive

The Freedom Charter imagined democratic SA as one where “the doors of learning and culture” opened through education that is “free, compulsory, universal and equal”.

However, today, many learners still pursue this hard-won freedom in overcrowded, dilapidated classrooms and so face undignified barriers that hold our education system from fully realising this aspiration.

While no-fee schools remove some economic barriers to universal education access, the budget undermines this promise when debt-service costs are protected above the investment needed to keep public education genuinely free, universal and equal.

In 2025/26, more than R1 in every R5 of government revenue went to servicing debt. This is inequality reproduced through the budget itself: learners suffer overcrowded, crumbling classrooms while lenders and investors receive the lion’s share of public money.

Over the past five years, basic education funding has failed to keep pace with need, forcing impossible trade-offs: in Gauteng, scholar transport, nutrition and learning materials were cut to protect 3,400 teaching posts amid a R4.5bn deficit.

Meanwhile, despite a “pro-infrastructure” budget, the education infrastructure grant rises only from about R16bn to R16.2bn in 2026/27 — a 1.4% increase that is being eroded by 3.3% inflation. Debt costs grow without building new schools or classrooms.

So with all this expensive debt taken in our name, what do we have to show for it? In a Budget Justice Coalition community outreach in Mofolo North, Soweto, residents told us that their children attend the same schools they attended before democracy, and they remain neglected, overcrowded and characterised by broken windows, unusable toilets and collapsing classrooms.

As a society, we must distinguish between debt that builds a school system for all and debt that drains our nation. Debt that builds would finance new schools and classrooms that future generations will actually use. However, ballooning debt servicing costs while schools decay entrenches the very inequities learners took to the streets to overcome.

Local government funding crisis in our schools

Rising debt-service costs also squeeze the wider public services that schools rely on to function. In Gauteng, this pressure is visible in a growing municipal debt crisis: by the end of March, public schools owed municipalities R583.9m, with electricity already cut to at least 36 schools.

At Julius Sebolai Primary School, a no-fee school in Soweto, electricity disruptions reportedly forced the school to rely on diesel generators costing R8,000 every two days.

In March, 138 schools in Ekurhuleni faced water and electricity cuts over unpaid municipal bills exceeding R81m. Chronic local government underinvestment is one factor compounding municipal debt into disrupted learning.

We effectively have a budget that is closing the doors of learning by squeezing them between national underinvestment in basic education and local government budget failure.

This devastation hits no-fee schools hardest because they cannot legally cushion the blow through compulsory fees. In communities we engaged, parents lamented the pressure of rising “voluntary donations” at schools meant to be free, to make up for a state rolling back its investment in its people.

Turning the budget into a tool for equality

The Class of 1976 did not lay down their lives for freedom only for the budget to keep apartheid’s education inequalities alive. Fortunately, we can still course-correct, wielding the budget as a tool to undo inequality rather than a machine that reproduces it.

If the government borrows in our name, that debt must build classrooms and safe schools, not merely reassure markets while learners are neglected.

Parliament must insist that every major budget decision affecting learners, including the debt government takes on in their name, undergo participatory human rights impact assessments to ensure public money builds, rather than regresses, an equitable education system worthy of the Class of 1976’s sacrifice.

• Lencoasa is a budget analyst at Section27 and a member of the Budget Justice Coalition.

“Women and kids are terrified and in shock,” said Twasul Mohammed, who came to Northern Ireland from Sudan as a refugee in 2016. “We are keeping our kids at home, I haven’t sent my kids to school since this has happened.”

Violence flared on Tuesday following a knife attack for which a Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder. That evening, masked groups moved through parts of Belfast, setting fire to houses and cars and targeting ethnic minorities. Smaller outbreaks of unrest followed on Wednesday, with fears the violence could continue in the coming days.

Britain’s minister for Northern Ireland said the anti-migrant attacks were “racist thuggery”.

For many in Belfast’s migrant communities, the unrest echoes trauma they had hoped to leave behind.

“You have to remember we are talking about communities where people have fled war in their own country and people have experienced this kind of thing again and again,” Mohammed said.

“Immigrants are not the problem; we are not causing the housing crisis or the health service. Every one of us wants to be a part of this community and help build it.”

Northern Ireland endured three decades of conflict between mainly Catholic Irish nationalists and predominantly Protestant pro-British loyalists. In recent years, some community organisers say, sectarian tensions have increasingly been replaced by hostility towards ethnic minorities.

“This is a deeply divided society already,” said Patricia McKeown, regional secretary for the public sector union Unison. “This is a society that is not yet post-conflict, and … the most base instincts of ordinary people are being appealed to by some very dark and sinister forces.”

Union volunteers helped evacuate at least 15 families from their homes on Tuesday and another 15 on Wednesday after they feared they would be targeted, she said.

Workers have also reported being stopped by vigilante patrols in the streets, particularly near hospitals, she added.

“We have workers being stopped by vigilante patrols in the streets of Belfast, particularly outside hospitals … checking their ethnicity, videoing their registration numbers,” she said.

“We have workers being followed to and from work. And last night we had a nurse chased by four masked men in one of the large hospitals in the east of the city … This is hatred that is putting lives at risk.”

Community response

However, McKeown says the violence aimed at ethnic minorities — Northern Ireland is 97% white according to a 2021 census — was also bringing the best out of the community.

Ruchira Rangaprasad, who moved to Northern Ireland from India three years ago, said she had been inundated with offers of help after she started posting on social media that she would provide cooked meals to families.

She said more than 30 volunteers — most of them strangers — stepped forward to help distribute dozens of food boxes on Wednesday.

“People are scared to step out of their home, and food is a basic need, and especially nutritious home-cooked food ... so that’s why I thought, let me cook and help feed people,” she said.

Kashif Akram, a member of the executive committee at the Belfast Islamic Centre, said the response showed a different side of the city.

“It’s heartbreaking. At the same time Belfast is full of a lot of decent people,” Akram, who was born in Northern Ireland and has always lived there, said. “The people who are spreading the hate at the moment, they are a minority, there are very few.”

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

Reflecting on June 16, a day commemorating the courage of students during the Soweto Uprising, we are reminded not only of the courage required to demand a suitable education but also of the continuing need to translate that spirit into purposeful progress.

The relevance of mathematics teaching and the responsibility of a well-structured education organisation for learners in terms of fiscal development are key to this development. Standard mathematics teaching provides learners with essential critical thinking, analytical, and logical proficiency tools that extend beyond the classroom, enabling them to deal with complex difficulties in technology, funding, and alternative STEM-driven sectors that are compulsory for the second development of the South East Motherland (Eastern Cape).

Standard mathematics teaching provides learners with essential critical thinking.

Tsietsi Ngobese

Nevertheless, access to higher education, skilled employment, and economic authorisation may be restricted by the need for mathematics proficiency, which can lead to continuing disparity. The presence of a robust information framework is also essential. A well-stocked classroom, access to modern learning tools, skilled teachers, and a caring learning environment ensure that students can interact completely with mathematical principles.

Countries that invest in both teacher training and the foundation phase see measurable improvements in student results, reflected in increased literacy rates and greater collaboration in the field of science and technology. Initiatives such as Target Excessive Mathematical Campaigns and community guidance schemes show that investing in learners at early stages not only improves their educational performance but also enhances their capacity to contribute meaningfully to the economy.

We can learn from the South American continent; they are empowering their youth to enter the key sectors of domestic growth, reducing youth unemployment, and building a workforce ready for the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by prioritising mathematics knowledge and training.

The commemoration of past misfortunes is an inextricable part of the establishment of a comfortable and fair future in the current way of thinking. — Tsietsi Ngobese, CEO of Wesolve4x, an NPO providing free tutoring services in maths.

In the opening match of the tournament, Broos changed formation from his usual back four to a back three and surprisingly left wingers Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi on the bench.

There was also no place for a playmaker like Relebohile Mofokeng or Themba Zwane from the start as fullbacks Khuliso Mudau and Aubrey Modiba were pushed up as wingbacks.

Broos stuck to his guns that South Africa were not outplayed by Mexico.

Bafana coach Hugo Broos says there is time to pick themselves up.

WATCH press conference ➡️➡️➡️https://t.co/grLagBLNaT pic.twitter.com/bqD9o7LELK

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) June 12, 2026

The result means South Africa are under pressure to get something positive from their next Group A match against Czechia in Atlanta next week to stay in contention and progress to the next stage. Czechia suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of South Korea in Guadalajara and both sides are looking to get their campaigns on track.

Broos will be without suspended midfielders Sphephelo Sithole, who had an afternoon to forget, and Themba Zwane after both were shown red cards.

Asked why he went with different tactics, Broos said the move was justified because Bafana managed to frustrate Mexico for most parts of the game.

“If you saw the game, you will know why I did that. For the first 15 minutes the pressure from Mexico was high. After that there was balance in the game and again Mexico became desperate,” the Bafana coach said.

“They didn’t know what to do with the ball any more. The two central defenders were waiting with feet on the ball because they didn’t see the solution. That is the answer to your question of why we played like this today.”

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞 🏆

🗣️ Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos deliberating on where they need to improve going forward...

🇲🇽 2⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/0AARL1wdX0

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

After a demoralising victory where Bafana showed some grit and determination to battle the far more experienced co-hosts — but battled for any sort of fluency otherwise — the coming week will be about picking up the pieces, regrouping and finding a strategy for a win against a Czechia. The Europeans showed themselves to be physical, direct, set-piece brutes in their 2-1 defeat to South Korea in Guadalajara in Thursday’s later game.

