Armed with the momentum of a tour-closing European sweep and the fearsome reputation of their Athlone Stadium fortress – where they recently dismantled the Black Ferns XV 41–24 – the Springbok Women assemble in Stellenbosch targeting the Ireland scalp.

SASSA will pay older persons’ November 2026 grants from 30 October, followed by disability grants on 2 November and children’s grants on 3 November, ahead of the local government elections.

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has revised its November 2026 social grant payment schedule ahead of the local government elections, with older persons set to receive their grants from 30 October. The revised schedule follows consultations between Sassa and various stakeholders to minimise disruptions to grant payments during the election period. National Treasury has approved the changes. New social grant payment dates Under the revised schedule, beneficiaries will receive their grants on the following dates: Older Persons Grant: Friday, 30 October 2026. Disability Grant: Monday, 2 November 2026. Children’s Grants: Tuesday, 3 November 2026. Sassa said the adjustment would help ensure payments continued efficiently and securely around the election period. “The agency remains committed to ensuring that eligible beneficiaries receive their grants in an orderly and reliable manner,” it said. Grants under review Sassa has also reminded beneficiaries whose grants are under review to respond to official communication and attend review appointments when requested. The agency has set aside Thursday, 5 November, for beneficiaries whose grants are under review. It urged beneficiaries not to rush to Sassa offices unnecessarily, emphasising that payments would be processed according to the revised schedule. Beneficiaries warned against misinformation Sassa encouraged grant recipients to use its official communication channels for accurate information about social assistance payments. The agency also warned beneficiaries to guard against misinformation and disinformation concerning social grants. Sassa said it remained committed to protecting the integrity of the social assistance system while ensuring continued access to grants for millions of South Africans who depend on the support.

The PA wants an apology from the leader of the DA in the Western Cape, Tertius Simmers. This, after Simmers said he has evidence that the PA was using money, food parcels and even drugs to get votes from the residents of George. “This is not an allegation. I saw this: handing out multiple food parcels to one household, people standing in queues at an individual’s house who is now a member of parliament, being paid cash to go and vote. “People in all three of those wards being given tik to go and vote,” he said during a recent media interview. Simmers said his party has given police evidence of these claims and described the PA as a “criminal enterprise.” “What I am saying here is factual, given to the relevant bodies tasked to deal with it,” he said. PA demands evidence PA spokesperson Steve Motale denied Simmer’s claims and requested him to produce evidence within seven days. “Mr Simmers did not make this claim about George in general. He named Conville, Rosemoor, and Pacaltsdorp, which are working-class, overwhelmingly coloured communities. “According to Mr Simmers, when coloured voters reject the DA, it cannot be because they thought for themselves. It cannot be because they were tired of being taken for granted, or because they wanted better for their streets and their children. It must be because somebody gave them drugs. “That is one of the oldest and ugliest stereotypes coloured people in this country have had to carry: that we are tikkoppe, that we cannot think for ourselves, and that our vote can be bought for a straw. “It is also cruel. “Families in these very communities fight tik every day and bury children because of it. Mr Simmers took that pain, turned it into a political insult and threw it back at the people who live with it. He spat in the faces of the people of George,” said Motale. Cast and drugs for votes? He denied that his party is involved in criminal activities, including the dishing out of drugs and the exchange of money for votes. “The PA does not tolerate vote-buying in any form, by any party or any person, including our own members. Anyone who has evidence of such conduct should take it to the SA Police Service and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), and the PA will cooperate fully. “If Mr Simmers cannot produce his evidence, he must withdraw his remarks and apologise publicly to the residents of Conville, Rosemoor and Pacaltsdorp. “After an insult this deep, he should find the deepest hole he can find, and stay in it. The people of George will give him their answer on 4 November,” he said. Motale also accused the DA of underhanded campaigning in the Western Cape. “Days ago, a PA candidate in George alleged in an affidavit that he had been offered R30 000 to defect to the DA. “Mr Simmers responded that political accountability must be grounded in verifiable facts, not merely allegations circulated on social media. We agree with him, and we ask him to apply that principle to himself,” said Motale. Why is the PA being linked to criminal activities? Political analyst Andre Duvenhage said the PA’s image will continue to be affected by the backgrounds of the party’s founders, Gayton McKenzie and Kenny Kunene, both former convicts who served time behind bars. They have both come out to say they are reformed men. “There is a lot going on around the leadership of the PA and the allegation that they have connections to the so-called underworld in the Western Cape,” he noted. Duvenhage said it is now difficult to differentiate between a true politician and a criminal in South Africa’s current political landscape. “And if there is a differentiation, who is the connection between them? The Cat Matlala’s and so on, including the entrepreneurs,” he said. Duvenhage said the problem with politicians is that they present themselves as honourable in public but are often less so in private. “You always have to look at the formal person or organisation and see what they say and look at the informal person and see what they say,” he advised voters.

