City had left the door open when they fell to a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa, where Nicolas Jackson struck twice to end the visitors’ perfect start to the league campaign.

Fulham beat Coventry City 1-0 for their second league victory of the season.

With the leaders beaten in Birmingham, Arsenal seized their chance to erase the three-point gap as goals from Ezri Konsa and Gabriel secured a comfortable win over Everton in soaking north London conditions.

The result moved Mikel Arteta’s side level on 21 points with City in what is already shaping into a closely fought title race after eight games, but one played under a cloud amid City’s off-field financial case.

Arsenal made their strong start count when Martin Odegaard’s corner caused chaos in the Everton box. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford kept out the initial danger after the ball was flicked on at the near post, but with Everton unable to clear, Konsa bundled home his first goal for the club from a yard out in the seventh minute.

The set-piece goal was Arsenal’s first since May, ending a run of 13 games across all competitions without one.

“I’ve come to this stadium for many seasons, I know how tough it is to play against us,” Konsa said. “It’s not surprising to me.

“We are champions and to be champions you’ve got to win games consistently. This is our home and we want to win as many games here as possible.”

Arsenal’s two milestone men combined to give the Gunners a two-goal cushion in the 68th minute, with Ben White marking his 200th appearance for the club by clipping a cross to the far post, where Gabriel headed home on his 200th Premier League appearance.

Everton are ninth in the table.

At Villa Park, Unai Emery’s team climbed to sixth on 11 points with their first home league victory this season and third successive league win over City, who are playing under the shadow of an independent commission’s findings that they committed 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules.

City have always denied any wrongdoing, and have appealed.

Jackson took advantage of two City blunders, opening the scoring in the sixth minute when defender Marc Guehi’s heavy touch allowed Villa captain John McGinn to pounce and feed the striker, who slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

Erling Haaland equalised soon after the break when he headed home Iliman Ndiaye’s clipped cross from a free kick.

But Jackson struck the winner on the hour when Ibrahim Mbaye surged down the right before cutting the ball back for his Senegal international teammate, whose shot sneaked under the diving body of keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

“It was incredible, we got the win which is the most important thing. Man City are a strong team, the league leaders,” Jackson told TNT Sports. “It’s just the beginning, we’re trying to work game by game.”

At Coventry, Fulham appeared ready to substitute Oscar Bobb before the winger produced a moment of quality in the 80th minute, collecting the ball on the right, driving into the box past Jack Rudoni and curling a superb finish into the far corner.

Fulham are 12th in the table, while Coventry are 19th.

Chelsea host Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday’s late game.

Reuters

Belgian police used tear gas and pepper spray as they clashed in Brussels on Saturday with anti-government demonstrators calling for better conditions in the education system, Reuters witnesses and Belgian media reported.

The clashes came after hundreds of mainly young protesters gathered in a continuation of rallies that have taken place in recent months, calling for more funding for education and accusing police of excessive violence.

The clashes were much smaller and less violent than those that took place last week in Belgium and — on a far larger scale — in neighbouring France.

In one incident in Brussels on Saturday, protesters ran and fell to the ground as police pursued them, with officers hitting and kicking one demonstrator, Reuters witnesses saw.

Protesters threw road signs and other items onto a pile of rental scooters and bicycles and attempted to set it on fire.

In another incident, police used tear gas to disperse a group of protesters, multiple Belgian media outlets reported.

Reuters

Demonstrators took to the streets of France on Saturday under the watch of 70,000 police officers, with unrest appearing markedly less severe than a week earlier despite scattered confrontations in several cities.

Tens of thousands of people marched peacefully through the French capital, according to police numbers, denouncing the high cost of living and accusing President Emmanuel Macron of cutting public services while failing to tackle rising inequality.

“Down with the state, the police and the fascists,” some of the flag-waving crowds chanted.

Elsewhere, police fired tear gas at people in Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lille and Nice, where a water cannon was deployed after protesters refused orders to pull back.

In France’s second and third cities, Marseille and Lyon, clashes broke out between hooded youths and police.

The government deployed 10,000 more police and gendarmes than on October 17, when nationwide protests descended into some of the worst unrest in France in years.

“We have to be ultra, ultra responsive,” said interior minister Laurent Nunez, who has accused far-left groups and criminal gangs of fomenting violence.

Nunez told reporters that police had arrested 135 people nationwide by early afternoon, many following pre-emptive searches that he said had uncovered fireworks, ball bearings and other items that could be used as weapons.

Shops and museums shut

Much of central Paris took on the appearance of a city under lockdown, with shopkeepers boarding up storefronts, museums closing their doors and more than 20 metro stations shut.

Business groups urged retailers to remain closed after thousands of shops and businesses were damaged or looted across France last weekend.

“There are hardly any customers, so it’s not really worth staying open,” said Oskar, manager of a Kiton boutique in Paris.

Several of the capital’s best-known cultural institutions, including the Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay and the Paris Opera, closed for the day as a precaution, leaving tourists frustrated.

“Everything’s boarded up and we’re not quite sure where we should be,” said Xavier Dolliole, a tourist from the US city of New Orleans.

The route for Paris’s main demonstration was settled only after a legal battle triggered by a last-minute police order moving organisers away from the city centre towards the southeastern fringes of the capital.

Police said the original route passed through areas with a high concentration of businesses similar to those targeted last weekend. Leftist politicians said the late change was aimed at causing confusion and keeping people away.

Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, who joined the Paris rally, hailed what he called a “magnificent mass display of collective discipline and self-restraint”.

He said the protests would continue unless Macron addressed the social malaise in France, one of the world’s richest nations but with a growing debt that has alarmed investors.

“Given the current situation, I think he will come to understand that this will happen again every week. There is still time for (Macron) to give in. After that, the only thing left to him will be the exit door,” Melenchon told reporters.

Far-right party holds congress

Many demonstrators have accused the government of overreacting, as soldiers were dispatched to patrol the Champs-Elysees, a grand boulevard lined with luxury shops and restaurants.

“We shed tears for shops, not for the people who are being impoverished all year round,” said Clara Lebbadi, a 22-year-old arts student.

“My friend and I almost didn’t come because we were scared, but we came precisely because it’s important not to let repression win,” she added.

The first authorised march on Saturday passed off peacefully in Orléans, around 120km south of Paris, where demonstrators rallied against Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally as it held a party congress in the city.

A shooting west of Paris on Friday heightened tensions. A gunman suspected of acting out of Islamophobic hatred killed one person and wounded four others, including a 12-year-old girl.

“We have come to tell the far right, face-to-face, that we are not afraid,” said Bally Bagayoko, the mayor of Saint-Denis and a member of Melenchon’s France Unbowed party.

Reuters

Former Pakistan Twenty20 captain Salman Ali Agha, who was among seven players released mid-series after the side lost two Tests to England in August, has returned to the Test squad for next month’s two-match series with Sri Lanka at home, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Saturday.

Agha was removed as Pakistan’s T20 captain and left out of this month’s T20 series against Sri Lanka but the 32-year-old impressed in the One-Day Internationals, scoring a century against Sri Lanka last Sunday.

Left-arm spinner Ali Usman, who was also among the players released during the England tour, has been named in the 14-man squad as well, with the first test set to begin on November 9 at Rawalpindi.

Babar Azam will continue to lead Pakistan as they look to bounce back from a 3-0 series loss in England.

However, the hosts have shaken up their batting line-up, calling up Sameer Minhas, Mohammad Taha and Mohammad Suleman for the first time. Shan Masood, who scored a fighting 95 against England in the third test last month, has been dropped.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Taha, Razaullah, Saad Baig, Salman Ali Agha, Sameer Minhas, Saud Shakeel.

Reuters

Paula Moltzan started the World Cup Alpine ski season with a first career victory at the age of 32 on Saturday after US teammate Mikaela Shiffrin blew a giant slalom first-leg lead and finished seventh in the Austrian resort of Soelden.

The 2026 Olympic team combined bronze medallist beat Italian-born Lara Colturi, who skis for Albania, by the slimmest of margins — 0.01 of a second after two runs down the Rettenbach glacier slope — with Germany’s Emma Aicher third.

The victory from fifth after the first run also made Moltzan the first woman to win with Van Deer skis, the brand founded by Austria’s retired eight-time overall World Cup winner Marcel Hirscher.

“It feels like a fairytale right now,” said the Minnesota-born skier.

“It doesn’t really feel real but we’ve put in a lot of hard work this summer developing the ski and it feels like this is kind of a pinnacle, that it’s paying off and we did all the right things. I can’t imagine a better start.”

The podium was the 11th of Moltzan’s career, six of them second places including one in Soelden a year ago when Austrian Julia Scheib was a first-time winner.

Scheib did not finish the first run this time.

World Cup overall champion Shiffrin led by 0.14 seconds after the first run, with Sweden’s Sara Hector second and Switzerland’s Camille Rast third, but conditions changed for the later starters in the second leg with falling snow, flat light and grey skies.

The 31-year-old US great, chasing a record-extending 111th World Cup win, has not won a giant slalom since December 2023 but has shifted her focus this season towards that discipline and super-G, and will race fewer slaloms.

Saturday’s race also marked the World Cup return of Slovakian Petra Vlhova, who had been out injured since January 2024. The 2022 Olympic slalom champion and 2021 overall World Cup winner finished 23rd.

Italian Federica Brignone, the Olympic champion in giant slalom and super-G on home snow in Cortina in February, was absent as she continues her recovery from surgery in August.

Reuters

Ukraine said on Saturday that the Starlink satellite system and its military version Starshield were now fully functional after over a week of restrictions that disrupted military operations and intensified tensions with the US.

Problems with Elon Musk’s SpaceX-owned systems came after US President Donald Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel while pressing Kyiv to stop striking Russian oil refineries.

Ukrainian officials said the restrictions, which capped operations at speeds of 160km/h, hampered the military’s ability to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some operations.

“The main thing for today is that Starlink and Starshield have resumed operations at their pre-restriction speeds. The speeds are now at the level we need,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the Telegram app.

According to Zelensky, the speeds started returning to normal overnight. Ukraine’s defence ministry said on Saturday the connection remained stable at over 400km/h.

Ukraine does not rely on the systems for long-range drone operations on Russian territory, including attacks on refineries.

But Starlink remains vital for front-line communications, and the deployment of Starshield-enabled medium-range attack drones has helped Ukraine gain the upper hand in several areas of the battlefield this year.

Limitations order

The restrictions sparked outrage in Ukraine, particularly as they coincided with disruptions to allied warnings about incoming Russian missile attacks. Kyiv later said it continued to receive US intelligence.

Neither Musk nor the US government has acknowledged responsibility for restricting Starlink or Starshield in Ukraine. Both have said publicly that any such decision could only have been taken by the other.

Reuters has reported that the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House. Previously, US administrations had several times asked SpaceX to turn Starlink on or off in various countries, sources said.

On Friday, contradicting his previous statement that the services had been fully restored, Trump said that if problems persisted, he would “get it straightened out”.

Reuters

Aston Villa snapped Manchester City’s perfect Premier League run with a 2-1 home victory on Saturday as Nicolas Jackson struck in each half to hand Enzo Maresca’s men a damaging defeat amid the turmoil surrounding the club’s off-field financial case.

City remain top with 21 points, but the setback opens the door for Arsenal to draw level later on Saturday when they host Everton with the chance to erase the three-point gap.

Unai Emery’s team climbed to sixth on 11 points with their first league victory at Villa Park this season and third successive league win over City, who are playing under the shadow of a guilty verdict on 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules. City have always denied any wrongdoing.

Jackson took advantage of two City blunders, opening the scoring in the sixth minute when defender Marc Guehi’s heavy touch allowed Villa captain John McGinn to pounce and feed the striker who slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

Erling Haaland equalised soon after the break when he headed home Iliman Ndiaye’s clipped cross from a free kick. But Jackson struck the winner on the hour when Ibrahim Mbaye surged down the right before cutting the ball back for his Senegal teammate, whose shot sneaked under Gianluigi Donnarumma’s dive.

A string of brilliant saves from Villa keeper Zion Suzuki helped seal the home side’s victory.

Reuters

“When we came, we thought there could be a problem but not that the museum would be closed,” Italian social educator Selena Bertoni, 31, said in front of the Musée d’Orsay.

On a four-day trip to Paris, she had paid €50 (R927) for two tickets to see its Impressionist paintings and other masterpieces. “Bad timing,” she said, with a shrug.

The closures came one week after nationwide demonstrations over the cost of living and deteriorating public services descended into some of the worst street violence that France has seen in years.

The violence and damage prompted the government to impose localised curfews and close many public venues before demonstrations planned on Saturday.

Top tourist destination

The shutdown extended across much of the capital’s cultural sector, including the Orangerie, Jeu de Paume and Picasso museums, while the entire Tuileries Gardens complex that leads out of the Louvre was sealed off.

“This is the third museum we have come to that is closed. They should’ve warned us,” French visitor Heidi Rosar, 21, said.

At the Louvre, the locked black iron gates blocked access to the entire site and the garden.

“We wanted to at least see the pyramid,” 67-year-old Canadian Don Nowschuk said, referring to the museum’s landmark glass entrance.

On a two-night stay in the City of Light, Nowschuk suggested the local authorities might be overreacting.

“There is so much security that you would think it would be enough to secure the museum,” he said. “It’s a bit weird to see so many cops with guns around Paris. We are used to guns but not like this.”

The disruption extended to the performing arts sector. The Paris Opera shuttered the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille, citing safety concerns for staff and audiences.

Organisers of the prestigious Art Basel Paris fair also cancelled its weekend programme.

The cultural centres posted warnings about the closures on Friday, but some people never thought to check.

“How could we have known? We didn’t think a museum could be closed. We are a bit naive,” 59-year-old Frenchwoman Catherine Sebbagh said.

Reuters

The Israeli military forced about 1,200 Palestinians to leave their homes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian official said on Saturday, a day after a Palestinian attack killed two Israeli soldiers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday had said the military would launch a large-scale operation after the soldiers were killed when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a military checkpoint near the city. The Israeli military said the gunmen were shot dead.

They also said the operation in the Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha neighbourhoods near the military checkpoint at the entrance of Hebron was to search for militants and weapons. In a statement, it also said the military would carry out demolitions.

The Palestinian Authority criticised the operation as a “collective punishment”.

Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari, the head of Hebron’s municipality, said about 1,300 faced losing their homes in addition to the 1,200 already displaced.

He also said the Israeli operations were motivated by parliamentary elections on Tuesday when Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition may lose his majority, opinion polls show.

“Netanyahu and the radical ministers in his government are trying to win as many votes as possible from the settlers,” Al-Jabari said.

The non-governmental organisation the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said Israeli forces had arrested about 70 Palestinians on Friday and Saturday. Israeli officials have not commented on any arrests.

Netanyahu’s government has presided over expansion of settlements

Al-Jabari said the military had demolished shops, factories, homes, and roads in Hebron and that the response was disproportionate and unjustified.

Residents in Hebron told Reuters that the military expelled many people with no connection to the Palestinian attackers.

“We are calling on officials to stand by us because we are not involved in any of this. There are children. We are isolated; we don’t do anything. This is all arbitrary,” said Majdi Nasser, one of those driven from his home.

Residents told Reuters they saw Israeli soldiers marking homes with a black X after their Palestinian occupants had been forced to leave. It was not immediately clear what the X mark meant.

Netanyahu’s government has presided over a rapid expansion of settlements, deemed illegal by UN bodies and ​most countries, though Israel disputes this.

Across the West Bank, Israel has blocked the entrances to most Palestinian cities and towns, severely curtailing Palestinians’ freedom of movement.

Yousef Mur, a resident of the Palestinian town of Yatta, said the closures meant he was unable to reach Jerusalem with his daughter for her cancer treatment.

“The situation is bad, and we are suffering. When we tried to cross, they fired stun grenades towards us, and my girl got scared on the way. They fired stun grenades towards people. The situation is very difficult,” Mur said.

Reuters

Five Italian activists who were detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank this week were released and repatriated on Saturday morning, Italy’s foreign ministry said.

The women were detained on Thursday by Israeli police in Kiryat Arba along with other international activists, while seeking to protect Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest in the Israel-occupied territory.

Officials from the Italian embassy in Tel Aviv visited them at the airport on Friday evening and said the activists appeared to be in good physical condition.

Settlers have intimidated Palestinians harvesting their olives in the occupied West Bank for decades, but violence has increased sharply this year, according to Palestinians, activists and the UN.

Israeli rights group Yesh Din said it had recorded more than 330 incidents of settler violence linked to this year’s olive harvest, which started in late September, including attacks, theft and damage to trees.

Israeli security services have said they take acts of violence and criminal activity very seriously.

Olives are the backbone of Palestinian agriculture, a sector that accounts for around 8% of GDP and more than 60,000 jobs, according to the Palestinian Authority’s agriculture ministry.

Reuters

Fifa president Gianni Infantino laughed off questions about whether he had considered resigning in the wake of the failed Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, pointing to overwhelming support from member associations around the globe.

Three months after facing calls to resign after he abandoned the proposal that sought private investment in a new entity controlling commercial rights linked to major Fifa competitions, Infantino now finds himself in a position of strength.

His prospects for re-election strengthened on Friday after the head of Asian football endorsed him for a fourth term, with Asian Football confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa saying Asia was united behind Infantino.

“I was elected by 211 member associations from all over the world. I think what is important is that in an organisation like Fifa, there can be different views, different points of view,” Infantino told the BBC as he laughed off a question about whether he had considered stepping down.

“But if we are serious about democracy, about the democratic process, about believing that everyone has the same vote and the same voice all over the world, that football belongs to everyone ... then we need to respect as well the views of the vast, vast majority.

“I’m just coming back off Tokyo where the Asian Football Confederation has fully endorsed me. I was in Cape Verde where all African countries have endorsed me. I’m speaking to all associations everywhere in the world.”

The AFC had previously joined European body Uefa and Concacaf, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, in criticising the FFE proposal.

But a divided Concacaf and the AFC’s U-turn have left Europe increasingly isolated while exposing the lack of a viable alternative candidate for the Fifa presidency.

Infantino is seeking a fourth term until 2031 and potential candidates must submit their nominations by November 18.

He apologised at a Fifa Council meeting in Zurich last week over the way the FFE proposal was handled but that did not sway European football associations such as Germany and England.

However, the 56-year-old Swiss-Italian administrator added: “It’s OK to disagree ... but then we need to be able to move on.

“There are different points of view. It’s not always easy to bring them all under one roof, but we need to respect and I do respect all opinions all views,” Infantino added.

“Then it will be up to the Fifa member associations to decide who they want as a president and how they want Fifa to be run.”

Reuters

Togliatti mayor Ilya Sukhikh said preliminary reports indicated no fatalities or injuries. He did not specify which facilities had been hit.

Ukraine’s general staff said it had struck the Togliattikauchuk petrochemical plant, one of Russia’s largest producers of synthetic rubber.

The general staff also reported a strike on the Proton electronics plant in Russia’s Oryol region, which Kyiv says manufactures components for cruise and ballistic missiles.

Oryol regional governor Andrei Klychkov said three people were killed on Friday in a Ukrainian missile strike on an unspecified civilian facility in the region.

Ukraine’s military also reported hitting an aircraft at the Yeysk airfield in southern Russia. Local authorities confirmed an attack in the area but said it caused only minor damage to two apartment buildings.

Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday air defences had destroyed 1,297 drones, one French-made SCALP cruise missile and four Ukrainian Neptune missiles over the previous 24 hours.

Reuters

Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany remains in hospital in a stable condition after collapsing during reserve-team training on Friday but will be sidelined for weeks, the club’s sporting director Max Eberl said on Saturday.

The 40-year-old Belgian coach had been battling a virus in recent days and missed some training sessions.

Eberl said Bayern would prioritise his recovery and wait for a diagnosis before discussing any potential return.

“We need to firstly figure out what it is and then we’ll discuss calmly what the recovery time is to be,” Eberl told reporters in Munich. “We’re not talking about days, but weeks. We all need to be clear on that.”

Bayern postponed their reserve side’s match following Kompany’s collapse but never considered seeking a delay to Sunday’s Bundesliga trip to Freiburg, Eberl said.

“I think the greatest joy for Vinnie would be for us to play well tomorrow and, ideally, get a positive result,” he added.

“That would probably be one of the best things we could do to help him recover.”

Assistant coach Aaron Danks will take charge of the team against Freiburg and said he had spoken to Kompany solely to check on his well-being.

“I explained to him that we wouldn’t be having any football conversations. It was just checking in on his health and making sure he’s OK,” Danks said.

“All the football operations are in our hands and we’ll work together as a team to keep the club moving forward.”

Bayern lead the Bundesliga with 14 points from six matches, ahead of Borussia Dortmund on goal difference, while third-placed Freiburg are one point behind.

Reuters

The biggest chunk of funding will go to a new biosecurity initiative, including £100m (R2.22bn) for a laboratory using AI to detect biological threats and £65m (R1.44bn) to develop countermeasures against pathogens.

AI minister Kanishka Narayan said the aim was for the AI Biosecurity Lab to become a major global institution “bringing together world-leading scientific expertise to protect people from emerging biological threats”.

Tech companies OpenAI and Anthropic will offer up to £200m (R4.44bn) of model credits to the biosecurity initiative.