“There are seven days and these guys are professionals,” Broos said.

“If you can’t recuperate in seven days, that will be a bit ridiculous. I don’t think that will be a problem. We need the next two days to get over the disappointment and the fatigue.

“From Saturday and Sunday, the guys will be ready again for training and we also have to work on our offensive game because it was not enough today.”

The unavailability of suspended Sithole and Zwane opens up opportunities for other players.

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞 🏆

🗣️ Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams reflecting on their opening match against Mexico!

🇲🇽 2⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/xqCvoVmM0V

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

“It is not nice for both players to get red cards. The first red card you have to accept because ‘Yaya’ [Sithole] fouled a player going for the goal and that I can understand.

“The second red card we can discuss because the Mexican player blocked our player. We have to accept the decision of the referee but I think it was a bit too soft to give it.

“We have two players who can’t play in the next game but there are other players who can show the same mentality.”

Sometimes Bafana struggled with the pace of Mexico and Broos pointed to the quality of Fifa’s 15^th ranked team, perennial World Cup qualifiers who almost always go to the last 16 but then battle to go further.

“They have players who are quick offensively and quick defensively. The first goal we conceded was their player coming to press our player. That’s the quality of their team.”

TimesLIVE

Story audio is generated using AI

Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena says their main target at the World Cup is to get out of the group stages.

And they want to do that while at the same time having fun and creating lasting football memories for themselves and the country.

Mokoena, who is part of the leadership group at Bafana, said the current crop of players are fully aware of the responsibility they carry for South Africa at the tournament.

Bafana started the tournament against Mexico last night, and they wrap up their group stages programme against Czechia and South Korea.

“It is a dream come true for everyone, that’s the talk we are having behind the scenes,” said the Free State-born Mokoena.

“We are honoured to represent our country at the biggest football stage. We are proud to be where we are because this is not the feeling that you experience every day.

“The World Cup comes after four years and for all of us in this group this is our first except coaches Hugo Broos and Helman Mkhalele, who have been here before as players. Now they are back as coaches.”

Bafana hope to go deep in the tournament but Mokoena emphasised the importance of creating memories and enjoying themselves.

“We want to enjoy the experience by being competitive on the field and seeing ourselves going to the next round. I said to the guys in our meeting during the week that we must enjoy the experience.

“Whenever is time to go home, we must not go back with regrets. We must give our all so that we don’t have regrets on our way back home.”

Mokoena said they appreciate support from home.

“We are excited and I don’t have much to say and we are looking forward to the tournament. We have been getting messages of encouragement back home and there are a lot of people who have travelled to the tournament to support us.”

• Catch Bafana v Mexico match report on sowetan.co.za

Authorities said the sting was part of efforts to fight digital piracy ahead of the 2026 Fifa World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, which opened on Thursday and for which the Italian national team failed to qualify.

The network sold pirated subscriptions, giving access to paid content from various platforms, including Sky, DAZN, Netflix and Disney+.

The illegal subscriptions cost between €10 (R188) and €40 (R753), including customer services.

Investigators identified at least 2,769 users, with illegal proceeds reinvested into the legal economy and cryptocurrencies to conceal their origin.

The four suspects, all Italian nationals, were reported for copyright violations and self-laundering.

Users face administrative fines ranging from €154 (R2,901) to €5,000 (R94,200) police said.

Reuters

FULL TIME - Mexico 2 Bafana Bafana 0

That was a tough one. Difficult to bounce back from. It was not all bad. Much of it was not great at all, though. Enough said. And signing out. Goodnight SA, and good luck.

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞 🏆

🗣️ Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos deliberating on where they need to improve going forward...

🇲🇽 2⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/0AARL1wdX0

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

📌 𝔾𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕡 𝔸 📌

Bafana Bafana 🇿🇦 find themselves bottom of Group A following this evening's result, with Mexico 🇲🇽 in the driver's seat.#SABCSportFootball #ReBafanaKaofela #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/iRv3bk5QSv

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞 🏆

🗣️ Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams reflecting on their opening match against Mexico!

🇲🇽 2⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/xqCvoVmM0V

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

90 + 8 - THAT’S FULL TIME!

90+2 - RED CARD! - Centreback Cesar Montes clumsily takes down Khuliso Mudau on the right.

90min - Seven minutes added.

83min - RED CARD! - Substitute Themba Zwane, on for Jayden Adamas in the 61st, is battling to get past Roberto Alvarado in an attacking position, catches him with a hand in the face.

After VAR consultation referee rules free kick and a red card.

This is not just a blow for the match, but for the tournament. Two players suspended.

And it’s possibly not a good look for this Bafana’s competence at the level.

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞 🏆

🟥 𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗: Themba Zwane is also sent off following VAR review!

🇲🇽 2⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/D8tkicwhvK

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

80min - Appollis gets a skidding shot in at Rangel, easily held.

77min - SUBS: Oswin Appollis, who many will feel might have started, on for Modiba. Can the Orlando Pirates man do something?

Evidence Makgopa on For Iqraam Rayners, who seems to have barely had a touch.

73min - Jimenez bursts into the box and Nkosinathi Sibisi clatters him down. No penalty.

72min - Always a tough opener for Bafana. Still, a feeling that if they cannot get just a goal, just some confidence-building play, they will battle for confidence in the next game against Czechia in Atlanta, Georgia (June 18, or this coming Thursday, 6pm SA time). Not all bad, but Bafana have battled to get anything concrete from this game, except being able to battle with some grit, which is not completely inconsequential.

70min - OK. Damage limitation now for Bafana?

67min - GOOOOOOAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!! Goooalll! Goaaalll! Mexico 2 Bafana 0

Jimenez. Cross in from the right and he gets in ahead of his markers, free to head past Williams at close range.

(It was the second option).

66min - Gilbert Mora, the 17yr-old youngest player at this World Cup, on for Gutierrez.

63min - Perhaps it’s clutching at straws - there’s a certain scrappiness to this game and grit even while battling for any rhythm from Bafana, which perhaps, just perhaps, can see them sneak something. Or Mexico could get a few more. One has to keep hope alive. Perhaps it’s the first option.

56min - SUB: Foster is off, Thalente Mbatha comes on.

55min - Aubrey Modiba shot from range comfortably taken by Rangel.

53min - Can Bafana Bafana recover from this. One tries to stay optimistic. This was always a tough ask. The host nation, and such an experienced one, for such an inexperienced South Africa. Now with 10 men? Wow, that’s a tough one.

Let’s see, who knows? Chins up guys.

51min - Free kick into the wall.

50min - RED CARD! - Oh dear. Red card Bafana. Gutierrez played in behind the SA defence and he’s steaming through, Sithole clatters him down from behind and it’s a straight red. Free kick to Mexico on the edge of the box.

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 🏆

🟥 𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗: Sphephelo Sithole is sent off!

🇲🇽 1⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/zzxnHWPgzx

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

47min - And Mexico straight back on the front foot, as Bafana scramble clear and a volley by Gutierrez from outside the box blazes over.

46 min - And that’s the second half under way.

HALF TIME - Mexico 1 Bafana Bafana 0

Yes, that was a tough half for the South Africans. But it could definitely have been worse.

Mexico had some real chances, but not endlessly. They had more half-chances. Bafana had half-chances, and just about hung in defensively.

So OK, there was promise, given the stage, given the spotlight like Broos’ World Cup babes in the wood have never experienced anywhere close to.

But yes, if this pattern continues in the second half, Bafana will probably concede more, will probably lose. Broos needs answers at the break. The players too.

They also showed enough in the first half to suggest they can settle, they can do something. That’s football. Cometh the hour, cometh the players who rise to the occasion. Let’s see if they can!

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 🏆

🗣️ Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele reflecting on how they played in the 1st half!

🇲🇽 1⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/OhWeLBDVTB

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

45+5 - That’s half time.

45+4 - Gutierrez played in by Quinones, scuffs his shot with a defender in front of him.

45min - Corner cleared, Mbekezeli Mbokazi hits a drive from outside the box with power but Mexico keeper 1. Raul Rangel takes easily.

44min - Corner to SA.

42min - Fidalgo hits the post for Mexico!

41 min - Ball in from MF and Jimenez just can’t get a foot to it, Williams saves.

Ronwen is doing his bit for Bafana 🤚⛔

📺 Stream #FIFAWorldCup on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc#DStvFIFAWorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/V5lVprrRDl

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) June 11, 2026

37min - Bafana get a half-chance - long ball in from left midfield, Lyle Foster angles a header wide of the right upright.

35min - Dangerous Quinones on the overlap down the left, whips one in that is stopped by Williams.

Tentative from Mexico. Bafana looking to find their feet.

33min - And perhaps the heat and altitude taking its toll already, but Mexico also consolidating, as the game slows. Bafana will like that, for now, but have to be wary. And they have to get some passes together at some stage, which they have in patches. Final ball lacking.

28 min - And back under way ...

25min - Then the water break. Remember, it’s a 1pm kickoff in midsummer Mexico City. The altitude (2,240m) will help the heat a bit, but it’s still hot. This will be a feature of this World Cup.

24min - Free kick swung in and easily cleared by Mexico.

23min - SA get their foot on the ball a bit, even, as Mokoena brought down by 26. Brian Gutierrez making a run down the right.

22min - Alright then - 22min gone, almost the first quarter, Bafana just about hanging in there, not being run ragged, perhaps showing tentative signs of settling.

19min - Quinones turns and takes a crack from range, wide enough.

17min - Teboho Mokoena, big challenge on 8. Alvaro Fidalgo and booked.

