By 5am, in temperatures hovering around 5°C , the queue outside H&M Sandton had begun to form. Wrapped in scarves, puffer jackets and blankets, shoppers waited in the Johannesburg winter darkness for access to the Stella McCartney collaboration before the doors opened. Some had come for specific pieces. Others wanted the experience. By sunrise, phones were out, documenting the growing line that snaked along the entrance as security guards managed the crowd outside one of the most anticipated fashion launches of the season. Twenty years after Stella McCartney’s first collaboration with H&M helped redefine the relationship between luxury fashion and the high street, the British designer’s return arrives in a dramatically different retail climate.  Consumers are more economically constrained, fashion is more digitally driven and sustainability has shifted from niche concern to central marketing language. Yet the appetite for fashion spectacle remains intact. Inside the store, shoppers moved quickly between rails carrying oversized tailoring, striped shirting, structured wool blazers, lace-trimmed dresses and accessories marked by McCartney’s signature chain detailing.  Large mesh totes in translucent red drew immediate attention, alongside chain loafers and oversized shirts finished with recycled glass embellishments. The collection leans heavily into nostalgia while attempting to reposition fast fashion through the language of sustainability. H&M’s campaign material foregrounds recycled polyester, organic cotton, recycled metals and alternative materials throughout the range. The emphasis is not incidental. It reflects the growing pressure on global fashion brands to demonstrate environmental consciousness at a time when the fashion industry faces increasing scrutiny over waste, overproduction and labour practices. McCartney has long occupied a distinct position in luxury fashion as one of the industry’s earliest and most vocal advocates for sustainable design. Her rejection of leather and fur, once considered commercially risky within luxury fashion, has become increasingly aligned with shifting consumer sentiment, particularly among younger shoppers. But the collaboration also exposes one of fashion’s central contradictions. H&M remains one of the world’s largest fast fashion retailers, operating in a business model built on scale and rapid consumption. The result is a collection attempting to merge exclusivity with accessibility, and sustainability with mass retail. The tension was visible throughout the launch. Shoppers moved between price points ranging from R529 T-shirts to structured tailoring and outerwear approaching R4 500. Some gravitated towards wearable investment pieces such as oversized striped shirts and black wool blazers.  Others searched immediately for the more visibly collectible items: red mesh totes, graphic tees and embellished separates that probably dominated social media feeds within hours of the launch. The atmosphere felt less like conventional retail and more like event culture. Fashion launches increasingly operate within the logic of scarcity and digital visibility. Consumers are no longer simply purchasing clothing. They are participating in a cultural moment designed to circulate online. The queue itself became part of the performance. That dynamic reflects broader shifts in global retail. Under economic pressure, consumers are often buying fewer items while placing greater emphasis on statement purchases tied to identity, aspiration and perceived longevity.  Collaborations between luxury designers and mass retailers continue to thrive precisely because they occupy the middle ground between exclusivity and accessibility. In South Africa, the tension is particularly pronounced. Rising living costs and constrained household spending have reshaped discretionary consumption across sectors. Yet aspirational retail remains remarkably resilient, particularly when attached to global cultural brands capable of generating both scarcity and social capital. Fashion has also become increasingly intertwined with digital identity. Certain pieces are purchased as much for how they circulate online as for how frequently they are worn.  The Stella McCartney collaboration appears acutely aware of the reality. Oversized silhouettes, translucent accessories, logo placement and archival references all lend themselves to immediate social media recognition. At Sandton, shoppers photographed rails before trying on garments. Friends FaceTimed each other from inside the store. Some arrived with screenshots of specific items saved to their phones overnight.  The launch unfolded as both retail experience and content production line. Beneath the spectacle, there were signs of a quieter shift in consumer taste. The strongest pieces in the collection were not necessarily the loudest.  Oversized shirting, structured tailoring and understated accessories drew sustained attention from shoppers seeking items with longer-term wearability rather than novelty alone. That may ultimately explain the enduring power of collaborations like this one.  Two decades after Stella McCartney first partnered with H&M, consumers remain drawn not only to designer names but to the promise of transformation attached to them — the idea that fashion can briefly offer access to another world, another identity, another version of oneself. On a freezing Johannesburg morning, hundreds queued before sunrise for precisely that possibility.