Google DeepMind and a London-based AI life sciences startup Basecamp Research will offer other assistance.

Britain’s government will give its existing AI Security Institute an extra £120m (R2.66bn).

• £130m (R2.88bn) will go towards new projects to improve cyber defences for critical infrastructure and the wider economy, known as the National Cyber Shield and the National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability Centre.
• £60m (R1.33bn) will go towards a fund that will invest in British companies using AI to advance robotics, autonomous systems and manufacturing.
• £60m will be used for AI research and procurement contracts.
• An extra £23m (R510.5m) will go to research on the economic impact of AI.
• £18m (R399.6m) will go to a new chip design academy.
• £15m (R333m) will fund a prize for AI solutions to public policy problems, initially focused on health care.
• £30m (R666m) will go to regional mayors to support local AI work.

Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre will receive an unspecified sum to expand in Manchester.

Anthropic alone racked up more than $12bn (R199.1bn) in operating expenses last year.

Reuters

The FBI arrested Ian Brinksman, 42, on Friday after a search of his Washington home, the department said. Prosecutors charged him with unlawfully transmitting national defence information.

A federal public defender representing Brinksman declined to comment.

“As alleged, Brinksman reached far outside his own duties to obtain some of our nation’s most closely held secrets and handed them to a romantic partner he knew intended to publish them,” John Eisenberg, assistant attorney-general for national security, said.

“That is not carelessness. It is a betrayal of his oath and the American people who entrusted him to fulfil his duties honourably,” Eisenberg said.

Brinksman held a top-secret security clearance while working as an employee of a US government agency and later as a developer for systems integration for a private contractor working for the same agency, prosecutors said.

According to the sworn affidavit of an FBI agent investigating the case, Brinksman repeatedly accessed classified intelligence reports and then communicated with the journalist. The affidavit also cites phone records, database access logs, badge swipe records, emails and other evidence.

The affidavit only identifies the journalist as “Individual 1”, but it cites excerpts from articles she published.

“A fundraising article reportedly published by Individual 1 in September 2026 stated, ‘Over the past year [Individual 1 has] published reporting based on classified [relevant US government agency] assessments that I believe the public deserves to know about,’” the affidavit reads.

That quote appears in a September 28 piece published on the Capital & Empire online newsletter authored by Aída Chávez.

“Over the past year, I’ve published reporting based on classified CIA assessments that I believe the public deserves to know about,” wrote Chávez, whose profile on the site notes that she worked for The Nation and other outlets before she launched the newsletter.

Chávez did not immediately respond to an email message seeking comment.

Investigators allege that on at least five occasions in 2026, Individual 1 published Substack articles containing information that mirrored the classified reports, some at the top-secret level. On some of those dates, Chávez published articles that cite classified reports, some of them attributed to the CIA.

According to a LinkedIn profile bearing Brinksman’s name, he worked for Deloitte as a manager and as a senior strategy security consultant after having worked as a US state department foreign service officer at dates corresponding to those outlined by the justice department.

Deloitte did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The state department said it needed more time to respond before commenting.

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

The partially decomposed body of a 25-year-old man was found trapped between the ceiling and roof tiles of a house in Kwa-Thema, Springs, on Friday.

The City of Ekurhuleni’s Disaster and Emergency Management Services (Dems) recovered the body from the house in Moeketsane Street after neighbours raised the alarm over a foul smell.

Dems spokesperson William Ntladi said rescue teams from Brakpan and Kwa-Thema fire stations were activated after paramedics approached the Brakpan fire station for assistance.

On arrival, the teams followed the smell and discovered the body wedged between the ceiling and metal roof tiles. The man’s body was brought to the ground using a specialised stretcher and ropes.

It is alleged the man was electrocuted, as side-cutting pliers and a snapped electrical cable were found next to him.

The occupant of the house reportedly told the teams he was unaware of the situation.

The scene was handed over to the South African Police Service. Forensic Pathology Services was called to remove the body to a facility in Springs.

TimesLIVE

J&J had gained access to the drug through its $3.05bn (R50.6bn) deal to buy Halda Therapeutics last year.

The company was testing JNJ-6143 in patients with advanced prostate cancer who had received multiple treatments.

Its novel approach selectively kills cancer cells by interfering with a protein they need to survive.

In the trial, 77% of 31 evaluable patients receiving the 50mg dose saw their PSA levels, a blood marker used to monitor prostate cancer, fall by at least 50%; in 48% of patients, PSA levels fell by at least 90%.

Among patients whose tumours could be measured using imaging, 69% had a confirmed complete or partial response.

“It adds a new mechanism of action to J&J’s prostate cancer portfolio,” a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson said.

Common side effects were nausea and elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels. One patient discontinued treatment due to adverse effects.

The data were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

Reuters

The accident on Friday involved two SF-260 aircraft during a training flight at the Fernando Airbase in Batangas province, the Philippines Air Force said.

Local media reported the two aeroplanes collided in midair.

The aircraft crashed within the grounds of the airbase, but there were no other casualties.

The air force has temporarily grounded its fleet of SF-260 trainer aeroplanes pending an investigation into the cause of the crash.

In May, two pilots were killed when an SF-260 trainer aircraft crashed in a mountainous area in northern Philippines, while another SF-260 TP Marchetti crashed during a 2023 training flight, also killing two pilots.

The military used SF-260 aircraft during months of air strikes on southern Marawi City after militants loyal to Islamic State seized the area in 2017.

Reuters

The Nairobi County governor’s office said there were reports people may be trapped beneath the rubble.

It was not immediately clear what caused the building to collapse.

Governor Johnson Sakaja’s office said the ground floor of the collapsed building in the Eastleigh neighbourhood was occupied.

A Reuters video showed a crowd had gathered at the scene while an excavator moved rubble.

Reuters

Seven people were killed and 40 were wounded when gunmen opened fire continuously for several minutes ​during a funeral at the Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate, the head of Jordan’s public security directorate said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Such attacks are rare in Jordan, though authorities in the US ally say that in recent years they have repeatedly foiled attempted attacks by Islamist militants.

Authorities said they are still searching for the attackers, adding it was too early to determine whether they had links to known groups inside or outside Jordan.

Reuters video footage showed police patrolling on Saturday outside the Hamoud church, southwest of the capital Amman.

“This is a result of a terrorist ideology and blind extremism, and we will not allow society to go down this path,” Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said in a post on X.

Jordan’s King Abdullah, a major US partner in the fight against militant Islamist groups, visited Karak hours after the attack and said the perpetrators would be punished “with an iron fist”.

Christians make up a minority of Jordan’s population. The country is home to several biblical sites that attract Christian pilgrims from around the world.

Jordan has been among US allies in the region to be hit by Iranian attacks this year after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February.

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso said they must take collective responsibility for failure to progress to the group stages of the Caf Champions League.

At the same time, he vowed the Brazilians will come back stronger after this massive setback because there is still a lot to play for this season.

Sundowns suffered the embarrassment of being eliminated at the preliminary stage as defending champions by Angolan side Wiliete SC, who came from a goal down to cause one of the tournament’s biggest shocks.

Sundowns took the lead through attacker Tashreeq Matthews after 11 minutes, but Wiliete SC equalised through veteran striker Cristóvão “Mabululu” Paciência and went through 1-1 on away goals rule.

Sundowns went into this match with an impressive record of having qualified for the group stages since 2016, when they won it, but they paid a heavy price for failing to score in both legs.

'It's a failure,' - Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso after they were knocked out of the Champions League.

WATCH press conference on #PrimeSportsWithMahlatseTV ➡️➡️➡️https://t.co/pQ2PhkjW22 pic.twitter.com/Z1DgwEF4pl

— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) October 23, 2026

“Of course it is a failure,” admitted Cardoso.

“It’s a failure from everybody, and we should embrace it from the coaches and everybody. I want to state how it is a failure because I don’t want to give you the opportunity just to say that.

“We controlled the match, but we just failed to score. If you count all the opportunities that we had in the box, we should have converted to influence the result.

“When you don’t finish the situations that you create, you stay exposed to anything.”

Sundowns did not have influential Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena, but Cardoso said they had enough quality on the field to progress to the next stage.

“Regarding what we missed or did not miss, there are many things that we missed. If you see this team and compare it with the one that finished the Champions League last year, one has nothing to do with the other.

“That is not an excuse at all; the team that played today [Friday] should have won the match. We should have won the match today with the players that we had on the pitch and the ones that entered later.

“We created enough chances to win the match; we did not lose but drew two matches. But we also progressed on away goals in the past, and we can’t complain about that now.

“That is why when you are in the game, you have to finish it so that you are not exposed to a random goal.”

Orlando Pirates will be South Africa’s only representatives in the Champions League this season after they thrashed African Stars of Namibia 5-0 on aggregate.

There will also be no Confederation Cup football for Kaizer Chiefs this season after losing 3-2 on penalties to the Zambian side Red Arrows in Durban.

Sundowns’ players don’t have time to dwell on this disappointment as they turn their attention to the Carling Knockout Cup, where they host Marumo Gallants on Tuesday night.

TimesLIVE

Hunter Foster, the officer who shot the child, resigned from the Senatobia police department, mayor Greg Graves said on Friday, without specifying whether he was asked to resign or did so on his own. Angelica Maze, who was the interim chief for the department, also stepped down, according to a resignation letter reported by local media.

Foster had fired his gun at a moving vehicle in response to a shoplifting call in Senatobia in June, killing one-year-old Kohen Wiley. The fatal shooting of the child sparked calls from civil rights advocates for accountability.

The child’s family has said the shooting was not justified, but Mississippi attorney-general Lynn Fitch said this week that “the use of force was justified” and cleared the officer of criminal wrongdoing.

Though Foster was cleared, his lawyer, Martin Zummach, told NBC News that his client “resigned for the good of the city and the police department and to permit the process of healing”.

Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the child’s family, said they were calling for a department of justice investigation and that accountability cannot end at the resignation of the officer.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said after the shooting in mid-June that law enforcement officers responded to a shoplifting call at Walmart and encountered two adults and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in their direction, the bureau added, saying that an officer “then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene”.

Footage released from the incident showed Foster running out of Walmart with other officers after an employee said suspected shoplifters were attempting to flee. While officials have alleged the child’s mother and her friend stole nappies, the two women have not been charged.

“No mother should have to bury her baby over an allegation of shoplifting nappies,” Crump said on Friday.

Former Senatobia police chief Harold Vanderford was fired in September after media outlets reported he used racist slurs against black people in text messages.

Reuters

Goals by Thapelo Mokobodi, Evidence Makgopa (two) and Mpho Phadime were added to the one of Tshepang Moremi, netted when Pirates won 1-0 in the first leg played in Gaborone, Botswana, last Saturday.

With the Buccaneers backed by their faithful in Orlando, they wasted no time in stamping their authority in this match with two goals by Mokobodi and Makgopa taking them to the interval, leading 2-0.

Within a minute of the second period, Pirates extended their lead when substitute youngster Phadime scored with his first touch after coming on for Moremi. Deon Hotto was the supplier when Makgopa completed his return from injury with a brace, scoring the second one 12 minutes from time.

This will be a second successive season for Pirates to reach the group stages of the money-spinning Champions League after being eliminated in the semifinals of this competition, which was won by Mamelodi Sundowns last season.

The Buccaneers will now shift their focus to the last 16 of the Carling Knockout Cup on Tuesday to host PSL newcomers Milford FC in Orlando before their blockbuster league fixture against Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium on October 31.

TimesLIVE

Behind every report of a woman killed, assaulted, raped, stalked or threatened is a human being whose safety, dignity and right to live free from fear have been violated. Yet many acts of gender-based violence (GBV) do not begin with a fatal attack. They can begin with:

• control disguised as concern;
• humiliation dismissed as a joke;
• financial dependence presented as love; or
• persistent monitoring framed as jealousy.

Recognising these behaviours early matters because violence is not always sudden. Often it is preceded by a pattern.

South Africa’s first national Gender-Based Violence Prevalence Study found 35.5% of women aged 18 and older had experienced physical and/or sexual violence during their lifetime. That translates to an estimated 7.85-million women.

The study also found significant levels of intimate partner violence and psychological abuse, demonstrating GBV extends far beyond the physical injuries that make the news.

The seriousness of the crisis was formally recognised in November 2025 when gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) was classified as a national disaster under the Disaster Management Act.

Being married, dating someone or having previously consented to sex does not mean that consent exists for every subsequent sexual encounter

This was not simply a change in terminology. It acknowledged the scale and urgency of the crisis and placed greater emphasis on co-ordinated national action.

But legislation and government interventions alone cannot end GBV. Prevention also depends on communities, families, workplaces, schools, universities and individuals being able to recognise abuse before it escalates.

Abuse does not always look like violence

One of the most dangerous misconceptions about GBV is that it is always obvious. Physical assault is violence, but so too can be behaviour designed to control another person’s freedom, finances, movements, relationships or choices.

A partner who repeatedly checks someone’s phone, dictates who they may see, prevents them from maintaining relationships with family and friends, controls their finances or constantly threatens them may be exercising coercive or controlling behaviour.

These behaviours matter because South African law increasingly recognises domestic violence is not limited to physical assault. The Domestic Violence Amendment Act expanded the recognised forms of domestic violence to include, among others:

• economic abuse;
• coercive behaviour;
• controlling behaviour;
• harassment;
• stalking;
• intimidation;
• spiritual abuse;
• elder abuse; and
• exposing a child to domestic violence.

This is an important legal and social shift. It means the absence of a bruise does not mean the absence of abuse. Economic abuse, for example, may involve:

• controlling a partner’s access to money;
• depriving them of financial resources; or
• deliberately creating financial dependence.

Controlling behaviour may involve isolating a person from sources of support or regulating their everyday movements. These behaviours can gradually erode a person’s independence and make it more difficult to leave an abusive relationship or seek help.

The danger of normalising warning signs

South Africans have become accustomed to explanations for abusive behaviour:

• “He was jealous”;
• “She was angry”;
• “They were having relationship problems”;
• “It was just an argument”; or
• “He couldn’t accept she had left.”

These explanations can inadvertently shift attention away from the central issue: the person who chooses to abuse is responsible for that abuse.

Jealousy is not an excuse for stalking. Anger is not an excuse for assault. Marriage is not consent. Financial dependence does not give one partner ownership over another. A previous relationship does not create a permanent entitlement to someone’s attention, body or whereabouts.

This is particularly important when considering sexual violence. Consent must be voluntary and freely given. Being married, dating someone or having previously consented to sex does not mean that consent exists for every subsequent sexual encounter.

Similarly, persistent unwanted contact should not automatically be dismissed as romantic persistence. Repeatedly following someone, appearing at their workplace or home, contacting them from multiple numbers after they have asked for no contact, monitoring their movements or using friends and family to locate them can be warning signs that require intervention.

Men can also experience abuse

A serious conversation about GBV must acknowledge men can also experience domestic and gender-based violence. Recognising male victims does not diminish the disproportionate impact of violence against women and girls. Instead it reinforces a fundamental principle: violence and abuse should be identified and addressed wherever they occur.

A man who is isolated from his family, subjected to threats, financially controlled, humiliated or monitored by a partner may also need protection and support.

For this reason, conversations about GBV should focus on behaviours and patterns of abuse rather than relying solely on assumptions about what a victim or perpetrator “looks like”.

From awareness to intervention

Awareness is valuable, but awareness without action can become another form of inaction. Friends, colleagues, neighbours, educators and family members may sometimes notice warning signs before a victim is ready to speak about them. The response should not be judgment, blame or pressure. It should begin with listening, taking the person’s concerns seriously and helping them access appropriate support.

This is particularly important where someone may be at immediate risk. Confronting an alleged perpetrator without considering the victim’s safety can potentially increase the danger. Support should therefore be informed by the circumstances and, where appropriate, involve professional, legal, policing, shelter or psychosocial services.

If control, intimidation, stalking, economic abuse and escalating threats are recognised as warning signs, intervention can potentially happen before violence becomes more severe

The law provides mechanisms for protection. A person experiencing domestic violence may apply for a protection order, while conduct that amounts to a criminal offence can also be reported to the South African Police Service.

The message is therefore not simply “report abuse”. It is:

• know what abuse looks like;
• understand your rights;
• seek appropriate support; and
• take threats to safety seriously.

We cannot wait for another headline

The classification of GBVF as a national disaster should challenge South Africans to think differently about prevention. A disaster response cannot begin only after lives have been lost.

If control, intimidation, stalking, economic abuse and escalating threats are recognised as warning signs, intervention can potentially happen before violence becomes more severe.

Universities and other educational institutions have a particularly important role to play in this conversation. They are spaces where young adults develop relationships, negotiate independence and form attitudes about equality, consent and respect. Legal education therefore cannot exist only in lecture rooms. It must also help communities understand their rights and responsibilities in everyday life.

The fight against GBV will require effective laws, accountable institutions and accessible support services. But it also requires a cultural shift in which abusive behaviour is no longer normalised, excused or hidden behind the idea that what happens in a relationship is nobody else’s business.

GBV is not a private family matter. It is a societal crisis, a legal issue and a human rights concern. The question is no longer whether we recognise that GBV exists. South Africa has known this for years. The more urgent question is whether we will recognise the warning signs early enough to intervene.

Know the signs. Know your rights. Take threats seriously. Support survivors. Speak up. And where it is safe to do so, act before another warning sign becomes another headline.

• Shezi is deputy dean at the faculty of law at Rosebank International.

Sowetan

There was hope Amakhosi could repeat what they did in this competition last season when they reached the group stages, but despite Bradley Cross cancelling Arrows’ solitary goal, they won 1-0 in Ndola last Saturday, three penalty misses by Lebohang Maboe, Reeve Frosler and Ethan Chislett saw Fernando da Cruz’s team bow out.

After a blunt first half in which Chiefs created no clear-cut chances, once Mfundo Vilakazi entered the fray in the second half, Chiefs managed to find a late equaliser through Cross’s header off Vilakazi’s free kick. But two crucial misses by striker Mduduzi Shabalala ruined Chiefs’ chances of winning this match.

The defeat will pile more pressure on Da Cruz before two crucial domestic fixtures in the coming week in which the Frenchman will have to guide Amakhosi in the last 16 of the Carling Knockout Cup at home against TS Galaxy on Tuesday before facing Soweto arch-rivals Orlando Pirates in a Betway Premiership tie at FNB Stadium on October 31.

TimesLIVE

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The SA National Blood Service is appealing to eligible South Africans to donate blood as national stocks fall to only 3.9 days’ cover, below its minimum target of five days.

The service needs about 3,500 units of blood daily to meet patient demand, but current donations are falling short, raising concerns about the availability of blood as the festive season approaches.

The organisation said some regions were under greater pressure, with stocks below three days’ cover.

Blood donations are essential for patients undergoing life-saving surgery, women experiencing childbirth complications, people receiving cancer treatment and those needing emergency care.

Group O blood is particularly important in emergencies when there is limited time to establish a patient’s blood group before a transfusion is needed.

Monique Schreiner, senior manager for donor relations, said the public’s support was needed to replenish stocks ahead of the festive season.

“The current blood supply is under significant pressure, and we need the public’s support to rebuild stocks ahead of the festive season,” she said.

Schreiner appealed to regular donors, those who had stopped donating and eligible people who had never donated blood to come forward.

“Every donation counts and can help save lives,” she said.

Eligible donors have been urged not to postpone donating until later in the year, saying consistent donations were necessary to ensure blood remained available for patients who needed it.

TimesLIVE

In his 38-man squad, Mosimane has recalled Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Thalente Mbatha, Lebohang Maboe and Luke le Roux who missed the last camp due to various reasons.

He has also rewarded good form by including Thalasani Mbanjwa, Aiden Mcacarthy, Nkosikhona Radebe, Devin Titus, Boitumelo Radiopane and Nxaba Xulu.

There is still no place for Evidence Makgopa but Mosimane has dropped Yanela Mbuthuma after he was part of the last camp for matches against Guinea, Eritrea and Egypt.

The return of Mbokazi is welcome but it is going to provide Mosimane with a healthy headache when it comes to balancing central defence as he also has Ime Okon and Olwethu Makhanya.

Maboe, who was withdrawn from the last camp due to injury, returns to offer competition with Teboho Mokoena, Sphephelo Sithole, Bathusi Aubaas and Brooklyn Poggenpoel.

Preliminary Squad

Goalkeepers: Ronwen Williams (Sundowns), Sipho Chaine (Pirates), Ricardo Goss (Sundowns), Thakasani Mbanjwa (Arrows)

Defenders: Aubrey Modiba (Sundowns), Samukele Kabini (FC Molde, Norway), Fawaaz Basadien (Sundowns), Nkosingiphile Radebe (AmaZulu), Thapelo Morena ,Thabang Matuludi, Khulumani Ndamane (all Sundowns), Olwethu Makhanya (Rangers FC, Scotland), Ime Okon(Hannover 96, Germany), Lebone Seema, Nkosinathi Sibisi (all Pirates), Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Chicago Fire, USA), Aden McCarthy (Sabah FK)

Midfielders: Sphephelo Sithole (Tondela CD, Portugal), Bathusi Aubaas (Sundowns), Brooklyn Poggenpoel (Durban City), Thalente Mbatha (Pirates), Luke Le Roux (Cercle Brugge, Belgium), Thapelo Maseko (FC Copenhagen, Denmark), Teboho Mokoena (Sundowns), Lebohang Maboe (Chiefs), Themba Zwane (Sundowns)

Forwards: Iqraam Rayners, Cassius Mailula, Tashreeq Matthews (Sundowns), Oswin Appollis (Pirates) Relebohile Mofokeng (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Belgium), Luther Singh (AEL Limassol, Cyprus), Devin Titus (Maghreb Fès, Morocco), Lyle Foster (Houston Dynamo, USA), Boitumelo Radiopane (Pirates), Nqaba Xulu (Richards Bay), Tshepang Moremi (Pirates), Puso Dithejane (Chicago Fire, USA)

Residents of the southern Ukrainian town, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, have reported a deepening food crisis.

