Argentina legend Lionel Messi agrees deal to buy Spanish second-tier club Eldense, expanding his football ownership portfolio after retiring.

The Red Bull Box Cart Race returns to Sandton Drive on October 4, bringing homemade carts, costumes, stunts and free family entertainment.

Dillan Solomons has warned Kaizer Chiefs that they cannot get complacent after a fast start to the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season. Chiefs’ fast start Amakhosi are unbeaten after five league games, winning three and drawing two, and they only trail Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns in the nascent Premiership table. Chiefs, however, won four and drew one of their first five Premiership games last season, before slightly coming apart at the seams. The onus is now on new head coach Fernando Da Cruz to make sure this version of Chiefs stays in the title race for the long haul. “Last season we were in a similar position, in our first five games we were really good, we were also unbeaten,” recalls the 30-year-old wing-back. “Then after the (international) break, that is where things went a bit sideways for us. A good start is positive but we have to come back from the long break and try to keep our consistency and keep winning games.” Chiefs do also have a couple of games before the international break. On Saturday they take on Polokwane City at the Peter Mokaba Stadium and the following Saturday they host Golden Arrows. Chiefs are coming off a 3-2 home win over Siwelele last weekend, but Solomons admits the result was better than the performance. “The result was positive for us, but the way the game went, we were not really happy,” he added. “We will take the result and the three points, but in the way we present ourselves we want to be better than what we showed. “We must try to be more defensively sound and to limit our mistakes at the back. But we did really well looking at our circumstances of having three not-so-tall boys up front. We kept the ball and made their defenders run and that paid off really well. ‘I think we are ready for the challenge’ “We need to improve a lot of things but that comes with time.” Against City, Solomons expects a tricky game and says his side need to keep the ball well to stop Rise and Shine’s fast transitions. “We have been working hard this week on exposing their weaknesses, and on how to control the game and frustrate them” added Solomons. “We know they are a transitional team and we need to keep the ball and make sure they don’t get those transitions. They are also a physical team and we need to go with the mindset that they will be physical and we need to impose ourselves. I think we are ready for the challenge and hopefully we can come back with the result.”

Tshepang Nyathi (20), who was stabbed to death during Spring Day celebrations last week, was buried this Wednesday in Refilwe, Cullinan, outside Pretoria. What began as a playful seasonal tradition on 1 September quickly turned fatal when an attempt to drench a passing man escalated into deadly violence in Refilwe Extension 3. Death over Spring Day water “While the accused was walking past, it is alleged that the group attempted to pour water on him.” He refused to play along. After being drenched, “He allegedly took out a knife and stabbing the deceased,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said. Reports said that the family of Nyathi is still struggling to understand what happened. She said it is painful to think that a simple children’s water game could end with their loved one losing his life. “Over water alone, someone had to lose their life,” she said. Suspect abandons bail application The 53-year-old suspect appeared in the Cullinan Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where he faces a formal charge of murder. He chose to abandon his bail application entirely, ensuring he will remain behind bars as the legal system processes the case. Police arrested the 53-year-old on the same day at Ekangala Hospital, where he was receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained during the mob attack. The court has officially postponed the matter to 27 October.

El Niño is back in the news, and if the past couple of summers felt unusually wet and green, that’s not your imagination. El Niño is a natural climate pattern in which sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean rise well above their historical average, reshaping rainfall, temperature and storm patterns across the globe. What’s actually happening right now According to the World Meteorological Organisation’s latest update, El Niño is now firmly established. It’s expected to intensify into a very strong event, with a nearly 100% chance of persisting through February 2027, the first time a WMO bulletin has stated this with such certainty. Weekly sea surface temperatures in the main monitoring region have run between 2.2 degrees Celsius and 2.6 degrees Celsius above average. The event is forecast to peak toward the end of 2026. A “strong” El Niño is defined as sea surface temperatures at least 1.5 degrees Celsius above normal. A “very strong” event exceeds 2 degrees Celsius. Only three previous El Niño events have ever crossed that threshold: 1982/83 1997/98 2015/16 NOAA now puts the chance of this year joining that list at greater than 90%. UN Secretary-General António Guterres summed up the scale of it bluntly: “El Niño is being supersized before our eyes.” Why this actually matters for South Africa Most El Niño events bring below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures across Southern Africa. In severe cases, they bring harsh drought. The South African Weather Service’s (SAWS) seasonal forecast points to exactly that pattern. Below-normal rainfall is the most likely outcome across most of the country from October to December 2026, with the November 2026 to January 2027 outlook showing a similar drier, warmer trend. The last very strong El Niño, in 2015/16, triggered what South African authorities called the country’s worst drought in 23 years. It significantly cut the national maize crop and caused severe water shortages across Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State. SAWS has warned that this event, combined with ongoing global warming, could bring an even higher frequency of severe heatwaves. It could also bring genuine water scarcity concerns. There is a small silver lining. Above-normal rainfall during the 2025/26 season improved dam levels and soil moisture across many summer-rainfall areas. That gives the country a useful buffer heading into this event. Experts caution, though, that this buffer alone doesn’t guarantee water or food security if conditions turn severe. So, should we actually be worried? The honest answer is: appropriately cautious, not panicked. As one climate expert put it, “It really does not matter whether this is a record or Very Strong El Niño. It is about the impacts.” A lot remains genuinely uncertain about how severe this specific event will turn out to be, and AccuWeather has said a clearer long-range forecast won’t be available until October 2026. What is clear is that this is worth paying attention to, not living in fear of. Staying informed, preparing sensibly, and watching how the forecasts develop over the next month or two is the most useful thing any of us can actually do right now. Have you noticed any early signs of El Niño’s impact where you live yet? Let us know in the comments below …

Six South African nationals remain unaccounted for following devastating flash floods in Nepal, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) confirmed on Thursday. The latest update comes as authorities continue efforts to identify victims and establish the whereabouts of those still missing after the disaster. READ | Gift of the Givers mobilises for six missing South Africans in Nepal DIRCO said it had arranged with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to collect DNA profiles from biological relatives of the six missing South Africans. The move followed a formal request from the Nepalese government for assistance with the identification process. The DNA profiles were collected through the Victim Identification Centre, under the SAPS Division: Detectives and Forensic Services. They have subsequently been sent to authorities in Nepal and to Interpol in Kathmandu. No word yet on missing South Africans Despite the identification efforts, there is still no confirmation regarding the fate or whereabouts of any of the six South African nationals. “Regrettably, there is still no confirmation from the authorities in Nepal or China/Tibet regarding any of the six South African nationals,” DIRCO said. The department said it would continue monitoring developments and remain in contact with the affected families. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates to the families as more information becomes available,” DIRCO said. South African missions assisting South African diplomatic missions in New Delhi, India, and Beijing, China, are also liaising with their respective host countries as authorities coordinate their response to the disaster. The diplomatic efforts form part of a wider international response following the devastating flash floods, with authorities working to locate missing people and identify victims. For the families of the six South Africans, there remains no confirmation – and no answers – as the identification process continues. DIRCO said it would provide further updates as soon as more information becomes available.

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.