For International Literacy Day this week, NutriDay celebrated measurable progress at Morojaneng Primary School in Katlehong, where its Tubs2Classrooms project has helped improve learner reading fluency, comprehension and confidence over two years.

BRICS countries have been looking for a way to settle trade with one another without routing every transaction through the dollar. BRICSCOIN is one concrete answer: a settlement instrument — not a national currency, not a peg to gold, and not a digital token — that central banks would use only to clear trade balances with each other. Part physical, part digital, and issued only by unanimous consent of BRICS central banks — neither a paper currency nor a purely digital one.

Rand Water, City Power and government leaders agreed to form a joint committee after power trips disrupted water supply across Gauteng and parts of North West. Senior government and utility officials met urgently on Tuesday evening, 8 September 2026, to address water supply disruptions caused by repeated power interruptions affecting Rand Water’s systems. Urgent meeting called over water disruptions According to the statement, released on 9 September 2026, Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister David Mahlobo convened the meeting with Deputy Minister Jack Bloom, “at the request of Minister Pemmy Majodin”. Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero also attended, alongside representatives from Rand Water, the Department of Water and Sanitation, City Power, Johannesburg Water and Eskom. Power trips hit multiple municipalities The meeting received detailed reports on how recent electricity interruptions had disrupted water supply in several regions. “The interruptions affected water supply systems in Emfuleni, City of Johannesburg, and West Rand municipalities as well as Madibeng and Rustenburg areas in the North West,” said the statement. Officials also raised concern over a specific trouble spot. “The collective noted with concern the frequent challenges in City Power’s electricity supply to Rand Water’s Eikenhof system, which has negatively impacted the system’s ability to reliably supply water to municipalities,” said the statement. Joint committee to seek lasting solutions Stakeholders agreed to set up a joint working committee to tackle the problem. “The meeting agreed that a joint working committee will be established, led by DWS, with participation of representatives from the Gauteng Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Rand Water, Joburg Water and the City Power as well as Eskom and all other relevant stakeholders, to identify solutions to ensure that Rand Water obtains a reliable electricity supply,” the statement read. The committee will draft both short- and long-term fixes. “The committee will develop a response plan to address both the current challenges as well as options for Rand Water to secure a reliable source of electricity in future,” the statement noted, adding that the plan would go to the provincial intergovernmental structure. Residents urged to use water sparingly The statement encouraged continued public cooperation on conservation. “The meeting further encouraged DWS, Rand Water, the provincial government and the City to continue mobilising all structures of society to work with government in conserving water and on the importance of using water more sparingly, particularly during these prevailing conditions,” it said. It added that coordination had already begun paying off, noting improvements “to the extent that water supply challenges are improving and will need to be sustainably stabilised.”

Though he admitted it wasn’t as easy as it might have looked, record setter Jordan Hermann was pleased that he and Tony de Zorzi had managed to push through tough periods, laying the foundation for the Proteas’ victory in the opening match of the one-day international (ODI) series against Namibia in Windhoek on Wednesday. Hermann was superb, hitting 150 runs at the top of the order – equalling the record for the highest score on ODI debut – while De Zorzi contributed 74, with the duo combining in a 190-run partnership for the second wicket, paving the way to their side’s 99-run win on the DLS method. “I think we summed up the conditions quite well. It wasn’t as free flowing as we wanted it to be, but I think we communicated well and said ‘just stick at it a bit and target the right areas’, and I think we ran quite well between the wickets,” said Hermann, whose older brother Rubin was also part of the SA squad in Windhoek. “We got the odd boundary away, which helped us tick along, and I think we stayed patient and that was probably the difference.” Focused on team results Hermann was delighted to have built on his fine form, after he had made a half-century in the T20 International tri-series final against Zimbabwe last week, but he was even happier to have played some key roles for the national side during their ongoing tour. “I’m glad I can contribute to the team’s success. That’s always the main thing, and I think if you get man-of-the-match awards, that just shows you’re contributing in good ways, and I try my best to do that as much as I can,” he said. Having put Namibia on the back foot with a massive total (348/6) on Wednesday, Hermann hoped the Proteas top-order batters would deliver again in the second ODI against the hosts in Windhoek on Friday (9.30am start). Should they win on Friday, the SA side would take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series which was set to conclude on Sunday. “If we do (achieve another big total) we’re batting very well, but it will be difficult. Namibia are a good team and we never underestimate them, so it will be good if we can replicate that.”