“Both nations agreed to temporarily stop all military action in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway,” a White House statement said.

The development comes as Melania Trump’s husband, President Donald Trump, pressures Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reach an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Melania Trump has been active in trying to get Ukrainian children seized by Russia during the war returned to their families.

“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster. Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water,” Melania Trump said in the statement.

The ceasefire will allow non-military teams from both countries to visit residents in their homes and co-ordinate transportation for those wishing to evacuate to either Russia or Ukraine, with an unnamed American media organisation accompanying the teams to document the process, the first lady said.

Newsmax, a right-leaning news outlet, said in a report that its cameras would be granted “exclusive access to document the effort”.

Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, has a remaining population of 1,700 to 2,000 people — primarily elderly residents, along with about 50 children — down from roughly 24,000 before the war, the White House said. About 90% of the city was flooded after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, according to the White House.

The statement said Melania Trump and her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the localised ceasefire.

“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive co-ordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” Melania Trump said.

Reuters

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The City of Tshwane was hauled before parliament’s portfolio committee on health on Friday to account for the Bronkhorstspruit water crisis.

The department of water and sanitation earlier revealed that the city had supplied Bronkhorstspruit residents water without chlorination for weeks, exposing them to microbiological risks.

The department reported 595 cases of gastrointestinal illness in Tshwane’s Subdistrict 7 by October 19.

Of these, 269 patients were attended to at Bronkhorstspruit Hospital, while 18 were admitted.

Here are five things to know about what happened when Tshwane appeared before parliament over the matter:

• Department of water and sanitation chief director Anet Muir told the portfolio committee that a city corrective action plan, submitted after a non-compliance letter in February 2026, had not been implemented on time. The plan included securing chemicals, refurbishing filtration equipment and recruiting critical staff. “None of these commitments were implemented in the time frames that were provided,” Muir said.
• Muir said chlorination stopped because the water treatment plant ran out of chlorine supplies. “The major cause of the cases we are seeing is due to the lack of chlorination.” Records showed chlorine was last dosed on September 23, with the plant operating for another 21 days before shutting down.
• Water testing found high levels of E. coli throughout the supply system. Muir said the city’s warning to residents focused on turbidity, but did not communicate the microbiological risk. “Handwashing with contaminated water defeats the purpose of handwashing, and bathing in contaminated water will also make people ill, especially children and babies,” she said.
• The department opened a criminal case against Tshwane on October 18 under the Water Services Act, citing alleged failures to provide information, or providing misleading information. “When they detect non-compliance, or suspect the system has been compromised, they must inform the affected community. And we believe that the city at that stage failed to do so.”
• Tshwane appointed Rand Water to manage the plant and consolidate maintenance and refurbishment projects. The city has allocated R86m for the upgrade. Rand Water said it was confident compliant water could be restored within a week. “The system itself is robust enough to be able to improve impurities that we find in the catchment.”

Sowetan

Five Ukrainian officials familiar with the matter said that restrictions on Starlink that disrupt connections for drones flying faster than 160km/h persisted.

Trump said on Thursday that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had restored Ukraine’s Starlink access.

The caps have been in place since October 13 as relations between Kyiv and Washington deteriorated.

“We are currently not observing any lifting of speed limits on Starlink,” Serhiy Beskrestnov, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on the Telegram app.

“There are isolated instances where Starlink may travel slightly faster than the speed limit, but this is likely due to the SpaceX algorithm or specific usage conditions.”

Our people are waiting for positive news, hoping that the restrictions will be lifted and our defenders will have the capabilities they need to protect lives

Denys Sienik from the Ukrainian embassy in the United States

A source from the defence ministry and two other Ukrainian officials familiar with the matter also confirmed the restrictions.

Ukraine’s problems with Starlink came after Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel and waived new sanctions on Moscow. Trump also told Ukraine to stop its attacks on Russian oil refineries and said that Zelensky should be replaced.

Zelenskiy said that the restrictions complicated Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russian jet drone attacks on Ukrainian cities. They also hampered Kyiv’s military efforts along the front line, where Starlink terminals were used to fly drones into occupied Ukrainian territory.

“Our people are waiting for positive news, hoping that the restrictions will be lifted and our defenders will have the capabilities they need to protect lives,” said Denys Sienik from the Ukrainian embassy in the US in a post on X.

“Unfortunately, as of today, nothing has changed. We continue to wait.”

Reuters

Nine civilians were among those Kyiv was bringing back, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X. Most of the servicemen have been held since 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, he added.

“We remember one and all and continue searching for everyone,” Zelensky said.

“Among those returning are five people who survived the Russian terrorist attack in Olenivka in July 2022.”

Ukraine accused Russia of committing a war crime with a strike on Olenivka that killed dozens of prisoners. Russia said Ukraine had fired at the camp.

Yana Lantratova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, said Ukraine had handed Russia seven of its civilians who could now be reunited with their families.

“Some people were unable to return to their loved ones for a long time due to problems with their documents. Others found themselves far from their families, without support or any money to get by,” Lantratova said in a statement, thanking her Ukrainian counterpart and the International Committee of the Red Cross for their help.

Russia’s defence ministry said on Telegram that its freed servicemen were in Belarus and would be transported to Russia once they had received psychological and medical assistance.

It released a video of the freed Russian soldiers smiling and boarding a bus before clapping and shouting, “hurrah”.

Thousands of prisoners have been exchanged since the start of the full-scale war, one of the few areas where Moscow and Kyiv have maintained on-off contacts despite the conflict.

The last large-scale swap took place on August 19, when 103 Ukrainians were returned from Russian captivity, and another 10 people were brought back later that month.

Reuters

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The City of Tshwane is facing a criminal case over its handling of the Bronkhorstspruit water crisis, where the department of health reported 595 cases of gastrointestinal illness in Tshwane’s Subdistrict 7 by October 19.

Of these, 269 patients were attended to at Bronkhorstspruit Hospital, while 18 were admitted.

Anet Muir, the department of water and sanitation’s (DWS) chief director for water use compliance and enforcement, told the portfolio committee on health in parliament on Friday that the crisis was not an isolated incident, but the culmination of persistent non-compliance.

It was revealed that commitments to address longstanding water-quality failures were not implemented within agreed timeframes, while the treatment works continued supplying water without chlorination.

“None of these commitments were implemented in the time frames that were provided,” Muir told the committe, referring to the city’s corrective action plan submitted after a non-compliance letter was issued in February 2026.

The plan included commitments to secure treatment chemicals, refurbish filtration equipment, address raw-water pumping problems, commission high-lift pumps and recruit critical staff responsible for operating the treatment works.

During an inspection on October 14, DWS officials discovered that chlorination had stopped because the plant had run out of chlorine supplies.

Operational records showed that chlorine was last used on September 23, with the system continuing to operate for another 21 days before shutting down.

Subsequent water testing detected high levels of E. coli throughout the supply system, confirming the microbiological risk facing residents.

Muir said the city’s initial warning to residents on October 13 focused on high turbidity but did not explicitly communicate the danger associated with the absence of chlorination.

“They did not mention the microbiological risk due to the absence of chlorination and the need for boiling or disinfection,” the official said.

“Handwashing and bathing in contaminated water will make people ill, especially children and babies.”

The department opened a criminal case against Tshwane on October 18 under the Water Services Act, citing alleged failures to provide information, or the provision of misleading information, when required.

“Municipalities, or anybody treating water in terms of the standard, require hourly monitoring, weekly monitoring, daily monitoring — depending on their systems.

“When they detect non-compliance, or suspect the system has been compromised, they must inform the affected community. And we believe that the city at that stage failed to do so,” said Muir.

Billy Sepuru, acting group head of the water and sanitation business unit in Tshwane, told the committee the Bronkhorstspruit treatment works had not consistently produced water compliant with drinking-water standards since October 2025.

He acknowledged that the plant had not been operating at design capacity, citing poor raw-water quality and limited plant availability.

Sepuru said the city had communicated with affected communities about the water being unsuitable for drinking, although much of the previous communication had focused on high turbidity.

The municipality cited difficulties securing chlorine supplies, saying disagreements with its existing supplier had slowed deliveries. “We are sitting with about a six-week coverage of chlorine provision,” he said, acknowledging that this was insufficient to guarantee uninterrupted plant operations.

Tshwane has since appointed Rand Water to take over the management of the treatment works and consolidate outstanding maintenance and refurbishment projects.

The city has reported an allocation of R86m for the plant’s upgrade, comprising R57m in the 2026/27 financial year and R29m in a subsequent financial year.

It also revealed that two previous tender processes had failed to attract competent bidders for the full refurbishment.

“Unfortunately, we went out on tender twice as the city to find an appropriate service provider to undertake the full upgrade of the Bronkhorstspruit treatment plant. In both instances, we were unable to attract competent bidders.

“This work will now be under the guidance of Rand Water as the project manager. A significant amount of money has been appropriated for the full refurbishment of the Bronkhorstspruit plant,” said Sepuru.

“In the medium to long term, we have also begun the specification process for a completely new tender, as our current tender expires at the end of December. The process of replacing the current tender is ongoing.”

Rand Water said it was confident that compliant water could be restored to the system within a week, with a broader programme to optimise the plant’s full capacity expected to take 14 to 16 weeks.

“The system itself is robust enough to be able to improve impurities that we find in the catchment,” the utility told the committee, “despite concerns about pollution entering the river from dysfunctional wastewater infrastructure.”

Sowetan

The government should refine policies including those related to marriage, childbirth, child-rearing and education, and optimise taxation, social security and housing to build a “fertility-friendly society”, the state council, or cabinet, said at a meeting, according to a readout aired by state television.

China’s population fell for a fourth consecutive year in 2025, and experts have warned that it could decline further. The number of marriage registrations also dropped by about 7.5% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to official data.

The state council’s pledges are a sign that policymakers are concerned about the strain a shrinking and ageing population could put on the country’s social insurance system and overall economic growth, which has been weighed down by weak domestic consumer demand.

“Population is the foundational condition for economic and social development,” officials said in the meeting, calling for efforts so that “high-quality population development” could better support “high-quality economic and social development”.

Authorities have in recent years stepped up fiscal support for boosting births, including rolling out a nationwide childcare subsidy programme and waiving or cutting pre-school tuition fees. They have also vowed to foster “positive attitudes towards marriage and childbearing”.

The cabinet meeting also called for making basic public services more equal, echoing the government’s moves to reform a decades-long household registration system so that workers who migrated from rural farms to cities can access more urban public services, including enrolling their children in public schools in the city.

Reuters

The footballer was fatally shot during a home invasion in October 2014.

Stream courtesy of SABC.

TimesLIVE

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The man with the fastest time heading into Sunday’s Absa Mangaung 10km race has thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of the field, promising to deliver a personal best (PB) in the inaugural event.

Kenyan Felix Masai’s name was displayed first along other contenders on a huge screen at the hotel venue hosting the pre-race media engagement in Bloemfontein on Friday.

While the other elite runners who shared the podium with him, Kabelo Mulaudzi and Stephen Mokoka, have dipped under 28 minutes in the 10km, Masai didn’t beat about the bush. “PB … I will run a PB on Sunday,” he said confidently.

Masai’s current PB is 27:24, and chances of him bettering that on Sunday are said to be high due to what’s expected to be a fast, flat route as Bloemfontein concludes the six-race 10km series.

Despite coming into the race on the back of a half marathon two weeks ago, the soft-spoken Masai doesn’t fear he may be fatigued, and reiterated: “Sunday, (I will) run PB.”

Mulaudzi and Mokoka, who will be leading the SA elites’ attempt to halt Masai, were not as bold as the Kenyan in predicting how the race would pan out.

“These races are always special to me. Every time I’m here, I want to do well, even when at times my body doesn’t respond,” said Mulaudzi. “These events have changed my life, now people know me. The competition is tough and I will try my best on Sunday.”

The women’s field will equally be strong, with Glenrose Xaba the favourite ahead of Neheng Khatala, of Lesotho, and Jackline Rotich from Kenya.

“It’s exciting to be in this city to give support to Mangaung and I hope the event will grow from here,” Xaba said. “This race can help develop a lot of young girls; it’s massive for the kids. Just by running alongside us, it can bring the belief that they too can be professional and go to the world champs. I’m happy to be an inspiration to them.”

More than 10,000 people are expected to grace Sunday’s sold-out race, which will start at Grey College in the city centre, as Mangaung joins five other SA cities in hosting the 10km event.

Sowetan

This is according to a political analyst who argued that the party’s electoral performance may defy expectations about its internal instability.

Sibonelo Nomvalo, the party’s seventh secretary-general since its establishment in December 2023, was removed from the position on Thursday amid reported tensions over councillor selection, delays in distributing campaign materials and the establishment of a high-level deployment committee allegedly without the knowledge of party leadership.

Nomvalo had held the position since March 2026, replacing Dr Bongani Mncwango, who was relieved of his duties on March 12 after a seven-month tenure.

Nomvalo also attracted public attention through his work on parliament’s ad hoc committee that is investigating alleged criminality in the criminal justice system.

His removal adds to a pattern of leadership changes that has raised questions about the party’s internal stability and the potential consequences for its supporters as election day approaches.

Voters care less about what is happening now. I don’t think there is anything that can happen that can sway them; they have already made up their minds

Prof Lesiba Teffo, political analyst

However, political analyst Prof Lesiba Teffo said the timing of the decision meant it was unlikely to significantly influence voters who had already decided which party to support.

“Voters care less about what is happening now. I don’t think there is anything that can happen that can sway them; they have already made up their minds,” Teffo said.

He argued that if the party’s internal turmoil were damaging its electoral prospects, the consequences would likely have become apparent by now. “But if anything, statistically, now the party seems to be on the rise. Indications are that they are doing well; they are gaining numbers. And that says to us: you, the educated class, rethink your assumptions,” he said.

Teffo said the party’s apparent electoral performance challenged expectations that repeated leadership changes would necessarily weaken its support. He said even though numerically the number of SGs they have had seems to be the issue in the polls they are doing well nationwide.

“What we would have expected is that it’s not even among the top 10 given what has been ongoing in the last 12 months,” he said.

The party has experienced significant internal upheaval over the past year, including disciplinary action against prominent members and changes to its leadership structures.

Party president Jacob Zuma has overseen several high-profile expulsions, including those of MPs Pumlani Kubukeli and Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala, as well as his daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla. National spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela has also been among the prominent figures affected by leadership changes.

In August Zuma appointed his son Duduzane Zuma as the party’s deputy president, further drawing attention to changes within its leadership.

Sowetan

The German brand touted the creation of a new genre it dubbed the “Sports Activity Vehicle” and aimed to offer the dynamics of a sedan, versatility of a wagon and a convincing degree of competence when the asphalt made way for dirt.

Not a pukka off-roader to rival proper ladder-frame 4x4 models but a vehicle with sufficient ground clearance to tackle terrains that a 5-Series saloon typically would not.

It was a crucial model for the Munich firm’s ambitions in the US market particularly — being built at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina — but went on to garner universal appeal, with over 3.1-million units sold over 27 years and four generations.

At the time, the sizable premium sport-utility vehicle market was a niche. Fellow Teutonic brand Mercedes-Benz had the ML-Class. Audi was yet to conceive the Q7, while the likes of the Volvo XC90 and Range Rover Sport did not yet exist.

Now the fifth-generation car is here and we secured a first drive at the international media launch in Los Angeles. We drove the car from Newport to San Diego, a distance of about 215km — and back. It is being launched in South Africa in 2027.

First we should weigh in on the aesthetics. Last month the brand launched the new iX3 in South Africa, the first of the Neue Klasse family, an archetype for future BMW models. It arrived on the back of a noteworthy plaudit, crowned 2026 World Car of the Year.

The new X5 closely resembles the iX3, just larger, retaining cues like the slim kidney grilles, narrowed headlamps (replete with “X” motifs); wrap-around rear light clusters and a silhouette that echoes hints of the controversial iX. Conventional door handles are replaced with touch-sensitive fins integrated into the pillars.

Some may admire the progressive shift, resulting in a vehicle that appears a tad friendlier, softer than the severe character of the former G05 version. Others may yearn for the more muscular appearance of the predecessor.

It is bigger in certain dimensions. The wheelbase is now 3,035mm from 2,975mm previously. It measures a length of 4,994mm versus 4,935mm. But width is trimmed by 4mm and it is 7mm shorter in height. Boot space is 655l. Our US-market test car had a space-saver spare wheel under the luggage compartment cover. Hopefully South African models are equipped with the same.

Hopping inside the front quarters, it feels cosier than before, with the futuristic new fascia concept and seating designs feeding spaceship illusions.

Like the new iX3, it deploys a radical four-spoke steering wheel design, large rhombus-shaped central interface (the co-pilot can have an optional compact display); complemented by the Panoramic Vision projection across the lower extent of the windscreen.

Initially, you may be overwhelmed by the gratuity of screens. But the Panoramic Vision setup is especially brilliant, with its configurable displays and layout that is less distracting than focusing on the main interface. Only a matter of time before other brands begin adopting a similar way.

The central infotainment system needs time to get used to. We fumbled trying to find the driving modes selection menu, for instance. It is also unfortunate that the air vents are now adjustable through the screen, rather than with physical toggles. But thankfully tactile controls for volume, mirror and steering adjustments are retained.

Although some premium carmakers have taken a myopic approach with regard to electrification, BMW said it remains committed to offering a diversity of powertrains.

The new X5 is a good example of that, as there are five different propulsion choices: plug-in hybrid, full-electric, hydrogen fuel cell electric, petrol and diesel. Of course, we are yet to receive final confirmation on which derivatives will be offered in our market. Prices are also to be finalised.

Sticking with conventional technology, it would be safe to predict the six-cylinder petrol 40 xDrive model we spent the day with is a certainty for the South African line-up.

The familiar 2,998cc turbocharged-petrol unit fires up with a bellow and is aided by a 48-volt mild hybrid system. Total output is 294kW/540Nm. Acceleration is fair, dispatching the 0-100km/h run in a claimed 5.3 seconds. The muscular acoustics and smooth delivery make a stronger impression than the perception of outright speed off the line.

The 50e and 60e xDrive models (both plug-in hybrids) offer stronger performance, with the 60e-badged model quoting a rest to 100km/h time of 4.2 seconds. Later on there will be a V8 derivative and an M Performance electric model.

The all-electric iX50 xDrive model has an output of 425kW/805Nm, a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4.6 seconds and a maximum quoted range of 845km. We had been due to sample this but launch logistics on the day of our drive dictated that we stayed with the petrol-powered 40 xDrive.

Over the straight, monotonous interstate freeways, we had time to appreciate the quiet, relaxed cruising abilities of the new X5. The intuitive navigation system made driving in foreign territory less stressful, showing the driver on-screen which lane to move towards well ahead of the next manoeuvre.

The desert location of Borrego Springs in San Diego is connected by twisty mountain roads, across landscape that resembles the arid environment of the Karoo.

We hustled the X5 through these sections at a fair lick and found it to be a well-composed, confident performer under the demands of spirited driving. From the shape of the steering wheel, with its defined thumb rests, to the chunky side bolsters of the front seats, it encourages a dynamic approach.

It is a heavy car (2,365kg EU) but the heft is sufficiently disguised, feeling nimbler than expected through quick successions of left-right curves. What helps its cause is extensive use of aluminium in the suspension, air-sprung at both axles.

In the mountainous driving settings, the eight-speed Steptronic was kept in lower ratios via the steering-mounted paddles. But on the open road, best leave it to its own devices.

Some premium firms have struggled to reinvent themselves in changing times, as the shift towards electrification and increased digitisation intensifies.

The new X5 supports the view that BMW is managing to embrace a future-forward way without completely relinquishing its brand hallmarks.

The populist government, led by billionaire Andrej Babis and backed by a pro-Russian far-right party, has frequently attacked public and private media critical of its policies.

The proposal, which had been flagged previously but was unexpectedly brought to a first parliamentary reading on Friday, would cut funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio by about 15%, possibly during next year.

It would also scrap the licence fee system under which households pay 205 crowns (R157) a month, and instead finance the broadcasters through the state budget.

Critics say the changes would weaken the broadcasters and leave them more vulnerable to political influence. Czech Television is the country’s most-watched broadcaster across the main age groups.

In another unusual move, the lower house voted to extend debate, the first of three required readings, into Saturday in a bid to overcome opposition obstruction.

We are seeing here that Andrej Babis and his entourage ... have embarked on the trajectory of installing an authoritarian regime

Zdenek Hrib, leader of opposition Pirate Party

Zdenek Hrib, leader of the opposition Pirate Party, likened the government’s behaviour to Hungary under former prime minister Viktor Orban, whose rule was marked by disputes over media freedom and the rule of law.