13min - Bafana have to settle here. They really, really do.

9min - GOOOOOOAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!! Goaalll Goaaall Goaallll!!!! Mexico 1 Bafana 0

Goal for Mexico. Sphepehlo Sithole gives the ball away on the edge of the box - 9. Julian Quinones smacks it through Willliams’s legs.

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 🏆

🥅 ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Mexico are leading!

🇲🇽 1⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/b6th2WkUyq

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

6min - Of course, it’s a bit of a nervy start from SA. How could it not be?

5min - cross in and danger CF Raul Jimenez gets a strong 1st-time volley on goal, good stop by Ronwen Williams!

4min - Mexico have a free kick around Bafana’s area, taken into the wall.

9.06pm - 1min - that’s it, that’s the kickoff ... we are underway at the Azteca!

9.03pm - Rousing anthems are complete. The stadium looks superb, the atmosphere electrifying.

Is this match’s kickoff running a little late?

Pendants exchanged.

This is it folks ... this is it!

The 2026 World Cup is finally here! Bafana Bafana in the opening match! Let’s go, let’s go!!!!

We await the starting whistle ... moments to go ...

8.45pm - Some of the pre-match analysis:

"The heartbeat of the national team" 🇿🇦

Teboho Mokoena will be a key figure in South Africa's midfield ⚽

📺 Stream #FIFAWorldCup2026 on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc#DStvFIFAWorldCup2026 | #EverythingCanWait pic.twitter.com/JmwpeNmAo1

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) June 11, 2026

8.27pm - And here’s how Mexico will line up:

🚨🤯 BREAKING: MEXICO’S OFFICIAL STARTING XI FOR TODAY’S DEBUT AT THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA! 🇿🇦🏆

VAMOS! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/DSHunvnuCj

— All Fútbol MX 🇲🇽 (@AllFutbolMX) June 11, 2026

8.20pm - A break rudely interrupted by the Bafana starting XI coming out.

As Mahlatse Mphahlele writes:

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos sprang a few surprises with his formation and the personnel in his starting line-up for Thursday’s 2026 Fifa World Cup opening match against Mexico.

Ronwen Wlliams has taken his place between the posts at Estadio Azteca (1pm in Mexico City, 9pm SA time).

However, of great interest is in front of him where Broos has gone with a three-man defence of Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Ime Okon and Nkosinathi Sibisi.

This defensive system may have been necessitated by the fact that Mexico usually play with one striker in veteran Raúl Jiménez and Khuliso Mudau and Aubrey Modiba will operate as wingbacks.

pic.twitter.com/3aZNMDtQUy

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 11, 2026

Mudau and Modiba will drop back to add numbers at the back if Mbokazi, Okon and Sibisi are under pressure from Mexican attacks that are expected to come from the probes of midfielders Edson Álvarez and Gilberto Mora.

In the midfield, Broos went with the experience of Teboho Mokoena, Sphephelo Sithole and Jayden Adams as he looks to nullify some of the dangers that may come from Mexico’s engine room.

This three-man centre sees Broos, for the first time in a months, leaving out traditional wingers in Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi. Mudau and Modiba will have the freedom to move forward as wing-backs.

The other interesting aspect is Broos left out playmakers Relebohile Mofokeng and Themba Zwane.

Also interesting is Broos has gone with a two-man attack of Lyle Foster and Iqraam Rayners.

Bafana starting XI: Ronwen Williams; Nksoinathi Sibisi, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Ime Okon; Khuliso Mudau, Sphephelo Sithole, Teboho Mokoena, Jayden Adams, Aubrey Modiba; Iqraam Rayners, Lyle Foster

7.50pm - Some scenes from closer to home ... (After this your blogger might take a short break, begin resting the fingers, and brain, for the manic typing-fest to come ... secretly take in some of the opening ceremony he so disavowed minutes earlier).

WATCH | The wait is over! World Cup starts TONIGHT with Bafana vs Mexico!
Some fans are confident, some are nervous… all of them are passionate. Watch, then drop your prediction in the comments.

Don't forget to stay updated by clicking here: https://t.co/0iUWC9coeV pic.twitter.com/R8vV1u30fA

— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) June 11, 2026

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 🏆

🇿🇦 Mall of Africa is buzzing as we wait for the opening match between Bafana Bafana and Mexico! 🎵

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/7gZ7I12bJq

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 🏆

😍 Bafana Bafana fans are geared up for the opening match in Durban! 🇿🇦

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWorldCup #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/NFPV0dRPSi

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

7.45pm - While your scribe was so busy typing, he did not even notice that on the TV, the opening ceremony had begun(!). Not everyone’s cup of tea. Not so much mine. But this is the moment we know it’s a World Cup and it’s really here! Enjoy.

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 🏆

The opening ceremony of the #FIFAWorldCup 2026 is underway in Mexico City Stadium!

🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #AllOfUsAllInKaofela pic.twitter.com/nA8VAuTxok

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 11, 2026

7.40pm - AAAAANNNNDDDD ... since it’s Mexico against Bafana Bafana in a World Cup game, certainly nothing wrong with reliving THAT goal in 2010 ...

Siphiwe Tshabalala and the first goal of 2010 ⚽️

Who will score the first goal of #FIFAWorldCup 2026? pic.twitter.com/BqylOCGcbb

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 11, 2026

7.31pm - Mamello Makha in the House ...

WATCH | Bafana Bafana supporter Mamello Makha confident ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match against Mexico. pic.twitter.com/gkq9iQql73

— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) June 11, 2026

7.30 pm - Machaka in the House ...

WATCH | Bafana Bafana supporter Masilo Machaka says it's not going to be easy against Mexico in 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match. pic.twitter.com/Pf9FKgpVHJ

— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) June 11, 2026

7.29pm - The fans are arriving, the usual suspects are descending on the Azteca ...

Botha in the House ...

WATCH | Bafana Bafana supporter Botha Msila in good spirits ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Mexico. pic.twitter.com/LZQwn85Bmh

— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) June 11, 2026

7.25pm - To warm us up, here are some videos sent from Mexico by Mahlatse Mphahlele, with some of the pre-match interviews and footage of training for this huge, huge game:

WATCH | Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is targeting a win over Mexico in World Cup opener to calm nerves.

Click on the link to catch all the live updates https://t.co/0iUWC9coeV#Fifa2026#WorldCup#RSAMEX pic.twitter.com/XvVWQv6yrn

— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) June 11, 2026

Teboho Mokoena on the pride of playing at the World Cup.

WATCH press conference ➡️➡️➡️https://t.co/fUC46ne0MI pic.twitter.com/5SMuff3Ckw

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) June 11, 2026

Bafana coach Hugo Broos on Mexico ahead of World Cup opener on Thursday.

WATCH press conference ➡️➡️➡️https://t.co/FhFCjwGh8m pic.twitter.com/UV7vUUsWbR

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) June 11, 2026

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos on the pressure of playing against the co-host in opening match of the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/gczkuYlJMa

— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) June 9, 2026

Bafana coach Hugo Broos says they want to do their best for South Africas fans. pic.twitter.com/8yZWv9sy3X

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) June 9, 2026

Bafana coach Hugo Broos on what they will be facing against Mexico. pic.twitter.com/ThJstl78M6

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) June 9, 2026

Hugo Broos as Bafana Bafana continued preparations for Mexico. pic.twitter.com/uPerXnbGH0

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) June 9, 2026

Bafana preparing for 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match against Mexico 🇲🇽 on Thursday at the Azteca Stadium. pic.twitter.com/AWU0QuETJQ

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) June 9, 2026

7.16pm - Here are some match facts, collated in an earlier story by your live update blogger:

All you need to know about the Mexico v Bafana and World Cup opening:

• Kickoff time: 1pm in Mexico City, 9pm SA time.
• Venue: Estadio Azteca — also known as Mexico City Stadium (the official name for the World Cup) and Estadio Banorte (for sponsorship reasons).
• Capacity: 87,523.
• On TV: The opening ceremony and opening match will be televised on SABC 3 and SuperSport PSL [203] and streamed free on SABC+.
• Match officials: Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil); assistant referee 1: Bruno Pires (Brazil); assistant referee 2: Bruno Boschilia (Brazil); fourth official: Juan Gabriel Benítez (Paraguay); reserve assistant referee: Eduardo Cardozo (Paraguay); video assistant referee (VAR): Nicolás Gallo (Colombia).
• 2026 World Cup co-hosts: Mexico, Canada and the US.
• Opening ceremony start time: 11am in Mexico City, 7pm SA time (televised from 7.40pm on SuperSport PSL [203] and 7.30pm on SABC 3 and streaming on SABC+).
• Who will sing the SA national anthem: Tyla, SA’s Grammy Award-winning singer
• The Mexico anthem: Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández
• Mexico opening ceremony performers: Shakira and Burna Boy will premiere the official tournament song titled Dai Dai; plus J Balvin, Tyla, Alejandro Fernández, Maná, Belinda, Danny Ocean, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules
• Additional opening ceremonies: The first games in Canada and in the US on Friday will also have opening ceremonies.
• When is the 2026 World Cup final? July 19 (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, US)

The iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

WATCH Hugo Broos press conference ➡️➡️➡️https://t.co/vuqoTwQfzS pic.twitter.com/3qlQonq0JQ

