The eThekwini Municipality is exploring alternative strategies to reduce its R67 million annual expenditure on leased office accommodation

" Spider-Man: Brand New Day" had the biggest debut weekend of all time at the domestic box office, updated figures for the United States and Canada showed.

New recruit Neo Rapoo has reflected on his Orlando Pirates debut after coming off the bench during the 2-0 victory over Milford FC last weekend.Rapoo, who joined the Buccaneers from Siwelele FC during the offseason, came on for Deon Hotto in the 75th minute at the Orlando Amstel Arena last Saturday.“Firstly, I didn’t believe it was actually happening, but once I came on, I just told myself to keep it simple and just enjoy the moment, you know, because I’m privileged to play for this big club and blessed as well,” Rapoo told Pirates media.Rapoo added that he has settled in well at Pirates and credits experienced players like Makhehlene Makhaul for making him feel at home at the Buccaneers. “It’s been good,” he said. “I didn’t feel new at all. I felt like I’ve been there before, everyone was friendly you know. Cash (Makhehleni Makhaula) has been a grootman that just taught me a lot and made me feel at home.” Rapoo ‘learning a lot’ from Hotto Rapoo was part of the South African Under-20 side that won the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations and later represented the country in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, where they finished in the Round of 16. The 20-year-old admits that such high-pressure situations have prepared him for the next step in his career. “Yeah, it’s a dream to represent your country, and playing AFCON and the World Cup has taught me a lot about playing at the highest level for my age group.“The pressure that comes with it teaches you to calm your nerves and just be ready for when you have to play in front of a lot of fans, and for Pirates as well,” Rapoo said.Rapoo will be competing with Hotto and Nkosikhona Ndaba for the left-back position this season and the youngster is confident that he has what it takes to make that position his own.“Of course, I’m still learning as a young footballer and learning a lot from Hotto, who has been at the club for a long time, but I do feel that with the quality of set pieces I can produce, I may stand out a bit. Of course they are both top players that I can learn from as well,” concluded Rapoo.

Spain’s interior minister faced off with hawkish EU counterparts Tuesday in a tense video call to draw lessons from the mass influx of migrants into the North African enclave of Ceuta — which laid bare the bloc’s fault lines on migration. The unprecedented sight of tens of thousands of people streaming into Ceuta from Morocco — dozens died in the attempt and almost all have since departed — left the Spanish government pitted against many of its EU partners. While Spain moved swiftly to send migrants back from Ceuta, the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has backed a more open approach to migration than many EU counterparts — including hardliners like Italy and Denmark. A hastily arranged videoconference of the bloc’s interior ministers Tuesday offered a chance to seek common ground — but also risked a showdown. A statement issued following more than three hours of talks said member states “were united in expressing strong solidarity with Spain” and commended its “swift and effective efforts” to resolve the crisis. But they also conceded that “communication during moments of crisis” could be “reinforced” and made “more coherent” — a tacit acknowledgement the European response this time around fell short on that front. Letter war Leading the hardliner pack, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has openly attacked Madrid’s migration policies, specifically a recent push to grant legal status to undocumented migrants already in the country. Both Italy and Denmark last week advocated suspending Spain from the Schengen free-travel area over the Ceuta crisis — a notion firmly rejected by Madrid, and which in any case is legally impossible under EU rules. Tuesday’s meeting was requested both by Sanchez — who wrote to the heads of the EU’s institutions at the weekend to berate the “selfish” stance of fellow member states — and by Madrid’s critics. Twenty-two countries led by Italy, Denmark, Germany and Hungary sent a letter of their own on the Ceuta crisis, warning against migration “policies that can serve as pull factors” and citing Spanish-style regularisation schemes as a case in point. The EU has significantly tightened its migration rules in recent months, including by allowing member states to send failed asylum seekers to so-called “return hubs” located outside the bloc’s borders. While Italy’s interior minister Matteo Piantedosi began his address Tuesday by expressing “sincere solidarity” with Madrid, he doubled down on that tough line. According to a transcript shared by his office, Piantedosi argued “the time has now come” for EU countries to set up return centres on the model of a deal between Rome and Albania. And he suggested the EU should use trade measures to pressure Morocco — which he accused of “failing to cooperate on repatriation, enjoys significant advantages in its trade relations with Europe.” “If a third country refuses to cooperate on the readmission of its own citizens, the union must be able to apply strict conditions across all sectors, using all the levers at its disposal,” Piantedosi told fellow ministers. EU heavyweight France has distanced itself from the 22-country initiative, saying it amounted to exploiting the deadly crisis for political ends. The Spanish government said on Tuesday that 72,000 people entered Ceuta from Morocco, of whom 70,000 have returned. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has commended Sanchez’s “swift handling” of the situation, welcoming Tuesday’s talks as a first step towards forging a “common European response”. The commission chief has urged the bloc to “double down” in five areas: preventing irregular migration in the first place via cooperation with partner states; strengthening external borders; implementing early warning systems; dismantling smuggling networks and reinforcing returns.