“We are seeing here that Andrej Babis and his entourage ... have embarked on the trajectory of installing an authoritarian regime,” Hrib said in the opening debate in parliament.

The leading party in the coalition, ANO, pledged before last year’s election to abolish licence fees so households would no longer pay directly for public broadcasting.

“The government is led to this change by a European trend where ever more European countries depart from the fee-funded principle,” the proposal submitted to parliament said.

The government has argued that savings are needed at the broadcasters and that the changes would not affect editorial coverage.

The move sits uneasily with the government’s efforts to curb budget deficits. The 2027 budget projects a wider deficit but makes no provision for public media funding.

Journalists and media organisations see the changes as an attempt to increase political control over coverage. They say the proposals have not been subjected to sufficient public debate, lack safeguards against political interference and would make funding more dependent on politicians.

Reporters Without Borders, the International Press Institute and the European Broadcasting Union are among the organisations that have criticised the plan.

Reuters

The Swiss government said on Friday the patient in Nigeria, the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, had not travelled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the outbreak was first detected in mid-May before spreading to Uganda, Kenya and now Nigeria.

The Swiss federal department of foreign affairs said the woman was believed to have contracted Ebola while travelling with her husband in Uganda, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Ebola-free in August.

The outbreak has now been reported in four countries across eastern, central and western Africa, giving it the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent to date.

The possibility that the Nigerian patient became infected in Uganda, where officials say she spent a two-week holiday before returning to Abuja, has fuelled concerns about undetected transmission in a country where the outbreak had appeared to be under control.

Ugandan authorities have said the woman had been in eastern DRC before transiting through Uganda, but both the WHO and Africa’s top health body say that information had yet to be confirmed.

The WHO said investigations were continuing to establish the source of the infection. Nigerian authorities tested the woman for Ebola 13 days after she fell ill in Abuja.

One theory under investigation is that the Nigerian patient may have contracted the virus from Kenya’s first confirmed Ebola patient, who also flew from Uganda’s Entebbe airport on the same day in early October.

The Kenyan patient died two days later in a Nairobi hospital.

Experts have cautioned against drawing firm conclusions, saying that Ebola is spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects.

“I think that is very speculative unless there is evidence of sharing the same space in a manner that could explain that,” said Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist and member of the WHO’s Ebola emergency committee.

“Random presence at the same location, a large airport, is not a supported epidemiological link by any standard of what we currently know.”

The WHO’s Kenya representative, Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, said it could be coincidental that the two patients left Entebbe airport on October 3.

“Among the contacts that we even have here in country, even all those who are on the plane with this (Kenyan) patient and all airport staff, we have not had any infections in that group,” said Kimambo.

Uganda reported 20 Ebola cases in May and June, most of them imported from Congo, but has not detected a case since June.

Ugandan government spokesperson Alan Kasujja said on Thursday that Uganda had no Ebola cases and would make any such information public. He could not be reached for comment on Friday.

Ebola has infected nearly 10,000 people and killed more than 4,600 in Congo. The disease can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding. Only people with symptoms can transmit the virus.

The rare Ebola species behind the current outbreak has no approved treatment or vaccine.

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

There can be no doubt about it: Kagiso Rabada loves facing Australia.

His rapid recovery from a hamstring injury — which initial reports stated might prevent him from bowling until December — was fuelled by a desire to take on his favourite foe.

After the Proteas’ medical team showed caution, by giving him an extra week to recover and thus miss the Durban Test, he returned in Gqeberha and produced the type of main character performance that galvanises teammates.

From bowling 154km/h rockets to delivering jaffas such as the one to Matt Renshaw that trapped the left-hander lbw and bowled him or gesticulating to the Australians that they’d better go and bat again when South Africa enforced the follow-on, St George’s Park was a full “alpha male” showing from Rabada.

Play this on repeat 😂😂

Rabada ain't here to f**k spiders pic.twitter.com/Ql2cJxZVkq

— Georgie Heath🎙️ (@GeorgieHeath27) October 22, 2026

It was almost weird to hear him say in an interview on SuperSport that there were moments of self-doubt before the match. “I was quite nervous. I wasn’t sure where the ball was going to go,” said Rabada.

With his fourth delivery, he found the edge of Australian opener Nic Maddinson’s bat, giving Simon Harmer a comfortable catch at third slip. “Luckily it found the edge in that first over. Those early wickets [in both innings] were important.”

Ten minutes after Rabada had pointed out to the Australians that they would have to bat again, he got Maddinson out for a second time, similarly to the first — though rather than third slip, this time the catch went to wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton.

He finished the match with 6/110 from 35 overs, a lot of labour in his first game back after a hamstring injury.

“First game back, lack of match fitness. I don’t think I’ve ever been that stiff in my life. I was struggling to get to the crease,” he smiled. “Importantly, the hamstring is good.”

A few days to put his feet up, along with time on the massage table, should have him ready for the series decider at Newlands that starts on Tuesday.

🔥 Rabada cleans up Renshaw! 🎯🇿🇦 Raw pace, pure aggression! 💥 #AUSvSA #TestCricket pic.twitter.com/1WSc3p6bXT

— Md Haqbaaz (@mdhaqbaaz) October 21, 2026

Rabada is just four wickets shy of becoming the fourth South African to take 350 Test wickets.

He has 64 wickets against Australia in only 12 tests at an average of 21.1. Dale Steyn, with 70, is the highest South African wicket-taker against the Australians.

Steyn is unequivocal about his support for the man who is following in his footsteps. “KG is the Proteas team. The impact he brings just through his sheer presence, let alone his personal performance, is colossal,” he posted on x.com.

Temba Bavuma and Marco Jansen said the same at St George’s Park. Jansen spoke of how he relied on Rabada for advice and support.

Bavuma echoed Steyn’s sentiments about Rabada’s mere presence affecting the Proteas’ changeroom. “When he’s on the field, he assumes that responsibility and pressure of leading the attack,” said the captain.

“I believe it allows everyone else to go out and do what they need to do: a guy such as Marco in the first innings, him taking a fiver, and then in the second innings, all the other guys coming in, like Wiaan Mulder with crucial wickets there. That’s what a leader does, right?

“KG’s not a big guy in terms of speeches; he’ll speak whenever he sees fit. But I think with the figure that he is, he is inspiring in a lot of ways.”

TimesLIVE

The government is seeking to prevent a repeat of last week’s demonstrations that descended into riots, looting and arson in several cities, triggering widespread criticism of authorities for not preventing the mayhem.

“We will be uncompromising with rioters, looters and all those who commit acts of violence,” Nunez told reporters on Friday after meetings involving President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and senior security officials.

Nunez said authorities had identified numerous online calls from hard-left groups encouraging attacks and urging activists to target public buildings.

“We are not talking about a nice, friendly demonstration,” Nunez said, adding: “We are ready for tomorrow. We will be extremely vigilant, extremely firm, and we will let absolutely nothing pass.”

Anger over living costs and strained public services has drawn students, workers and unions on to the streets of France in recent weeks, but authorities say radical militants and bands of young looters have taken advantage of the dispute to sow chaos.

Police have authorised only a union demonstration in Paris on Saturday, rejecting requests for rallies lodged by France’s main student union, UNEF, and the Yellow Vest movement, an anti-establishment force that first emerged in 2018.

Many French cities beyond Paris have also banned protests, including France’s second and third largest cities, Marseille and Lyon.

The student union said its rallies, which grew from high school protests last month against teacher shortages and shabby facilities, would go ahead regardless.

Fears of renewed turmoil prompted several of Paris’ best-known cultural institutions, including the Louvre, to close on Saturday, while the city’s normally bustling Art Basel fair will remain shut throughout the weekend.

Business groups also urged shops to stay shut after about 3,000 stores and businesses were ransacked last weekend.

Nunez said 10,000 more police would be on the streets than a week ago, while the specialist Raid and Gign units, mounted police, helicopters, drones and anti-drone systems would be deployed across the country.

Armoured vehicles and water cannon vehicles would also be available, while curfews imposed in some sensitive areas this past week would remain in force.

Authorities are also concerned that the annual congress of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally in Orleans this weekend could become a flashpoint, with left-wing and anti-racist groups announcing counter-demonstrations.

The upsurge of violence has boosted poll ratings for Le Pen, who is the frontrunner for next year’s presidential election. She has portrayed the unrest as evidence of a collapse in state authority.

Adding to tensions, one person was killed and four injured in a shooting west of Paris on Friday in an attack that police said could be racially motivated.

Macron is due to meet student representatives later on Friday for the first time, seeking to de-escalate a crisis that has exposed deep social and political tensions.

Marylise Leon, the general secretary of the CFDT, one of the nation’s largest trade unions, criticised him on Friday for refusing to grant permission to more rallies on Saturday.

“It’s counterproductive because there is a lot of anger, a lot of anger and a demand to be considered and to be listened to,” she told French broadcaster TF1. “It’s not for the president to decide who can legitimately request to protest.”

The social turbulence has intensified scrutiny of France’s economic outlook and ratings agency Moody’s was widely expected to cut the French credit rating on Friday, underscoring concern that the government had not reined in public spending.

Reuters

The 30-year-old Cameroon international, who is on loan from Manchester United, was driving home with his family after the 2-0 victory over Scottish side Hearts when the accident occurred in the Yomra district of Trabzon, local news outlet 61Saat said.

Another vehicle struck Onana’s car from behind, pushing it into a vehicle ahead, the report said.

Onana and his family escaped unharmed, while club officials went to the scene to check on his condition.

Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan confirmed that Onana was in good condition following the accident, according to media reports. The goalkeeper joined the Turkish club on loan from Manchester United in 2025.

Reuters

Story audio is generated using AI

KwaZulu-Natal organised crime unit technical detective, Sgt Rajen Sanders, has identified accused number five, Lindokuhle Ndimande, as the man who monitored rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his crew at Wish restaurant on Florida Road in Durban on the day he was murdered in 2023.

Sanders told the Durban high court on Friday that he watched video footage multiple times after downloading it and concluded that the man seen wearing shorts and a white T-shirt is accused number five.

Ndimande, 26, as well as Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, 30, Lindani Zenzele Ndimande, 35, Mziwathemba Gwabeni, 36, Siyanda Eddie Myeza, 23, Malusi Dave, 30, and Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande, 31, pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm.

Ndimande is seen in the footage moving in and out of Wish while talking on his phone.

He is also seen entering AuthentiQ bar and restaurant, where AKA’s friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane was seated with friends.

Ndimande was seated alone at a table just opposite AKA and his crew, and was constantly on his phone.

At the time of the shooting, Ndimande was still inside the restaurant.

Shortly after the shots were fired, he stood up while still on the phone, settled his bill by swiping his card, and left the restaurant.

In his bail application, Ndimande admitted that he was at Wish on the day AKA was killed, but said he had gone there for a date with his girlfriend, who never showed up.

The matter was adjourned until Monday. Sanders will continue giving evidence relating to the video footage.

TimesLIVE

Story audio is generated using AI

South Africa’s libraries for blind readers hold about 40,000 titles, compared with the 1.3-million accessible books available through one online library in the US.

For blind and print-disabled South Africans, however, the difference is more than a question of choice; it is a barrier to education, information and independence.

This is part of the reason Blind SA is taking the government to court over a delay it says is shutting visually impaired readers out of hundreds of thousands of books available elsewhere.

Blind SA president Christoffel “Christo” de Klerk said the organisation’s members can access only a portion of the US-based Bookshare library because South Africa has not adopted the Marrakesh Treaty, an international agreement intended to make published works more accessible to people with print disabilities.

“Learners and students are particularly hard hit as they thus do not have access to much educational material,” De Klerk said.

The treaty allows countries to create copyright exceptions under specified conditions so accessible versions of books can be produced and exchanged across borders without having to seek permission for every work.

This means South African readers could access a book already available in braille, audio or large print in another country, instead of having it converted from scratch.

Blind SA has approached the courts to challenge trade, industry and competition minister Parks Tau’s decision to delay South Africa’s adoption of the treaty until the Copyright Amendment Bill becomes law.

The organisation argues that the delay has gone on for too long. The treaty was adopted on June 27 2013, and about 130 countries have acceded to it, including several African countries.

De Klerk described the government’s reasons for the delay as “frivolous”, saying the situation showed that the rights of blind and partially sighted people were not being taken seriously.

According to Blind SA, converting an average novel into braille costs about R30,000 and takes roughly a month.

“With access to accessible publications already produced elsewhere, local braille publishers could redirect that time and money towards making more books available rather than duplicating work done internationally.

“Adopting the treaty could immediately widen access to hundreds of thousands of publications across genres, benefiting students, professionals and people who read for leisure.”

De Klerk says the issue extends beyond the number of books on library shelves.

“Access to educational resources can affect whether learners study independently, while access to professional literature can help people develop skills and pursue opportunities.”

For Blind SA, the court challenge is about removing a barrier that other countries have already begun addressing.

“South Africans with visual impairments should not continue missing out on reading material simply because accessible copies are available elsewhere but remain difficult to obtain locally,” he said.

Sowetan

The gold, two-seaters, which come with butterfly doors and drive themselves without any steering wheel, pedals and mirrors, are one of the key bets CEO Elon Musk has made in his ambition of turning the EV maker into an AI and robotics company.

“As Tesla grows, we’ll mainly deliver fully designed autonomous vehicles to our customers and Cybercabs will be the first,” Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice-president of vehicle engineering, told analysts after reporting third-quarter results.

“We’re trying to get Cybercabs to customers by the end of this year, 2026,” he said. “As we start small this year, and we learn about delivery and ownership and fleet management of autonomous vehicles in customer hands, we’ll continue to scale that.”

After years of missed promises by Musk, Tesla started offering paid rides on a small fleet of Cybercabs in Austin, Texas, early last month amid a frenzy of fans and social ​media influencers.

Hours later, the ‌National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it opened an investigation into Cybercabs to assess how Tesla determined the cars comply with federal vehicle safety regulations.

The regulations, written decades ago for human-driven vehicles, require manual controls and limit commercial deployment of vehicles that are designed without them.

Unlike most other countries, where new vehicle models and technology need regulatory clearance ahead of launch, carmakers in the US can deploy them on the public roads by self-certifying ​that they meet federal standards.

The NHTSA declined to comment.

The agency last month said it was looking into the basis of Tesla’s certification of the Cybercab and the extent to which the company determined some standards were not applicable to the vehicle. Tesla has until October 30 to respond to the agency.

The NHTSA has proposed changes to federal safety standards to allow AVs that are designed without human controls. Until those changes are complete, existing standards remain in force, ​the NHTSA has said.

Scaling the Cybercab

“I think the key thing which we are trying to ensure is that we have all the regulatory approvals where we can start deploying the Cybercabs as fast as we can produce them,” Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s head of AI, ‌said on the call.

That aside, “scaling would not be that much of a challenge”, he said, adding the Cybercab was “one of the easiest products” to scale in terms of manufacturing.

The Cybercab is part of Tesla’s robotaxi network that includes autonomous Model Ys, some with human safety monitors. Over time, Tesla intends to make the Cybercab the main driverless vehicle model operating within a larger robotaxi network.

Tesla plans to expand the Cybercab service to Dallas next month, Elluswamy said.

The vehicle, however, will mainly be Tesla owned and used for its ride-hailing service, Musk said.

Reuters

Trump announced the deal this month as part of his efforts to bring down soaring diesel prices before November 3 US mid-term elections.

Trump also waived parts of a new US sanctions law against Russia and threatened Europe with a US diesel export ban unless countries released more from their emergency reserves to help ease prices.

The Malta-flagged medium-sized tanker Agioi Fanendes was loaded with 40,000 tonnes of ultra-low sulphur diesel in Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk on October 22, according to LSEG shipping data. It is expected to arrive in the US on November 7.

The identity of the buyer and seller were not immediately known. The cargo will be the first imported by the US since former president Joe Biden announced a ban on US imports of Russian oil and petroleum products in 2022.

There have already been reports from the ministry of energy that the first tanker has set sail for its recipients, its buyers. Further shipments will continue at a steady pace from here on

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson

Trump announced on October 9 that Russia would immediately export 300,000 tonnes, or 2.25-million barrels, to the US and global markets, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and 1-million tonnes “immediately thereafter”.

A Kremlin spokesperson on Friday confirmed a first ship under the deal had departed, but did not specify whether it was bound for the US market or elsewhere.

“As far as I’m aware, there have already been reports from the ministry of energy that the first tanker has, in fact, set sail for its recipients, its buyers. Further shipments will continue at a steady pace from here on,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on a daily conference call.

The deal with the US involved Russia lifting a self-imposed ban on diesel exports.

Russia resuming global exports

Since the EU imposed a full embargo on imports of Russian oil products in February 2023 over the war in Ukraine, Russia has exported diesel mainly to Turkey and Brazil, as well as to African countries.

It also supplies Central Asia by rail.

Shipping data from LSEG and Kpler published this week showed Russian diesel cargoes resuming voyages to their traditional destinations after Moscow lifted its own ban, with at least two tankers signalling trips to Turkey and Brazil.

It was unclear where other tankers were destined for, with cargoes loaded in Primorsk signalling Gibraltar, the Atlantic Coast or Port-Said, LSEG data showed.

Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak has said additional US shipments would follow as companies from the two countries work out the necessary contracts.

Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who also heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, said last week that the US treasury had asked the fund to help sort out tricky payment issues relating to the agreement.

Novak has said that Russia would be able to increase its diesel exports to its usual levels of 3-million tonnes to 3.5-million tonnes per month by year-end.

Reuters

The two allies agreed in July 2025 to reinforce co-operation over their nuclear arsenals in response to growing threats to Europe and uncertainty over their US ally.

“Having independent nuclear forces does not preclude co-ordination,” said French armed forces minister Catherine Vautrin.

“Our nuclear co-operation with the UK continues to deepen: on Tuesday evening, British Typhoons took part for the very first time in a French nuclear exercise alongside Rafales (warplanes).”

After taking off from the Saint-Dizier air base in northeastern France, the French jets were escorted by British RAF Typhoon fighters, simulating a nuclear strike in an exercise called “Rummy”, France’s armed forces ministry said.

“In an increasingly dangerous world, our adversaries should be in no doubt: the UK and France stand together in their commitment to European security and to maintaining the deterrence that has helped preserve peace for generations,” added British defence secretary Wes Streeting.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron said in March that Paris would expand its nuclear arsenal and launched an initiative offering European partners joint exercises and possible short-term deployment of French nuclear-capable assets on their territory.

France spends roughly €5.6bn (R105bn) a year to maintain its stockpile of 290 submarine — and air-launched weapons — the world’s fourth-largest arsenal.

Britain has 225 nuclear warheads.

In comparison, Russia and the US have more than 5,000 each.

Reuters

“Based on findings by the Austrian security authorities, the Austrian foreign ministry has taken measures against four Russian diplomats in Vienna,” it said, adding that they had been declared personae non gratae and ordered to leave the country.

Three of them worked at Russia’s embassy to Austria and one at the Russian delegation to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on military security and arms control, the ministry said.

Russian news agencies cited a foreign ministry official as saying Russia will respond to the expulsions, soon after Friday’s announcement, without elaborating.

The move brings to 18 the number of Russian diplomats Austria has expelled since 2020. While Austria is a neutral country, politically its governments have sided with Ukraine since Russia launched its all-out invasion in 2022.

While Austria does not usually comment on the specifics of such expulsions, during the last round in May, when it expelled three Russian diplomats, it said it was because of an “antenna forest” on the roofs of Russian diplomatic buildings that could be used for spying.

Vienna is a major diplomatic centre, hosting the OSCE and UN organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Larger countries such as Russia and the US often have separate ambassadors to Austria, the OSCE and UN organisations, each running an embassy or mission.

Vienna, which was divided into Allied sectors after World War 2, has long had a reputation as a den of spies. The large diplomatic presence offers the opportunity to station intelligence agents there under cover of diplomatic immunity.

Reuters

Video released by Romanian authorities showed only a small part of the hull of the capsized tanker still visible above the waves as it sank. Emergency vessels were searching the surrounding waters for survivors in choppy seas and high wind.

Romania’s naval authority said the Comoros-flagged Khoryv, with a crew of 13 Ukrainian and Azeri sailors, had sent a distress signal 13 nautical miles off Romania’s port of Constanta, just beyond Romanian territorial waters. Nine sailors were rescued from the water, three were missing and one body was recovered.

The past two weeks have seen a sudden surge in deadly attacks on commercial ships off the coasts of Nato members Romania and Bulgaria, with at least seven cargo ships hit and about 30 sailors reported dead or missing.

“It is part of Russia’s escalation process in its war in Ukraine,” President Dan told reporters, later saying the ship had been hit by a drone.

Nato said on Tuesday it would send more maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea. The alliance has not specified what capabilities would be sent. On Saturday, Romanian jets shot down two of the latest generation of Russian drones over Romanian territorial waters.

The vessels that have been struck lately have either been anchored near or headed towards the Sulina Canal, which links the Danube River to the Black Sea.

The canal has become the primary export route for Ukraine, one of the world’s biggest grain and food oil exporters, which has relied on Danube River ports and Romanian territorial waters as Russia has attacked Ukraine’s own Black Sea ports.

Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria have called on Nato to do more to protect commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

Reuters

AI helped drive a doubling of the number of digital flaws discovered year-on-year, according to research due to be published in the coming days by VulnCheck, a Massachusetts, US-based threat intelligence firm.

Matthew Prince, the CEO of the digital infrastructure firm Cloudflare, said he was aware of “a bunch of additional severe vulnerabilities that are present in other pieces of critical software” and predicted busy months ahead as AI surfaced long-hidden weaknesses in the fabric of the internet.

“I think we’re going to have a couple of years where every single week it’s going to feel like the sky is falling,” Prince said in an interview on Thursday.

The outages that spread across government sites in Europe and elsewhere beginning on Wednesday happened after the discovery of weaknesses in PHP, a venerable programming language that powers a huge swath of the internet.

Operators have been rushing to fix their software in anticipation of mass exploitation and, because some felt they could not patch before hackers jumped in, a subset simply yanked their sites offline until they could make them safe.

VulnCheck researcher Patrick Garrity said the scramble to fix PHP came during an already busy week in cybersecurity. The week also brought disclosures of vulnerabilities in PHP alternative Node.js and streaming program Plex, breaches tied to AI gateway LiteLLM and development platform Railway, and the revelation that the Indian certificate authority eMudhra had used an extraordinarily flimsy cryptographic key that potentially put users across the internet at risk.

“If we just saw four or five things like this, this week, I would expect we’re going to see a lot more,” Garrity said. “I think there’s going to be a lot more fire drills for anything that’s internet exposed.”

Timelines shortening

The codebases that run modern programs are sprawling and mistakes, or “bugs”, that open up potential avenues for exploitation often crop up in unexpected places.

Previously, finding bugs required a baseline level of skill, and taking advantage of those bugs to build digital lockpicks — called “exploits” — could be expected to take weeks or months of work by an experienced professional.

That would, in the past, have provided defenders a little breathing room to fix bugs and gently roll out software updates.

AI has effectively thrown those assumptions out the window. Models can find one bug after another by subjecting codebases to round-the-clock scrutiny, and can turn around exploits in hours. Shane Fry, the chief technology officer of Virginia-based RunSafe Security, said the demonstrated performance of AI models over the past few months had effectively laid to rest any doubts over whether they would change the industry.

“What’s fundamentally, and unquestionably, changing is the timescale for not only finding vulnerabilities, but how quickly adversaries can weaponise them,” Fry said.

Scary monsters

While all the experts spoken to agreed that defenders’ timelines were getting shorter, they were split on whether AI would lead to a hacker free-for-all.

Daniel Stenberg, the lead developer of the file transfer tool curl, argued the vulnerabilities found by AI models tended to be exotic bugs that were difficult for rogue actors to take advantage of. Ramy Rahman, a senior principal solutions engineer at cybersecurity company ArmorCode, said, “More disclosed vulnerabilities do not automatically mean more successful attacks.”

There was tentative evidence of that around the PHP vulnerability that drew worldwide concern this week. Threat intelligence firm Hunt.io said that — like Amazon and Cloudflare — it had seen aggressive attempts to take advantage of the bug. But the firm’s head of research, Esteban Borges, said that, as of 2pm Eastern Time on Thursday (6pm GMT), the cybercriminals he tracked appeared to have failed to cobble together a working tool to take advantage of it.

Prince, of Cloudflare, said he had seen anecdotal evidence of compromises linked to the PHP vulnerability.

The deluge of AI-driven discoveries might rattle the industry, but would be a net positive in the end, he said, comparing it to slaying the monsters in a haunted house.

The confrontation might be scary, he said, but leaving the monsters to lurk quietly behind closed doors was far worse.

“The reality is, we’re going to get a lot of this stuff cleaned up,” he said.

Reuters

Kumar Chhetri of the Cosmo Adventure hiking company that provided local logistics to the Japanese climbers said the bodies were recovered from Gangapurna West peak, which is 7,140m high.

He did not give any details.

Arrangements are being made to send the bodies to a hospital in Kathmandu for postmortem, he said.

Reuters

Afrobeats star Fireboy DML believes collaboration is key to taking African music to greater heights.

His latest single, Imali, sees the Nigerian musician join forces with Lesotho-born Jazzwrld and SA producer Thukuthela, blending Afrobeats and 3-step. He speaks to Sowetan about his success, evolution, collaboration and latest album, Zuko.

Click here to read more.

ARENA SPORTS SHOW | Kopo on how he talked Williams out of quitting football

Former SuperSport United assistant coach Kwanele Kopo has spoken about how he convinced Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams not to walk away from the game years ago.

Speaking on the 127th episode of the Arena Sports Show with Mahlatse Mphahlele, Kopo said Williams was negatively affected by the death of his brother and entertained thoughts of quitting.

Click here to read more.

• Click here to join Sowetan’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered to you on the move.

Sowetan

Former cabinet minister Charles Nqakula is taking the stand.

Video courtesy of SABC.

Sowetan

On August 14, I formally raised concerns about the condition of the Victoria Bridge with the Raymond Mhlaba local municipality’s manager and the director of engineering services and infrastructure. I requested an urgent site inspection and a technical assessment of the bridge, particularly underneath the structure, where there appeared to be exposed reinforcing steel and deteriorating concrete.

Since submitting that request, I’ve received no response. That silence is deeply concerning, especially when the issue involves infrastructure that residents rely on daily.

A bridge is more than concrete and steel. The Victoria Bridge is an important part of Fort Beaufort’s infrastructure. Like any public bridge, it must be properly maintained, regularly inspected and kept safe for the people who use it. – Thulani Dasa, DA councilor candidate

Around 75% of all South African households hold some form of it. Take funeral cover out of the picture, and only 19% of citizens have any insurance at all.

Although funeral cover remains important in providing for a funeral, life cover provides a financial safety net beyond the day of the funeral.

Understanding how much funeral cover you have, who is covered and what your policies will actually pay, is important. If you have multiple funeral policies, or you have covered the same person on multiple policies, you could end up paying more cover than can ultimately be paid out. This is known as being overinsured.

Here’s what you need to know:

What does being ‘overinsured’ actually mean?

Simply put, you may be overinsured when the total cover you have on a person is higher than the maximum amount that can be paid out.

Here’s an example of how that happens:

• An insurer might cap total funeral cover on one life assured, spread across several policies.
• Each policy usually also has its own per-life assured limit. For example, R50,000 for a parent would be typical.
• For example, imagine you have several funeral policies covering your mother. If the maximum amount payable for her under your policies is R50,000, having three policies does not necessarily mean you will receive three separate R50,000 payouts. The cover limit for each life type is in your policy schedule.
• You could therefore be paying premiums for cover that cannot be paid in full. With Capitec, where a client has paid additional premiums for cover above the applicable limit, those extra premiums are refunded.

Important: This cap applies to you as an individual policyholder, not to your whole family. So, if you and your sibling each take out your own separate policy on your mother, if the claim is valid, you can both claim in full, because you are two different policyholders.

Understanding your cover makes claiming easier

Knowing your policy isn’t only about avoiding being overinsured. It may also help avoid uncertainty when it is time to claim. Sometimes a claim may take longer because the insurer needs additional information.

This could happen if documents are missing or unclear, if there are multiple claims relating to the same person, or if the relationship between the policyholder and the person covered needs to be confirmed.

That’s why getting the details right when you take out or update your policy matters.

For example, if someone you consider a parent isn’t your biological parent, don’t simply assume that they will automatically qualify for cover. It’s critical to confirm whether they can be covered and what information may be required.

How do you know you have too much cover?

A good place to start is reviewing the funeral cover you already have.

1. Know who you’re covering: make a list of everyone covered under your funeral policies.
2. Check how much cover you have: look at the cover amount for each person and whether the same person is covered more than once.
3. Talk to your family: understanding what cover other family members have in place can help everyone make more informed decisions about the cover they need.
4. Understand the limits: make sure you understand the maximum cover that can apply to the people you are covering, particularly children.
5. Ask if you are unsure: if something is not clear, ask your insurer to explain it rather than waiting until you need to claim.

This is to make sure that the cover you’re paying for is the right amount of cover for your needs and that you understand what you can expect from it.

The right cover starts with understanding it

Funeral cover is there to provide financial support when your family needs it most. But more cover does not always mean better cover.

What matters is having cover that is appropriate for your needs, understanding what you’re paying for and knowing what to expect when it’s time to claim.

At Capitec, we believe informed clients are better equipped to make decisions about how they protect themselves and their families. Being properly informed is just as important as being properly insured.

Visit Capitec’s website to learn more about funeral cover and how to make informed decisions about your cover.

This article was sponsored by Capitec.

Story audio is generated using AI

South Africans can expect hot and largely dry conditions across much of the country this weekend, with below-normal rainfall forecast in several provinces over the coming weeks, the South African Weather Service (Saws) has warned.

In its sub-seasonal outlook covering October 21 to November 3, Saws said the highest temperatures were expected in Limpopo, Mpumalanga’s Lowveld, parts of the North West and Northern Cape, as well as northern Gauteng.

Below-normal rainfall is forecast across much of the country, particularly in the summer rainfall regions of KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, the eastern Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the North West.

Meteorologist and weather forecaster Lehlohonolo Thobela said the forecast indicated generally hot and dry conditions over much of the central and eastern parts of South Africa.

However, parts of the western interior could experience relatively wetter and cooler conditions as the forecast period progresses. These areas include:

• the southern high ground of the Northern Cape;
• the Western Cape;
• western parts of the Eastern Cape; and
• the western and southern parts of the North West and Free State.

“Showers and thunderstorms may develop over these areas as the forecast period progresses,” Thobela said, adding that the distribution and intensity of rainfall would depend on prevailing weather systems.

Saws warned that prolonged periods of high temperatures and below-normal rainfall could place additional pressure on water resources, agriculture and communities that depend on regular rainfall

For this weekend, residents in Gauteng, North West and the Free State can expect generally fine and warm to hot conditions.

In Limpopo, the heatwave affecting parts of the western bushveld is expected to remain a concern. Mpumalanga is forecast to experience partly cloudy conditions in its eastern parts, with isolated light showers and rain possible along the escarpment.

The Northern Cape is expected to remain mostly fine and warm to hot, although cooler conditions are forecast in the extreme south.

KwaZulu-Natal is expected to be cloudy and warm, with isolated showers, while the Eastern Cape is forecast to experience partly cloudy to cloudy and cool conditions.

Saws warned that prolonged periods of high temperatures and below-normal rainfall could place additional pressure on water resources, agriculture and communities that depend on regular rainfall.

Higher temperatures increase evaporation from dams, reservoirs and soil. Combined with reduced rainfall, this could put further pressure on water resources, particularly in areas already experiencing water constraints.

People are urged to check on vulnerable family members and neighbours and remain alert to official heatwave advisories

Farmers could also face reduced soil moisture, increased irrigation requirements and heat stress affecting crops and livestock if the conditions persist.

Thobela said the public should take precautions against excessive heat, particularly vulnerable groups such as young children, older people and those with underlying health conditions.

Residents are encouraged to drink sufficient water, avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day, wear lightweight clothing and take regular breaks when working outdoors.

People are also urged to check on vulnerable family members and neighbours and remain alert to official heatwave advisories.

Saws said sub-seasonal forecasts indicate likely weather patterns over two to four weeks rather than exact daily conditions. While the outlook points to generally above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall across much of the country, confidence varies by region and weather parameter.

The public has also been urged to exercise caution in Mahikeng and Ratlou in the North West, where extremely high fire danger conditions have been forecast. Activities that could ignite veld fires should be avoided.

TimesLIVE

El Niño, the climate pattern threatening parts of Africa with floods, is bringing higher temperatures and drought to Sudan, where pockets of famine have already emerged during more than three years of conflict, mainly in areas under siege.

Parched conditions are hurting crops and livestock across the southern region, where rain-fed agriculture produces much of Sudan’s food, according to UN officials and aid experts, along with more than two dozen farmers interviewed by Reuters. One large-scale farmer expects his harvest to be a quarter of last year’s.

“The risk of famine is growing in many conflict-affected areas of Sudan, with the impact of El Niño-induced drought compounding already dire conditions,” the UN-backed global hunger monitor, the IPC, wrote in an October 12 alert.

Rainfall in July to September, the peak rainy season, was the lowest in more than three decades across the country, US Geological Survey data shows. In North Darfur state in the west, it was the lowest since 1984 — the same year a famine devastated Sudan and Ethiopia. In North Kordofan state in the central region, it was the lowest since 1990, while in Gedaref state in the southeast, it was the lowest since 1991.

In June, the IPC said 5.1-million people in Sudan faced severe hunger. The IPC is currently updating the numbers. They had been expected to fall once harvesting started in November and December, helped by a lull in fighting in some areas. But the El Niño-driven drought is now expected to push them up.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) forecasts an additional 350,000 people will experience severe hunger by the end of 2026, rising to 1.2-million more by August 2027, the WFP head of programme for Sudan, Samuel Clendon, said in October, citing figures shared with donors but not publicised widely.

The worst-hit areas are Darfur and the Kordofan region, the WFP said.

‘The cattle became skinny’

In North Kordofan state, Mariam Omar digs out weeds poking up between crops that should be close to harvest but instead are shrivelled in the dry, sandy soil. “This year is terrible,” she said on her smallholding near the town of Um Ruwaba.

Mohamed Abdelrahman, a farmer with about 420ha in the Um Rawaba area, said many farmers displaced by war were returning to drought-stricken land. Abdelrahman, who is also a sesame trader providing finance to smallholders, estimated that about 40% of land in the area would have no harvest.

In the livestock market of El Obeid, North Kordofan’s capital, the ribs of cows protrude through their dusty hides.

“Usually at this time the cattle are fat, and everyone is making a profit. But now, with this autumn’s scarcity, the cattle became skinny,” trader Sirajaldeen Abdellateef said, as he counted Sudanese pounds, which have been rapidly losing value, stoking inflation and causing further hardship.

Even if we get rain going forward, I’ll only have about 25% of last year’s crop. We’ve never had a season like this

Emad Kabsoor, farmer

The WFP has focused on delivering food to the 5-million most needy people, but it says it cannot reach all of them. For those it can reach, it has cut rations to stretch limited resources.

By October 17, the WFP had $276m (R4.57bn) to fund its Sudan operation, less than half of last year’s budget. It says it needs an extra $134m (R2.221bn) to tackle hunger caused by drought.

The decline of aid and harvests at once is a “recipe for disaster”, Carl Skau, acting executive director of the WFP, said in Cairo after a trip to Darfur, where he said he had seen the impact of drought.

‘It’s no longer just about bullets’

Rations had been halved in Tawila, a sprawling Darfur camp of about 700,000 people displaced by war, according to Skau, even as aid workers said 9,000 more people had arrived between the start of September and mid-October.

Suad Ahmed, a teacher who said she had been displaced from her home multiple times through the war, came to Tawila seeking food after leaving her village east of al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state.

“As I was coming here on the road, so many people said: ‘If you find food and drink there, please tell us’,” she said.

Adam Rojal, spokesperson for the NGO group the General Co-ordination of IDPs and Refugee Camps in Sudan, said hunger rather than war was now driving people from their homes. “It’s no longer just about bullets,” he said.

Gedaref state has been crucial to Sudan’s food supply during the war because it escaped the fighting. But it hasn’t escaped the drought.

“Even if we get rain going forward, I’ll only have about 25% of last year’s crop,” said Emad Kabsoor, who runs several large farms covering 14,700ha, adding that scorching temperatures were also scorching fields.

“We’ve never had a season like this,” he said.

Temperatures in Gedaref ranged between 7° and 9° above the historic average for October 20, the Reuters Climate Monitor showed.

Sudan’s government has played down the threat to food supplies. Sudanese agriculture minister Esmat Qureshi told a news conference on October 8 in Khartoum that this year’s harvest would be lower but “not significantly less than last year’s”.

‘We don’t know how it will end’

Asked about the drought, the head of the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) humanitarian aid authority, Abdelrahman Ismail, said: “We have made efforts to co-ordinate and invite an early response, and we believe we can do more if the necessary resources and capacity are provided.”

Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly accused government troops and rival RSF of blocking or hindering aid during the conflict, which both sides deny.

The IPC declared pockets of famine in Sudan in 2024 and 2025, including in al-Fashir, where government forces and their allies, as well as up to a quarter of a million people, were under siege by the RSF for a year and a half before the city fell.

The drought means there’s little respite for a nation with a history of humanitarian crises, including the 1984 famine that killed hundreds of thousands of people across the region.

“The situation today is in most respects much worse because of the conflict,” said famine expert Alex De Waal, adding that in the 1980s the world mobilised aid resources, while international aid budgets have now been cut back.

In 1984 harvests failed, livestock died and people were forced to migrate, said Sirajaldin al-Tahir, a farmer in Um Ruwaba. “But God took pity on us and the US government brought in aid and distributed it to our village,” he said.

“This year, 2026, we don’t know how it will end.”

Reuters

Speaking on the 127th episode of the Arena Sports Show with Mahlatse Mphahlele, Kopo said Williams was negatively affected by the death of his brother and entertained thoughts of quitting.

Kopo was also key in the revival of the career of Bafana and Orlando Pirates attacker Oswin Appollis, who fell out of love with the game when he was released by SuperSport United.

“Ronwen Williams quit football after his brother passed away, and I had to do the same as I did with Appollis with him. We were flying to the Bayhill Tournament in Cape Town and I got a phone call that his brother passed away.

“We flew him immediately to Gqeberha and gave him a month off, but he didn’t come back. I phoned him, begged him to come back, and I told him you are destined to play for Bafana Bafana, and I also spoke to his mother,” Kopo said.

“I think what convinced him to come back was when I told him he must come back to honour his brother because he would never have wanted to see him stop playing football.

“He is South Africa’s, and probably Africa’s, number one goalkeeper. I am humbled to have had the opportunity to work with these players.

“It always excites me when I see them play for Bafana and their clubs and they are successful.”

TimesLIVE

In May, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adopted rules barring ‌airline passengers who have been in the DRC, the centre of the 2026 outbreak, in the previous three weeks. The restrictions were extended to US citizens in July.

The new CDC order takes effect on November 3 and requires all US-bound airline passengers to file digital or paper attestations.

Airlines for America, which represents United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines, did not immediately comment.

The CDC is holding briefing calls with major US and foreign airlines on Friday to detail how carriers should comply with the new requirements.

As part of the Ebola measures, the CDC has also barred foreign nationals from the US since earlier this year if they have been in Uganda or South Sudan in the previous three weeks.

The Bundibugyo strain of the virus spread undetected for months before ​the outbreak was declared in May. It kills about half of those infected and has no approved treatment or vaccine.

So far the outbreak is confirmed to have killed about 4,700 people in Africa, according to the Africa CDC.

To date, no Ebola cases associated with this outbreak have been reported in the US, the CDC said.

Reuters

This comes after Mantashe initially defied a call from the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) to issue a public apology and face disciplinary action for what the league called “gratuitously improper remarks”.

After extensive discussions on the matter, the ANC’s national officials and national working committee decided to formally direct Mantashe to apologise.

“After these deliberations, the national chairperson has been directed to offer a sincere apology, and the matter is considered closed,” said ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu.

The ANC reiterated its policy that women deserve respect, dignity, empowerment, and the opportunity to realise their full potential.

“We recognise that unequal gender and power relations continue to expose women to sexual exploitation, including demands for sexual favours in exchange for employment and other opportunities. Such conduct constitutes a grave abuse of power and must be eliminated from our society.”

The party urged ANC leaders to uphold these principles in word and action.

“This responsibility includes communicating with dignity and sensitivity, protecting women from exploitation, and ensuring that access to employment and opportunities is never conditional on sexual favours.”

The controversy stems from comments Mantashe made during a Newzroom Afrika interview while on the party’s campaign trail in the North West.

While attempting to distance the ANC from claims that municipal councillors frequently demand sexual favours in exchange for employment, Mantashe explicitly used the isiXhosa word for female genitalia (isibumbu), triggering widespread public condemnation.

When the ANCWL first requested a public apology, Mantashe firmly rejected the demand.

“No, I am not apologising for something I do not know,” Mantashe. “I don’t know what I should apologise for. I’m expected to apologise, and I’m asked by everybody to apologise, but all Xhosa linguists agree with me that there is nothing wrong with what I said that requires an apology. That is why I don’t know what I’m apologising for.”

However, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula later stated that Mantashe had apologised and that the matter was resolved.

“The issue of the national chairperson is settled. He has apologised,” Mbalula said. “All that he was explaining is that he doesn’t understand what he must apologise for, but he is apologising.”

Mbalula acknowledged that the choice of language was the primary issue, noting that Mantashe tends to be direct and speak plainly.

“We can debate linguistics and all of that, but that’s not where we are now. We just need to polish the language; that’s what’s important now. He might have said something right, but it doesn’t land well broadly in society,” Mbalula said, emphasising that the matter is now officially closed.

TimesLIVE

Story audio is generated using AI

On Saturday at around 6am, Boniswa Mapota, 40, left her home in Jabulani, Soweto to go to a nearby shop to get something for her headache. She was never seen again, and her family is growing increasingly worried as they remain uncertain about what happened to her.

She has since been reported missing at Jabulani police station.

