Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has challenged his players to dream of winning a second CAF Champions League title after securing their place in the group stages.

Investigators alleged the planned homes were never completed and that only structures were erected, allegedly to conceal the scheme's true purpose.

Rising Springbok and Stormers star Paul de Villiers is enjoying the extra responsibility after being handed the team’s captaincy reins, and is looking forward to leading a young team in their United Rugby Championship (URC) match against Scarlets at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 4pm). De Villiers was unexpectedly thrown into the deep end last weekend, when he received the captaincy at short notice after regular skipper Ruhan Nel picked up a calf injury in training and was a late withdrawal from the team that went on to beat Bristol Bears in their Champions Cup opener. But De Villiers acquitted himself well in tricky circumstances against Bristol, having to navigate 30 minutes with players down after a red and yellow card, and he has been rewarded by being given another chance to prove his worth by leading the side, with Nel being rested as a precaution. Top form De Villiers, who has been in top form for both the Boks and Stormers over the past few months, said he wanted to make sure the captaincy didn’t impact his game, while he was also comfortable with the other leaders around him in the side. “I will try to make this captaincy role not influence my own game. That is important to me,” said De Villiers in the lead up to the match. “I just want to be comfortable in that position with the group and team and gel with them. I feel we did pretty well collectively last weekend, especially with our discipline and the way we reacted to messages from the coaching staff at half-time. “Hopefully on Saturday we can do that from the first whistle and respond to the plans and what we want to do. I am quite excited to see how that plays out. We are so spoiled with leaders around me and that makes the job easier, especially last weekend against Bristol.” Emerging stars The Stormers have named a large number of emerging stars in the squad for the match, including four former Junior Springbok captains in the starting 15. De Villiers led them in 2023, star flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was captain in 2022, prop Zach Porthen led the way in 2024 and lock Riley Norton captained them to the Junior World title in Italy last year. Other exciting youngsters in the group include centre Markus Muller (19) and scrumhalf Haashim Pead (21), both starting, and utility back Yaqeen Ahmed (20) and prop Olly Reid (20), both on the bench. “It is a bit of a different challenge this week, with some new guys in the team and it being a bit of a younger team I think, with less caps and less experience. But I am excited to see what we can do as a team,” said De Villiers. “We also have got a massive bench and good leaders to help if things get tough (in the second half) and we need to make plans. But I am quite confident in this team and looking forward to showing what we can do.”

Head coach Johan Ackermann believes the Bulls need to provide more of the ball to rising star Luan Giliomee, starting with their match against Ulster at Loftus on Saturday (kick-off 1.45pm). The teams meet in the United Rugby Championship in the 20-year-old’s second match for the Bulls after signing from the Sharks following a prolific rise through the Blitzboks, Junior Springboks, and SA A – all since February. Giliomee features at fullback again, after playing 80 minutes when the Bulls smashed Stade Français 56-20 in the Champions Cup last weekend. This time, there is no dedicated cover for him in Springbok Willie le Roux. Former Bok Curwin Bosch covers No 10 and No 15 from the bench instead. Giliomee can also move to flyhalf if needed. Star scrumhalf injured After naming a much-changed matchday 23, Ackermann confirmed that Springbok scrumhalf Embrose Papier would undergo surgery after last year’s URC player of the season hurt his ankle agaisnt Stade Français. Springbok scrumhalf Embrose Papier leaves the field after sustaining an ankle injury during the Bulls’ match against Stade Français. Picture: Alche Greeff/Gallo Images It is unknown how quickly he will recover, but it is unlikely Papier will be fit for the Springboks’ return to the Nations Championship next month. Paul de Wet will start at No 9 against Ulster, with Zak Burger joining the bench. Bulls back Giliomee and Xamlashe against Ulster Ackermann said Giliomee did not get as much of the ball as they had hoped last weekend, after he shone for the Sharks at the start of the season, creating ample opportunities for teammates in two games, and scoring as many tries himself. “So we have to create that opportunity for him to do something special,” the Bulls coach told SA Rugby Mag. “But he was consistent and there was nothing wrong. That’s why we backed him to play again.” Ackermann also praised fellow Bulls debutant Sango Xamlashe, rewarding the former Pumas player with another berth at outside centre. “He showed good things, and in one of our tries he made the turnover, the pass and the clean so that we could score. His actions were great. “That’s why we backed him for another performance. As we said, if a player gets an opportunity, he needs to back it up.”