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) June 11, 2026

• Who to watch out for in Mexico’s ranks: Fulham centre-forward Raúl Jiménez is the star player and attacking fulcrum who is deadly in front of goal. Johan Vásquez (Genoa) and Lokomotiv Moscow’s César Montes are tough centre-backs. Full-backs Jesús Gallardo and Israel Reyes like to get forward on the overlap. Fenerbahce’s Edson Álvarez at anchor and box-to-box player Érik Lira are usually the central midfielders. Tijuana’s 17-year-old Gilberto Mora, the youngest player at the tournament; Brian Gutiérrez of Guadalajara, and Real Betis’s Álvaro Fidalgo are attacking midfield options who will look for space between the lines. Alexis Vega (Toluca) and César Huerta (Anderlecht) provide pace and width on the wings. Other striker options include Armando González (Guadalajara) and AC Milan’s 25-year-old striker Santiago Giménez.
• Mexico’s tactics: Coach Javier Aguirre wants his team to be resilient and uncomfortable to face. If you’re their opponents, you can expect Mexico to be rigid and frustrating to launch attacks against, and expect pacey, pointed, direct attacks back at you when you lose the ball in their territory. They play a flexible 4-3-3 formation that can become a 4-2-3-1 or even a 4-4-2 depending on the game situation and opponents.
• Who will be key for Bafana?: Ronwen Williams in goal, 20-year-old talent Mbekezeli Mbokazi and whoever he partners in central defence. Right-back Khuliso Mudau is a machine and left-back Aubrey Modiba hugely experienced. Teboho Mokoena is Bafana’s other major star player in central midfield, where he may partner talented Jayden Adams or the more physical Sphephelo Sithole. Orlando Pirates’ Tshepang Moremi and Oswin Appollis (another huge performer for Pirates and Bafana coach Hugo Broos) are likely to be the wide attacking players. Lyle Foster’s experience seems likely to get him the nod upfront, though he’s been a bit out of touch, so Iqraam Rayners and Evidence Makgopa are the striking back-up on the bench.

Teboho Mokoena on the pride of playing at the World Cup.

WATCH press conference ➡️➡️➡️https://t.co/fUC46ne0MI pic.twitter.com/5SMuff3Ckw

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) June 11, 2026

• A bit about the Azteca: Estadio Azteca is the only football stadium in the world to have both Pelé (1970) and Diego Maradona (1986) − regarded as the two best footballers of all time − win the World Cup there. Mexico hosted the 1970 World Cup, in which Pelé’s Brazil, regarded as perhaps the best team of all time, beat Italy 4-1 in a legendary final. The 1986 World Cup in Mexico is regarded as perhaps the best of all time. Maradona’s virtuous performance throughout, including his Goal of the Century in the quarterfinal against England, and probably the second-best goal of all time in the semifinal against Belgium, and two magical assists in the 2-1 final win against Germany, is the stuff of legend. It’s capacity then was 115,000 but that has been reduced by modernisation and renovations.
• A fascinating piece of trivia: Mexico beat Belgium 2-1 in the opening game in 1986. Mexico’s current coach Aguirre and Bafana coach Broos lined up against each other in that match and are now coaches in the 2026 opener, 40 years later, at the same venue.
• Trivia most people know: The 2026 opener is a rematch of the 1-1 opening game draw between Bafana and Mexico at FNB Stadium when SA hosted the 2010 World Cup.
• World Cup group: Group A.
• Other teams in the group: Czechia (Czech Republic), Korea Republic.
• Rankings of the teams in Group A: Mexico — 15; South Korea — 25; Czechia — 41; South Africa — 60.
• Next Group A game: Korea Republic v Czechia, Estadio Guadalajara (Thursday, 8pm in Mexico; 4am on Friday SA time).
• How teams progress to the last 32 and knockouts: Finish in the top two in the group or among the eight best third-placed finishers from the 12 groups.

6.50pm - This is your captain speaking. Testing, testing.

Fasten your seatbelts and get set for take-off... the 2026 Fifa World Cup takes off, or rather, of course, kicks off in just under two hours now!

That’s kind of crazy isn’t it?! Crazier still, Bafana Bafana, as they did the last time they kicked a ball at a World Cup finals as hosts in 2010, play the opening game.

Crazier still, it’s the same two teams. Co-hosts Mexico will provide a stiff test for Bafana Bafana in this 2026 opener, 16 years after these teams drew 1-1 at FNB Stadium in the 2010 opener.

I am Marc Strydom, TimesLIVE Sports Editor and Arena Holdings Digital Sports Editor and I am not your captain, but your LIVE UPDATES BLOG host for Mexico v Bafana Bafana at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City (1pm in Mexico City, 9pm SA time), and it’s ‘squeaky bum’ time now!

I am not in Mexico City, but in my living room in Melville, Johannesburg. Th hugely experienced Arena and TimesLIVE Senior Sports Reporter and Football Writer Mahlatse Mphahlele is in the fabled Azteca, and catch his match report at around 11.15pm. (More on Mahlatse’s excellent build-up coverage later in this blog).

The butterflies have been disturbed by a swarm of bees in the stomachs, right? The anticipation is EXCRUCIATING!

Hugo Broos’ Bafana really have no right winning this game. A draw would be an excellent result.

Mexico have won six of their eight warm-up games in 2026 and drawn the other two. They have been to 17 of the 22 World Cups, and almost always in the modern era reach the last 16, then battle to go further. They are ranked 15th by Fifa. They thrashed Serbia 5-1 in their last warm-up last week.

South Africa are ranked 60th, have exited in the group stage in all three of their World Cups and this generation are babes in the wood on a World Cup stage, let alone the huge viewership opener, let alone at the Azteca in front of its audiovisual wall of green and noise! They have not won a warm-up match this year and had an iffy Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in January and February, exiting in the last 16.

And yet! And yet ... and yet. Let’s tone this down a little with the exclamation marks. And yet ... this is football ladies and gentlemen. This Bafana have talent. They should be hungry after such a lengthy absence.

And Mexican supporters can be fickle. They can turn against their team, like when they booed them in a drab draw against Portugal in March. They have not all overly warmed to the conservative football of coach Javier Aguirre in his third stint.

And yet, again, they have players at clubs like AC Milan. If there is a hint of ordinary-ness to Aguirre’s Mexico, Bafana have to calm butterflies that make yours and mine, dear reader, seem like tiny bacteria, and somehow take the game to some extent to the co-hosts. That will take some doing.

And yes, it’s football, so ‘some doing’ is always a possibility of being done.

Pull up your popcorn, your lagers and pints if at the pub, get comfy in that lounge sofa - the world’s greatest sporting spectacle is about to begin ... and, for the next four hours, Bafana Bafana are at the centre of it!

... to follow: what you need to know about Bafana Bafana v Mexico.

The iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

WATCH Hugo Broos press conference ➡️➡️➡️https://t.co/vuqoTwQfzS pic.twitter.com/3qlQonq0JQ

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) June 11, 2026

TimesLIVE

Story audio is generated using AI

Lepas South Africa will open pre-orders for its new L6 SUV at 9am on June 12.

The newcomer joins the recently launched L4 in the Chinese brand’s local line-up and will be offered with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 108kW and 285Nm of torque. The Chinese brand — a subsidiary of Chery — is positioning the mid-size SUV against rivals such as the Toyota RAV4, BYD Sealion 5, Hyundai Tucson, Haval H6, Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max and Volkswagen Tiguan, among others.

The company said the first 200 customers to place a pre-order will qualify for an Early Bird Offer, details of which will be revealed when the order books open. Lepas added that no purchase commitment is required at the pre-order stage and deposits will remain refundable until customers have completed a test drive.

Previewed at this year’s Beijing Motor Show, the L6 comes equipped with a range of standard features, including a 540º HD surround-view camera system, 22 Level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) functions, 19-inch alloy wheels, a power tailgate, heated and ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, and a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Customers can also look forward to a 10-year/one-million-kilometre transferable engine warranty.

Full pricing and specifications are expected to be announced closer to the vehicle’s market launch. Pre-orders will be accepted through the Lepas South Africa website from 9am on Friday.

Story audio is generated using AI

Goalkeeper: Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates)

Chaine was a revelation for the Buccaneers in their treble-winning campaign. The 29-year-old enjoyed a truly historic record-breaking season, keeping an impressive and unrivalled 21 clean sheets from 30 league games to aid Bucs win their maiden league title in 14 years. Chaine was also key in Pirates winning the MTN8 and Carling Knockout trophies.

Right-back: Khuliso Mudau (Mamelodi Sundowns)

Mudau has been consistent in the last few seasons and enjoyed another highly successful campaign with the Brazilians. The 31-year-old full-back solidified his reputation as one of the country’s best right-backs, clocking 36 games across all competitions with three goals to show for that.

Left-back: Aubrey Modiba (Sundowns)

Modiba was consistent for Sundowns this season and showcased his exceptional work rate across all competitions. While deploying his tactical flexibility between left-back and wing-back, the 30-year-old remained a primary attacking outlet from wide areas. Modiba played an impressive 41 games for Downs across all competitions, managing one goal and seven assists.

Centre-back: Lebone Seema (Pirates)

Seema enjoyed a spectacular debut season with the Buccaneers after joining as a free-agent off the back of leaving TS Galaxy at the beginning of the season. The 23-year-old centre-back quickly established himself as a reliable defensive wall and became one of the most reliable defenders, making 37 appearances across all competitions, while he also scored a few crucial goals that eventually counted in Pirates winning the league.

Centre-back: Nkosinathi Sibisi (Pirates)

Sibisi formed a great partnership with Seema in defence as the Buccaneers conceded just 12 goals in 30 league matches. The 30-year-old also captained the team to dethrone Sundowns, who had won the past eight championships. Sibisi’s leadership qualities and tactical awareness set him apart from other centre-backs in the division.