Boniswa had left her husband, David Mapota, and their children at home when she went to the shops on October 17.

Mapota said he initially believed Boniswa had gone to visit friends in their residential complex and would return later that day.

He had also left around 8am that morning and only became concerned after receiving a call from their daughters asking where their mother was.

He said the family initially believed she might have gone to a friend’s place to clear her head and would return later that evening.

“I had already called her mother to come so that we could find ways of finding her. But I was really concerned the following day when she didn’t show up. That’s when I became more concerned about what could have happened to her,” he said.

“When she left in the morning, she was okay. I mean, we were okay. She left and I was not even paying attention because we were okay, you know? When someone says they are going to the shops to get something and come back, you don’t think much of it,” he said.

Mapota said this was not the first time his wife had left home unexpectedly. However, on the previous occasion, she returned later the same day.

He said the family became particularly worried when she had still not returned by Sunday.

“That’s when we sat down and thought, no, she’s going to come back on her own.

“It dawned on us that something might have happened to her. We’re so worried about where she is and what has happened to her,” he said.

Mapota is a mother of three girls. Her family described her as a devoted mother whose absence has left her children distressed and searching for answers.

Her mother, Irene Simelane, told Sowetan that she had last spoken to her daughter a day before she went missing and had not noticed anything unusual.

“She didn’t sound like someone who wanted to go away or run. She was okay. I also reached out to her friends, and they all said she had been okay,” she said.

Simelane said the family was struggling to understand how her daughter could have disappeared without explanation.

When Boniswa left her house that morning to go to the shops, it was to get headache tablets.

She said there were concerns that Boniswa might have blacked out after experiencing a headache, but the family had been unable to establish what had happened to her.

“Honestly, I don’t know what could have happened to my daughter,” Simelane said.

She also revealed that her daughter had been taking antidepressants following a car accident in 2017.

Simelane said Boniswa was alert and responsible, and not someone who would usually leave home without her children.

She said the family had searched clinics and hospitals, checking whether Boniswa had been admitted after possibly collapsing. However, they had not found her.

Her disappearance has been particularly distressing for the family because of the close relationship she shares with her three daughters.

“I must say this is scary because Boniswa is someone who really loves her children. She would do anything for them, and her not being close to them is terrifying. They are sitting and asking themselves where she could be and what might have happened to her,” she said.

Simelane also said her daughter had received a message on the morning she disappeared concerning a lawyer handling their family trust, with arrangements reportedly needing attention on Monday.

The family is appealing to anyone who may have seen Boniswa or knows where she could be to come forward.

Police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed that Boniswa was reported missing by her mother at Jabulani police station on October 17.

“She was last seen wearing a cream-white tracksuit and was reportedly on her way to a tuck shop,” she said.

Anyone with information that could assist in locating Boniswa is urged to contact their nearest police station or the Crime Stop line on 08600-10111.

Sowetan

The Midwestern stop is part of Trump’s push through states Republicans usually expect to win, but polling points to some tight races.

Trump held a rally in Sioux City as Republicans defend a Senate seat, three House districts and the governor’s office, giving Democrats an opening after years of Republican gains.

“Pretend I’m on the ballot, because if you get out, we’re going to win big,” Trump told the crowd gathered in an airport hangar.

He has spoken repeatedly with confidence about his connection with voters, though his approval rating has fallen, and some Republicans Trump is trying to help have broken with him over the Iran war, as higher fuel and grocery prices deepen voters’ economic worries.

Republican representative Ashley Hinson, who also addressed the Sioux City rally, has called for an “immediate end” to the war, saying Iowans should not bear higher fuel or grocery prices because of it. She is in a close Senate race against Democratic state Representative Josh Turek.

“If we lose this seat here in Iowa, the Democrats will control the US Senate. Mark my words,” she said on Thursday.

Republican Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, facing difficult reelection races, joined Democrats last month in voting to limit Trump’s war powers in Iran.

“The only thing is the fuel prices that are hurting him more than anything,” said rally attendee Ron Sitzmann, 73, a semi-retired parts and service director for an automotive company in Iowa, adding that he thought prices would drop once the conflict ended.

“I just wish it would happen sooner rather than later because it’s kind of dragging on,” said Sitzmann, who remains a strong Trump supporter.

‘Preaching to the choir’

Trump was in Iowa to back his party’s candidates but used the platform to attack Democrats from other states, including Somali American Minnesota legislator Ilhan Omar, suggesting that she should quit Congress in the wake of a raid by federal agents on her home.

Omar says the government is being weaponised to target her as a political enemy of Trump’s, who has been ramping up anti-Somali and anti-Muslim rhetoric in recent weeks.

In the Iowa races, Democrat Rob Sand leads Republican Zach Lahn in recent polling for governor, while Democrats are targeting an open House seat in the state’s second congressional district.

Republican losses would be a setback for Trump in a state where his popularity helped the party build a commanding advantage.

The Senate and House races could help decide control of Congress, shaping his ability to advance his agenda during his final two years.

Trump’s campaign swing comes as his approval rating has fallen to 31%, the lowest of either presidential term, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday

Republicans also worry about rural voters who powered Trump’s Iowa victories, with farmers facing higher costs and trade uncertainty.

A Marist poll this month found 42% of likely voters said their finances had worsened over the past year, including more than half of independents. Thirty-five percent viewed their vote as a vote against Trump, vs 21% who saw it as a vote for him.

Trump’s Iowa stop follows rallies earlier this week in Kansas for Senator Roger Marshall and South Carolina for Senator Darline Graham, where the Republicans are defending seats.

“We know he’s preaching to the choir,” said Harlan Grau, 70, a staunch Trump supporter and pig farmer from Iowa. The rallies encourage supporters to “go out and get them 10 people to go to the polls with us”, he added.

Trump’s campaign swing comes as his approval rating has fallen to 31%, the lowest of either presidential term, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday. The survey found 68% of Americans disapproved of his handling of the economy.

At recent rallies, his economic message has largely avoided the financial pressures facing many Americans. The Iran war has driven up fuel prices, compounding broader cost-of-living concerns, while Trump has repeatedly promised prices will fall when the conflict ends.

Behind the scenes, Trump has questioned campaign spending, criticised redistricting efforts and second-guessed candidate choices, according to people familiar with the matter.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle rejected the people’s characterisations, ​saying they were “armchair experts peddling their baseless speculation”. Publicly, Trump has noted the tendency of a president’s party to lose seats in midterm elections.

Reuters

The Swiss federal department of foreign affairs on Thursday said the woman, who it identified as a Swiss national, was believed to have contracted Ebola while travelling with her husband in Uganda, where the government says there are no cases.

Ugandan authorities have said the woman who fell ill in Nigeria had travelled to eastern DRC, where the ongoing outbreak was declared in mid-May and has since become the fastest-spreading on record. But the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Africa’s top health agency said on Thursday they had not received confirmed ​information that the woman had travelled to the DRC.

“She and her husband did not travel to the DRC,” the Swiss foreign affairs department said on Friday.

Uganda reported 20 Ebola cases in May and June, mostly imported ​from the DRC, but the WHO declared the country Ebola-free in August.

Ugandan government spokesperson Alan Kasujja said on Thursday that Uganda had no Ebola cases and that if it did, it would make that information public.

The case in Nigeria, the country’s first Ebola case in more than a decade, means the outbreak has spread to four African countries — the DRC, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria — and it is confirmed to have killed about 4,700 people, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reuters

Jeff Zhang, who most recently served as CEO of Chinese brand Chery’s overseas business, will take on the role of Audi China president on November 1.

He replaces Johannes Roscheck, who will return to Germany having overseen “a period of profound transformation” for Audi in China, CEO Gernot Doellner said.

Audi’s sales in China have been in freefall as the brand, together with parent Volkswagen and fellow subsidiary Porsche, struggles to keep pace in a rapid shift to EVs led by low-cost local brands

Once a highly profitable market for the group, China’s shift away from Western carmakers has prompted Volkswagen to initiate the most dramatic restructuring in its history.

Zhang will lead Audi’s China business together with Rolf Michl, appointed COO of Audi China from November 1 2026. He formerly served as MD of Audi Sport GmbH.

“Our goal is to execute our strategy consistently, respond even faster to our customers’ needs and sustainably strengthen our competitiveness,” Doellner said.

Reuters

Hundreds of Ethiopians, mainly women, children and young people, crossed into Kenya after the fighting began on Wednesday, the Kenya Red Cross and local government officials have said.

Gunfire could still be heard on the Ethiopian side of the border on Thursday, according to local residents.

Kenya’s Moyale town, which sits opposite an Ethiopian settlement of the same name, remained calm, but police were on high alert after reporting several incidents involving stray bullets.

The Kenya Red Cross said it had started setting up a temporary shelter and distributing tents, blankets, sleeping mats, jerrycans, kitchen sets and fortified porridge flour.

“Many have arrived with very few belongings and urgently need shelter, food, water and health care,” the organisation said late on Thursday.

A police report seen by Reuters said a stray bullet had lodged in the neck of a local woman in Kenya’s Moyale town. She was admitted to a private hospital where the bullet was removed and is now in a stable condition, the report said.

Later on Friday, local government officials on the Kenyan side will meet to co-ordinate humanitarian assistance to displaced households.

Reuters

Mogotsi faces five charges arising from an incident that occurred on November 3 2025.

Video courtesy of SABC.

TimesLIVE

At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi was still packing gusts of about 191km/h near its centre, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The storm was about 220km east of Taiwan, the CWA said. The storm’s forecast track shows it will pass just off northeastern Taiwan, turn north toward the Chinese coast and eventually move into southern Japan.

One person was killed and 171 were injured in Taiwan, where the government said 2,639 people had been evacuated from mountainous areas.

Taipower said more than 77,000 homes had lost power, though electricity had already been restored to most.

CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said landfall could not be ruled out if it “stalls, loops or wobbles from side to side” on approach to Taiwan.

“The storm’s wind radius is quite large, among the bigger ones in recent years,” Liu said. “If the storm slows down, the strong wind will affect Taiwan for longer.”

Coastal towns received mobile phone alerts warning of gusts exceeding 150km/h and urging residents to seek immediate shelter, while nearly a metre of rain was forecast for northern mountain areas, including around Taipei.

In the northeastern county of Yilan, where strong wind and heavy showers were intensifying and the typhoon was forecast to pass close by later on Friday, authorities distributed sandbags and put amphibious vehicles and inflatable rescue boats on standby.

“When necessary, the military will come in to help people, including using amphibious vehicles for evacuations or disaster relief,” said Lee Ming-chen, head of the port town of Suao, which was badly flooded in previous typhoons.

In the northern port city of Keelung, boat owners hurried to secure their vessels.

“It’s not that severe; I’m just worried that there will be flooding. Keelung has seen a lot of flooding this year,” said construction worker Liu Yu-en, 18.

Huge radius

Taiwan forecasters said the storm’s radius was around 320km, large enough to cover most of Taiwan, and weather experts said its impact could last nearly two days.

Taiwan’s financial markets also closed on Friday, while only the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Islands, which sit next to the Chinese coast, will open schools and offices as normal.

The transport ministry said all 262 domestic flights were cancelled for Friday, along with 717 international ones. The north-south high-speed rail service was operating as usual.

In the capital Taipei there were squally showers, but public transport, including the subway, was working, albeit with reduced service.

Taiwan is generally very well prepared for typhoons, which keeps casualties low. Though more common in summer, the storms can strike in autumn too.

The typhoon is forecast to first pass over Japan’s westernmost inhabited island, Yonaguni, in Okinawa prefecture.

Reuters

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The mayor’s office has confirmed that the Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s (JMPD) fuel card crisis has been resolved, with the cards now being used at petrol stations.

This comes hours after Sowetan reported that the metro police’s fuel crisis was threatening to reduce the number of patrol vehicles on the city’s streets.

Chief of police Patrick Jaca had issued an internal memo instructing managers to limit vehicles’ movement to preserve fuel. He also barred officers of all ranks from taking state vehicles home.

Members must avoid private trips and ensure that departmental vehicles are used strictly for authorised official duties

Internal memo

However, an internal notice issued late on Thursday said JMPD fuel cards had been unblocked following a disruption linked to the city’s transition from one banking service provider to another.

“Please be advised that fuel card issues have been resolved and the cards are now unblocked,” the notice stated.

“Fuel-saving measures and controls remain in place. Members must avoid private trips and ensure that departmental vehicles are used strictly for authorised official duties.”

The notice also warned that vehicle abuse would be closely monitored, including unnecessary idling while vehicles were stationary.

Mayoral spokesperson Khathutshelo Mulaudzi said the disruption to JMPD fuel cards was linked to the city’s transition between banking service providers, which had temporarily affected payment processing.

“The executive mayor is aware of the disruption to the JMPD fuel cards. As JMPD has confirmed, it is linked to the city’s transition from one banking service provider to another, which has temporarily affected the processing of payments,” Mulaudzi said.

The city is working to complete the processing of payments affected by the transition so that the fleet can return to full operation

Khathutshelo Mulaudzi, mayoral spokesperson

Mulaudzi said mayor Dada Morero had directed that the matter be resolved urgently and also asked to be kept informed until normal fuelling of the JMPD fleet resumes.

“The city is working to complete the processing of payments affected by the transition so that the fleet can return to full operation.”

She said the city and the service provider had met and reached an agreement on the way forward, including matters relating to payments.

She also said the disruption arose from the transition from one service provider to another, which required engagements between the service provider and the city.

“These engagements also took into account compliance matters arising from findings raised by the auditor-general of South Africa, which the city has been directed to respond to in line with the applicable requirements,” Mulaudzi said.

Jaca had issued a directive to preserve fuel after some petrol stations withdrew support or capped JMPD accounts over unpaid bills.

He had said the fuel shortages posed a “significant risk to operational continuity”.

“It is therefore imperative that the limited fuel currently available be preserved and prioritised for essential operational activities,” the directive stated.

Sowetan

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France has reported the first known human case of Shamonda virus in a patient who died, raising questions about the risks posed by a livestock virus that reached Europe this year, decades after first being detected in Nigeria.

What is Shamonda virus?

Shamonda is transmitted by biting midges and mainly affects cattle, though infections have also been identified in sheep, goats, horses and alpacas.

It belongs to the same group as Schmallenberg virus, which causes reproductive disorders in livestock.

Where has it spread?

First detected in cattle in Nigeria in 1965, it has since been found in parts of Africa and Asia.

First identified in Europe in late July, by October 20 cases had been reported in more than a dozen European countries, including in top cattle breeders France, Germany, Spain and Ireland. France said the virus had probably been circulating in the country since the spring.

How dangerous is it for animals?

Symptoms include fever, diarrhoea and reduced milk production.

More serious complications include abortions and severe foetal malformations. Neurological disorders have also been reported in some horses.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) says the long-term impact of the European variants is uncertain.

What is the risk to humans?

The first documented patient was being treated for a serious illness at a hospital in Lyon and had a severely weakened immune system.

The UN’s World Health Organisation said that based on current information and knowledge of the transmission of closely related viruses, this was an isolated human case and unlikely to lead to wider spread at this time.

French authorities suspect infection occurred through a midge bite in eastern France, where the virus circulated among livestock earlier this year.

They said the patient’s brain complications were very likely linked to Shamonda, though investigations into the infection and death are continuing.

What is its current status?

Shamonda is not a disease listed by the WOAH and countries are therefore not required to notify WOAH of cases under its disease-specific reporting obligations.

Nor is it listed under the EU’s Animal Health Law framework, meaning it is not subject to EU disease-specific mandatory surveillance.

Because of this, available data may not provide a complete picture of its spread.

Reuters

North Korea’s internet experienced multiple waves of traffic from places such as Vietnam and the Philippines at the same time as several North Korean websites began experiencing outages over a 32-hour period that began on Tuesday, Doug Madory, Kentik’s director of internet analysis, said on Friday.

“This traffic all started at the same time, and it is coming from Vietnam and Venezuela. That’s definitely a DDoS [distributed denial-of-service] attack,” he said.

Kentik’s data showed that the sharp spikes in traffic began at about 11am local time (2am GMT) on Tuesday. However, the data does not indicate who the perpetrators are, and Kentik only analysed a portion of the traffic directed at North Korea, Madory said.

The outages hit more than 40 official sites using the country’s .kp domain, including those of the foreign ministry and state news agency KCNA, according to South Korean media.

South Korean media also cited security experts as saying that North Korea’s unstable power supplies could have been a cause. The outage appeared unrelated to global internet issues stemming from the disclosure of vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language later in the week.

North Korea’s tightly controlled internet network has been paralysed before. In late 2014, after controversies over a Sony Pictures comedy about a fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea experienced a hours-long complete internet outage.

Reuters

Gauteng MEC for economy and agriculture Vuyiswa Ramokgopa said the province had identified 30 nodes where automotive hubs would be established to help tackle unemployment, which is sitting at almost 2.9-million in the province.

Speaking at the hub’s launch on Thursday, Ramokgopa said the automotive sector contributed about 2.1% of South Africa’s gross domestic product and employed approximately 300,000 people nationally, supporting about 22,000 businesses, 80% of which are small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).

This facility [Alexandra Automotive Hub] is the beginning of the journey that will see the township take its rightful place in the automotive space

Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, Gauteng MEC for economy and agriculture

“When you think of the automotive sector, think of a sector that can attract investment to create pathways for SMMEs in developing townships and township economies,” she said.

She described the Alexandra facility as the beginning of efforts to establish the township as a recognised player in the automotive industry.

“The automotive sector plays a critical role in our economic growth plan, industrialisation and job creation. We are unveiling one of the other nodes in Gauteng, which is the Alexandra Automotive Hub. This facility is the beginning of the journey that will see the township take its rightful place in the automotive space,” Ramokgopa said.

The project has been in development since 2016 under the stewardship of the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC).

AIDC chief executive Andile Africa said the hub’s primary objective was to professionalise the informal automotive sector, strengthen existing businesses and provide skills development opportunities.

“The initiative is intended to help township-based operators improve their technical capabilities and gain access to the resources and opportunities needed to grow their businesses,” said Africa.

An Alexandra Automotive Hub representative, only known as Eugene, welcomed the initiative, saying it could help experienced mechanics pass on their skills to younger generations.

“This gives us a chance to be able to transfer our skills to the younger generation. While we have always wanted to do so and were already mentoring some in our spaces, the issue has always been a lack of resources,” he said.

City of Johannesburg MMC for economic development Nomoya Mnisi said the hub was about more than establishing a physical facility, but creating opportunities for residents whose skills and businesses often struggled to access equipment, capital and wider markets.

She said the project could connect local businesses with industry partners, training institutions and potential investors, helping them build sustainable enterprises.

Mnisi said young people interested in careers such as motor mechanics, auto-electrical work and spray painting needed opportunities to acquire practical experience and enter the industry.

She added that partnerships between government, employers, training providers and industry would be essential to expanding access to training and business opportunities.

The initiative comes as Gauteng seeks to use township economies to address unemployment and broaden participation in key industries.

To be part of the Alex hub, applicants must apply through the AIDC by contacting info@aidc.co.za. There are 17 workshop rentals for car mechanical, tyre fitment, painting and other automotive-related services.

Sowetan

Indonesia is battling its most intense forest and land fires since 2015 as a severe El Niño drives up temperatures and reduces rainfall, leaving its forest and peatland vulnerable to fire.

While the islands of Sumatra and Borneo are the worst affected by the disaster, fires have also spread on the island of Sulawesi, including in South Sulawesi, where limestone caves house the world’s oldest prehistoric art.

In a cave in South Sulawesi’s Maros-Pangkep, an artwork depicting human-like figures interacting with a pig was dated by researchers from Australia’s Griffith University to be at least 51,200 years old. In a cave on Muna island, off Sulawesi, a reddish-coloured hand stencil was dated to at least 67,800 years.

Near the Maros-Pangkep cave, firefighters worked to put out fires as smoke drifted over the dramatic karst landscape that is a defining feature of the national park and Unesco global geopark surrounding the cave.

Firefighter Muhammad Ikfar said fires burnt near the site for more than a week earlier this month and came within 800m of the cave.

More than 270ha of the national park burnt between September 30 and October 18, Ikfar said.

“The first and most destructive effect is the heat. Even without direct fire touching the paintings, it could ruin them because it changes the temperature around the paintings and accelerates the process of corrosion,” said Griffith University archaeologist Basran Burhan.

The smoke also creates soot, he said. “They create soot on the paintings and cover them so that the paintings will become blurred and difficult to identify.”

On Thursday and Friday firefighters were working to put out fires in other parts of the park, Ikfar said, adding that the conditions were dry with no rain yet.

“If we don’t do something about this quickly, if there aren’t any tactical mitigation efforts for this incident, we will lose one of the most amazing pieces of evidence of human history in Maros-Pangkep,” Burhan said. “And that is a great shame.”

Reuters

The ​quake, with an epicentre ​in Nagqu, a sparsely populated, high-altitude city in northern Tibet, is the strongest to hit China since January 2024.

More than 300 police officers, including traffic and community police personnel, were sent to the epicentre to carry out rescue and emergency relief work, the Nagqu police department said in a separate post on messaging app WeChat early on Friday.

Officers sent to the region checked for damage to homes and helped people move to safer locations, the Nagqu police also said in the WeChat post.

