These easy individual chocolate puddings hide a gooey chocolate-syrup centre and are ready in a few minutes.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has called for peaceful, free and fair local government elections, warning that threats against voters, candidates and election officials will not be tolerated as more than 29 million registered South Africans prepare for the November 4 Local Government Elections.

The South African Police Service (Saps) in Mpumalanga has confirmed the torching of six trucks in just two days in the Gert Sibande District. In the first incident, five trucks were torched on the N3 Road near Grootvlei in the Gert Sibande District on Thursday evening. It is alleged that a truck driver travelling towards Villiers encountered a tanker standing in the roadway. As he approached, four armed suspects allegedly emerged from the side of the tanker and ordered him to stop. The suspects reportedly pointed firearms at the driver, and one of the suspects allegedly carried a five-litre container of petrol, which was used to set the truck alight. The driver managed to escape and sought help from nearby people. Once safe, he saw his truck engulfed in flames. The suspects allegedly fled the scene on foot after jumping over a fence and running in the direction of Villiers. Preliminary reports further indicate that three trucks were partially burnt. The estimated value of one truck horse is approximately R3.2 million, while the combined value of two trailers is estimated at R350 000. No injuries were reported during the incident. However, authorities could not immediately locate two truck drivers at the scene, and efforts are underway to establish their whereabouts as part of the ongoing investigation. A case of armed robbery as well as five counts of malicious damage to property has been registered for investigation. The motive behind the incident is currently unknown, and no arrests have been made thus far. Sixth truck set alight On Friday evening, a sixth truck was set alight on the N2 Road, about 15 km’s from Piet Retief towards Pongola. According to police, a group of armed suspects allegedly stopped the truck on a section of the road currently under construction, robbed the driver of his phone and subsequently set the truck alight before fleeing the scene. The driver escaped unharmed. A case of attempted murder, armed robbery and malicious damage to property is under investigation, and no arrests have been made at this stage. The police have called on members of the public with information regarding these perpetrators to come forward so that suspects can be swiftly brought to book. The Saps urges anyone with information that may assist in the investigation to contact the Crime Stop number on 08600 10111 or submit information anonymously through the MySAPSApp. All information received will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

The Bulls, humbled by a scare against Ulster last week, are in the best frame of mind to host underdogs Scarlets on Saturday, with a win potentially taking them to the top of the URC table. The teams meet at Loftus at 5pm with the Bulls sitting pretty in third place on the United Rugby Championship table after three wins from four games. While having the same number of points as fourth-placed Stormers, the Bulls have a better points difference and are just two points behind Glasgow Warriors and three behind leaders Edinburgh. Those Scottish sides play tricky matches at home to the Lions and away to Benetton, respectively. Surviving scares The Bulls come from a challenging 34-26 win over Ulster at Loftus Versfeld. They led 21-0 at one stage before a string of errors, injuries, including to Bok flyhalf Handré Pollard, and questionable referee decisions allowed the Irish side back into the game. Ulster might have stolen a win if the Bulls hadn’t collected themselves and won a handful of penalties near the death to secure the bonus-point win. Scarlets almost secured their own shock result when they fought back from 33-14 down to 40-all in the last few minutes against the Stormers in Cape Town. While the Stormers scored twice near the end to win 52-40 in difficult circumstances where they also suffered several injuries, perennial strugglers Scarlets will take confidence from their six tries away against a top South African team. The performance belies their position on the URC table: 14th after one win and three defeats. Head-to-head, the Bulls have won three of their five clashes, including a 23-21 nail-biter in Wales last season, in April. It was their first win in Llanelli. The Bulls have won both their home fixtures against the Welsh side. Marcell Coetzee available for the Bulls Regular captain Marcell Coetzee will be available to play after he was cleared of foul play during a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday night. It involved his yellow-card incident with Ulster lock Ben Donnell, allegedly breaching Laws 9.20(a) and 9.20(b), which prohibit dangerous play at a ruck or maul, including charging into an opponent without binding and making contact above the shoulders. With the Bulls largely at full strength, they will be composed and not take the visiting Scarlets lightly, whatever history says of the fixture.