Central midfielder: Teboho Mokoena (Sundowns)

Arguably the best midfielder of his generation, the 29-year-old Mokoena had another solid campaign. “Mrembula”, as Mokoena is nicknamed, was once again Sundowns’ heartbeat, and whenever he was rested the team struggled. Mokoena played 41 games, scoring seven goals with two assists, which is a good return for a player who played a defensive role for the better part of the term.

Central midfielder: Lebohang Maboe (Kaizer Chiefs)

Maboe’s experience and work-rate were crucial for Chiefs to finish third, qualifying for the CAF Confederation Cup in the process. The former Sundowns midfielder may have managed just a single assist without scoring from 26 games in all tournaments, but he made Chiefs play as Amakhosi proved to be title pretenders. He was rewarded with a belated call-up to Bafana although he didn’t make the World Cup squad.

Right-winger: Oswin Appollis (Pirates)

Appollis, 24, was just brilliant in what was his maiden season at Pirates, arriving from Polokwane City before the season started. Appollis has since emerged as a Player of the Season contender, thanks to his impressive numbers of 12 goals and nine assists from 43 games across all competitions. Appollis was key in Pirates winning three cups.

Left-winger: Relebohile Mofokeng (Pirates)

Another Player of the Season contender, the 21-year-old Mofokeng netted an impressive 11 goals and racked up nine assists from 36 games in all competitions. Mofokeng cemented his status as the next big thing in South African football, with a move overseas a big possibility ahead of the new season.

Forward: Junior Dion (Golden Arrows)

Dion won the league’s Golden Boot with 14 goals. The 27-year-old striker’s contribution helped Abafana Bes’thende to earn a top-eight spot, their first since the 2020/21 season.

Forward: Iqraam Rayners (Sundowns)

Rayners missed out on the Golden Boot by just a single goal. Even so, the Brazilians striker proved to be on fire, finding the back of the net 16 times with three assists from 36 games.

Subs: Petersen, Cross (both Chiefs), Kekana (Sundowns), Maswanganyi (Pirates), Matuludi (Polokwane City), Adams (Sundowns), S Ndlovu (Chiefs)

Coach: Ouaddou (Pirates)

The crash near Gyor, 122km west of Budapest, followed an earlier accident in the same area in which a truck collided with a construction vehicle, causing one death and a build-up of traffic.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said in a Facebook post that the victims were foreign nationals.

“I express my sincere condolences to the families,” he said.

Magyar did not specify the nationality of the victims, and police did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions.

Police told news site 24.hu that all victims were men, that the minibus had Moldovan license plates and that the truck involved in the first accident also carried Moldovan licence plates.

Reuters

At a time when concerns about inequality are high and public attitudes toward the ultra-wealthy have soured, Musk has managed to retain a loyal following despite his stratospheric net worth and without the folksy persona that endeared other tycoons such as Warren Buffett to the masses.

While admirers view Musk’s no-filter style as part of his appeal, critics have accused him of wielding oligarch-like power, raised concerns about governance at his companies and objected to his increasingly partisan political interventions.

Still, SpaceX, the sprawling rocket, satellite and AI company that together with electric-car maker Tesla form the centre of Musk’s empire, raised a record $75bn in its initial public offering (IPO) on Thursday, highlighting investor enthusiasm for his business ventures. Prior to the share sale, Forbes pegged his net worth at roughly $780bn, far ahead of the man next in line, Alphabet co-founder Larry Page.

“The second richest person has been hovering around $300bn, so about less than one-third of what Musk can potentially be worth tomorrow,” said Matt Durot, deputy editor at Forbes Wealth. “And only one other person, [Oracle founder] Larry Ellison, has ever been worth $400bn.”

Most of Musk’s wealth now rests with SpaceX, where he holds a stake worth roughly $866bn. Along with Tesla and the rest of his properties, his net worth will exceed $1.1-trillion when the stock begins trading Friday, according to Forbes and Reuters calculations based on company filings.

Musk became a household name through Tesla and SpaceX before expanding his influence with the $44bn acquisition of social media platform Twitter in 2022. The deal gave him a direct channel to hundreds of millions of users and made him a prominent voice on issues ranging from politics and immigration to government spending and free speech.

His move into politics, particularly his role in US President Donald Trump’s department of government efficiency (Doge) last year, has been among his most contentious ventures. The political fallout coincided with weakening Tesla sales in several international markets in 2025 as protests and consumer boycotts targeted the electric vehicle maker.

The Elon premium

Musk, 54, was born in Pretoria, South Africa, to a Canadian mother and South African father. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1997.

He took over as Tesla’s CEO in 2008 with the conviction that electric vehicles could combine high performance with software-driven features, helping redefine the global automotive industry. Some auto-industry watchers say Tesla’s success — and its trillion-dollar-plus market cap — helped prod traditional carmakers to pivot to electric cars.

Many investors are betting he can repeat the feat in space and artificial intelligence. Yet SpaceX remains cash-hungry, and much of the company’s valuation rests on technologies that may take years or decades to become commercially viable.

Beyond Tesla and SpaceX, Musk has co-founded five other companies, including tunnelling startup The Boring Company and brain implant maker Neuralink.

As CEO of Tesla, Musk has courted controversy and praise in equal measure. He is credited with turning Tesla into the world’s most valuable carmaker. Executives at legacy carmakers dismissed the threat for years, sceptical that a startup car company could figure out how to mass produce electric vehicles profitably.

“He renewed the world’s respect for US ingenuity in automotive engineering,” said Bob Lutz, a former General Motors vice-chair.

At the same time, Tesla has faced legal challenges and shareholder concerns tied to its storied CEO, particularly his 2018 pay package, once worth $56bn.

Musk’s influence has become so pervasive that market observers have dubbed the network of businesses around him the “Muskonomy”. The phenomenon has given rise to what some investors call the “Elon premium”, a valuation boost driven as much by faith in Musk’s vision as by traditional financial metrics.

“Much like Tesla, SpaceX is a bet on Elon Musk,” said Matt Kennedy, senior ‍strategist at Renaissance Capital, a provider of IPO-focused research and ETFs. “A market cap of $1.5-trillion to $2-trillion would certainly throw all traditional valuation methodologies out the window, and is instead best characterised as the ‘Elon Musk premium’.”

Musk unfiltered

The concentration of influence around a single entrepreneur has amplified concerns about corporate governance, conflicts of interest and the risks of tying company fortunes too closely to one individual.

Over the years, Musk has turned clashes with regulators, billionaires, short sellers, journalists and media organisations, including Reuters, into recurring public battles that often unfolded on social media.

Musk’s alliance with Trump followed a familiar pattern. After helping bankroll Trump’s return to the White House and serving in a senior advisory role through the administration’s Doge initiative, Musk became one of the president’s closest corporate allies.

The relationship later fractured amid disagreements over policy and spending, spilling into a public feud. Though the two have since struck a more conciliatory tone, their falling-out highlighted the increasingly blurred lines between Musk’s business empire and political ambitions.

Yet for many investors, concerns about Musk’s often unconventional behaviour are outweighed by his track record of turning ambitious ideas into some of the world’s most valuable companies.

“Elon is the Edison of our time,” JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said during a recent conversation with Musk.

The banker, a former adversary of Musk in a prolonged legal battle, has since become an admirer. Dimon told CNBC last year that the pair had “hugged it out”, and hailed Musk as “our Einstein”.

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

The Soweto-born beauty queen says she was raised to believe in the power of her voice and the value she brings to the spaces she enters. As she prepares to take part in Miss African Beauty SA, that is the attitude she carries in all her encounters.

The criminology master’s candidate placed in the top five at Miss South Africa 2024 and is now in the top 20 of Miss African Beauty SA, billed to take place later this year.

The winner will represent SA at either Miss World, scheduled for September in Vietnam or Miss Universe, which is set to take place in Puerto Rico in November.

Get to know this 25-year-old beauty queen.

Sowetan: Who is Ontshiametse Tlhophane?

Tlhophane: I am part of the Batswana group, specifically the Bakgatla tribe, and am the only child of my mother, Dimakatso Dibobo, and my father, Vivian Tlhopane’s only daughter. I have an older brother on my maternal side.

Sowetan: How has your cultural background or family heritage shaped the person you are today?

Tlhophane: My culture honours and respects the input of women, and my family does the same. I was raised to believe in the power of my voice and the value I bring to the spaces I enter. I carry this attitude with me in all encounters.

Sowetan: What is a specific cultural tradition, story or practice that is deeply meaningful to you, and why is it important to keep it alive?

Tlhophane: I love diphala — the brass bands — at our Tswana weddings. They are the highlight of our weddings and one of the most important elements of our culture to keep alive as a gentle reminder of the artistry and creativity that lives in who we are.

Sowetan: What is the cause that is closest to your heart and why?

Tlhophane: Children’s safety and well-being are the causes closest to my heart. As a child, I was given the opportunity to have access and exposure to the world outside of where I came from — attending schools away from my neighbourhood with people who saw the world differently from me. The intersection of my world with others shaped my outlook on life and how I understand possibility.

During my criminology studies, I discovered the impact that the environment has as a contributor to criminality. I started #safehere as a way to contribute to crime prevention by giving children in marginalised communities positive experiences and stimulation, expanding their view of what is possible and, ultimately, how they interact with the environment they find themselves in.

Sowetan: What difference could you bring to the cause you want to lead?