There are interviews that pass through you and then there are those that stay with you long after the microphones are switched off. Recently, as I was hosting Power Week, I sat across from Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane (SC) for what was meant to be an hour-long conversation. It turned into something far more enduring, a meditation on justice, identity, anger, dignity and, ultimately, the unfinished work of building a nation. Perhaps this is where it must begin. I have often wondered what it is that can truly unite us as a nation, what thread is strong enough to bind our many histories, our wounds, our hopes. I am beginning to believe that the answer may lie in something both simple and demanding: the search for justice. Not justice as an abstract ideal but as a shared commitment. Your justice must matter to me. My justice must matter to you. Their justice must matter to all of us. Because a nation is not built on comfort or convenience but on a collective refusal to look away from what is wrong. If we can learn to carry one another’s burdens of injustice as our own, then perhaps we will not only find justice but we will finally find each other. The thread that held the conversation together was clear from the beginning: justice. Not the abstract kind confined to courtrooms and legal textbooks but justice as a lived pursuit. Justice as a lifelong calling. Justice as something that must be wrestled with, not merely referenced. I walked into that interview expecting answers. I walked out with questions. Too many questions. Perhaps that is the point. Let me begin with a moment of levity, because even in the heaviest conversations, humour reminds us of our shared humanity. Sikhakhane and I discovered we have two things in common: we were both teachers, though I must confess I lasted a grand total of three months. He once wanted to be a preacher. I, on the other hand, came close to becoming a Catholic priest. Somewhere along the way, we both found ourselves standing behind microphones instead of pulpits, still trying to make sense of the human condition, still trying to guide, challenge and provoke thought. But the conversation quickly moved from laughter to something deeper. At my request, Sikhakhane repeated a line he had just delivered, a line that demanded to be heard again, not just by the listeners but by me, so that I could fully absorb its weight. He said his mother taught him that it is better to starve in dignity than to eat in shame. In a country where corruption continues to rob the poor and hollow out the state, that line felt like both a moral compass and a quiet indictment. It speaks to those who pursue ill-gotten gains, those who rationalise theft in the language of entitlement or survival. It reminds us that justice is not only about legality; it is about dignity. It is about the choices we make when no one is watching. I found myself asking: what would our country look like if we all lived by that one lesson? We often speak about justice as something external, something to be demanded, legislated and enforced. But Sikhakhane brought it back to the personal. Justice begins with the self. It begins with how we earn, how we treat others, how we show up in the world. From there, the conversation turned to kindness and the uncomfortable truth about how we measure it. He argued that kindness is not revealed in how we treat those we like but in how we treat those we dislike or those we consider beneath us. It is an unsettling idea because it exposes the conditional nature of our compassion. It brought to mind the words of Nelson Mandela, who reminded us that “a nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but by how it treats its lowest ones.” That statement is often quoted but rarely lived. It demands a level of introspection that many of us are not always prepared for. What does our treatment of the most vulnerable say about us as a society? What does it say about our pursuit of justice? As the host of the show, I had received numerous messages ahead of the interview. Some expressed admiration for Sikhakhane. Others warned me about his temperament, describing him as angry. So I asked him directly. His response was unfiltered, unapologetic and deeply revealing. “People say I’m angry,” he said. “Well, I am angry. How can you not be in a world filled with injustice? If you’re black and not angry, then I envy you, yet I don’t want to be you.” This was not anger for its own sake. It was anger rooted in history, in lived experience, in the enduring legacy of inequality. He spoke of 500 years of dispossession, of the paradox of living in a country where one can feel like a refugee in their own land simply because of the colour of their skin. He reflected on his early observations of how white South Africans lived, often just kilometres away, yet worlds apart in terms of opportunity and access. It raised a question that lingers in the national psyche: how do you reconcile proximity with disparity? How do you not question a system that allows such stark contrasts to exist side by side? In that moment, a more radical strand of thought emerged: a challenge to the idea that what is