The EU’s climate monitor said on Thursday that August was the hottest single month ever recorded globally, with ocean temperatures also reaching unprecedented highs as western Europe capped its warmest summer. In response to the assessment by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the UN warned that until humanity weaned off fossil fuels, the planet would only push deeper into uncharted territory. Copernicus observations go back to 1940 but other evidence – such as ice cores, tree rings and coral skeletons – allow scientists to place today’s climate against a much longer historical context. Warmed the planet “Humans haven’t seen temperatures as hot as today for, arguably, at least the last 100 000 years,” Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which oversees Copernicus, told AFP. Global average air temperatures in August were 16.96 degrees Celsius, Copernicus said – surpassing by 0.01 degrees Celsius the previous all-time monthly record set in July 2023. Copernicus said it considered the two months joint-highest given the narrow difference. Scientists say that human activity – primarily the burning of coal, oil and gas – has warmed the planet by roughly 1.4 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times and increased the severity and likelihood of extreme weather. Yet heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions rose to new highs in 2025. “The evidence is irrefutable: this is the spiralling price of humanity’s fossil fuel addiction, and the global climate crisis it is fuelling,” United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell said of the Copernicus report. More ahead Global sea surface temperatures also set a new daily high and tied equal-hottest for August, extending a three-month streak of record-breaking warmth across the world’s oceans. More than 90 percent of excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions has been absorbed by the oceans, sparing land from warming but at severe cost to marine life, reefs and coastal communities. Records tumbled in overheated basins like the Atlantic and Mediterranean and also the tropical Pacific, where the strongest El Nino weather pattern in the modern era is fast accumulating strength. These events are marked by unusually warm Pacific waters but raise the odds of wild weather thousands of miles away, from floods in Peru to droughts in Africa and wildfires in Australia. The warmer phase of a natural climate cycle, El Nino episodes usually deliver a temporary spike in global temperatures already elevated by long-term background warming. Scientists expect records to keep falling in the months ahead as this “super” El Nino approaches peak intensity around December and for 2027 – and maybe even 2026 – to become the hottest years ever observed. “Climate change makes every El Nino hotter, and until we stop burning coal, oil, and gas these record-shattering months will simply keep on coming,” said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist from Imperial College London. Sizzling summer Copernicus also said that August “marked the end of western Europe’s warmest summer” that surpassed the long-standing record set in 2003. The June to August season was defined by severe, back-to-back heatwaves that shut schools, dried up rivers and primed the land for devastating wildfires. Between mid-July and mid-August, the continent’s EuroMomo monitoring platform estimated that Europe saw more than 32 000 excess deaths. Scientists from the World Weather Attribution network concluded that a particularly strong heatwave in June would have been “virtually impossible” without the influence of climate change. ‘Exceptional summer’ But extraordinary heat was felt around the globe. On Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the contiguous United States has endured its hottest summer on record. And regions home to around 900 million people lived through the hottest July ever observed, according to AFP analysis of Copernicus data. “We’ve had an exceptional summer – not only in Europe, but other parts of the world where records that have existed for close to a century have fallen,” said Burgess, an ocean scientist and strategic lead for at ECMWF. The climate would “continue to get more extreme unless we turn off the tap to global emissions”, she added. Do you get the feeling it’s just getting hotter and hotter as each year passes? Let us know by clicking on the comment banner below … By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse

A Saskatchewan man has become his province’s newest multimillionaire after winning $44 million (roughly R512 million) in the Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot. His first thought after the win, though, wasn’t about mansions or luxury holidays at all. a refreshingly down-to-earth reaction Doug Putland of Prince Albert won the jackpot from the 8 August draw, with the win only celebrated publicly at a tailgate event in Saskatoon on 9 September. His very first thought? His truck. Putland bought the winning ticket at a Rosthern Co-op while filling up on his way to cheer on his beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders. On confirming the win, he said he “dropped the f-bomb” before adding, “holy smokes this is crazy.” Asked what came to mind first, he didn’t hesitate: “The amazing part is the very first thing I thought of was the truck.” His dream vehicle, a GMC Denali Ultimate, is now officially his. Coming from a family of 14 children who “had nothing,” Putland said the win felt overwhelming in the best way. “So, it’s kind of overwhelming in a way to know that I can set up my daughters and generations to come,” he said. Putland has three daughters and nine grandchildren, and plans to put money toward their education so they never face the schooling debt he grew up without the means to avoid. how he’s choosing to spend it Beyond the truck and his family’s future, Putland has a deeply personal plan for part of the winnings. His cousin recently passed away, and he intends to fix up the local ball diamonds in his hometown and name them in his cousin’s honour, describing him as his best friend. He’s also planning to travel with friends and family, and was gifted a personalised Riders jersey, autographed by quarterback Trevor Harris, at his celebration tailgate. I always find these stories genuinely endearing. A R512 million windfall, and the first thing on his mind was a truck and honouring someone he’d lost. That says a lot about a person, hey. Funnily enough, it’s exactly what I’d imagine a South African winner thinking too, just swap the truck for a Hilux bakkie. If you won a jackpot like this, what’s the first thing you’d think of? Let us know in the comments below…

Under MTN's new wholesale model, an MVNO that wants aggressive retail pricing can have it, but there's a catch.

From Royole's FlexPai to tri-folds: how the folding phone idea finally reached Apple's hands.