A video the police posted on TikTok sister app Douyin, showed officers packing supplies in a truck in the dark and inspecting a building and rubble with flashlights.

More than 12,000 people have been safely relocated, state media outlet Xinhua reported.

Videos previously released by local official media showed people leaving their homes and seeking shelter outside or in their ‌cars ⁠parked on the street. One resident reported being awakened by the strong quake and hearing the house squeaking during the tremor.

The China Earthquake Networks Centre said in a post that 413 aftershocks had been recorded.

In 2010 a magnitude-7.1 tremor struck Yushu in neighbouring Qinghai province, killing at ⁠least 2,698 ​people and leaving nearly 300 people missing.

Reuters

He paid towards the bond, bought groceries and contributed to the children’s school fees. There were difficulties, as there are in any household, but they could plan beyond the next payday. His friends called regularly. At church he was welcomed and invited to participate in events. Relatives consulted him when important decisions had to be made. At home his views carried weight.

Then he lost his job.

Initially there was encouragement. His wife reassured him. Friends promised to circulate his CV. He had experience, after all. Surely something would come up. But weeks became months. Applications went unanswered. Savings disappeared into household expenses. Eventually he had to ask for money for things he had previously paid for without a second thought.

In this imagined household, something else begins to change. Conversations become impatient. His suggestions are met with reminders that he is no longer contributing financially. Friends stop inviting him. He becomes reluctant to attend gatherings because someone will inevitably ask whether he has found work.

He has lost an income. Why does it feel as though he has also lost his place among other people?

As South Africa observes Mental Health Awareness Month, I find myself thinking about those whose financial difficulties have become a source of shame, isolation and humiliation. We encourage men to speak about their feelings, but we should also examine what happens when they reveal they are struggling.

When providing becomes the main measure of manhood, what happens to a man who wants to work and cannot find employment?

South Africa’s unemployment crisis extends well beyond young people seeking their first opportunity. Statistics South Africa recorded an official unemployment rate of 30.3% among men in the second quarter of 2026. Among people aged 35 to 44, the rate was 29.2%, among those aged 45 to 54 it was 20.5%.

The age figures cover both men and women, rather than men alone, but they show unemployment remains a serious problem during years commonly associated with established careers and family responsibilities.

For a man in his 40s or 50s, losing work may mean trying to rebuild while supporting children, servicing debt and helping ageing parents. He may have spent decades acquiring experience, only to discover experience does not guarantee another opportunity.

Yet our expectations of him often remain unchanged.

Many boys grow up hearing a man must provide. There is value in teaching responsibility. Children need food, education and shelter. A partner should be able to expect commitment and effort. But when providing becomes the main measure of manhood, what happens to a man who wants to work and cannot find employment? Do we still recognise his judgment, his care and his contribution? Or does his right to be heard disappear with his salary?

The consequences deserve serious attention. The South African Medical Research Council’s Third Injury Mortality Survey, covering 2020/21, found the male suicide rate was 4.4 times the female rate. These figures do not tell us how many deaths followed unemployment or financial hardship. They do, however, show why men’s distress cannot be dismissed as weakness or attention-seeking.

Suicide has multiple contributing factors. The World Health Organisation identifies financial problems, relationship breakdown and isolation among circumstances associated with suicidal behaviour. Losing work can bring several of those pressures into one person’s life at the same time. That does not make suicide inevitable. It makes timely support important.

Some men may turn to alcohol or drugs to cope with anxiety, sleeplessness or feelings of failure. What begins as an attempt to escape distress can create further difficulties: money needed at home is spent, relationships deteriorate and finding or keeping work becomes harder.

The WHO links harmful alcohol use with:

• depression;
• anxiety;
• financial problems and unemployment; and
• suicide and intimate partner violence.

We must be careful about what we conclude from those connections. Unemployed men are not inherently violent. Financial hardship does not automatically lead to substance abuse or domestic violence. But financial pressure, harmful drinking and beliefs that a man must control a household can combine dangerously.

A man who interprets his partner’s income as an attack on his authority may respond to ordinary disagreements with intimidation. That behaviour must be confronted. Losing an income does not give anyone permission to threaten, assault or control a partner. Nor should a woman be expected to endure abuse because a man is distressed.

Understanding the pressures surrounding violence helps us identify where intervention is needed; it does not remove the perpetrator’s responsibility.

The working partner’s experience also matters. A wife suddenly carrying the household may be exhausted and frightened. Her salary may be insufficient, and her own ambitions may have to be postponed. She deserves practical assistance and room to express frustration.

Both partners need an honest conversation about what the family can afford, which expenses must change and how responsibilities will be shared. There is a difference between questioning an expense and declaring someone useless. A difficult financial discussion should not become an opportunity to destroy another person’s self-respect.

This is one of the practical tests of ubuntu: whether we can remain considerate when another person can no longer offer the financial contribution we once expected

Men also need to reconsider what contribution means when formal employment disappears. A man who is able to do so should continue seeking work, remain involved in parenting and share household tasks. Caring for children, cooking and cleaning are responsibilities of adulthood. They should never be regarded as beneath a man because he once occupied a senior position.

He can also consider whether his existing skills could generate income outside a permanent job. An experienced administrator might offer freelance support to small businesses. Someone with suitable subject knowledge could tutor pupils. Others may be able to provide bookkeeping, writing, design, repairs or digital services. A cleaning or gardening service could begin with a small number of paying customers and grow through referrals.

Men with relevant experience could offer coaching in sport, careers or business, while staying within their competence. Those interested in community work might join an existing organisation or establish an NGO around a clearly identified need. However, establishing an NGO should not be presented as an automatic source of personal income. It requires accountable management and a credible funding plan. Community service can restore purpose and connection, but an organisation cannot pay salaries from goodwill alone.

These possibilities also require realism. A cleaning service needs equipment and customers. Freelancing requires access to clients. Tutoring requires knowledge and trust. We cannot tell every unemployed person to become an entrepreneur and consider our responsibility fulfilled.

This is where friends, former colleagues, churches and businesses can help more meaningfully. Instead of repeatedly asking whether a man has found work, could someone introduce him to a potential client? Could a former employer offer a reference or consider him for suitable contract work? Could a church connect members who need services with those able to provide them?

Support should include access to mental health care. Persistent distress, harmful substance use or thoughts of suicide require professional attention. Families can encourage a man to approach a clinic, doctor or qualified mental health practitioner, and help him take that first step. Prayer, friendship and practical assistance can accompany treatment.

We should also preserve ordinary belonging. Invite the friend who cannot afford to contribute. Ask for his opinion. Include him in family decisions. Speak to him about something other than his job search. For me, this is one of the practical tests of ubuntu: whether we can remain considerate when another person can no longer offer the financial contribution we once expected.

The man in our opening picture still has responsibilities. His family still needs a plan. But he also needs to know the people around him can distinguish his circumstances from his worth. He has lost his income. We should not help make him believe he has also lost his value.

• Hlatswayo is the author of Imibala Yothando.

Sowetan

Tony Davies has informed defence minister Paul Goldsmith of his resignation, the New Zealand Defence Force said.

“The resignation is for personal reasons and results from errors of judgment made by me in the past, for which I am taking responsibility. The errors of judgment were contrary to the values of the defence force,” Davies said.

“These matters revolved around an inappropriate relationship I had when in a position of unit command, and I regret not disclosing this when I had the opportunity to do so.”

Vice-chief Mat Williams would serve as acting chief, the defence force said.

Goldsmith said he agreed Davies’ position was “no longer tenable”.

“The reasons regarding his decision relate to integrity matters that he did not previously disclose,” he said.

“I will recommend to the governor-general that she accepts Mr Davies’ resignation.”

Davies joined New Zealand’s military in 1984 and was appointed to the top job in 2024.

Reuters

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The public protector (PP) has launched an investigation into allegations of maladministration, improper conduct and prejudice against the City of Tshwane in relation to the water crisis in Bronkhorstspruit.

The investigation follows complaints lodged with the PP on Wednesday by EFF treasurer-general and MP Omphile Maotwe and FF Plus regional leader Willie Spies.

According to the PP, Maotwe alleged in her complaint that the city failed to chlorinate water supplied to residents by the Bronkhorstspruit water treatment plant between September 24 and October 14.

The city also allegedly failed to warn residents that the water was unsafe for consumption during this period, resulting in 408 people, most of them children under the age of four, falling ill. Maotwe further alleged that the city ran out of chlorine due to difficulties experienced with its chlorine supplier.

The PP said Spies called on the PP to investigate alleged maladministration and improper conduct by the city, including the alleged failure to escalate critical information to senior management, inadequate oversight at the water treatment plant and the failure to warn residents about the safety of the water.

Between October 7 and 18, 408 cases of gastrointestinal illness were recorded after residents were exposed to unchlorinated water from the water treatment works.

Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya publicly admitted that the city did not communicate with the residents adequately.

PP spokesperson Oupa Segalwe said after the complaint an investigation team visited the Bronkhorstspruit water treatment plant to verify the allegations and establish what interim measures had been put in place to protect residents from unsafe water.

“The investigation team was informed that the plant had been decommissioned as an interim measure to facilitate the cleaning and disinfection of the entire water system. The team was also advised that water tankers would be deployed to supply water to the affected community.”

Segalwe said the PP will approach the city manager for a formal response to the allegations.

The PP will also work with the Bronkhorstspruit community to monitor the implementation of the city’s interim water provision measures.

TimesLIVE

Bafo Siyabonga Cindi, who was dismissed from the SAPS in May, appeared in the Standerton magistrate’s court facing fraud and theft charges.

This is after his arrest by the Hawks on Thursday at Ermelo Correctional Centre, where he is being detained pending trial in separate stock theft cases registered in Perdekop and Greylingstad.

According to the Hawks, the investigation into the alleged misuse of state funds began in 2024 after the matter was reported by the Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit in Standerton.

Cindi was attached to the unit as an investigating officer at the time of the alleged offences.

The Hawks’ Secunda Serious Corruption Investigation investigated the matter before submitting the case docket to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

An application for a warrant of arrest was subsequently authorised. Hawks members executed the warrant at the correctional centre on Thursday.

Cindi had previously been denied bail in the separate stock theft cases in which he is awaiting trial.

The acting provincial head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, Brig Bruce Davenport, said the arrest demonstrated the unit’s commitment to holding law enforcement officials accountable for alleged corruption and the misuse of state resources.

“No uniform, badge or rank places anyone above the law. Those who abuse their authority and misuse state resources for personal enrichment will face the full might of the law,” Davenport said.

He said the Hawks in Mpumalanga remained committed to protecting the integrity of the criminal justice system and restoring public confidence through action against corruption.

The matter was postponed to November 5 to allow Cindi time to secure legal representation.

TimesLIVE

Johannesburg residents could be left more exposed to crime and bylaw violations as the metro police department’s fuel crisis threatens to reduce the number of patrol vehicles on the city’s streets.

The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has warned that fewer patrol cars will mean less ground covered by officers, putting residents’ safety at risk as the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) struggles to keep its vehicles fuelled.

The nonpayment of fuel started early last week when state-issued fuel cards started declining at several petrol stations used by JMPD officers. The matter came to a head when some stations that were owed money started cutting off the JMPD due to nonpayment.

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SAA salaries delayed again as cash flow crunch threatens national carrier

Crisis-ridden state airline SAA is fast running out of runway after informing staff that salaries will be late for the second consecutive month.

TimesLIVE has learnt that SAA acting chief human capital officer Lourens Erasmus issued a communique to staff informing them that salary payments would be staggered, with ground staff and cabin crew being paid on October 27, while executives will be paid on October 31. Pilots would be paid on October 28, while management and specialists would be paid on October 30.

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Pirates owe fans Caf excellence — Ouaddou

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou believes they owe their fans a good run in the Caf Champions League this season after failing to reach the group phase last term.

Pirates have one leg in the group stages after beating Namibian champions African Stars 1-0 in the first leg of the tournament’s second preliminary round in Gaborone last Saturday.

The second leg is billed for Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday (6pm). “The boys are ready to come back to the Champions League, and we need to win this second half, and we will do everything in terms of commitment and in terms of organisation to go through to the group stages for our fans because last season it was one of the targets we didn’t reach,” said Ouaddou.

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Sowetan

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The release of the Localisation Support Fund (LSF) study presents a sobering reflection on the missed opportunities to reindustrialise South Africa’s economy.

It is also an opportunity to revitalise the struggling clothing, textile, footwear and leather sector, and unlock its potential to create much-needed jobs.

The findings reaffirm Proudly South African’s long-held position that the public sector holds one of the most powerful levers for transforming the fortunes of local manufacturing.

If government departments, public entities and state-owned enterprises deliberately channel their substantial procurement expenditure towards locally manufactured products, the impact on industrialisation, economic growth and job creation could be profound.

The study echoes the historical challenges that have confronted the sector over the past three decades. The dawn of democracy in 1994 ushered in an era of trade liberalisation, with tariff reductions opening what had previously been a relatively insulated economy.

While necessary, this transition inadvertently exposed local manufacturers to intense international competition before many domestic firms were adequately positioned to compete in global markets.

The challenges facing the clothing, textile, footwear and leather (CTFL) sector intensified further after China’s accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2001.

The entry of vast manufacturing capacity into global markets resulted in significantly lower cost imports, particularly in clothing, textiles and footwear, placing immense pressure on domestic producers.

Compounding these challenges has been the proliferation of illicit trade and the rapid growth of offshore e-commerce retail platforms, both of which have had a devastating impact on the competitiveness of local manufacturers.

Faced with mounting pressures on several fronts, it is little wonder the sector reportedly lost between 10,000 and 15,000 jobs annually between 2000 and 2008, accompanied by widespread factory closures and industrial decline, according to figures released by the department of trade, industry and competition.

Recognising the strategic importance of the sector, the government introduced several interventions aimed at supporting local procurement.

Among them was National Treasury Instruction Note 08 of 2011/12, promulgated in 2012, which required government departments, public entities and state-owned enterprises to procure designated products and source them from local manufacturers using locally produced inputs where available.

Together with the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act and the 2017 Preferential Procurement Regulations, these measures were intended to advance localisation and stimulate domestic manufacturing through public procurement.

However, despite these legal prescripts and policy interventions, the LSF study found a significant gap between policy intent and implementation. Based on the government’s estimated annual CTFL procurement expenditure of R7.55bn, only 32% of goods procured are sourced from verifiable local manufacturers and suppliers, while 68% of procurement spending flows to suppliers whose local content credentials cannot be verified or are potentially non-local.

This leakage represents a significant loss to South Africa’s manufacturing sector and the broader economy. The study estimates the diversion of procurement expenditure away from local manufacturers translates into 41,297 livelihoods going unsupported and an unrealised R1.34bn in annual wages.

Under current procurement patterns, only 19,433 livelihoods are sustained, compared with a potential 60,731 jobs that could be supported through full compliance with local procurement requirements.

While the Constitutional Court judgment in February 2022 is often cited as a setback for localisation efforts, it is important to clarify what the court actually ruled.

The judgment did not declare localisation unconstitutional or unlawful. Rather, the court found the 2017 Preferential Procurement Regulations were invalid because the minister of finance had acted beyond the powers conferred by the act.

The judgment therefore addressed the legal framework governing procurement regulations, not the legitimacy of localisation as an economic policy objective.

The recommendations emerging from the LSF study present the government with a valuable opportunity to accelerate localisation within the existing legal framework.

By strengthening and enforcing compliant local procurement measures, South Africa can begin to realise the substantial investments in productive capacity that local manufacturers have made in anticipation of increased demand, while simultaneously placing the manufacturing sector on a stronger growth and job creation trajectory.

The potential gains are significant. The study notes achieving the master plan’s target of 60% local procurement could generate R4.51bn in additional revenue, contribute R6.32bn to GDP and create 11,042 direct jobs, resulting in total employment of about 45,604 jobs.

Moreover, every additional R1bn redirected towards compliant local procurement could support about 2,450 direct manufacturing jobs and a further 5,050 indirect jobs throughout the value chain.

The report further identifies several factors that contribute to poor compliance. These include the absence of uniform local content requirements, weak enforcement mechanisms, reliance on self-declarations during tender processes, and supply chains that obscure the true origin of products.

The use of intermediaries and multiple supplier layers creates opportunities for imported goods to be misrepresented as locally manufactured, while shortcomings in the eTenders system make it difficult for the National Treasury to accurately monitor compliance levels.

Proudly South African supports the study’s recommendations to address these challenges. Tender requirements should be standardised across public institutions, with local content compliance becoming an exclusionary requirement whereby non-compliant bidders are automatically disqualified.

The government should implement standardised and auditable bid templates featuring pre-approved specifications aligned to verified local manufacturing capacity.

Compliance verification should occur early in the procurement process, particularly for high-value tenders, to prevent non-compliant bids from progressing through the system.

In addition, comprehensive procurement guidelines should be developed for supply chain management practitioners.

These should include measures such as releasing funds only after local content verification has been completed, mandating checks for high-risk or red-flagged contracts, and requiring invoice-based evidence of local manufacture before payment is authorised.

The need to intensify localisation efforts has never been more urgent. The findings of the LSF study mirror those of Revitalising SA’s Manufacturing Sector, research commissioned by Proudly South African and conducted by Dr Iraj Abedian.

That study similarly found increased investment in local manufacturing and greater localisation of procurement could substantially boost economic growth, employment, fiscal revenue and household incomes.

Significantly, it found a 10% increase in manufacturing investment could generate considerable economic benefits, including stronger GDP growth and meaningful job creation.

Localisation should not be viewed merely as a procurement preference. It should be recognised as a measurable and impactful economic growth strategy.

Greater investment in South Africa’s manufacturing sector, coupled with stronger implementation of local procurement policies, has the potential to stimulate economic growth, create jobs, strengthen industrial capacity, increase fiscal revenues and enhance the country’s economic resilience.

By treating every procurement decision as an industrial development opportunity, South Africa can begin to weave together the lost threads of its manufacturing base and unlock a more inclusive, industrialised and prosperous future.

• Mashimbye is CEO of Proudly South African.

Sowetan

Across South Africa, malls are evolving into lifestyle destinations, ageing buildings are finding new purposes and demand for student housing, hospitality and specialised logistics is opening up new markets.

Meanwhile, changing finance models are influencing how developments are funded, while infrastructure investment continues to shape where opportunities emerge and which areas can unlock their potential.

This issue explores the forces reshaping the property landscape, from evolving occupier expectations and the growth of data centres to the commercial case for adaptive reuse.

It also looks beyond individual buildings to consider how better-connected, more inclusive neighbourhoods can bring homes, workplaces, transport and amenities closer together.

As the sector adapts, the challenge is to recognise where demand is shifting, where investment can make a difference and what it takes to build for the future.

Raina Julies

Enzo Maresca’s City have won all seven league matches to sit three points clear of champions Arsenal, but an independent commission’s finding that the club were guilty of 114 financial breaches has cast a shadow over their blistering start.

City have denied any wrongdoing and appealed, with sanctions yet to be decided.

Their immediate task is maintaining their flawless run at Villa Park on Saturday despite a growing injury list.

Forward Antoine Semenyo is set for a lengthy spell out with a knee injury, while wing-back Nico O’Reilly and midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes are doubts.

The league’s leading scorer, Erling Haaland, was rested for Tuesday’s 5-1 Champions League thrashing of AEK Athens because of a knock but is expected to be available against Villa.

Arsenal, City’s closest challengers on 18 points, host Everton on Saturday, although they have fitness concerns after Bukayo Saka limped off in the 10th minute of Wednesday’s 2-2 Champions League draw at Bayern Munich with a quadriceps injury. “He doesn’t look good at all, but we’ll have to wait and see,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said.

Fourth-placed Chelsea host London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Saturday after back-to-back league victories over Bournemouth and Everton.

Spurs finally earned their first league victory of the season with Monday’s 3-1 home win over Coventry City after a miserable start that has left them 16th with six points from seven games. Chelsea have 13 points.

Liverpool face one of the tougher challenges of the weekend when they welcome high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield on Sunday.

Brighton’s superb start has them third with five wins and a draw from seven matches, two places and four points above Liverpool, while their goal difference of plus 18 is the league’s best.

Liverpool, though, have uncovered another attacking weapon in 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who produced a dazzling performance in their 4-3 Champions League comeback win over Villarreal on Tuesday.

Ngumoha created two goals and became the youngest Liverpool player to register a Champions League assist, earning a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd.

“That’s the good thing with Rio; he is still 18, he is not the full package, he can add things fortunately for us. Hopefully he can continue in the same way. But I’m happy because attitude-wise I think he’s in a great place,” Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola said.

Liverpool’s injury problems complicate the task, with the versatile Dominik Szoboszlai, wing-back Jeremie Frimpong, right-back Conor Bradley and striker Hugo Ekitike among those sidelined.

At Old Trafford, Manchester United desperately need a victory over Bournemouth to breathe life into a season that has gone awry.

Michael Carrick’s team are 13th with one victory and seven points from their opening seven matches and are coming off a shambolic 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como on Wednesday. “I have to apologise to the supporters,” Carrick said after the latest setback in Italy.

“I care about this football club as much as anyone, if not more. For us to play in that way, it’s not acceptable. That bit of intensity, that aggression, that real willingness to give everything tonight was totally the opposite of the performance. It was tough to watch.”