God-created can be owned by a few while others are excluded. Whether one agrees or not, it is a perspective that forces us to interrogate the foundations of inequality. Sikhakhane went further to suggest that those who criticise him often fail to see that his anger is not directed at them but carried on their behalf. It is the anger of someone unwilling to normalise injustice. It reminded me of Benjamin Burombo, who once said: “Each time I want to fight for African rights, I use only one hand, because the other hand is busy trying to keep away Africans who are fighting me.” There is a painful truth in that statement. Too often, the struggle for justice is complicated not only by external resistance but by internal division. Another thread that emerged strongly was Sikhakhane’s insistence on learning from ordinary people. He spoke about how, when he is in the township, he sheds titles. He is not Advocate, not Doctor, not Mister. He is simply Muzi. In that simplicity, he listens. He learns from people many would overlook, those without formal education, without titles, without platforms. It is a reminder that wisdom is not the exclusive preserve of the formally qualified. It lives in the everyday experiences of people navigating life with resilience and ingenuity. Nation-building, I was reminded, cannot be elite-driven; it must be grounded in the lived realities of ordinary citizens. Perhaps the most confronting part of our conversation was the discussion on self-hatred among black people. Sikhakhane pointed to a troubling pattern: the tendency of the oppressed to seek validation by positioning themselves above other oppressed people. We see it in leadership transitions, where a new incumbent feels compelled to discredit their predecessor, to frame themselves as the saviour fixing a “mess”, even when the previous leader served with diligence, albeit imperfectly. It is a cycle that undermines continuity, erodes trust and weakens institutions. Here, the words of Steve Biko rang loudly: “The greatest weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” When we internalise inferiority, when we measure our worth through the diminishment of others, we become complicit in our own disempowerment. Sikhakhane called for a return to source, a re-grounding in identity, history and self-worth: a cleansing of the internalised narratives that distort how we see ourselves and each other. Importantly, he also shared that he, alongside Rev Allan Boesak and others, are in the process of organising the Black People’s Convention to interrogate these issues more deeply. It is an effort to create a platform for honest, sometimes uncomfortable, conversations about identity, justice and the future we seek to build. It is a necessary initiative because if we are to move forward as a nation, we must create spaces where we can confront our truths without fear, where we can challenge one another without hostility, where we can imagine a shared future grounded in justice. As the conversation unfolded, I found myself transported back to a deeply personal memory. Years ago, I attended a meeting intended to foster dialogue with Afrikaner organisations such as AfriForum and Solidarity. The aim was to understand their fears and concerns. But it quickly became a session dominated by grievances: fears of land loss, crime and marginalisation. Let me be clear: all fears deserve to be heard. But as I listened, I could not ignore the disproportion in the stories being told. So I spoke about my mother. My mother, who worked as a domestic worker for more than four decades and before that as a farm worker. A life defined by labour, discipline and sacrifice. And yet, when she retired, she had nothing: no pension, no savings, no formal recognition of her lifetime of contribution. I had to place her on retirement myself, paying her a “salary” just to convince her to rest, because work had become her identity, her survival. As I shared this, the room grew uncomfortable, because some truths resist easy comparison. The scales of loss are not equal. And justice demands that we acknowledge that. That memory resurfaced during my conversation with Sikhakhane because it speaks directly to the heart of justice. Justice is not about competing narratives of pain. It is about recognising the depth, context and history of that pain and responding with honesty and fairness. As I reflect on that hour I hosted, I am struck by how little we resolved and how much we uncovered. We did not arrive at neat conclusions. But perhaps nation-building is not about neatness. It is about courage: the courage to confront injustice, the courage to question ourselves, the courage to listen, even when it is uncomfortable. Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane’s life and career, as he shared them, are anchored in that pursuit: a relentless, sometimes unsettling, commitment to justice. And as I left the studio, I realised that the questions I carried were not a burden. They were an invitation: an invitation to think deeper, to listen better, to build a nation that is not afraid of its own reflection. Because, in the end, justice is not a destination. It is a lifelong pursuit.

