President Cyril Ramaphosa has named South Africa's first statutory National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide to coordinate efforts to combat the country's GBVF crisis.

At the upcoming national congress, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) will unite workers from across the country to confront the pressing economic challenges facing the working class, including the soaring cost of living and rising unemployment.

Gauteng police are investigating two separate shooting incidents in the De Deur policing precinct, Sedibeng District. The shootings occurred in the early hours of Sunday. Shooting Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said in Thulamtwana, four men aged between 26 and 45 were fatally shot at a tavern. “A woman was also shot and injured. She was transported to a medical facility. The suspects fled in an unknown vehicle.” In Weilersfarm, two men were found fatally shot at the corner of Fountain Drive and Morning Star Street. “No arrests have been made, and the motives for the shootings will form part of the ongoing investigations,” Muridili said. Police have urged anyone with information that may assist the investigation to contact their nearest police station or Crime Stop on 08600 10111. Nyanga massacre Meanwhile, four men have been gunned down in cold blood in the Western Cape when unknown assailants opened fire as they stopped to fix a flat tyre. The shooting occurred in Nyanga on Saturday night, 01 August 2026. Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut said the Serious Violent Crime detectives have launched an investigation following the mass shooting in Nyanga. “Preliminary reports indicate that at approximately 21:55, the victims were travelling in a Toyota Avanza along Old Klipfontein Road when they stopped to repair a flat tyre. While they were attending to the vehicle, they came under attack by unknown gunmen who opened fire on them. “The victims sustained fatal gunshot wounds and were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel,” Traut said. Manhunt Traut added that the “unknown suspects” fled the scene and are yet to be arrested. “The motive for the attack is believed to be taxi-related; however, this will form part of the ongoing police investigation. “Four counts of murder have been registered for investigation by the Serious Violent Crime Unit,” Traut said.

A fair assessment of the way the ANC ran this country from 1994 is that it ignored pressing social issues until given a nudge by outside forces into the realisation that its inaction could cost it heavily at the ballot box. The two best examples are illegal migration and land. It took the March and March movement – and the realisation by the ANC that there was great support among ordinary people for that campaign – for the party to start tackling some it had ignored. Ditto with the land question: It was only when organisations like the EFF started making it the main plank of their own strategy that the ANC was forced to take stock. It was, by then, too late to revive the “willing seller, will buyer” process which, had it been started in 1994 could have seen huge amounts of formerly white-owned land transferred, along with government financial support for enterprises on that land. Playing catch up with the land question was the reason for the Expropriation Bill which, understandably, is scaring many people. That’s why we welcome the fact that the matter goes before the Western Cape High Court in Cape Town today. Our judges are our last line of defence against capricious and unconstitutional laws.

Kaizer Chiefs finished the first round of Betway Premiership at the top of the standings after an impressive away victory. Defending champions Orlando Pirates also began their title defence with a commanding win. Supporters were treated to an entertaining start to the new campaign as six matches produced winners. Only one fixture ended without a goal. The opening weekend also marked the top-flight debuts of Milford FC and Kruger United. It added another exciting chapter to the Premier Soccer League. KAIZER CHIEFS MAKE THE BIGGEST STATEMENT Kaizer Chiefs climbed to the summit of the Betway Premiership table. Amakhosi secured a thrilling 3-1 victory over newly-promoted Kruger United at the Mbombela Stadium. Flavio Da Silva opened the scoring for Amakhosi, but the hosts responded just before halftime with a Khethukuthula Ndlovu goal. However, substitute Wandile Duba stole the headlines. The Lenasia-born star hit a superb second-half brace to hand Fernando da Cruz a dream start to his league reign. Earlier on Saturday, Orlando Pirates made a strong statement of their own. They defeated Milford 2-0 at the Orlando Amstel Arena. Oswin Appollis broke the deadlock with a deflected free-kick in the 24th minute. Tshepang Moremi added a late second goal to seal a comfortable victory. Although Milford battled bravely throughout the contest, the defending champions showed their class when it mattered most. AmaZulu also celebrated an important opening-day victory after edging Stellenbosch FC 1-0 at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium. The fixture had been switched to KwaZulu-Natal after a shortage of available venues prevented Stellenbosch FC from hosting the match in the Western Cape. A coolly converted 59th-minute penalty from Zimbabwean star Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya proved enough to earn Usuthu all three points in a tightly contested encounter. Meanwhile, Sekhukhune United opened their campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Durban City FC at the Seshego Stadium. Bright Ndlovu scored the decisive first-half goal as Babina Noko secured a winning start to the new season. BETWAY PREMIERSHIP LATE DRAMA The only goalless fixture of the opening round came at the King Zwelithini Stadium. Lamontville Golden Arrows and Chippa United cancelled each other out in a disciplined defensive battle. Sunday’s action began with Polokwane City claiming an impressive 2-1 away victory over Richards Bay. It gave the visitors an excellent start under new coach Bayano Moloto in the Betway Premiership. The final fixture of the weekend produced one of the most entertaining matches of the round. Siwelele and TS Galaxy shared the spoils in a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Toyota Stadium. Sphesihle Jeza and Vincent Pule fired Siwelele into a commanding position, but TS Galaxy mounted a spirited comeback through a Sepana Letsoalo penalty before Veluyeke Zulu struck a dramatic late equaliser. The opening round of the 2026/27 Betway Premiership delivered everything supporters had hoped for. We enjoyed stunning goals and impressive debuts to thrilling comebacks and dramatic finishes. With Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates laying down early markers, the race for league honours is already shaping up to be fiercely contested. WHO DO YOU EXPECT TO WIN THE TITLE IN MAY? Share your thoughts by clicking on the red comments block below.

