Reader responses to a recent commentary highlight how corruption, weak infrastructure and low trust undermine South Africa’s efforts to create jobs—even when short-term fuel relief eases pressure on households.

The Labour Court upheld the reinstatement of a Ster-Kinekor employee after finding that the company had not proved she breached a workplace rule by tasting popcorn to check its salt levels.

It has yet to be confirmed, but Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx is believed to be on the verge of signing a deal with the Bulls. The two-time World Cup winner revealed last week he would not return to Japan and his club, Kubota, after this season. Marx, who previously played for the Lions in South Africa, under the guidance of coach Johan Ackermann, is set to team up with him again at the Bulls, according to Rapport. Ackermann took charge of the Pretoria-based team at the beginning of last season and is now into his second season in charge. According to the Afrikaans Sunday publication, the 32-year-old Marx will join the Bulls on 1 July next year.Rapport reported on Sunday that the dealings between Marx and the Bulls were “90% complete”, according to a source. There have been rumours for a while that Marx wanted to return to South Africa and that the Bulls were his preferred team to play for. “Due to family circumstances, I have made the difficult decision not to renew my contract beyond the 2026-27 season [with Kubota Spears] and to return to South Africa,” Marx said in a statement last week. Marx will compete with the likes of rising star Jan-Hendrik Wessels as well as more established hookers Johan Grobelaar and Akker van der Merwe at the Bulls. Juann Else is also on the Bulls’ books, while Marco van Staden has transformed into a bit of a utility player in recent times and switches between flank and hooker. The Bulls have also welcomed another former Lions player in recent times, utility loose forward Kwagga Smith. The 33-year-old has signed a three-year deal and also formerly played under Ackermann at the Lions. He will be available for selection from December. Meanwhile, Rapport also broke the news on Sunday that Stormers and Springbok fullback Damian Willemse is being hunted by at least one Japanese club, Suntory Sungoliath. The 28-year-old’s Stormers contract ends in June next year. According to the report, the Stormers are in the process of negotiating an extension of the World Cup winner’s contract.

The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards has announced its 2026 finalists, showcasing the humorous and unexpected side of the natural world through wildlife photography and video. This year’s competition attracted more than 10 000 entries from 112 countries, with images capturing everything from playful antics to unusual animal encounters. Founded in 2015, the awards use humour to encourage greater appreciation of wildlife and raise awareness of conservation. The overall and category winners will be announced in London on 8 December 2026. (For best view, click on image for fullscreen) Indian photographer Shailza Singhal captured a playful optical illusion in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, where an elephant appears to nudge a distant safari vehicle crossing the lakebed. A calf follows behind as the perfectly timed alignment of the animals, jeep and vast landscape creates the impression of an elephant enforcing its own traffic rules. Picture: Shailza Singhal Polish photographer Robert Gondek captured a Senegal chameleon crossing sandy ground in Togo, West Africa, with front feet raised as if the surface were too hot to touch. Its cautious stance and serious expression give the small reptile the appearance of a tiny action hero navigating a dangerous landscape. Picture: Robert Gondek British photographer Cliff Fawcett captured a humorous moment in Addo National Park, South Africa, when a juvenile elephant swung its trunk across its eye, seemingly trying to hide from the world. Fawcett was observing a herd gathered at a waterhole when the youngster’s playful antics caught his attention. Picture: Cliff Fawcett American photographer Tanner Mansell captured a wild orangutan in the rainforests of Borneo appearing to raise its middle finger towards the camera while finishing a meal. The coincidental gesture gives the great ape a cheeky, human-like expression, offering a humorous glimpse of its personality while highlighting the importance of protecting its threatened forest habitat. Picture: Tanner Mansell British photographer Lee Frost captured an azure damselfly peeking through a natural opening in a leaf in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK. After photographing insects at dawn, Frost spotted the sleepy damselfly seemingly emerging through the leaf and raising a leg in a cheerful wave just as he pressed the shutter. Picture: Lee Frost American photographer Heather Cudworth captured a young elephant being showered in dust by its mother during a severe drought in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park. The mother was taking a dust bath when she flung a large cloud of dirt and grass directly into her youngster’s face, illustrating the unexpected consequences of even the most ordinary actions. Picture: Heather Cudworth Singaporean photographer David Lee captured a split-second mishap as a long-tailed macaque leapt between trees and appeared to crash-land against a trunk. The monkey’s startled reaction highlights the risks behind the agility and playful antics of life in the forest canopy. Picture: David Lee Belgian photographer Natalie Veekmans captured two beavers in the Ardennes, Belgium, appearing to pose for the camera without interrupting their daily routine. The relaxed pair seem entirely unbothered by their human observer, offering a charming glimpse of wildlife at ease in its natural surroundings. Picture: Natalie Veekmans Vietnamese photographer Thong Duy Vu captured a sunbird bathing in a bright red banana blossom, using the flower as a natural birdbath. The tiny bird’s bathing antics turn an ordinary moment in the forest into a charming wildlife scene. Picture: Thong Duy Vu Finnish photographer Tapani Linnanmäki captured a white-tailed eagle showing off its impressive plumage on the frozen sea near Kustavi, on Finland’s western coast. Linnanmäki has photographed the eagle at the same location over several winters, taking advantage of its regular visits to capture the bird in its natural environment. Picture: Tapani Linnanmäki Dutch photographer Dirk Koster photographed three young giraffes in Kenya’s Masai Mara in 2025, with an umbrella acacia perfectly aligned behind the middle giraffe’s head, making it appear to be sporting a leafy green hairstyle or hat. The unplanned moment highlights how patience and careful observation can reveal the humour in wildlife. Picture: Dirk Koster Norwegian photographer Eigil B Jensen captured an anhinga struggling to free a fish that had become impaled on its sharp beak in the Rio Frio river near Los Chiles, Costa Rica. Photographing from a boat, Jensen captured a series of images of the bird’s attempts to release its prey, later noticing the bird’s eye seemingly looking directly at him. Picture: Eigil B Jensen 1/12 MORE PICTURES: Cosplayers, gaming and pop culture take centre stage at Comic Con Africa