With just three games to go for the 2025/26 Betway Premiership, the three KwaZulu-Natal teams inside the top 8 of the are either fighting to go to Africa or confirm their seat in the MTN8 next season.

Oil prices fell and global stock markets traded mixed Thursday awaiting an update on a US plan to end the Middle East war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

There’s a gap at the premium end of the market of South Africa’s spa and wellness tourism sector and one expert believes not enough players in wellness are primed to capitalise on this upward trajectory. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness economy continues to expand, with spa and wellness tourism among its fastest-growing segments. Locally, the numbers suggest a thriving market; industry data points to a 13% increase in spa sector growth in 2024. Look closer, however, and a more nuanced picture emerges. Growth is concentrated in high-volume, low-cost express services like quick massages, lunchtime facials and other convenience-driven treatments. These trends have broadened access, but left the discerning wellness guest increasingly underserved. Balancing accessibility and authenticity “Transactional wellness is increasingly evident in parts of the industry. However, this risks that treatments become quick fixes rather than intentional experiences. True wellness is rooted in care, connection and presence, and cannot be rushed,” said Monique Pereira, Spa Manager at Steenberg Spa. This balance between accessibility and authenticity is not unique to South Africa. Across the Six Senses global portfolio, wellness is positioned as an integrated journey rather than standalone treatments, with personalised programmes designed to encourage guests to slow down and engage more deeply. Similarly, SHA Wellness Clinic offers structured multi-day programmes focused on prevention, longevity and holistic health. The One&Only brand reflects this global shift, with its spas designed around personalisation, privacy and slower, more intentional journeys rather than transactional treatments. Locally, South Africa is mirroring these patterns. Cultivating return customers One&Only Cape Town Spa offers structured, multi-step wellness experiences that prioritise depth, rest and restoration over volume. Another example is Santé Wellness Retreat & Spa, which provides multi-day wellness programmes that combine holistic approaches and are designed to encourage longer stays. Collectively, this reflects a global convergence: wellness is moving away from standardised, transactional services toward deeply personalised and experience-led engagement. Global research from McKinsey & Company reinforces this shift, with 88% of consumers saying personalisation matters as much as – or even more than – before. Yet many operators continue to prioritise a model driven by volume, efficiency and repeat turnover. Although commercially sound, it comes at a cost. “When pace increases, presence decreases. The ability to truly connect with a guest is compromised. That is where the essence of wellness begins to erode,” Pereira explains. A lifestyle investment For a growing segment of the market, wellness is no longer an occasional indulgence but a lifestyle investment. Guests are not looking for a treatment menu; they want to be understood. Privacy, emotional intelligence and intuitive environments are now non-negotiable. This is where Steenberg Spa takes a distinct approach. Rather than chasing scale, the spa operates on a slower, more private and bespoke model, with treatments adapting in real time to the guest’s physical and emotional state. “In practice, it means the guest never feels processed. From arrival to departure, the journey is curated. Personalisation goes far beyond adjusting pressure or product, it’s about understanding the guest holistically,” she added. Slowing down is a necessity This shows in the trends with broader global shifts. The Global Wellness Institute notes that consumers are prioritising mental wellbeing, mindfulness and longevity, favouring slower and more immersive experiences. Wellness is increasingly seen as a daily, integrated lifestyle practice rather than an occasional treatment. At the same time, burnout culture and “always-on” living are reshaping value perceptions. Slowing down is no longer indulgence, but necessity. “We are seeing guests actively seek spaces where they can pause and recalibrate.” This leaves one challenge for the industry: adapt or risk becoming irrelevant to its most discerning audience. “Guests are perceptive – able to sense if something is genuine versus performative. The brands that will resonate are those that prioritise meaningful connection over volume.”