The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in Gauteng has condemned the killing of four of its members who were attending a memorial service in Katlehong. The ANCYL members were shot during a memorial service of another member who was shot recently at Mandela Informal Settlement, on Tuesday, 12 October. Two were killed instantly while five were rushed to hospital. Sadly, two succumbed to their injuries while three remain hospitalised. The youth league has since described as barbaric, unacceptable and an assault on the lives and aspirations of young people. FOUR ANCYL MEMBERS KILLED IN KATLEHONG ANCYL Gauteng provincial secretary Mpume Sangweni said the continued killing of young people in communities was an intolerable tragedy. “We cannot continue to bury our youth while armed perpetrators terrorise our communities. Every life lost is a family shattered, a community traumatised and a future violently cut short. “The ANCYL in Gauteng extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families, friends and comrades of the deceased. We wish those who sustained injuries a speedy recovery and stand in solidarity with the affected families and the entire ANCYL fraternity during this painful period,” Sangweni said. VISUALS: Members of the ANCYL in Gauteng are protesting outside the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court.This as the suspect in the Katlehong shooting, which has since claimed four lives, makes his first court appearance. The deceased are believed to be ANCYL members in the province… pic.twitter.com/LjYuMC4gUB— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 15, 2026 MAN HANDS HIMSELF OVER TO POLICE According to the Gauteng provincial government, a man has handed himself over to the police in connection with the shooting. Sangweni welcomed the development and called for a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and ensure that justice takes its course. “We call on the South African Police Service in Gauteng to intensify its efforts to combat violent crime and the proliferation of illegal firearms. The guns that continue to take innocent lives in our communities must be silenced. “Our communities cannot remain hostage to violence, and young people must be able to gather, organise and participate in community life without fearing for their lives,” she said.

Special votes have hit a record high ahead of South Africa’s local government elections. More than 2.65 million applications have been approved. That’s more than double the number approved in 2021. Here’s what you need to know: approved voters will cast their ballots on 2 and 3 November, ahead of election day on Wednesday, 4 November. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) released the figures at a briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday, 14 October. HOW MANY SPECIAL VOTES WERE APPROVED? The IEC approved a record 2,655,067 special vote applications. That’s a 131% increase on the 1,147,759 approved for the 2021 local government elections. Applications opened on 21 September and closed at 17:00 on 12 October. According to the IEC, most were submitted through its online platform. The IEC also reported that preliminary figures show a 13% increase in voter registrations compared with the 2021 local government elections. TWO TYPES OF SPECIAL VOTES Special votes fall into two categories. Home visits are for voters who can’t travel to their voting station because of physical infirmity or disability. For these voters, IEC officials visit them at home. The IEC approved 678,525 home visit applications, up 33.7% from 2021. Voting station visits are for voters who can get to their voting station, but can’t vote there on Election Day. Instead, they vote at their station before election day. Approvals in this category jumped to 1,976,542, up from 602,850 in 2021. This includes voters who may be away from their voting district on Election Day, such as people working in essential services, security services and the media. WHERE THE MOST SPECIAL VOTES WERE APPROVED Gauteng recorded the highest number of approved special votes, at 480,721. The Eastern Cape followed, with 401,971. KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape rounded out the top six. Women made up the majority of applicants. They accounted for 74% of home visit applications and 64% of voting station applications. IMPORTANT DATES FOR VOTERS 2 and 3 November: Special voting takes place, at home or at voting stations. 4 November: Election Day for all other registered voters. WHAT ELSE VOTERS NEED TO KNOW For the 2026 elections, voters may only vote at the voting station where they registered. The elections will decide the make-up of municipal councils across the country. These include eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities. IS THE IEC READY? According to IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo, the commission is on track. The IEC has already printed more than 66% of the 79 million ballot papers it needs, and expects to finish production by 18 October. In addition, the commission has secured all 23,696 voting stations. The IEC has also distributed most non-security election materials to municipalities, ahead of special voting and Election Day. ARE YOU CASTING A SPECIAL VOTE THIS YEAR? Let us know in the comments below…

Skip camera recalibration after a windscreen swap and features like emergency braking may misfire, the AA has warned.

The country is debating where its data should live. The organisations inside it are losing control of theirs one copy at a time – mostly to suppliers down the road.