Cape Town’s first batch of battery-electric MyCiTi buses has arrived, marking another step towards a cleaner public transport fleet. Seven e-buses arrived from Johannesburg earlier this week, where their bodies are being manufactured. Another 13 are expected next month, with a further 17 due between January and March 2027. The City of Cape Town is acquiring 38 electric buses for the expansion of its MyCiTi service to the metro-south east. Which MyCiTi routes will get the electric buses? If all goes according to plan, 21 of the electric buses will initially operate on the N2 Express service. The route runs along the N2 highway and serves commuters travelling from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha. The City says other routes could also be considered. This will depend on available capacity and commuter demand. The remaining buses will bring the electric fleet to 38 once all deliveries are complete. What do we know about Cape Town’s new FLEET? The fleet consists of 12-metre Volvo BZRLE battery-electric buses. They can accommodate 59 passengers each. They are also the first MyCiTi buses with bodies designed in South Africa and manufactured locally in Gauteng. The City previously received a prototype electric bus in July. It was tested on various routes to assess its performance on steep inclines, downhill stretches and in heavy traffic. City Mayco Member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, welcomed the latest delivery. “Given the steep diesel prices in particular, we cannot wait to see the difference the e-fleet will make in the operational expenditure where these buses operate,” he said. He added that electric buses could deliver significant savings. “Some countries operating e-buses have noted a reduction of up to 70% in operating costs,” Quintas noted. The City also hopes the fleet will support a more sustainable and resilient public transport system. However, further electric bus purchases will depend on the availability of funding from National Government.

A new 10-year Rwanda F1 deal to bring top-flight motor racing back to Africa for the first time in three decades has drawn strong criticism. First, from human rights organisation Amnesty International, which described it as a ‘sportswashing prize’ for Rwandan authorities. Then there’s the human rights backlash over war in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As such, DRC Foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, has been even more direct in her condemnation of the 10-year Rwanda F1 deal … 10-YEAR RWANDA F1 DEAL She recently told The Athletic: “Giving Paul Kagame this platform would help to polish the reputation of an authoritarian leader whose government has contributed to fuelling a devastating war in our country.” She also added that successive wars “have claimed the lives of millions of our people.” And she alleges that minerals extracted from the DRC are smuggled back into Rwanda to help sustain the conflict. Human Rights Watch has also raised concerns about repression, media freedom and Rwanda’s alleged role in the conflict in eastern DRC. SOUTH AFRICA SENT TROOPS TO DRC SA sports minister is adamant South Africa’s bid is not dead yet after naming of 10-year Rwanda F1 deal. Image: File Moreover, South Africa actually deployed about 3 000 soldiers to the conflict zone back in December 2023. This formed part of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) peace mission. However, the operation faced intense fighting when M23 rebels advanced on Goma in January 2025. 14 South African soldiers were killed, with more wounded. The deployment ended after SADC terminated the mission in March 2025, amid the rebels’ territorial gains. At the time, many believed the war would hurt any potential Rwanda F1 deal. However, that clearly wasn’t the case. In fact, many of F1’s biggest names are defending Formula 1’s decision to bring Rwanda onto the calendar. RWANDA F1 HAS ‘LEGITIMATE PLACE’ ON CALENDAR One such voice is Dr. Helmut Marko, who told RTL that Rwanda F1 has earned a legitimate place on the calendar. “Formula 1 was in South Africa for a long time, and Kyalami, near Johannesburg, was a very popular race. But Rwanda is an emerging country, and it’s simply a fact that different political laws apply there. And as long as sportswashing doesn’t get out of hand, it is a World Championship, after all. That means, of course, that all regions of the world should be included,” concluded Marko. – with GMM But what do you think? Do you think it’s good that Rwanda F1 will be a genuinely African race? Or are you sad South Africa is missing out? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below …

South Africa's biggest telecoms operators say they cannot endorse Icasa's biometric Sim rules as drafted.

AI is easier to adopt than to monetise, and agents raise the stakes for market infrastructure, writes Alicia Greenwood.