Former NPA boss, Adv Vusi Pikoli testifies during the Khampepe Commission at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre on May 07, 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The inquiry was established to investigate allegations of political interference in the investigations of apartheid era crimes. (Photo by Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi) People participate in the ‘Victory Waltz’ patriotic flashmob in front of the Victory Museum (Museum of the Great Patriotic War) in Moscow, Russia, on May 07, 2026. (Photo by Natalia Kolesnikova/Anadolu via Getty Images) The Commander of the Swiss Guards Christoph Graf attends the swearing-in ceremony for 28 new Swiss Guard recruits at the Paul VI audience hall in the Vatican on May 6, 2026. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) Members of military history clubs participate in a theatrical reconstruction dedicated to the arrival of the ‘Victory Trains’ at the Baltic’s Train Station in St. Petersburg, Russia on May 7, 2026. (Photo by Maxim Spiridonov/Anadolu via Getty Images) Store Operator Amanda Ncube (left) and Cornellius Schutte, the Chief Operating Officer (right), reach out for the first pizza served during the launch openning of the new 100th Panarotti Pizza store in South Africa, at the new Prince Buthelezi Mall in Empangeni on 6 May 2026. Picture: Rajesh Jantilal A youth practises stunts with a football on a beach along the Atlantic ocean in Agadir at sunset on May 6, 2026. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP) First responders inspect the rubble of a collapsed building following an Israeli airstrike a day earlier in Beirut’s southern suburb of Haret Hreik on May 7, 2026. Israel on May 6 struck Beirut’s southern suburbs in the first such attack in nearly a month, killing a senior Hezbollah commander from its elite Radwan force. At least 11 others were killed in strikes across the country’s south and east, Lebanon’s health ministry said. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP) King Charles III and Lord Mayor of London Dame Susan Langley leave St Paul’s Cathedral after attending a service for the Order of St Michael and St George in London, United Kingdom on May 07, 2026. (Photo by Zeynep Demir/Anadolu via Getty Images) Activists for reproductive rights chant slogans during a march advocating access to reproductive healthcare and protesting laws that criminalize abortion and restrict healthcare services for women and girls in downtown Nairobi on May 7, 2026. A Kenyan appeals court overturned on April 24, 2026 a landmark ruling that accessing abortion was a fundamental right.Kenya is a deeply Christian country where abortions are legal but still taboo, pushing hundreds of thousands of women and girls towards backstreet clinics that put their lives in danger. (Photo by Luis TATO / AFP) A man repaints a fishing boat as vessels remain docked ashore at a port in Juwana, Central Java on May 6, 2026. Local fishermen have not gone out to sea since May 4 following a roughly 75 percent rise in non-subsidised diesel fuel prices to 30,000 Indonesian rupiah (1.85 USD) per litre amid supply disruptions linked to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. (Photo by Devi RAHMAN / AFP) This photograph shows a view of two people in hazmat suits descending from a Bombardier Challenger 605 medical plane allegedly carrying some of the passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius believed to be infected with hantavirus at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on May 6, 2026. A plane that left Cape Verde following the evacuation of a cruise ship hit by the hantavirus landed in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 6, while a second flight headed for the Netherlands. (Photo by Jeffrey Groeneweg / ANP / AFP) The Flatiron building’s Beaux-Arts detailing is illuminated for the first time in its 124-year existence, in New York, on May 6, 2026. The iconic building has undergone an over $100 million renovation. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) NCC Leader Fadiel Adams at Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on May 07, 2026 in Pinetown, South Africa. Fadiel Adams faces charges of fraud and defeating the ends of justice in relation to his alleged interference with the murder probe into ANC Youth League SG, Sindiso Magaqa. (Photo by Gallo Images/Darren Stewart) A protester dressed in traditional attire gestures during a protest march against undocumented migrants in Durban on May 6, 2026. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP) This aerial photograph taken on May 6, 2026, shows a sand drawing of David Attenborough by the arts organisation Sand In Your Eye, on Morecambe beach, northern England, in celebration of his 100th birthday. David Attenborough, a leading voice on climate change and biodiversity loss whose landmark documentaries transformed popular understanding of the natural world for a global audience, marks his 100th birthday on May 8, 2026. Attenborough’s natural history series, such as “Life on Earth”, in which he had a famous encounter with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, have brought the most remote corners of the planet into living rooms worldwide. (Photo by Annabel Lee-Ellis / AFP) MORE: 24 hours in pictures, 6 May 2026