Complicating matters, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, Benjamin Sesko, Patrick Dorgu and Lisandro Martinez are among those with injury or fitness concerns, while midfielder Manuel Ugarte has a long-term knee injury. – Reuters

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Golden Arrows and Polokwane City will eye redemption in their respective Carling Knockout last 16 matches this weekend.

After a poor run in Betway Premiership games, the two clubs will have a chance to end that in the Carling Knockout.

Arrows will host Chippa United at King Zwelithini Stadium, while Rise and Shine will welcome Siwelele at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, both at 3pm on Saturday.

The teams have been under pressure after a string of poor results and enter the Carling Knockout matches following defeats in their previous league games.

Polokwane lost 1-0 to Siwelele last weekend and will look to avenge it, while Arrows suffered the same scoreline to Milford in the KwaZulu-Natal derby.

Arrows captain Ayanda Jiyane emphasised the importance of winning Saturday’s game to restore confidence after winning only once in their last eight league matches.

“The match is important for us,” he said. “Since we started this season, things have not been going the way we wanted, but we believe the way the preparations are going, we will win so we can get the confidence back when we return to league matches and we can start collecting points.

“We try as a team with all we have to bring the team back to winning ways, and it is important for us to win a trophy as players so we can have a cup to show. We need to win this game so we can get back to winning. The feeling of playing a final — we all want that.”

Elsewhere, AmaZulu will be eager to continue with their excellent form when they visit Kruger United at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday at 3pm.

Usuthu have been one of the in-form teams this season and sit third in the log. They will want to take that form to the cup competition, where they will look to advance to the next round.

In another match, Sekhukhune will host Richards Bay at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday at 6pm.

Fixtures

Saturday: Arrows v Chippa, King Zwelithini (3pm); Polokwane v Siwelele, Old Peter Mokaba (6pm).

Sunday: Kruger v AmaZulu, Mbombela (3pm); Sekhukhune v Bay, Peter Mokaba (6pm).

The vehicle was revealed at Omoda X Night in Wuhu on October 20, as part of the 2026 Omoda & Jaecoo International User Summit. Its styling develops the brand’s “Cyber Mecha” design philosophy, characterised by sharp geometric shapes, broad shoulders and a rugged appearance. The concept was shown in silver and green, both with contrasting black roofs.

The design approach has already been previewed on the Omoda C4, which is destined for South Africa. Production of the C4 is scheduled to begin at Chery Group’s Rosslyn manufacturing facility in Gauteng in the third quarter of 2027.

The X takes the styling further, with distinctive LED lighting and a wider body featuring a sculpted waistline. Its rear lights follow a lightning-inspired design, while the arrowhead-shaped daytime running lights echo the rear lighting of the Omoda C5.

Inside, the concept features a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.2-inch central touchscreen. The dashboard and floating centre console incorporate an X-inspired design, while physical controls remain for frequently used functions such as the air conditioning and drive modes.

Omoda’s proposed Super Intelligent Space system includes a voice assistant designed to understand conversational speech rather than rely on specific commands. A personalised X-Mode setting would allow drivers to tailor certain vehicle settings and responses to their preferences.

Other technology showcased in the concept includes a four-zone microphone system for in-car karaoke, allowing passengers to sing without handheld microphones. An infrared thermal-imaging night-vision system is designed to identify potential hazards up to 90 metres ahead.

Practical features include 200mm of ground clearance, a roof-load capacity of 75kg and 39 storage spaces around the cabin. The concept also has a proposed towing capacity of up to 1,800kg.

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On Sunday, October 18 2015, then-president Jacob Zuma hosted an event to commemorate Black Wednesday, the day in 1977 that the apartheid government banned several newspapers, including The World, the predecessor of Sowetan.

When Zuma arrived at the Sefako Makgatho presidential guesthouse, he headed straight for the table occupied by the Sunday Times team, led by then editor Phylicia Oppelt.

“Let me start with the Sunday Crimes,” he reportedly quipped as he greeted the journalists. Seated at the table were, among others, then politics editor S’thembiso Msomi and investigations reporter Thanduxolo Jika.

The encounter took place during one of the most turbulent periods of Zuma’s presidency. The Nkandla scandal and a string of other controversies had placed his administration under intense public scrutiny.

The Sunday Times and several other media organisations were among those exposing wrongdoing and holding those in power to account.

Once seated, Zuma wasted little time expressing his dissatisfaction. He complained bitterly to Oppelt about the newspaper’s coverage of his presidency.

His grievances extended beyond the news pages to the newspaper’s opinion section, where he took issue with commentators such as Mondli Makhanya and even Hogarth, the paper’s satirical gossip column. He spent so long at the table that colleagues elsewhere in the room began grumbling, forcing his aides to gently usher him on.

In his speech later that day, Zuma proudly celebrated SA’s constitutional protection of media freedom. But he also warned that such freedom was not absolute.

You may have missed it, but on Monday president Cyril Ramaphosa hosted a similar gathering in Sandton, this time in his capacity as ANC president. Unlike Zuma, Ramaphosa did not move from table to table. Instead, he opened the floor to questions from editors and senior journalists.

“I’ve often said those of us who occupy positions of leadership must be prepared to accept criticism,” he said. “We must internalise it. We must know that it is part and parcel of the positions that we hold.”

He went further, welcoming criticism that is fair, factual and serves the public interest. He also reaffirmed the constitutional protection of media freedom and freedom of expression.

Those were encouraging words. The problem is that the president’s actions increasingly fail to match his rhetoric.

Monday’s engagement served as a stark reminder of why the ANC and the government it leads continue to lose the trust of many South Africans. Aside from his firm and commendable stance on international affairs, particularly in response to US president Donald Trump and the fearmongering narratives promoted by AfriForum, Ramaphosa offered little indication that the country is on the path to meaningful renewal.

Consider his response to recent comments from ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe. Asked about the matter, Ramaphosa merely said the ANC would discuss it internally. “I’m not a person who discusses individuals publicly,” he said.

That response was inadequate.

Mantashe used language that does not belong in public discourse or political leadership. The ANC Women’s League has already issued statements calling on him to apologise and withdraw remarks in which he referred to women’s private parts while discussing allegations of sexual coercion in employment opportunities.

Ramaphosa’s reluctance to publicly condemn such conduct speaks volumes. Leadership is not only about defending constitutional principles when convenient; it is also about drawing clear moral lines.

By failing to distance both the ANC and his government from such behaviour, the president undermined the struggle for gender equality and disappointed women who expect leaders to challenge, rather than excuse, sexism.

Then came the most revealing moment of all.

Ramaphosa recounted visits to various parts of the country where he found filthy conditions and failing services. He described instructing officials to rectify the situation, including in Johannesburg, ahead of the G20 Summit.

SABC politics editor Mzwandile Mbeje asked the obvious question: if officials have to be reminded to do their jobs, are they the right people for those positions?

Ramaphosa’s answer was telling.

“It’s not that we have bad people; it’s that we need to keep encouraging people to do the right thing,” Ramaphosa said, as part of a long-winded response that included putting a proper system in place.

Encouragement? These are public officials, not reluctant volunteers. Doing the work is not a favour they extend to the president. It is an obligation to the people who pay their salaries and depend on their services.

A city should not need a presidential visit or an international summit to discover the value of a clean street. Residents deserve functioning councils when the cameras are gone, too.

Zuma’s irritation with scrutiny was unmistakable. Ramaphosa’s welcome for it is preferable and commendable. But accepting criticism is only the beginning. Acting on wrongdoing is the goal.

A president who tolerates officials doing their jobs only after an instruction from above is not protecting his people. He is protecting the failure they have to live with.

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South African football has an opportunity this weekend to make a strong statement on continental stage, with four clubs chasing places in the CAF competitions’ group stages.

Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates are bidding to advance in the Champions League, while Kaizer Chiefs and Durban City are seeking progress in the Confederation (Confed) Cup. Success by all four would boost the league’s quest to be a force to be reckoned with.

For much of the past 15 years, North African clubs have dominated CAF competitions, more so after the decline of West African influence. Sundowns, however, have increasingly challenged that dominance, winning the Champions League twice in the past decade, including last season.

On Friday evening, the Brazilians face a potentially tougher assignment against Angola’s Wiliete after a goalless draw in Lubango. But playing at Loftus Versfeld, their Pretoria stronghold, allows them to finish the job and move closer to defending their continental crown.

Pirates carry a 1-0 advantage into Friday evening’s second leg against Namibia’s African Stars at the Orlando Amstel Arena Stadium. Chiefs, meanwhile, face the tougher task of overturning a 1-0 deficit against Zambia’s Red Arrows in the Confed Cup.

Their decision to host the return leg at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, rather than their usual home at FNB Stadium, reflects the club’s faith in the support they enjoy in the city. The atmosphere generated by their passionate supporters could provide the lift Amakhosi need, although the players must ultimately deliver on the pitch.

Durban City, meanwhile, travel to Mauritius with a commanding 3-1 advantage over AS Port-Louis.

Our teams’ strong performances in African competitions not only enhance the PSL’s reputation but also lift our mood as a people.

Sport has always offered South Africans a powerful source of shared identity and national pride since the dawn of democracy. Whether through rugby, cricket or football, the success of our teams on the international stage has the capacity to unite people across the divisions that too often define our society.

The Proteas’ victory over performance against Australia in the second Test this week provided another reminder of how much these achievements mean to the nation.

Successful campaigns by the PSL four this weekend would extend that feeling. It is an ambitious target, but one within reach. SA football needs its clubs to seize this opportunity, not only for their own ambitions but also for the pride and confidence their progress brings to many people across the country.

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Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou feels they owe their fans a good run in the CAF Champions League this season after failing to reach the group phase last term.

Pirates have one leg in the group stages after beating Namibian champions African Stars 1-0 in the first leg of the tournament’s second preliminary round in Gaborone last Saturday.

The second leg is billed for Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday (6pm). “The boys are ready to come back to the Champions League, and we need to win this second half; and we will do everything in terms of commitment, in terms of organisation to go through to the group stages for our fans because last season it was one of the targets we didn’t reach,” said Ouaddou.

“So, I think we owe our fans to do well in this competition; we will do everything to make them happy. The players are ready and they know exactly what they have to do ... there’s a lot of confidence, a lot of trust and that’s very important.”

Last season, the Bucanneers were eliminated by Congolese side FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo in the same second preliminary round.

However, the Moroccan mentor sounded confident that they will finish off the job at Orlando Amstel Arena, highlighting the importance of sticking to the game plan, while also stressing that unity was key.

“We are playing at home in front of our fans; so for me what’s the most important thing is to respect the plan and to be united because in this kind of competition, we need the whole team to be connected, to roar in the same sight together to reach the target,” Ouaddou said.

Meanwhile, Pirates have confirmed that assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi has left the club to join Golden Arrows. Arrows confirmed Pitso Dladla would be replaced by Ncikazi.

“Orlando Pirates confirms that assistant Coach Mandla Ncikazi will be leaving the club to take up the head coach position at a team in the Premier Soccer League,” Pirates’ statement read.

The statement came a few hours after the club’s coach Abdeslam Ouaddou had insisted that there was nothing untoward about Ncikazi’s absence in recent games amid reports that he no longer wanted to work with him.

Sowetan

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Golden Gloves Foundation bosses, matchmaker Jeff Ellis and general manager Lehlohonolo Ramagole should be commended for taking it easy with Simamkele “Sim the Champ” Tuntsheni, who will make her come back on Thursday night.

A former IBO Africa junior-featherweight champion, Tuntsheni from the Western Cape, took severe beating from Monica “Savage” Mkandla in July.

Mkandla from Zimbabwe, whose career is guided here by trainer Vusi Mtolo and manager Marco Louis, outboxed Tuntsheni before stopping her in the sixth round.

Before that one-sided fight, staged by Golden Gloves, Tuntsheni dropped an unanimous points loss to Laura Monika Grzyb from Poland for the IBO world title in Poland in March.

Ellis and Ramagole are responsible for matching boxers for participation in Golden Gloves Foundation’s Shaya Thursday series. They were careful in their selection of an opponent for Tuntsheni, who will welcome Misiwe Ndlovu – a four-fight novice on October 29.

Trained by Alison Nkosi, Ndlovu has two wins and two losses.

Matching a boxer who comes from severe beating requires one to be strategic because the idea is to rebuild their confidence. Tuntsheni’s health is paramount and she needs a match up that will enable her management to assess her psychological recovery.

Ellis found someone who poses minimal risk but could give Tuntsheni a few rounds of safe work. Ndlovu has a low knockout ratio, something that will allow Tuntsheni to overcome the psychological fear of getting hit.

“To be honest, it’s difficult because I have never seen Ndlovu in action,” said Tuntsheni’s s trainer, Felix Venganayi.

“It is always difficult to fight someone you don’t know. Ndlovu is a closed book but we will need one round to read her and adjust. But we are prepared for everything she will bring on the table.”

He said Tuntsheni lost a bit of confidence after losing to Mkandla. “But based on her conduct during our preparations, I think she is ready to bounce back,” he said.

Ntethelelo “Baby G” Nkosi will headline the series with a non-title fight – his first in the welterweights – against Calvin Madondo.

Nkosi is a former SA junior-welterweight champ.

Six amateur bouts will pave the way for professional fights.

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Kaizer Chiefs defender Inacio Miguel is optimistic that they will overturn the deficit and qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup group stages at the expense of Zambian side Red Arrows.

After losing the away leg 1-0 in Ndola last Saturday, Chiefs host Arrows in the second leg of the competition’s second preliminary round at Moses Mabhida Stadium tonight (6pm).

“I am not even thinking about losing. There’s no losing tomorrow, so I can’t be thinking about something that won’t happen. My mindset is only on winning,” Miguel said at a press conference at Moses Mabhida Stadium yesterday.

Miguel is drawing motivation from last season, where they managed to secure their berth in the Confederation Cup group phase, albeit failing to advance to the knockout phase of the tournament.

“We did it last season and we are capable of doing it again this season. It’s all in our hands. In the first leg they [Red Arrows] were more aggressive than us and that’s something we must change,” Miguel said.

The Chiefs defender has called for an aggressive approach, saying sometimes they leave it too late to get their rhythm in matches.

“Sometimes I feel like our team is too slow to get into the game ... we delay to get our groove and Red Arrows capitalised on that and now it’s our time to fight,” Miguel noted.

Miguel also vowed that they’ll fight like never before, urging the fans to rally behind the team.

“What I can promise our fans tomorrow [tonight] is a fighting spirit. We have fans who’ve travelled from different places, so we can’t afford to disappoint them,” Miguel said.

“Our supporters are the 12th man that we need, especially tomorrow with this deficit from the first leg. It’s very important for us to stick together.”

Meanwhile, Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz has made it clear that they are going to target scoring first. “The most important thing tomorrow [tonight] is to score first and by doing so, the context of the tie will change,” Da Cruz said.

Sowetan

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Afrobeats star Fireboy DML believes collaboration is key to taking African music to greater heights.

His latest single, Imali, sees the Nigerian musician join forces with Lesotho-born Jazzwrld and SA producer Thukuthela, blending Afrobeats and 3-step. He speaks to Sowetan about his success, evolution, collaboration and latest album, Zuko.

Sowetan: When you first heard the beat for Imali, what was your reaction?

Fireboy DML: I immediately knew there was something special about it. Jazzwrld and Thukuthela had been working on the production in LA, and I was excited when I heard what they had created. There was something about the rhythm, energy and melodies that connected with me. 3-step has grown into a sound that is reaching audiences across the country and beyond, and being invited to contribute to that movement was a privilege.

Sowetan: Money is at the centre of the song. What are you willing to spend ridiculous amounts of money on?

Fireboy DML: Music and the people I love. Music has given me so much, and I believe in investing in my craft, whether that means creating better records, producing quality visuals, putting together incredible live performances or working with talented creatives who can bring my ideas to life. I’m also big on taking care of my family and making sure the people who have supported me throughout my journey are comfortable. Money represents freedom, security and the ability to create opportunities for yourself and others. That’s also part of what Imali represents. It’s not simply about having money or showing off material things.

Sowetan: What happens when three different African music worlds meet in the studio?

Fireboy DML: Something beautiful happens when African creatives come together with open minds and a shared love for music. We may come from different countries, speak different languages and have different musical influences, but there is a connection between us that goes beyond those differences. Jazzwrld and Thukuthela brought their own creative identities into the production, while I contributed my melodies, songwriting and vocal style. What made the collaboration special was that nobody had to compromise their identity. African music is entering an exciting era where artists are no longer restricted by borders or genres.

Sowetan: How do you celebrate big wins?

Fireboy DML: The older I get, the more I appreciate the simple moments. Sometimes celebrating a big achievement means spending quality time with the people closest to me, enjoying good food, listening to music and taking a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come. I enjoy the finer things in life, and I believe that when you work hard, you should permit yourself to enjoy the rewards. But I don’t necessarily believe every celebration needs to be extravagant. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt is that success means little if you don’t take time to appreciate it. I also like to reflect on the journey because there was a time when many of the things I’m experiencing today were only dreams.

Sowetan: What are you chasing at this stage of your career?

Fireboy DML: I’m chasing growth, longevity and the opportunity to create music that will stand the test of time. I’ve been fortunate to achieve things I once only dreamed about, but I still feel there’s so much more for me to explore creatively. I want to keep challenging myself, experimenting with different sounds and working with artists who inspire me. I’m also focused on taking African music to even greater heights. Beyond music, I’m chasing personal growth, happiness and balance. Success is important, but I also want to make sure I’m growing as a person and enjoying the journey. I want to build a legacy that goes beyond individual hit records.

Sowetan: How different is your new album, Zuko?

Fireboy DML: Zuko represents growth and evolution, but it also carries the musical identity people have come to associate with Fireboy DML. The album brings together different musical experiences while remaining rooted in my Nigerian and Yoruba identity. I wanted to create a body of work that reflects where I am in my life and career today, while also showing people where I’m heading creatively. Alongside the album, we’ve also released a brand-new music video titled One Man Regiment, which gives fans another visual experience to enjoy.

Sowetan

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Crisis-ridden state airline South African Airways (SAA) is fast running out of runway after informing staff that salaries will be late for the second consecutive month.

TimesLIVE has learnt that SAA acting chief human capital officer Lourens Erasmus issued a communique to staff informing them the salaries would be staggered, with ground staff and cabin crew being paid on October 27, while executives will be paid on October 31. Pilots would be paid on October 28, while management and specialists would be paid on October 30.

“SAA apologises for any inconvenience caused and appreciates employees’ understanding.

“Employees who require a letter for submission to their bank confirming the revised salary payment date may request one from their HRBP,” the internal memo said.

This latest communique follows a similar one in September, an insider with intimate knowledge of the situation but who did not have permission to speak to the media, said.

Last month’s salaries were only paid around October 2, the source added, saying some service providers were now demanding pre-payment, and that the airline was only operational through bank credits.

“SAA is running out of money, and may soon be grounded,” the source said.

The breaking news comes as the airline continues to face substantial financial and operational headwinds, characterised by a mix of escalating operational costs, governance transitions, and a reliance on state guarantees.

According to the National Treasury’s medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) tabled on Wednesday, SAA’s fiscal exposure expanded during 2026 due to severe pressures placed on its day-to-day operations by the global jet fuel price shock.

To buffer the national carrier against these cash flow constraints, the government provided a R1bn guarantee in August to fund its immediate working capital requirements. The Treasury further noted that SAA holds an additional R223m in government guarantees related to unflown-ticket liabilities and corporate letters of credit, warning that the airline’s residual risk heavily depends on its ability to absorb these operational pressures without requesting further direct state support.

On Thursday afternoon, SAA spokesperson Mphilo Dlamini said: “South African Airways takes its responsibilities towards its employees seriously and recognises the importance of ensuring that salaries are paid timeously.

“Against this backdrop, management has fully engaged employees on this matter and explained that the measures being taken are intended to manage the sustainability of the business and its ability to continue operating,” Dlamini said.

“A majority of the employees will be paid on time ― normal pay day (October 27).

“Those who will receive their salaries later, it will be delayed by only a day or two,” he added.

He also said, as with other airlines globally, SAA is operating in a challenging and volatile aviation environment, with geopolitical developments contributing to increased operating costs, particularly fuel.

“These external pressures add to the airline’s cost base and place pressure on liquidity, requiring management to make difficult but necessary decisions to safeguard the business and ensure its long-term sustainability.”

This is a developing story.

This article has been amended to show that ground staff and crew will be paid on their normal pay day, October 27, and also to add additional comment from SAA.

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US President Donald Trump criticised NBA superstar LeBron James on Thursday for what he called disrespectful behaviour during the singing of the national anthem at a recent NBA game.

“While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country,” Trump said in a Truth Social post accompanied by a video showing James moving his body during the singing of the anthem. “LeBron James should apologise to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that our Country stands for!”

The clip Trump shared showed James standing in line with the members of the Philadelphia 76ers, swinging his arms in a warmup-type stretch and performing basketball shooting movements.

A representative for the 76ers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump has repeatedly criticised athletes for their behaviour during pre-game renditions of the US national anthem, notably beginning with NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest in support of racial justice.

Trump cancelled a planned White House visit of the Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles in 2018 after the team disagreed with his call for players to stand during the anthem.

James became a leading voice in the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 and has frequently supported progressive issues as he ascended to the top of the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Reuters