For nearly a half-century, Sujoy Guha has worked to perfect a male contraceptive. Now the 86-year-old Indian doctor’s idea is gaining momentum, raising the prospect of changing the way birth control is practiced across the globe.

Severe thunderstorms, heavy downpours and flooding are set to threaten parts of South Africa this weekend, with rain chances reaching 80% in some areas and disruptive weather expected to persist into Sunday.

Former supermodel Naomi Campbell won a legal challenge on Thursday to overturn a five-year ban on being a charity trustee after a panel accepted she had been the victim of deception. The Charity Commission watchdog had banned Campbell in 2024 after identifying “multiple instances of misconduct” at her charity, Fashion for Relief. Tribunal overturns Naomi Campbell’s charity ban The tribunal ruled on Thursday that there had been mismanagement, but Campbell was “not involved” and “did not know” about it. Instead, Campbell had been the victim of deception perpetrated by her co-trustee, Bianka Hellmich, who was disqualified from being a charity trustee for nine years. Hellmich had “used forged documents and a false email address” purporting to belong to Campbell, the tribunal ruled. She had received unauthorised payments and had hidden the misuse of funds and mismanagement of the charity from Campbell. ‘Hurt deeply’ The 56-year-old model said in a statement afterwards she had been “hurt deeply”. But she said the ruling meant she could “get back to what matters most to me: being there for the people and communities I’ve always wanted to serve”. After the ruling, the Charity Commission said its disqualification of Campbell had been made on the “evidence available to us at the time”. It said the ruling recognised that the commission, Campbell and others had been “subject to sophisticated deception”. Campbell founded the charity in 2005, aiming to harness the fashion industry to relieve poverty and advance health and education, by making grants to other organisations and giving resources towards global disasters. It was dissolved and removed from the register of charities in 2024.

Former ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe has lost his attempt to halt Special Investigating Unit (SIU) recovery proceedings regarding an irregular R27 million tuk-tuk waste tender, with the Special Tribunal ruling that his application lacked merit and delayed accountability. The Special Tribunal dismissed the ex-ANC MP’s application to stay proceedings against him and Enviro Mobi (Pty) Ltd and ordered him to pay the legal costs of the application. It found that Mabe’s application lacked merit and was aimed at delaying accountability. Special Tribunal dismissed Mabe’s application to stay proceedings A stay application is a legal request to temporarily halt or suspend proceedings. Mabe attempted to stop the SIU’s civil recovery action until criminal proceedings and a high court review were completed regarding an irregular waste tender. Picture: Supplied. This comes after the Tribunal obtained a preservation order in November 2024 to freeze immovable property in Steyn City, Gauteng, and a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS. SIU’s investigation found serious irregularities in a tender where Enviro Mobi was awarded a R27.6 million contract for 200 three-wheel motorised waste collection vehicles by senior officials of the Gauteng department of agriculture, rural development and environment. The City of Ekurhuleni later procured an additional 70 vehicles for R9 million under the same contract. 90% of funds transferred to accounts controlled by Mabe The investigation found that over 90% of the funds paid to Enviro Mobi were transferred into accounts controlled by Mabe and allegedly used for his personal benefit and for entities and individuals linked to him, including his wife, Mmatlhekelo Elsie Mabe, and his business associate, Tinyiko Mahuntsi. Picture: Supplied. SIU concluded that the tender process was irregular and orchestrated to channel public funds to Mabe through Enviro Mobi. The Mabes, Mahuntsi, four former Gauteng department of agriculture officials, Enviro Mobi and Kariki Media are facing charges for fraud, theft, contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act and the Prevention of Organised Crime Act over the 2017 contract. All are out on bail. The former spokesperson argued in his stay application that the SIU’s pre-proclamation investigation was unlawful because it formed the basis for the presidential proclamation; the proclaimed investigation was tainted, and the evidence from it couldn’t be admissible in the civil proceedings launched by the SIU. He also sought to have the SIU’s civil recovery action paused until his criminal trial in the high court concludes. Application lacked merit and aimed at delaying accountability – Tribunal found Picture: Supplied. The Special Tribunal found the SIU’s pre-Proclamation investigation was lawful and only preliminary, not a full investigation under the SIU Act and that the presidential proclamation authorising the investigation was validly issued. It also ruled that Mabe’s high court review has poor prospects of success and didn’t justify delaying the Tribunal proceedings. “It also ruled that the existence of parallel criminal proceedings does not prevent civil recovery action, as civil and criminal matters serve distinct purposes and may proceed concurrently,” SIU spokesperson Selby Makgotho said. “The Tribunal concluded that Mr Mabe’s application was an attempt to obstruct justice and was properly dismissed.” The Special Tribunal also said the criminal proceedings are a result of the SIU referring evidence pointing to criminal conduct to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). Picture: Supplied. Property in Steyn City and Porsche frozen Makgotho said the judgment builds on the SIU’s previous success in securing a preservation order against (formerly Enviro Mobi). “The preservation order was granted after SIU investigations revealed losses exceeding R25 million, fraudulent tender awards, and unlawful financial flows benefiting Mabe and associated entities. It prevents Mabe from selling, leasing, or transferring these assets while civil recovery proceedings continue,” he added. According to the SIU, it uncovered significant irregularities in the procurement of the 200 tuk-tuks valued at R27 599 250 for a waste management project. “Despite payments made to Enviro Mobi, evidence indicates non-compliance with procurement regulations, misrepresentation, and failure to deliver contracted services,” Makgotho said. Picture: Supplied. “The SIU will continue to pursue civil litigation to recover monies unlawfully paid, cooperate with the NPA in parallel criminal proceedings, and protect public funds by ensuring accountability in cases of corruption and maladministration.”