Here’s a look at what the weather has in store for KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and North West this Friday, 8 May. KWAZULU-NATAL Fine conditions will prevail in the west, while clouds spread across the east with isolated evening showers and rain. Conditions will remain cool to warm. Moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly winds will blow along the coast, while south-easterly winds will affect the north. Winds will become strong at times in the south. The UVB sunburn index remains high. DURBAN Partly cloudy conditions will give way to cloudy skies towards the evening, with isolated showers and rain expected. Moderate to fresh south-westerly winds will blow through the area and may become strong at times. Temperatures will range from 18°C to 23°C. The UVB sunburn index remains high. FREE STATE Fog patches will develop in the southern parts of the Free State and along the Lesotho border in the morning, while partly cloudy to cloudy and cold conditions will affect the rest of the province. BLOEMFONTEIN Partly cloudy conditions are expected, with temperatures ranging from a minimum of 2°C to a maximum of 13°C. NORTH WEST Cold to cool conditions will persist under fine weather, before clouds increase over the southern parts in the afternoon. MAHIKENG Fine conditions are expected, with temperatures ranging from a minimum of 3°C to a maximum of 17°C. Weather forecast data provided by the South African Weather Service.

In the viral videos, celebrity power couple Rihanna and A$AP Rocky appeared to be arguing at the 2026 Met Gala. WERE RIHANNA AND A$AP ARGUING AT THE MET GALA? Two videos show some level of tension between Rihanna and A$AP, whose maternal grandparents are allegedly South African. The first video, shared by TMZ on 5 May, shows the couple sitting across from each other and conversing. However, A$AP’s body language and facial expressions suggest that there might have been some tension. In the other video, viewers see the couple on the red carpet while A$AP freely chats with a woman standing behind Rihanna, who understandably appears uncomfortable with the whole situation. Rihanna, who stole the show at last year’s Met Gala, then quickly diverts her attention to a nearby reporter for an interview. The South African credits TMZ and @30bgphoenixx for the videos below, which show the tension that people are talking about. 👀 Rihanna and A$AP Rocky appear exhausted after a long Met Gala night. pic.twitter.com/9bDIbo6thC— TMZ (@TMZ) May 5, 2026 Rihanna was clearly not comfortable seeing A$ap Rocky having a “good time” with a mysterious lady, her facial expressions says it all, she knows damn well black men can’t be fully trusted. 💔💔 pic.twitter.com/idj0yyZAnK— PHOENIX 30BG (@30bgphoenixx) May 6, 2026 FANS WENT IN HARD IN THE COMMENTS SECTION People in the comments section defended Rihanna’s reaction, stating that they would also feel annoyed if their partner acted overly friendly with someone of the opposite gender. @30bgphoenixx wrote: “Rihanna was clearly not comfortable seeing A$AP Rocky having a “good time” with a mysterious lady, her facial expressions say it all, she knows damn well black men can’t be fully trusted.” @Kelcastlee commented: “You can actually cut the tension with a scissor. Rihanna wasn’t in a [sic] true element.” @Cebe_lihle23 added: “That man has wondering [sic] eyes. He doesn’t act like he is [sic] a relationship.” @Empress_tings wrote: “He [sic] just sloppy & loose, how are you that distracted w/ cameras & interviews happening obviously in private, he [is] even more loose & friendly.” “He [is] just embarrassing fr [for real] like u [sic] had to talk, kiss & tell her to call u [sic] while Rihanna was doing her lil [little] interview knowing she upgraded him fr [for real],” she added.

Digital identity experts have welcomed new draft regulations as a good starting point but have flagged areas of concern.

Broadcaster-only election rules leave South Africa exposed to the AI-driven disinformation already shaping votes elsewhere.