Tlhophane: The Miss African Beauty SA title and platform are tools that can enhance the work I already do. There is room for conversation around children’s safety and wellbeing, and for stakeholders interested in contributing. The difference I want to make is to increase the visibility of children’s lived experiences and how they can be supported.

Sowetan: If you were president for one day, what changes would you like to implement?

Tlhophane: I would implement a law ensuring equality in our education system — one that protects schools across the country by guaranteeing they all have the resources and infrastructure needed to set children up for the future effectively. The law would also specify clear accountability measures for those who fail to deliver on their responsibilities to schools. Quality education is a tool for empowerment, and every child in our country deserves access to it.

Quality education is a tool for empowerment, and every child in our country deserves access to it.

Ontshiametse Tlhophane

Sowetan: What does it mean to be a strong leader in today’s climate?

Tlhophane: A strong leader today roots their leadership in accountability, integrity, honesty, and empathy. Accountability means being open to doing the right thing and being audited. Integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Honesty means telling the people you lead the truth, even when it is uncomfortable. And empathy means being able to see people’s struggles without using them as a pawn for political advantage. We have seen how much these qualities are lacking in leadership today, and we must return to them.

The sources said Iran and the US were exchanging messages over details of a memorandum of understanding amid the ongoing confrontation between Tehran and Washington.

Three Iranian sources said a political understanding had been reached, but some issues remained to be discussed in detail, including a mechanism for the release of tens of billions of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.

“Iran wants $6bn to $12bn (R98bn to R195bn) of its frozen funds to be released to Tehran, while Washington wants to release funds in stages for humanitarian goods and rejects returning funds to Iran outright,” said one of the Iranian sources.

Another Iranian official said discussions continued over the amount of frozen assets to be released immediately and a guaranteed timetable for the payment of the remaining $12bn of Iran’s funds within a 60-day period.

A senior European official said: “Talks are focusing very precisely on the technical details and the financial amount. In short, the level of liquidity available to Iran.”

A US source familiar with the matter also confirmed messages were being exchanged, and that a political understanding had been reached but the mechanism around frozen funds was being ironed out.

The White House and Iran’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on this story.

The framework of an interim deal would centre on a temporary easing of Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz and phased access through the waterway, while ending a US blockade on Iranian ports. Unresolved ​questions over Tehran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium would be left for future talks.

War has reached ‘dead end’

For its own survival, the clerical establishment’s priority is not a comprehensive settlement but a framework that can restore minimum breathing space for the country by unlocking its frozen assets and ending the war, the Iranian sources said.

The US and Iran traded air attacks on Thursday for a second straight day, and US President Donald Trump threatened more strikes if Tehran does not immediately agree to a peace deal.

However, one of the Iranian sources said the military action between the two sides had reached an impasse with neither side able to break the stalemate.

“This war, from a military standpoint, is a dead end. The Americans could not achieve their goals by attacking Iran. There has been progress in negotiations,” he said. “The recent military confrontations could be preparations for announcing an agreement. Of course, anything is possible, even a return to full-scale war.”

Trump wants better deal than 2015

Trump has repeatedly said a deal is close, while also threatening to intensify bombing.

Analysts have said he was concerned how any agreement with Iran compared to the nuclear deal reached in 2015 between Tehran and world powers, when former US president Barack Obama was in office. Trump criticised the deal, including financial terms offered to Iran. He pulled the US out in 2018 when he was in office.

Trump posted on his Truth Social account on May 24 that any deal he secured with Iran “will be a good and proper one, not like the one made by Obama, which gave Iran massive amounts of cash, and a clear and open path to a nuclear weapon”.

The US blockade on Iran’s ports and Tehran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz have sustained mutual pressure, driving up economic costs while leaving the risk of renewed ​fighting unresolved.

Another Iranian source said Tehran wanted to get the US naval blockade lifted, citing economic strains.

Iran, for various reasons — especially economic pressures and a population exhausted by war and uncertainty — seeks an end to a “no war, no peace” situation, the sources said.

“We must get out of this state of neither war nor peace. War is certainly not in Iran’s interest,” Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday. “But that does not mean that if the US commits aggression against our territory, we will surrender or back down. They can dream on.”

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

Cape Town City’s dreams of returning to the Betway Premiership have ended following their 1-1 draw with Magesi in their final match of the PSL promotional playoffs at Athlone Stadium on Wednesday.

The Citizens came into this fixture needing to win 2-0 to keep their slim chance of promotion alive, but only played to a 1-1 draw.

A win would have seen them tied on six points with Milford, with the KwaZulu-Natal side having a game in hand against Magesi on Saturday at Seshego Stadium, which will decide who will win the mini-league.

Milford are still in control, leading the table with six points, while Magesi are second with four points.

A draw for Milford will be enough to see them promoted to the Premiership, while Magesi will need a win at home to retain their Premiership status and will fancy their chances in front of their supporters.

Milford are still in control, leading the table with six points, while Magesi are second with four

Coming into the match, the Citizens enjoyed possession earlier on as they searched for the early goal, but didn’t create decent scoring opportunities.

Magesi were happy to sit back and wait for a breakaway ball and had a few chances on the break, but failed to take them.

Magesi should have gone ahead a few minutes before the interval had they been more clinical in the final third and they had decent chances, but failed to take them.

They were made to rue their missed chances as the home side opened the scoring against the run of play when Therlo Moosa tapped in from the rebound after Elvis Chipezeze failed to hold on from the cross.

Magesi levelled the score-line immediately after a restart through Mcedi Vandala after he was set through by Lehlegonolo Mokone and slotted home.

That equaliser meant City needed to score two more goals to win 3-1 and have a better goal difference.

They threw everything at Magesi, who defended well for their point and will look to win against Milford at home to retain their status.

Sowetan

LISTEN | You could be sued for not vaccinating your children

Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children could, under certain circumstances, find themselves facing civil lawsuits if their decision results in serious harm to another person.

Child vaccinations across the country have slowed, with the latest rates showing they have dropped significantly in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

In Gauteng, the health department reported the rate was about 75% for infants under 12 months, down from 83%, while in the Western Cape infant immunisation rates dropped to 67.4%.

• Click here to read more.

Story audio is generated using AI

LISTEN | How a matric teenager from rural KZN built his mom a house

Mpendulo Zulu, now a 20-year-old student from rural KwaZulu-Natal, was 17 and finishing matric when he used the money he had made from making ironing boards to build a house for his mother.

At the time, Zulu, his mother and two younger siblings were living in a household of 20 members that included aunts, uncles and their children.

Zulu, who is a final-year student at Mangosuthu University of Technology, said watching his single mother raise three children while working as a domestic helper motivated him to step up and support his family using his carpentry skills.

His journey into carpentry began in 2016 while he was in primary school. A local carpenter noticed his interest and took him under his wing. “Every day after school I would go and help him. He taught me the skills to make wooden ironing boards and helped me develop my talent,” said Zulu.

• Click here to read more.

Story audio is generated using AI

WATCH | Stand-off over R50m road ‘diverted’ to mayor’s neighbourhood

What was meant to be a road project aimed at improving access to essential services has become the centre of controversy in Mukhomi village, about 50km from Giyani in Limpopo.

The project has since been halted after residents took the matter to court, claiming they were never consulted about the R50m, 3.5km road project.

They said they were initially led to believe it would serve key routes used to access schools, clinics and hospitals.

• Click here to read more.

Story audio is generated using AI

Sowetan

The 44-year-old returned to court for the first time in nearly four years this week as she partnered Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the doubles at the WTA event at Queen’s Club.

Williams, who has seven Wimbledon singles titles, has not confirmed she will return to the All England Club but looks set to be given a wildcard, most likely in the doubles.

“I guess what I can say is we can all see how much excitement Serena bring back on a tennis court, and particularly back on a grass court, has created,” Sally Bolton, the All England Club’s chief executive, said.

“And so one can only imagine what that would be like if it was the Championship. The wild card committee will make their decisions formally next week and we’ll be communicating those early next week.

“She has certainly created a fantastic buzz, and that is exciting for the sport.”

Williams won her first singles title at Wimbledon in 2002 and her most recent in 2016. She has also won six ladies doubles titles at the grass-court Slam.

“And as and when at the (wildcard) meeting next week, I’m sure it won’t ignore her success at Wimbledon when making that decision,” All England Club Chair Debbie Jevans said.

Wildcards are handed to players whose rankings do not merit a place in the main draw and are often handed to players representing the home nation, top players returning from injury lay-offs or those, such as Williams, with special credentials.

The announcement will be made on Tuesday. − Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

As local government elections approach, the country’s 257 municipalities are racing against time as their terms come to an end, accompanied by a need to account for what they have done for their residents in the five years since the 2021 elections.

As we now get into the activities of our youth month, also focused on men’s mental wellness, we need to bear in mind that there are only months left before South Africans make those decisive crosses next to their preferred councillor’s name.

With that in mind, the end of June also marks the end of the financial year for municipalities and they have to account for how allocated funds were used and, critically, if much-needed services were delivered.

The budgets that would have been passed when the clock strikes midnight on June 30 will be inherited by the new post-election councils. Notwithstanding their subsequent integrated development plans, they will be restricted to the proverbial cheque that would have been signed by the end of June.

More than R700bn was budgeted for the country’s municipalities in the year 2025/26. This is according to the National Treasury’s latest Section 71 report, covering July to December 2025.

Unspent budgets have been a key challenge for municipalities and provinces in recent years. These are not merely due to provincial and local government entities not prioritising service delivery but because the Treasury is specific when it comes to budgeted line items and how these are accounted for.