South Africa is poised to break its record for international tourist arrivals in 2026, as revealed by figures released by the Department of Tourism. Interestingly, two of the top three countries with the highest international visitors have also issued travel alerts warning their citizens to “exercise caution” when travelling to SA. SOUTH AFRICA RECORDS SPIKE IN INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS According to the Department of Tourism, South Africa received over one million international tourists in August 2026. This marked a 7.4% increase compared to August 2025. Between January and August 2026, South Africa recorded over 7,5 million international visitors, an 11.7% increase compared with the same period last year. Last year, statistics showed that around nine million international tourists arrived in the country. WHICH COUTRIES ARE INTERNATIONAL VISITORS FROM? According to data, during the month of August, the Top 3 overseas visitors to South Africa included: US – 37 134 United Kingdom –  25 749  Germany – 14 731 The same countries accounted for the largest share of international tourists throughout 2025. Figures were as follows for January to December 2025: US – 358 333 UK – 356 080 Germany – 256 878 TRAVEL ALERTS Interestingly, both the UK and the US have issued travel alerts to their citizens to “exercise extreme caution” when visiting South Africa. In May 2025, the US warned of crime, terrorism, unrest, and kidnapping in South Africa. The alert – which is still active – also warned US officials living and working in South Africa to travel in “armoured vehicles” when conducting missions in informal settlements. The UK government has claimed that terrorist attacks – citing the Israel and Palestine conflict, political violence, as well as Cape Town’s N2 “Hell Run” – are some of the reasons not to visit South Africa. Other countries that have added South Africa to their travel alert lists include Australia, Canada, New Zealand and France. Several African governments issued safety warnings to their citizens in South Africa amid a wave of anti-foreigner/xenophobic violence in 2026, with Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia taking particularly visible measures.

SASSA has confirmed Wednesday, 7 October as its fourth payment date for October. The date appears on the agency’s official October payment schedule. It follows the Older Persons Grant on 2 October, the Disability Grant on 5 October and the Children’s Grants on 6 October. SASSA lists 7 October as the payment date for all other grants not covered by the first three dates. It also serves as the final check for grant recipients across all grant types. SASSA has issued a clear warning: grant recipients who do not receive their money on 7 October should urgently visit their local office. The agency says its grant may have been suspended because it failed to complete a review. Grant recipients who bank their grants should check their accounts on the day. Those who use payment cards can check their balance at an ATM or retail pay point before travelling to an office. Why reviews matter SASSA reviews grants regularly to confirm that recipients still qualify – recipients who ignore a review notice or fail to bring the required documents risk having their payments suspended. A suspended grant does not reflect on the payment date, which is why SASSA links a missed payment on 7 October to an incomplete review. Grant recipients who visit an SASSA office should take their ID document and any review letter or SMS they received. Bringing proof of income and banking details can also help to speed up the process. SASSA also urges recipients to keep their cellphone numbers updated, since the agency sends review notices by SMS. Understanding the means test SASSA uses a means test to decide who qualifies for a grant. The agency describes it as a financial assessment that checks an individual’s or household’s income and assets against a set threshold. The aim is to make sure that only people who qualify receive a grant. The means test applies to all social grants except the Foster Child Grant. Changes in income or assets can affect whether a recipient still qualifies, which is one reason SASSA carries out reviews. Grant recipients who are unsure whether a review affects them can contact SASSA’s toll-free line on 0800 60 10 11. SASSA also shares updates through its official social media pages, including SASSA News on Facebook and @OfficialSASSA on X. Win R2 000 in the South African SASSA grant survey If you receive a SASSA grant and want to share your story, we want to hear from you. Take part in our survey and stand a chance to win R2 000. Your responses help us tell the stories that matter

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