A multidisciplinary crime-fighting operation in Limpopo's Vhembe District has led to the arrest of 127 undocumented foreign nationals, three employers accused of hiring undocumented migrants and several wanted suspects linked to serious crimes.

The Constitutional Court has issued urgent directions in the challenge to the Western Cape High Court's order suspending Parliament's impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa, with opposing parties given until August 5 to respond.

The Springboks will be aiming to continue their impressive recent dominance over their biggest rivals, the All Blacks, when they collide in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in August and September. It is the first traditional tour between the two nations since 1996, and will see the All Blacks take on South Africa’s four United Rugby Championship franchises, and then battle it out with the Boks in a four-Test series. Although New Zealand have the better overall record, the Boks have firmly had the wood over their Southern Hemisphere rivals in their most recent meetings, winning seven of their last 10 matches, and five of their last six. They will be hoping to continue that form and clinch what would be a massive series win, to keep hold of their world number one ranking, and make a major statement ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said he was pretty happy with the way their international season has started, with a big non-Test win over the Barbarians and three wins in their home Nations Championship games against England, Scotland and Wales. Speaking ahead of their trip to Argentina for a one-off Test against Los Pumas next week Saturday, Erasmus explained they just had to continue building up into the New Zealand series. Shouldn’t peak “We feel comfortable that over a four-Test series against New Zealand we shouldn’t peak in the first game and then not be able to last all four games,” said Erasmus. “We are fairly confident that we’ll be 100 per cent for the New Zealand tour. But a four-Test series is long, and the last Test is in Baltimore. “So we play the first match and try to win it, and then after that it’s another three Test matches, so I really don’t think you want to say from game one, we are so ready. “You want to build and build so that when it comes to the crunch matches you are at your peak. I don’t think any of us thinks the other team is going to beat the other 4-0. It’s going to be much tougher than that.” Erasmus also said he was looking forward to the franchise matches, where some of the players just bubbling under the Springboks will be looking to stand out for the Stormers, Bulls, Lions and Sharks against the All Blacks. “The franchise matches are pretty special. I remember playing for the Cheetahs in a midweek game against the British and Irish Lions and also playing my first Test for the Springboks against them. That Free State jersey has been framed,” said Erasmus. “It’s a massive privilege to play the All Blacks. For those players to face the haka is going to be an honour.”

The biggest schoolboy rugby fixture in South Africa, and arguably the world, will be played in Paarl, Western Cape, on Saturday. The South African schoolboy rugby season is coming to a head with some sides playing their last fixture of the year, including Paarl Boys’ High, who host Paarl Gim in the greatest derby there is. Schoolboy rugby classic It’s not just hype and attendance (thousands will be there). The quality of rugby will be as good as it gets at that level, as two of the best rugby schools in the country take each other on again. Gim are on a 13-game winning streak, only losing their opening match away to Stellenberg by one point. Boshaai, meanwhile, have won eight, lost four and drawn one. Their season has fallen short of the lofty standards set by the school’s proud history, which includes unbeaten seasons and first-place finishes. Still, they have won three matches in a row, including tough matches against Boland Landbou and SACS, both away. And coach Sean Erasmus has an excellent record in this fixture. Grey College host Grey High School in another huge derby in Bloemfontein. This schoolboy rugby fixture deserves all the hype it is bound to get in the Free State. Besides these, Paul Roos and Boland Landbou both play their second-last matches when they clash. Wynberg host Bishops, and SACS face Rondebosch as schools aim to make a final attempt at climbing the school rugby rankings. Selected fixtures Western Cape Wynberg v Bishops Paul Roos v Boland Landbou Paarl Boys’ High v Paarl Gim SACS v Rondebosch Parel Vallei v Tygerberg Strand v Belville Stellenberg v Durbanville Hermanus v Charlie Hofmeyr DF Akademie v Brackenfell Drostdy v Milnerton Punt v Swartland Hugenote v Hopefield KwaZulu-Natal Durban High School v Northwood Eastern Cape Queen’s v Selborne Graeme v Dale Marlow v Pearson DF Malherbe v Brandwag (EP) Nico Malan v Daniel Pienaar Framesby v Oakdale Hudson Park v Stirling. Free State – Griquas Goudveld v Fichardtpark Witteberg v Diamantveld Jim Fouché v Trio Sentraal v Beth Voortrekker Grey College v Grey High School Noordvaal Cup Rustenburg v Monument Waterkloof v Helpmekaar Middelburg v Garsfontein Menlopark v EG Jansen HTS Middelburg v Zwartkop Klerksdorp v Montana Nelspruit v Kempton Park Transvalia v Wesvalia Eldoraigne v Pietersburg Lichtenburg v Secunda Marais Viljoen v Ben Vorster Ligbron v Piet Retief Noordvaal Affies v Noordheuwel Pretoria Boys High v Maritzburg College KES v Jeppe Parktown v Glenwood

