A former Australia Post employee with over 30 years of service faces dismissal for making an unauthorised KFC stop and a series of unexplained absences.

After a stellar Man of the Match performance in Orlando Pirates' 2-0 victory over Milford, coach Abdeslam Ouaddou calls for patience with young talent Camren Dansin, emphasising the importance of careful development for the club's rising star

Flyhalf Nevaldo Fleurs’ 15-point haul propelled the Pumas past the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington in a round three Currie Cup game on Sunday. The Pumas won 20-15, having led 10-5 at the break, with their first victory of the campaign lifting them to sixth on the log. Boland, meanwhile, end round three in fourth position. Fleurs opened the scoring for the Pumas with a penalty goal, before Boland flank Kwanda Dimaza was yellow-carded for a shoulder-to-head tackle. But it didn’t prevent the Cavaliers from scoring the first try of the match, winger Xavier Mitchell collecting a well-executed cross-kick. The Pumas hit back on the half-hour mark when scrumhalf Thomas Bursey kicked a box kick and then regained possession. The hosts then copped another yellow card just before the break, fullback James Tedder penalised for a high tackle. The Pumas took advantage early in the second half when Fleurs scored under the posts and added the extras. Boland responded with a maul try to tighthead prop Dayan van der Westhuizen and Tedder’s conversion reduced the deficit to five. Pumas lock JJ Scheepers was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on but Boland failed to add to their tally while he was off the field while Fleurs kicked a second penalty goal. Winger Jayden Bantom’s late penalty brought Boland back into striking range, but the Pumas hung on for the win. In round four, Boland travel to Durban to take on the Sharks XV, while the Pumas face the Bulls XV at Loftus. BOLAND CAVALIERS – Tries: Xavier Mitchell, Dayan van der Westhuizen. Conversion: James Tedder. Penalty: Jayden Bantom.PUMAS – Tries: Nevaldo Fleurs, Thomas Bursey. Conversions: Fleurs (2). Penalty: Nevaldo Fleurs (2). This story first appeared on sarugbymag.co.za. It is republished here with permission.

Actress Shannon Esra has been revealed as Protea on The Masked Singer South Africa season three. Esra was unmasked during Saturday’s episode after landing in the Danger Zone alongside Leopard and Chopsticks. The detective panel chose to save Chopsticks, leaving the audience to decide which contestant would be eliminated. Before her identity was revealed, detectives J’Something, Somizi, Sithelo Shozi and guest detective Moshe Ndiki guessed that Protea could be Gerda Steyn, Sho Madjozi, Cama Gwini, Khutso Theledi or Moonchild Sanelly. Esra, who has appeared in productions including Lioness, Isidingo, The River and The Queen, performed Ain’t No Mountain High Enough before being unmasked. Some of Protea’s clues were linked to Esra’s career. One clue referred to her first television job presenting a children’s version of Gladiators set in outer space, while another referenced the time she worked as a waitress while pursuing her acting career. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Masked Singer South Africa (@maskedsingerza) Shannon Esra reacts to her reveal Following her unmasking, Esra said she enjoyed hearing the detectives’ guesses. “It’s something I’ve never done before and just such a vibe. The adrenaline…” The Masked Singer South Africa season three is produced by Rose and Oaks Media for Primedia Studios. New episodes air on SABC 2 on Saturdays at 7pm, with repeat broadcasts on Thursdays at 9pm on SABC 1 and Fridays at 1.30pm on SABC 2.

