The World Karate Federation suspended the board of Karate SA but the federation itself remains a full member, with interim boss Sean Ahmed in charge and athletes cleared to compete.

London Remley is set to represent South Africa at the World Aquatics Women’s U16 Water Polo Championships, aiming to make her family and school proud.

Master will take on apprentice when Spain coach Luis de la Fuente lines up against his former student, Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni, in the World Cup final on Sunday. Spain’s De La Fuente the teacher of Argentina’s Scaloni Nine years ago, Scaloni was just another former professional player pursuing a career in coaching, studying for his pro license at the Spanish football federation’s training center in Las Rozas, on the outskirts of Madrid. His teacher on the course? De la Fuente. In the years since, both men have gone on to forge successful coaching careers in international football. Scaloni, 48, took charge of Argentina in August 2018, initially on an interim basis – less than a year after taking coaching lessons in de la Fuente’s classroom. Since then the former Deportivo La Coruna player has led Argentina into a golden age of tournament success. He ended their 28-year wait for a major title with victory at the 2021 Copa America and then followed that up with the ultimate prize — the 2022 World Cup. Another Copa America title was added in 2024. Over a similar period, de la Fuente has overseen a resurgence in Spanish football fortunes that has left La Roja on course for a second World Cup win, to set alongside their triumph in 2010. Appointed in December 2022 after Spain’s insipid last-16 exit to Morocco at the last World Cup, de la Fuente, 65, has returned Spain to the top table of international football. A thrilling victory at the 2024 European Championship was backed up by a run to the final of the UEFA Nations League last year. Tuesday’s semi-final masterclass against France has left de la Fuente on the brink of topping those successes with a World Cup win. Warm relationship Both Scaloni and de la Fuente have spoken warmly of each other on their journeys to Sunday’s final showdown at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. “He was my mentor, and he taught me everything I know and now we are facing each other in a final,” Scaloni said of de la Fuente following Wednesday’s epic 2-1 semi-final defeat of England. “I remember after Qatar when we had a conference among coaches, and I had a chat with him for quite a while. He’s done brilliant work with his team, I’m very pleased for him.” Scaloni has strong personal and professional ties to Spain after spending the bulk of his playing career there. His wife, Elisa Montero, is Spanish, and the couple live with their two sons in Mallorca. On Sunday, though, despite his warm relationship with de la Fuente, Scaloni has no doubt where his loyalties lie. “Of course everyone knows I live in Spain and have Spanish family. I’m very, very sorry, but I’m going to try to beat Mr de la Fuente. “He’s gained my absolute respect, of course, not just because of the way that he plays on the pitch and manages, but also as a person.” ‘Great respect’ De la Fuente has reciprocated, describing Scaloni as a model student. “I have great respect for Lionel,” he said. “He has won everything with the Argentina national team. I agree with many of his ideas, I admire him professionally and personally. He is a great person. “Lionel was a very diligent student, with a great attitude and interest. He had the touch of someone who is determined to grow. Being his teacher is an honor. “But above all, I feel that way because I am his friend. We continue to have a great relationship and a great mutual admiration.”

South Africa’s classrooms remain shadowed by danger, despite repeated promises of reform. Pupils have already fallen into pit toilets this year – a grim reminder that unsafe sanitation still stalks schools, even as the department of basic education pledged full eradication by March 2025. Incidents of pupils falling in pit toilets in 2026 The incidents, from Mogogelo Primary in the North West and Zakhele Primary in KwaZulu-Natal, expose both infrastructural neglect and failures in oversight, highlighting how far the system still is from delivering safe, dignified facilities for every child. North West education spokesperson Vuyo Mantshule said a Grade 1 pupil fell into a pit toilet after a contractor – who was appointed to convert the pit toilets to VIP flushing toilets – abandoned the site before completion, leaving open inlets and unsafe areas. “The school did not barricade the construction area as required,” said Mantshule. “Two pupils ran towards the toilets from the school grounds, where they had been under supervision. Instead of using the functional ablution area, they proceeded to the rear side of the toilets undergoing renovation.” Meanwhile, early this year, Zakhele Primary School in Upper Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal, received a new toilet after a five-year-old pupil was rescued from drowning after falling inside a pit latrine. The child was rescued by the principal. Progress under the Safe programme Kathija Yassim, education leadership professor at the University of Johannesburg, said that under the department of basic education’s sanitation appropriate for education (Safe) programme, the original 2018 audit identified 3 372 schools with unsafe pit toilets. “As of April 2025, the department reported that 96% of these schools had been addressed, leaving 141 schools still awaiting completion,” said Yassim. “More recent parliamentary updates indicate that this has fallen further to around 135.” Yassim said it was important to distinguish between unsafe pit latrines identified in the Safe programme and all schools that still have pit toilets. “According to the education facility management system, about 1 770 public schools still had some form of pit toilets on site in 2024, although many of these also had alternative appropriate sanitation facilities,” she said. “In order to address this, the department has indicated R1.6 billion has been allocated in the 2025-26 financial year to complete the eradication of pit latrines and sanitation infrastructure. “This is a programme allocation rather than a per school replacement cost, as costs vary considerably depending on site conditions, water availability and the type of sanitation installed.” Government maintains backlog has been cleared Last year, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube informed parliament the Safe initiative had eradicated over 93% of identified pit toilets in public schools across the country. “This milestone marks a step toward ensuring all pupils have access to safe and dignified sanitation facilities,” said Gwarube. “The department has reached the milestone of achieving the 100% completion of all pit toilet eradication projects identified through the 2018 Safe Initiative audit.” She has confirmed that all 3 372 schools identified in the 2018 audit have now been provided with safe and appropriate sanitation facilities.