How much is Saturday 1 August Lotto and Lotto Plus worth on 29 July 2026? Well, it breaks down like so. Straight Lotto is worth R5.5 million, Lotto Plus 1 sits at R4 million and for Lotto Plus Max 5 you can tag on another R1 million. All tallied up that put’s the total worth of the Saturday game at R10.5 million. That’s a R1.5-million increase over Wednesday’s last game, which suggests someone did win a portion of Lotto Max 5 on Wednesday … Nevertheless, success for Saturday 1 August Lotto and Lotto Plus comes from knowing how recently one of the three lottos has paid out big. A bit like the old days playing slot machines in the casino, the longer it goes on, the more likely a payout will be. However, looking at the above figures, we can see small amounts suggest regular winners recently. This has been one of the criticisms of new game mechanics – that payouts, while more frequent, rarely allow winnings to climb to big numbers anymore. SATURDAY 1 AUGUST LOTTO AND LOTTO PLUS As such, Saturday 1 August Lotto and Lotto Plus has always been the National Lottery’s kind of bread-and-butter game. Cheaper than PowerBall and PowerBall XTRA, easier to win, but less dramatic when it comes to jackpots. Nevertheless, Sizekhaya’s 1 June 2026 takeover reshaped it even further. The core mechanics require players to choose six numbers from a pool of 1 to 52, which is reduced from 1 to 58 previously. As ever, numbers can be chosen manually or auto generated through the popular Quick Pick. Pricing sits lower than PowerBall’s controversial increase. A standard Lotto board costs R5, with Lotto Plus 1 adding R2.50 and Lotto 5 Max adding a further R2.50 on top. Therefore, playing all three together costs R10 per board. What players are still wrapping their head around is the new MultiPlay (MP1) option. It lets players add a seventh number to their existing six in each of the three games. And it gets proportionally more expensive as you go. The total combination if you add MP1 across all boards is R70 – that’s R35 + R17.50 + R17.50. However, your odds are massively improved if you do go down this rabbit hole. HOW TO HANDLE MULTIPLAY Do you prefer to choose your own numbers old school, or use auto-generated Quick Pick? Image: File If you add MP1 to Saturday 1 August Lotto and Lotto Plus across all three games, your total ticket will cost R70.00. Plus, if you’re using your banking app, be sure to lookout for digital banking fee of roughly R2.95 added to the transaction. So, the question remains, is it worth spending the extra money? Jackpot odds have already improved substantially under the new number matrix. The chances of matching all six numbers now sits at 1 in 20 million. That’s twice as likely as the old 1 in 40 million under ITHUBA. However, dabble with the MP1 and all of a sudden, you’re playing with seven numbers instead of six. This means your odds now become just 1 in 2.9 million, which represents a straight sevenfold improvement. And don’t forget that’s across all three games since they share the board. DRAW TIMES AND CLAIMING POWERBALL WINNINGS Remember, if you’re someone like a SASSA beneficiary playing Saturday 1 August Lotto and Lotto Plus, decide on a budget before buying lotto tickets, and don’t chase a bad week by spending more. The National Responsible Gambling Programme runs a toll-free counselling line on 0800 006 008 for anyone who is struggling. Lotto and Lotto Plus draw every Saturday and Saturday at 21:00. Sizekhaya brought back live televised draws using physical draw machines. Ticket sales cut off half an hour before the draw typically at 20:30. All lottery 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 Saturday 1 August Lotto and Lotto Plus 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 offices now reside 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 & 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.

A young boy who collected and sold scrap materials to financially support his family – as captured in videos filmed by philanthropist BI Phakathi – has received over R2 million in GoFundMe donations. The teen – identified as Wernand – touched the hearts of people around the world with his mission to keep his family fed and off the street. BI PHAKATHI TEEN BOY RECEIVES MILLIONS IN GOFUNDME Earlier this month, philanthropist BI Phakathi – who keeps his identity a secret – posted a video of a teenage boy named Wernand who had skipped school to collect and sell scrap materials. As with all his videos, Phakathi generously gifted money to the child to buy food and warm clothes and to help his family. However, a few days later, he posted a follow-up video in which he found Wernand back in a junkyard, collecting cans and scrap metal to sell.  Phakathi, along with fellow philanthropist Logan Mayberry, founder of the Reward the Kind charity, visited the boy’s home, where he discovered his mother and newborn sister living in squalor. Wernand revealed that he had spent years in an orphanage before being homeless and reuniting with his impoverished mother. Mayberry started a GoFundMe campaign to help the family secure safe and clean housing. The campaign, and BI Phakathi’s videos about Wernand has gone viral, raising over $124 000 (over R2 million) from close to 4 000 donors around the world. Mayberry shared: “He [Wernand] felt responsible for helping provide for his family. At just 14 years old, Wernand has become the man of the house…somehow, he continues to fight every day for his family. I truly believe we have a chance to change the trajectory of this family’s future. “The funds raised will help Wernand and his family with housing, school fees, food, and other general resources. This support will provide them with stability, safety, and hope for a brighter future” BROTHERS AND AN EMPTY PETROL TANK In another viral video posted by BI Phakathi, the content creator is seen coming to the rescue of two brothers whose car had run out of petrol. The siblings were spotted sitting in their car at a petrol station, waiting for a cash deposit from their employer to purchase fuel to go home. After learning that Phakathi would fill up their petrol tank for free, the brothers burst into tears. The brothers also received a wad of cash to purchase groceries and to help fund their trade course. View this post on Instagram A post shared by BI Phakathi (@biphakathi)

Chinese brands have gone from fringe players to a fifth of South Africa’s new-vehicle sales.

Why Pepkor's PlusB is the most credible challenge Capitec has ever faced, and what it will take to prove it.