Are you registered to vote in local government elections on Wednesday 4 November 2026? With less than two weeks to go, now is the time to confirm you’re on the voters’ roll, and in the correct right ward you think you are. CHECK IF YOU’RE REGISTERED TO VOTE Go to elections.org.za and enter your 13-digit ID number. A green banner reading ‘You are registered’ confirms your status and your ward. Your voting district and station will be listed underneath. You can send your ID number to 32810 at R1 per SMS. Phone the IEC contact centre is on 0800 118 000. Use the voting station finder by typing your address into maps.elections.org.za/vsfinder to see your local station and ward. If you voted in 2021 or 2024 and haven’t moved, you should still be on the roll, but it’s worth checking. ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE IN CORRECT AREA? The good news is Wednesday 4 November is a public holiday. Image: File Here’s the catch, in local elections you must be registered to vote at the station where you ordinarily live. In 2024, some voters could cast a ballot elsewhere, but not this time. Your registration address decides your ward, and your ward decides which councillor candidates appear on your ballot. And it’s too late to change now if you haven’t registered to vote in your area. The IEC voters’ roll closed on 7 August 2026. What this means in practice is: Registered at an old address? Sorry for you. You will have to travel to your old voting station to vote. Not on the roll at all? You cannot vote on 4 November at all. Hoping for a special vote? Applications closed on 12 October, and special votes are only for approved applicants, taking place on 2 and 3 November. WHAT TO DO NEXT Check your status and station, and whether you are indeed registered to vote, and where. If your station is far from home, work out transport now. Bring along your ID: Smart ID card, green barcoded ID book or temporary ID certificate all count. Voting stations open at 7am and close at 9pm on 4 November, which is a public holiday. But what do you think? Do you know if you’re registered to vote or not? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below …

Fiji edged Japan 34-28 in Tokyo on Saturday to give new coach Jake White a winning start in his reunion with Eddie Jones, less than a year until the World Cup. The 62-year-old White led his native South Africa to World Cup glory in 2007 and went on to coach teams in Australia, France and Japan before being handed the Fiji job this month. White is reportedly being helped by fellow South Africans Gert Smal and Allister Coetzee. READ | Sonny Bill Williams undergoes open-heart surgery Roller-coaster game Jake White’s new side came out on top against Jones’s Japan in a roller-coaster game in the rain. The Australian Jones was White’s technical adviser for South Africa’s World Cup win. Japan and Fiji each scored three first-half tries, before visiting substitute Ben Volavola made the difference with two penalties after the break. The two sides had met in the Pacific Nations Cup final in Tokyo a month earlier, with Japan winning 20-15. Saturday’s game served as a warm-up for Japan and Fiji’s trips to Europe next month for the Nations Championship. Japan will play Wales, England and Scotland, while Fiji will take on France, Ireland and Italy. The game was being played to mark the 100th anniversary of the Japan Rugby Football Union. Perfect start Japan, wearing special white commemorative shirts, made the perfect start when Naoto Saito scurried over the line for a fourth-minute try. Fiji hit back just over five minutes later through Kitione Salawa, then took the lead when captain Tevita Ikanivere touched down after a counterattack. Japan captain Warner Dearns rampaged over the line to even the scores, but Fiji regained the lead when Tuidraki Samusamuvodre pounced on a mistake in the Japan defence. Upgraded to red Fiji were temporarily reduced to 14 men when Motikai Murray was yellow-carded in the 35th minute and Japan took advantage immediately with a try from Faulua Makisi. Murray’s yellow card was later upgraded to a red but Fiji regained their lead when Terio Tamani scored four minutes into the second half. Japan hit back with another Dearns try but Volavola stayed cool to edge Fiji back ahead for good. Jake White coached the Springboks in 54 Test, winning 36, losing 17 and drawing one, for a win-percentage of 66.7%. Meanwhile, Coetzee coached the Springboks in 25 Tests, winning 11, losing 12 and drawing two, for a win-percentage of just 44%. By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse

The presidency has pulled its website offline, two days after the PHP project released fixes for critical flaws.

A hacker claims it has 366GB of data from the insurer that handles injury claims for mineworkers and metalworkers.