South Africa’s eight wealthiest individuals and families have a combined estimated fortune of $45.5 billion (around R746 billion), according to the latest Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List published on 4 August 2026. The ranking, which tracks the fortunes of the world’s billionaires using live share prices, exchange rates and publicly available financial information, shows little change among South Africa’s wealthiest business leaders since the start of the year. Johann Rupert remains South Africa’s richest Luxury goods billionaire Johann Rupert continues to hold the title of South Africa’s richest person, with an estimated net worth of $17.9 billion. Rupert, whose wealth stems primarily from luxury goods giant Richemont, comfortably retains his lead over former diamond magnate Nicky Oppenheimer, who remains second with a fortune estimated at $10.6 billion. Together, the country’s two richest individuals account for more than $28 billion of the combined wealth of South Africa’s top eight billionaires. Top five unchanged The rest of the top five remains unchanged from earlier this year. Capitec founder Michiel le Roux ranks third with an estimated $3.7 billion, followed closely by African Rainbow Minerals founder Patrice Motsepe and former Naspers chief executive Koos Bekker, who are each worth an estimated $3.5 billion. Further down the list, PSG Group founder Jannie Mouton occupies sixth position with $2.7 billion, ahead of retail billionaire Christoffel Wiese, whose fortune is estimated at $1.9 billion. Completing the list is Paul van Zuydam, the South African-born entrepreneur behind premium cookware brand Le Creuset, with an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion. Despite ongoing global economic uncertainty and local growth challenges, the rankings highlight the resilience and international reach of South Africa’s leading entrepreneurs and investors. Elon Musk still tops the world Globally, South Africa-born entrepreneur Elon Musk continues to dominate the Forbes rankings as the world’s richest person. The Tesla, SpaceX and xAI chief executive has an estimated fortune of $725.9 billion, making him comfortably the wealthiest individual on the planet. Below, the list of the top eight richest South Africans in the world as of 4 August 2026. RankNameNet worth ($)Industry150Johann Rupert$17.9 billionLuxury goods320Nicky Oppenheimer$10.6 billionDiamonds1 142Michiel Le Roux$3.7 billionBanking1 218Patrice Motsepe$3.5 billionMining1 229Koos Bekker$3.5 billionMedia, investments1 565Jannie Mouton$2.7 billionFinancial services2 233Christoffel Wiese$1.9 billionRetail2 438Paul van Zuydam$1.7 billionLe CreusetTOTAL$45.5 billion How far off are YOU from joining this list of South African dollar billionaires? Let us know by clicking on the comment banner below …

Weather forecasters are closely monitoring the possibility of one of South Africa’s most widespread snowfall events of the 2026 winter, with early models indicating snow could fall in every province next weekend. While still an advance forecast that may change over the coming days, weather experts say the developing system has the potential to deliver snow across large parts of the country between Sunday, 9 August and Tuesday, 11 August. Early models show widespread snowfall Current weather models are pointing to a multi-day snow event stretching across virtually the entire country. If the forecast materialises, snowfall could extend well beyond the traditional snow-prone areas of the Drakensberg and Lesotho border, reaching parts of: Gauteng Mpumalanga Limpopo North West Free State KwaZulu-Natal Northern Cape Western Cape Eastern Cape The forecast even indicates the possibility of snowfall in and around Johannesburg, although confidence at this stage remains low. Travel disruptions possible One of the biggest concerns is the potential impact on major transport routes. Current model guidance suggests the N3 could experience anything from light to significant snowfall, particularly on Monday, 10 August, with other major roads also potentially affected if the system develops as forecast. Motorists planning long-distance travel next week are advised to monitor updated forecasts closely, as snow and icy conditions can lead to road closures and hazardous driving conditions. Forecast remains subject to change Forecasters have stressed that the outlook remains an advance forecast, meaning confidence is still relatively low and significant changes are expected before the event arrives. Experts cautioned that the forecast “will certainly change over the coming days”, with snowfall areas potentially expanding, shrinking or shifting as newer weather data becomes available. It is therefore too early to determine exactly where the heaviest snowfall will occur or whether all areas currently shown on forecast maps will receive snow. More updates expected Meteorologists are expected to refine the forecast throughout the week as the weather system approaches southern Africa. Should the current projections hold, the country could experience one of its broadest snow events of the winter season, with the potential to affect travel, mountain passes and communities across multiple provinces. Residents are encouraged to follow official updates from the South African Weather Service and trusted weather forecasters before making travel plans for next week. I’ll be watching how this multi-day snow event evolves over the next few days, since a genuine nationwide event is a rare thing to see flagged this early. Would a snowy weekend excite you, or are you hoping this one fizzles out? Let us know in the comments below …

South Africa does not appear among the economies with a national AI strategy in a flagship new World Bank report.

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