As unlikely as it sounds, by handing out free lottery tickets in SA, government would start to close its R800-billion annual tax gap. The frankly ingenious idea comes from Taiwan, which suffered from a similar tax-gap problem we battle with today in South Africa. The missing R800 billion is equivalent to the National Treasury’s entire budget deficit … As a result, R800 billion in business is being done informally each year in South Africa. And SARS cannot touch any of it. Transactions are cash only, not documented and that means there’s no paper trail for government to follow to take its cut. However, Taiwan boosted its tax revenue by 75% in just one year when it did this imaginative thing … FREE LOTTERY TICKETS IN SA The Taiwanese government started printing lottery numbers on all sales receipts. These numbers gave customers a free entry into that day/week’s lottery. All of a sudden, traders had to produce a receipt at the demand of the purchaser. And just like that, the transactions were no longer off the books. Free lottery tickets in SA would be a similar solution to the vast tax gap. South Africa’s informal sector is enormous. Beyond the hundreds of billions in turnover each year, it also employs millions of South Africans. Many of these businesses aren’t registered at all. Therefore, they are not seen as a formal business paying tax directly on their income. There has been growing pressure on the new SARS commissioner to bring more informal traders into the tax net. NEW SARS COMMISSIONER IN HOT SEAT Kieswetter brought in record revenue thanks to the auto-assessment, but Makhubu could do even better. Image: File Dr. Ngobani Johnstone Makhubu took over as commissioner of SARS at the start of May 2026, with big shoes to fill. He has five years to outdo Edward Kieswetter, and free lottery tickets in SA could be an ingenious tactic. So far, SARS has invested in better auditing tools and third-party data access. It’s also trying for real-time transaction monitoring and mandatory e-invoicing. Still, auditors face one basic limit. They cannot trace a sale that was never recorded in the first place. Like South Africa, Taiwan faced this exact problem a few decades ago. Its economy ran on small cash shops that rarely issued receipts. Then Finance Minister Ren Xianqun found the unusual fix of printed lottery numbers directly on ordinary sales receipts. Critically, by introducing free lottery tickets in SA, it would shift the onus from SARS to businesses/consumers to follow official channels. Government enforcement wouldn’t matter as ordinary shoppers would do the enforcing on behalf of SARS. Even paying a few hundred million a year in prizes is a small cost against the tax revenue gained. But what do you think? Could free lottery tickets in SA be a solution? Would you love to be entered free of charge to the lottery each week? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below …

Kaizer Chiefs face Spanish lower division side Elche on Saturday on Murcia, kick off time is yet to be confirmed. Coach Fernando Da Cruz fielded one starting XI against Rangers FC before naming ga completely different team against Al-Kholood. Several players from the opening match then appeared during the second half of the second fixture, pointing to a gradual balancing of workloads rather than a settled first-choice team. ROTATION COULD CONTINUE With every senior player receiving valuable minutes so far, another round of changes appears likely against Elche. However, this fixture could also mark the first time Da Cruz combines players from both opening line-ups in the same starting XI as preparations begin to move closer towards the new season. The defence could feature Brandon Petersen returning in goal after Renaldo Leaner started the previous match. Thabiso Monyane may slot back in at right back, while Inácio Miguel could partner new signing Thabo Moloisane in central defence. Bradley Cross is a strong candidate to continue at left back after only featuring in the second friendly. Midfield may also feature a combination of both groups. Lebohang Maboe could anchor the midfield alongside Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, with Ethan Chislett returning in an advanced role after starting the opening fixture. PREDICTED KAIZER CHIEFS STARTING XI VS ELCHE Based purely on Kaizer Chiefs’ rotation pattern during pre-season, this is a possible starting XI against Elche: Goalkeeper: Brandon Petersen. Defenders: Thabiso Monyane, Thabo Moloisane, Inácio Miguel, Bradley Cross. Midfielders: Lebohang Maboe, Reeve Frosler, Ethan Chislett. Forwards: Pule Mmodi, Etiosa Ighodaro, Asanele Velebayi. With the opening two friendlies used to distribute minutes across the squad, the clash against Elche could offer the clearest indication yet of how Da Cruz intends to blend experience with new arrivals before the Betway Premiership season gets underway. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS ON AMAKHOSI IN THE UPCOMING SEASON? Share your thoughts by clicking on the red comments block below.

The cost of South African internet domains is going up by 6.2% from 1 October – an increase well above inflation.

Prosus is set to pocket about €2.1-billion from the sale of its remaining stake in Delivery Hero to Uber.