The reality is that our municipalities have instabilities such as threats by rogue business forums, nonpayment of services, skills shortages and capacity issues in key areas such as their revenue and finance departments.

The continued concerns raised by state institutions are not taken for granted, as they are of genuine concern and reflect badly on those in office.

We should, as government leaders, be grateful that in our constitutional democracy we have institutions such as the Treasury and the auditor-general that continue to not only uphold and ask all of us to be accountable but are also well run by professionals who want to see the government doing better.

In Mpumalanga, we have three district municipalities and 17 local municipalities. The fact that there is no metro, as in provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, has not stopped us from working hard to address the challenges faced by our local councils.

Yes, there have been challenges with service delivery, though the provincial leadership has emphasised building the capacity of municipalities, rural development, infrastructure delivery and fighting corruption.

As the provincial department of co-operative governance, human settlements, and traditional affairs, we have been hard at work with our municipalities.

We are prioritising financial stability and working to address poor budgeting that can affect service delivery and make us miss targets and fail to budget for maintenance.

Municipalities must be encouraged to terminate nonperforming contractors and service providers.

As we approach the November 4 elections, we will endeavour to support our municipalities in how best to address high personnel costs, high and unnecessary enlistment of contractors, lack of proper collection of revenue from residents, and the continued reliance on conditional grants.

These are challenges of today, and the new leadership coming into office will have to address them from the moment they take office.

• Mashilo is Mpumalanga’s MEC for human settlements, co-operative governance and traditional affairs.

At the time, Zulu, his mother and two younger siblings were living in a household of 20 members that included aunts, uncles and their children.

Zulu, who is now a final-year student at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), said watching his single mother raise three children while working as a domestic helper motivated him to step up and support his family using his carpentry skills.

His journey into carpentry began in 2016 while he was still in primary school. A local carpenter noticed his interest and took him under his wing. “Every day after school I would go and help him. He taught me the skills of making wooden ironing boards and helped me develop my talent,” said Zulu.

What started as a hobby grew into a passion and, eventually, a business opportunity.

After his family relocated in 2021, Zulu saw an opportunity to start working independently. “As time went by, I realised that the business could sustain me.”

Determined to provide his family with a better living environment, Zulu spent the entire year saving money from his carpentry business. After finishing his exams, he immediately began building a house for his mother.

“The project started as soon as I finished my last exam. Within two months, my mother and my two younger siblings had moved into our new home,” he said.

Growing up without a father and sharing a home with extended family members was not always easy.

“My mother was finally able to set her own household rules for her children. The house brought a lot of peace, especially for her.”

He believes difficult circumstances can either break a person or motivate them to take responsibility. “These situations force you to man up and take action,” he said.

His mother, Londiwe Zulu, said she was proud of the man her son had become. “There is nothing he cannot do. I am proud of him for building us a house and still remaining humble and grounded.”

However, she admitted that balancing business and school was not always easy for him. “There were times when he neglected his schoolwork because he was focused on the business. I had to remind him that education was important because I wanted him to study further and attend university.”

Today, Zulu is completing a diploma in agricultural extension, specialising in animal and crop production, at MUT.

His choice to study agriculture was influenced by his entrepreneurial mindset and his desire to create sustainable wealth. “I see agriculture as a fundamental source of national prosperity because everyone needs food. There is no place where people can survive without eating.”

Zulu hopes to continue his studies through an advanced diploma if there is sufficient funding. If not, he plans to utilise land he owns to establish a farming enterprise while continuing to grow his carpentry business.

“I could have studied engineering, but that would have prepared me mainly for employment. I have always had the mindset of becoming a businessman.”

His story has drawn praise from entrepreneurship advocates who believe it demonstrates the power of practical skills and self-reliance among young people.

Township Entrepreneur Alliance founder and CEO Bulelani Balabala said SA needed to place greater emphasis on practical and technical skills if it wanted to tackle youth unemployment and unlock economic opportunities.

“It’s important that we encourage our children to develop practical skills, especially artisan skills, from a young age because there are many opportunities and jobs that will emerge from these sectors in the future,” said Balabala.

He said while universities remained important, society often overlooked the value of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and other institutions that equip young people with practical skills.

“The reality is that many parents continue to push their children towards universities and academic institutions, which are important, but we often overlook some of the country’s most powerful training institutions, such as TVET colleges,” he said.

Balabala pointed to Zulu’s achievements as proof that entrepreneurship often begins with a skill rather than a business idea. “That is the mindset we need to instil in our young people. We should not simply tell them to start businesses. We should encourage them to start doing things, creating value and earning money.

“As parents, we need to identify what our children are passionate about from an early age. We must have honest conversations about the economic realities they face, expose them to practical opportunities and support them as much as possible.”

Story audio is generated using AI

Vilakazi Street in Orlando West, Soweto, will be a hive of activity as SA commemorates the 50th anniversary of Youth Day on Tuesday.

This iconic street is part of the precinct where school students, protesting against the apartheid regime’s inferior education system for black people, were shot and many killed by the police on June 16 1976.

Today, the area has been developed into a tourist destination, with restaurants lining the stretch from Dube township to the Klipspruit road end. Despite the vibrant façade, the precinct remains surrounded by a sea of poverty.

Those who will gather there on Tuesday are the fortunate few who have managed to escape the chains of unemployment. Some of the patrons will be returning from the official government event in Nasrec, just a few kilometres away. Their countless peers will watch the festivities from afar as they still remain spectators in the economy of the land of their birth.

The ANC’s transformative policies have created a new black middle class, but they have left a significant portion of the population languishing in joblessness.

According to Stats SA’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, about 4.7-million young people between the ages of 15 and 34 — almost 46% — are unemployed. The report notes, “Young people are not only more likely to be unemployed but are also far less likely to be in employment relative to their share of the working-age population.

“Their absorption and participation rates continue to be lower than those of adults, while their unemployment rate remains higher, creating a persistent disadvantage for the youth.”

This is a damning indictment of both the government and big businesses as we commemorate the sacrifices made by the youth of 1976.

These young men and women may be politically free, but they are unable to enjoy the fruits of that freedom. Politicians and observers have long warned about the “ticking time-bomb” of youth unemployment. This army of young people could easily be mobilised to stage a new revolution.

Signs of this are already visible. How else do we explain the throngs of young people bussed almost daily to march against African foreigners? The leaders of these marches have convinced them that foreigners are responsible for the social ills in their communities.

They are told they cannot enter the spaza shop market because foreigners have taken over townships, running cartel-like operations that exclude locals. The narrative continues that foreigners take jobs that would ordinarily go to South Africans, but because they lack the same rights, they accept lower wages and exploitative conditions.

In addition, young people are persuaded that foreign drug lords are behind the addiction crisis ravaging their peers. These unemployed youths are now expected to enforce the June 30 deadline to drive out foreigners who remain in the country.

While some grievances raised by these marchers are valid, the anger is misdirected at vulnerable groups. It is the government that must answer why, after 32 years of democracy, our economy still fails to create employment for future leaders. Our neighbourhoods have become vulnerable to crime because the police lack a coherent strategy to rid communities of criminals.

As revealed in the Madlanga commission, police officers themselves are accused of aiding drug distribution, even releasing seized consignments back to syndicates. Senior leaders and top cops have been found colluding with criminals, deepening the crisis.

If it is this easy to convince unemployed youth to rise against foreigners, it would not take much to mobilise them to imitate the Arab Spring. While we will forever be indebted to the class of ’76, this year’s anniversary must be more than ceremonial remembrance.

It must be dedicated to finding practical solutions that empower young people to become active players in their economy. That means bold interventions, including rethinking education to align with modern industries, investing in entrepreneurship and creating a conducive environment for investors.

It will be a betrayal to the 1976 generation if we don’t hold the government and business accountable for the unemployment crisis.

Story audio is generated using AI

Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children could, under certain circumstances, find themselves facing civil lawsuits if their decision results in serious harm to another person.

Child vaccinations across the country have slowed, with the latest rates showing that they have dropped significantly in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

In Gauteng, the health department reported the rate was roughly 75% for infants under 12 months, down from 83%, while in the Western Cape, infant immunisation rates dropped to 67.4%.

“South African law is silent on whether childhood vaccination is mandatory, and that creates uncertainty.” — Dr Liesl Hager

This decline leaves thousands of children vulnerable to outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles.

While South African law does not make routine childhood immunisation compulsory, Dr Liesl Hager from the University of Pretoria’s department of private law says a parent’s right to refuse vaccination is not without consequences if that decision causes legally recognised harm to others.

“Parents have both the right and the responsibility to make medical decisions on behalf of their minor children,” said Hager. “That falls within the scope of parental autonomy, and parents are entitled to refuse certain or all vaccinations for their child.

“The issue only arises when that decision causes legally recognised harm to another person, whether that is another child or an adult.”

Hager’s research explores whether parents could be held liable under the law of delicts if an unvaccinated child infects another person with a vaccine-preventable disease.

One example, she said, could involve an immunocompromised child who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and contracts a disease from a child whose parents chose not to vaccinate.

“In theory, if all the requirements for civil liability are present, there could be a civil claim against those parents,” she said.

However, Hager stressed that such a case would face significant legal hurdles, particularly proving causation.

“A claimant would have to present scientific evidence showing that the unvaccinated child was the factual cause of the infection and the resulting harm. South African law is silent on whether childhood vaccination is mandatory, and that creates uncertainty,” she said.

Hager added that South African courts have not yet ruled on a case involving these specific facts.

“Ideally, we do not want these issues to reach the courts before we have legal certainty. It would be better to provide guidance rather than waiting for litigation to arise proactively,” she said.