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned that severe thunderstorms could cause localised disruptions to electricity and communication services in affected areas as special voting gets underway. SAWS has issued a Yellow Level 1 warning for severe thunderstorms in several areas, including parts of Gauteng and the Free State. The warning highlights possible localised flooding, damage to property and temporary structures, and disruptions to power supply and communications. Which areas face severe thunderstorm warning? According to SAWS, the Yellow Level 1 warning covers: Southern parts of Gauteng. Eastern parts of the Free State. Extreme south-western parts of Mpumalanga. Extreme north-eastern escarpment areas of the Eastern Cape. Could thunderstorms affect special voting? Special voting takes place on Monday, 2 November, and Tuesday, 3 November, ahead of the main voting day. The warning raises concerns about possible interruptions to electricity and communication services in affected communities. However, SAWS has not specifically warned that voting operations will be disrupted, and the weather warning does not mean polling stations will necessarily experience problems. Why are power and communication services at risk? Severe thunderstorms can damage electricity infrastructure when lightning strikes equipment or strong winds bring down trees and power lines. Heavy rainfall can also flood electrical installations, while damaged infrastructure may interrupt mobile network services. SAWS has identified these as possible impacts of Monday’s thunderstorms. However, the warning does not confirm that any outages have occurred. What should voters know? The IEC has approved more than 2.6 million applications for special voting, including voters who will cast their ballots at voting stations and those who qualify for home visits. Voters should follow official weather updates and announcements from the IEC throughout the two-day special voting period. Residents in affected areas should monitor SAWS warnings and updates from their municipalities. Anyone who experiences an electricity or communication outage should report it to the relevant service provider. The weather warning remains subject to updates as conditions change.

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz has refused to concede that his team is out of the title race. This comes after Amakhosi‘s 2-1 defeat to Orlando Pirates in the Soweto Derby this past weekend. A loss sees Chiefs 11 points behind Pirates after nine matches played. Da Cruz, though, feels there are still 21 matches to play and his team are not out of the title picture yet. “I will say that it is more difficult today after this game but the PSL is a long journey so there is 21 fixtures remaining but when we recover our injured players, because we have been unlucky since the start of the season, we will have more consistency in our performance because we had a lot of draws this season but we deserved to win this game but because of our lack of expereince we didn’t win this game but it will turn in our favour when we recover our full squad,” said da Cruz as per SABC Sport. Da Cruz takes lesson from Chiefs loss to Pirates Da Cruz said the Soweto Derby was a good experiene for some of the younger players in the team. “It’s a good question – we must use these types of games to grow players and to reach the next steps. The players must understand that even though we play well, it’s not enough – we must reach the next steps now. So, we must continue to work, but it takes time. We can’t achieve this overnight – we can’t gain experience from one day to the next. We must continue to learn from competitions of different levels.” Da Cruz’s next task with Chiefs will be the Carling Knockout as he seeks to win his first trophy in South Africa. Do you think Chiefs can still fight for the title?

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MTN Nigeria's service revenue growth recovered to 19.7% in the third quarter after a second-quarter slump.