Wouldn’t it be nice to fill your tank cheaply? An entire generation of South Africans learned to drive, got their licences, and bought cars, never knowing the feeling of an under R14 petrol price. That could change under the perfect conditions. When was the petrol price R14? 2018 was the last time 95 octane fuel was reliably under R14 a litre. March 2018 to be exact. At the time, you could buy petrol inland for R13.76 a litre. This price was higher than the average of the time, when petrol fluctuated between R12 and R13 a litre. Again, in May 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, the petrol price repeatedly dropped to below R14. But never for periods longer than three months. What is different now compared to back then, and what would it take for South Africans to experience affordable fuel again? Brent Crude Needs to Drop Below $50 a Barrel According to the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR), in January 2017, the average dated Brent Crude price per barrel was $53.45 (R740.81 at the time). In July of that year, it dropped below $50 a barrel, to $46.48 (R598.19 in 2017) before jumping back up to $51.66 (R682.42) in September 2017. The average dated Brent Crude price would not drop below $50 for another three years. Then the COVID-19 pandemic brought travelling to a halt. The price of Brent Crude plummeted. Between April 2020 and January 2021, the average dated Brent crude price fluctuated between $18.99 (R350.74 in May 2020) and $49.20 (R734.55 in January 2021) per barrel. It hasn’t dropped below $50 a barrel since. The Rand Must Strengthen Against the Dollar When the price of petrol was reliably under R14 a litre, the rand traded below R14 to the dollar. For most of 2017, the rand traded at less than R13.80 to the dollar. The only exception was January 2017 when it was R13.86. Then again in December, it surpassed R14 to the dollar, reaching R14.09. The same applied to 2019. However, in the final three months of the year, the rand traded at above R14. Since then, the rand has weakened, with a peak above R19. The currency strengthened slowly from that peak and remains below R17 to the dollar. Yet it has not returned to a rate below R14 since July 2021, when it briefly dipped below R14. YearBrent Crude Average ($)Rand/Dollar Average2017$53.30R13.372018$71.79R13.132019$63.42R16.392020$43.15R16.402021$68R14.732022$97.86R16.252023$82.79R18.312024$82.77R18.63**2026$82.31R16.49** **Only partial data available. Prices are based on the DMPR’s petrol price archive, which only has records until July 2024 and June 2026. The Fuel Levy and Road Accident Fund Shouldn’t Increase According to this table, the price of petrol should be at 2022 levels. However, that wouldn’t be possible since the fuel levy has steadily increased. In March 2017, it was R2.85. Today, it’s R4.29. The Road Accident Fund (RAF) contribution was R1.63 in 2017; as of 2025, it’s R2.18. Transport Costs and Retail Margins Must Stabilise The unfortunate thing about petrol is that when fuel prices rise, transporting petrol becomes more expensive; for inland provinces, this exaggerates an already inflated price. Retailers also need to get their piece of the pie. As everything has slowly become more expensive, so too has the retail margin. Surprisingly, the margin has only increased by 80% in 9 years despite petrol increasing by 85%. Fuel price breakdown in March 2017 compared to August 2026 The DMPR has stressed these are only guidelines. However, they give drivers insight into why petrol costs as much as it does. ItemMarch 2017August 2026Basic Fuel PriceR6.12R14.68Fuel LevyR2.85R4.29Road Accident FundR1.54R2.25Transport CostR0.41R0.87Retail MarginR1.76R3.15TotalR12.68R25.24 *Estimates based on October 2025 reporting. These are some of the conditions South Africans should want, as it will make petrol affordable again.

Following The South African’s coverage of SASSA old-age grant amounts, one commenter’s stark breakdown of monthly survival on a pension has struck a nerve with readers, sparking a wider conversation about whether the grant was ever designed to cover the true cost of living in South Africa today. Sidney Mileham laid out the harsh reality in a single sentence that summed up the frustrations of many pensioners: “Fully agree my pension is R2400 my rent is R3700 excluding lights and water.” The shortfall of over a thousand rand, before a single light bulb or drop of water is even accounted for, immediately drew sympathy and shock in the replies that followed, with many pointing out that the numbers simply don’t work for anyone trying to live independently. Food costs add another layer of hardship Fatima Karodia picked up on the gap Mileham described, pointing to a second, equally pressing problem. She asked “and what about food? Prices are so high you look and walk pass some of them,” highlighting how grant recipients are often forced to choose between paying rent and putting meals on the table. Her comment reflects a pattern seen across SASSA-related discussions, where the grant, once rent and basic bills are factored in, leaves little to nothing for groceries. Not everyone agrees on what the grant is for The thread wasn’t without pushback. Ayeza Amathamsanqa challenged the framing of the conversation entirely, arguing that “the money is not for your rent though,” suggesting the grant was never intended to function as a full income replacement. Others took a more political turn in response to the hardship described. Barney Barnard called for accountability from those in power, saying, “Give ANC 2400 pm and see if they can cope,” while Andre Visser weighed in with a broader economic take, remarking that “a communist society works very well as long as capitalism is healthy and in place.” Together, the exchange paints a vivid picture of the real arithmetic pensioners are up against, a pension that falls short of rent alone, food prices that add further pressure, and a public divided over what the grant should realistically be expected to cover. Win R2 000 in the South African SASSA grant survey If you receive a SASSA grant and want to share your story, we want to hear from you. Take part in our survey and stand a chance to win R2 000. Your responses help us tell the stories that matter.

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

Eskom recorded a daily energy availability factor of 80.24% on 20 July, its best single day since 20 September 2017.