Child health specialist Dr Lesley Bamford from the national health department said the drop in vaccination coverage increases the risk of outbreaks of preventable diseases.

“In some parts of the country, we are certainly seeing a decline in the proportion of children who are vaccinated, and that is extremely concerning.”

She said unvaccinated children are vulnerable to infection and can also spread diseases to others, particularly babies and people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

“This is where herd immunity becomes critically important. When vaccination coverage is high, herd immunity helps prevent diseases from circulating within communities.

“When children are not vaccinated, they are at risk of contracting diseases that could otherwise be prevented,” Bamford said. “As vaccination coverage declines, not only does the risk to individual children increase, but diseases are also more likely to spread throughout the community,” she said.

“Because we no longer see large outbreaks of diseases such as polio and other serious childhood illnesses, people become complacent. Vaccination programmes can become victims of their own success.”

Despite the risks, Bamford said the government’s position is not to make vaccination mandatory for several reasons.

“Firstly, mandatory vaccination can be difficult to enforce. Secondly, although every child should theoretically have access to vaccination, we know there are still barriers to access in some communities.

“Another concern is that making vaccination mandatory can give rise to legal challenges and debates that may distract from the primary goal of delivering a comprehensive and effective immunisation programme.”

Sowetan

Story audio is generated using AI

Mass shootings and killings of people by armed gangs appear to be happening with such regularity that they are now becoming a norm.

Since the killing of 16 patrons at Mdlalose Tavern in Soweto four years ago, countless such alarming incidents have been recorded across the country. The modus operandi appears to be gunmen who target their victims and mow them down at one go before fleeing.

In the latest incident in Gauteng, 12 people were shot dead at Jumpers informal settlement in Cleveland, eastern Joburg, when a heavily armed gang opened fire indiscriminately, leaving more than a dozen people injured. While police said the motive for the shooting is unknown, communities said it could be related to zama zama violence.

According to the police, a gang of about 10 armed men were behind the mass murders after they were dropped off at a petrol station near the settlement before entering to execute their victims.

The horrific bloodshed has exposed a lack of intelligence gathering by the police to prevent such incidents after an operation was conducted in the same area just three weeks before. During that operation, which the police said was intelligence-led, more than 1,000 rounds of AK-47 ammunition were found and three suspects arrested.

In December, another brutal mass shooting left 12 people dead and 13 injured at the Saulsville hostel in Atteridgeville, a township in the west of Pretoria.

Two months earlier, a similar shooting at a tavern in Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit, left five people dead and six others injured. These are just some of the mass murders recorded in recent months which highlight a pattern of violence that is becoming endemic in our society.

What is deeply troubling about these heinous crimes is that often the police take a long time to find the perpetrators, or their criminal cases take long to conclude successfully.

These delays, while not by design, breed a culture of impunity where thugs operating in the communities believe they can get away with murder.

These crimes must receive the necessary priority both in investigation and criminal justice if authorities are to put an end to the massacres. That justice is yet to be served for the 16 victims of the Mdlalose Tavern shooting nearly five years later will give many South Africans little hope that the latest victims will get the justice they deserve.

The state has the power and obligation to stop these attacks even before they happen by strengthening police intelligence gathering.

Story audio is generated using AI

A society reveals its true character in how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. This week, I witnessed something that should disturb every South African, regardless of political affiliation. What I encountered at a Sassa (SA Social Security Agency) office in Maponya Mall in Soweto was not merely an administrative failure; it was a human tragedy unfolding in plain sight.

The stories I heard were heartbreaking. Elderly South Africans who depend on social grants to survive had not received their payments for months. Many had been instructed to return repeatedly to resolve problems, only to arrive and find offices understaffed, systems offline, and officials unable to assist them.

Some had been standing in queues since before sunrise with no certainty that they would receive help before the end of the day.

These are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a deeper governance crisis. Across SA, citizens are increasingly expected to tolerate failures that would be unacceptable in any functioning state.

The elderly people standing in those queues were not asking for special treatment. They were seeking access to support they are legally entitled to receive. Many spent decades working, raising families and contributing to the development of our country. Yet, today, they’re being treated as if their dignity is optional.

One encounter remains impossible to forget. I met an elderly diabetic woman who had collapsed after spending hours trying to resolve issues relating to her grant. She had not eaten and did not have money to buy food. She was visibly distressed and in tears.

No pensioner in a democratic SA should find themselves in such circumstances. What troubled me even more was hearing that some pensioners were being directed to other Sassa offices in different areas to resolve their cases.

How does government expect someone who has gone without an income for two months to pay for transport? How does a pensioner travel across Johannesburg when they cannot afford food?

The consequences of these failures extend far beyond inconvenience. For many households, a pension grant is the only reliable source of income. It pays for food, electricity, transport, medication and school-related expenses for grandchildren. When that income disappears, entire families suffer.

This is why social grants are not merely financial transactions. They are lifelines. When government fails to deliver them efficiently, it places vulnerable citizens at risk.

The crisis facing pensioners also reflects a broader pattern that is becoming increasingly visible across SA. Government failures are affecting both the oldest and the youngest generations. Our elderly are standing in queues waiting for grants that do not arrive. Our youth are standing in queues searching for jobs that do not exist.

Youth unemployment remains one of the greatest threats to SA’s future. Entire communities are being hollowed out by hopelessness. In that environment, drugs and criminal networks often step into the vacuum left by economic exclusion.

The result is devastating. Families are torn apart. Communities become less safe. Economic growth stagnates. Human potential is wasted.

The connection between these challenges is clear. When institutions fail, vulnerable people suffer first. When accountability weakens, service delivery deteriorates. When leadership becomes disconnected from reality, ordinary citizens bear the cost.

I, therefore, make a direct appeal to the minister of social development, the Gauteng government, and the City of Johannesburg to intervene urgently. The affected pensioners require immediate assistance. Their cases must be resolved without delay. Their payments must be restored.

Additional support must be provided to ensure that no elderly person is forced to travel long distances simply to correct problems they did not create. This is not a matter that can be postponed. Every day of delay means another day without food for vulnerable households.

The measure of government is not found in speeches, policy documents or public relations campaigns. It is found in the lived experiences of citizens. It is found in whether a grandmother receives her grant on time. It is found in whether a young person can find meaningful work. It is found in whether public institutions respond to people with urgency, competence and compassion.

The pensioners I met do not need sympathy. They need action. They need a government that sees them, hears them, and treats them with the dignity they deserve. SA’s elderly carried this nation on their shoulders for decades. They should not spend their final years standing in endless queues, hungry, exhausted and forgotten.

If we cannot protect the people who spent their lives building this country, then we have lost sight of the very purpose of government. The tears of a hungry grandmother or grandfather should move us all.

The suffering of our pensioners cannot become another statistic. The government must act now, not tomorrow, not next week, but today because dignity delayed is dignity denied.

• Mashaba is founder and leader of ActionSA

Story audio is generated using AI

Vusi Mtolo refuses to succumb to pressure no matter how hard he’s been hurt.

He doesn’t even limp, neither does he grumble but instead he dusts himself up and finds a way to continue honing the skills of fighters.

That is where the 53-year-old boxing trainer from the mean streets of Clermont in Durban finds fulfillment because he could go far as a boxer

He endured pain from an early age but showed toughness when he defied death just after being stabbed a few milimetres from his heart in Durban on June 12 2000.

That is how his amateur boxing career ended. Two years later, he started working as an assistant trainer to Colin Nathan and together they produced many world champions.

One of them, Hekkie Budler, took possession of The Ring magazine belt in 2018 after defeating WBA Super and IBF junior flyweight holder, Ryoichi Taguchi, in Japan.

Mtolo and Nathan parted ways in 2021.

Mtolo was given refuge at the gym of Brian Mitchell in Edenvale, where he trained many boxers like Roarke “Razor” Knapp, Siyakholwa “One Way” Kuse, Ricardo “Magic Man” Malajika, and the Koopman brothers − Shervontaigh and Keanu.

Malajika and Kuse are now trained by Manny Fernandes at Mitchell’s gym.

The two boxers’ careers are managed by Mitchell, whose boxers are promoted by Golden Gloves which was responsible for his illustrious career as a fighter back in the day.

Shervontaigh and Keanu are under the guidance of their father, Charlton, while Knapp has joined Damien Durandt.

Mtolo is left with Beavan “The One” Sibanda, Jarred “Mr Hollywood” Silverman, Ellen “Tigress” Simwaka, Adidya “Lioness” Mimu, Monica “Savage” Mkandla and Simphiwe Mbele.

Mtolo pays rent for training his fighters at Mitchell’s gym.

He hopes one day he will have his own gym, and is certain he will produced champions.

“In fact, I produced an IBO junior lightweight champion in Simwaka but her crown got taken away from her and given to Bernice Ferreira,” he said in reference to the bout which took place at Wild Coast Casino in Bizana last month.

Mtolo said Mkandla will be involved in what he termed a career advancing match-up with Simamkele “Sim the Champ” Tutsheni on July 11.

Mkandla is undefeated after nine fights while Tutsheni tasted defeat in her ninth fight, which was for the IBO world junior featherweight title in Poland in March.

Fourteen days after Mkandla’s six-rounder against Tutsheni, Mtolo will bark instructions to Silverman when he takes on Stephanus Pypers in their eagerly awaited non-title fight in Sandton.

“I have endured pain most of my life but it has made me stronger and I will continue producing champions” said Mtolo in his parting shot.

Sowetan