How much is PowerBall on Tuesday 4 August 2026 worth? Well, following a cascading-jackpot payout for PowerBall XTRA this past weekend, R63 million is the total pot. The straight, non-cascading PowerBall is playing for R60 million. And PowerBall XTRA tags on an additional R3 million. Crucial to game mechanics for PowerBall on Tuesday 4 August 2026 is how many rollovers have occurred since the last big payout. In the case of PowerBall, the last big win took place on Tuesday, 3 July 2026 when lucky winners walked away with R72 million. Since then, eight successive rollovers have occurred. Before PowerBall XTRA’s cascade on Friday 31 July 2026, its last payout was way back on Tuesday, 30 June 2026. R139 million split three ways. Are you beginning to see the pattern here? 30 June, now 31 July … The last PowerBall XTRA game of the month must payout, no matter what … POWERBALL ON TUESDAY, 4 AUGUST 2026 Nevertheless, the truth is no trick can beat a random draw. However, if you count the number of rollovers down, you do know when to play the game for the best odds of a split jackpot. New operator Sizekhaya doesn’t want massive winnings rolling over for more than one month. Therefore, being twice weekly, that equates to every eight games.  Of course, every number combination carries identical odds, no matter if you choose an automated Quick Pick or the numbers manually. While neither approach shifts the underlying math, do remember that picking relatives’ birth days is less effective, because they only go to 31 instead of 50. BEST WAYS TO PLAY POWERBALL Whether you choose numbers manually or opt for Quick Pick, your odds of winning PowerBall are always the same. Image: File For first-time players, PowerBall on Tuesday, 4 August 2026 involves choosing five main numbers from 1 to 50, plus one PowerBall number drawn from 1 to 16. While PowerBall XTRA is an optional second draw using the same numbers entered in the main game. This comes for an extra fee, of course. Pricing has jumped since 1 June 2026. A standard PowerBall board now costs R10 and PowerBall XTRA costs R5 per board. Therefore, playing both together costs R15 total. Tickets are sold at authorised National Lottery retailers. You can also enter via participating banking apps, including FNB, Standard Bank, ABSA and Nedbank. A large percentage of winners come from the banking apps, purely due to the ease and convenience of the medium. However, do note that some banking apps force a minimum purchase of two boards per ticket, effectively doubling the entry cost. Players must be 18 years of age or older to enter. ODDS OF WINNING POWERBALL ON TUESDAY 4 AUGUST 2026 Here’s the good news, by shrinking the number pool, the jackpot odds for PowerBall on Tuesday 4 August 2026 have improved from 1 in 42 million, to 1 in 33 million. And PowerBall XTRA carries identical odds to the main draw, since it uses the same number matrix. Of course, the next big change to your odds is the cascading-jackpot rule. If nobody matches all the numbers in the final draw of the calendar month, as mentioned, the jackpot drops down. It goes as far down as required to ensure a guaranteed payout, with winners sharing the pot as needed. Sizekhaya’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Fundi Sithebe explained it was this mechanism that split an unwon R139 million three ways on Tuesday 30 June 2026. However, that’s still small potatoes compared with the record payout back in February 2019, when a Cape Town man collected R232 million after 24 consecutive rollovers. Of course, we’re not going to see the like of that sort of massive payout ever again in South Africa.   DRAW TIMES AND CLAIMING POWERBALL WINNINGS PowerBall and PowerBall XTRA draw every Tuesday and Tuesday at 21:00. Sizekhaya brought back live televised draws using physical draw machines. Ticket sales cut off before the draw typically at 20:30, half an hour before the draw. All PowerBall prizes must be claimed within 365 days of the draw date. Anyone who misses that window forfeits their prize and the money is transferred to the National Lottery Distribution Trust for charitable causes. How and where to claim PowerBall on Tuesday 4 August 2026 winnings depends on the amount won: Small prizes (up to R4 999) get paid out directly at licensed retailers. Mid-tier prizes (R5 000 to R49 999) can be claimed at selected partner banks. Anything above R50 000 requires an in-person visit to a Sizekhaya regional office, with the original ticket and a valid South African ID. Online and banking-app players have prizes up R249 999 are deposited automatically into their accounts. CONTACT SIZEKHAYA FOR HELP Sizekhaya’s head office resides in Sandton. Image: File Anyone unsure where to start can call the Sizekhaya helpline on 0861 026 000. Or you can visit one of the eight regional offices nationally: Head Office/Gauteng at 36 Homestead Road, Edenburg, Sandton KwaZulu-Natal at 10 Rydall Vale Crescent, Umhlanga Ridge Western Cape at 1st Floor, The Barracks, 50 Bree Street, Cape Town Eastern Cape at 153 Cape Road, Newton Park, Port Elizabeth Free State and Northern Cape at 3 Barnes Street, Arboretum, Bloemfontein Limpopo at Gateway Park, Polokwane Mpumalanga at 29@Marloth, Nelspruit And one final note, around R257 million in lottery prizes currently sits unclaimed across South Africa from the previous operator. Therefore, checking old ticket numbers against those drawn (up to one year ago) costs you nothing and might just turn up forgotten money. You can do so by clicking past results HERE.

Investors have been waiting to see whether South Africa would actually follow through on real energy sector reform.

Nedbank has appointed Nikos Angelopoulos, formerly MTN Group's CIO, to the same role at the bank.