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.

Former KZN Health MEC Peggy Nkonyeni faces serious allegations of fraud and corruption in a court case linked to procurement contracts worth over R100 million.

Heavy rainfall and flooding have caused significant road closures across South Africa, prompting authorities to urge motorists to exercise extreme caution. Stay informed about the latest updates on road conditions and safety measures.

The broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) legal sector code case is fundamentally about survival for black professionals in the legal field, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria heard on Thursday, 7 May 2026. This was an argument presented by lawyers defending the implementation of B-BBEE within the legal sector. At the centre of the dispute are several legal bodies, including the General Council of the Bar of South Africa (GCBSA) and the Advocates for Transformation (AFT). They are opposing an application brought by four major law firms – Deneys Reitz, Webber Wentzel, Werksmans, and Bowmans Gilfillan – who are challenging the regulations aimed at transforming the legal profession. The code, published by Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau in September 2024, mandates that law firms raise black ownership to 50% over a five-year period, with half of that stake to be held by black women. However, the firms argue that the new requirements could undermine their competitiveness by negatively affecting their B-BBEE ratings, which are crucial for securing work from the government and large financial institutions. B-BBEE legal sector code case continues During the fourth day of the hearing, Advocate Norman Arendse, representing the GCBSA, told the court that transformation efforts by several legal practitioners dating back decades have made “no headway”. “It’s been very frustrating and, at times, rewarding in a sense that we have seen some colleagues ascend to high positions on the bench and in other sectors of society, but even they will tell you that it’s not good enough,” he said. Arendse emphasised that a “voluntary soft touch” approach to transformation had failed to produce meaningful results. He argued that while entry into the legal profession for black practitioners has improved over the years, many struggle to sustain careers due to a lack of work opportunities. He pointed out that advancement within the profession, particularly attaining senior counsel status – commonly known as “taking silk” – remains difficult. “It’s almost like a catch-22 situation. If we don’t have meaningful transformation in the legal sector, we are not going to transform our judiciary and other sectors in our society.” Arendse told the court that the key legal question was whether the code is capable of achieving the objectives set out in the B-BBEE Act. “There can be no doubt that it does. There are certain legal hurdles prescribed in the Act that need to be overcome and need to be complied with, but once that is done, then these are all matters of policy.” Watch the proceedings below: He emphasised that while B-BBEE has improved access to the profession, deeper systemic issues remain. “Some of us have experienced the resistance to transformation in the profession,” Arendse told the high court. “It’s like all of us are equal under the law in this country because we have a thing called the rule of law, but we know all of us are not equal,” he added. Court urged to focus on lived realities Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane, representing the Black Conveyancers Association (BCA), drew a sharp distinction between advocates and judges, calling on the court to prioritise substance over technical interpretation. “What distinguishes you from us is this: we want to win the case and maybe earn some fees. “Judges sit above us, have bigger and better responsibility to pass judgment on the paradoxes and complexities of disputes between human beings, between structures, between classes, between races,” he said. Sikhakhane urged the court in evaluating the case needed to look at substance over form. He criticised the law firms over what he described as conditional support for transformation of the legal sector. “People always say: ‘I’m not a racist but’ or ‘I’m not sexist but’. Usually, what comes after but negates the first sentence.” Sikhakhane framed the case as a fight centred on “existence” and “living in dignity” for black legal practitioners. “Marginalisation and exclusion, which are the subject of this case, lead to social death and mental disintegration – the same way physical starvation leads to death. “And if you do not realise that the people in this court, most of them, are black, they are here because this case is an existential case for them,” the lawyer said. He added: “For someone who is white, who has been privileged, it’s a case about mechanics. It’s like a man dealing with problems of a woman. “Men usually deal with the issues of sexism with some causality because they are not the ones who bear the brunt.”

In a new development in last year’s major Standerton drug lab bust, the Hawks arrested a Durban woman after her luxury car was found with R3 million cash at the scene. Sandra Pillay, 53, appeared in the Standerton Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga on Wednesday, where she was granted R10 000 bail. Hawks link Pillay’s luxury vehicle to R48m drug bust The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (Hawks) Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, based in Secunda, arrested Pillay after she handed herself over to the Standerton police on Wednesday. This followed an intensive investigation by the Hawks, in connection with the ongoing Standerton drug laboratory probe. In April 2025, the Hawks raided a warehouse, farm, and house where they seized drug-manufacturing chemicals, luxury vehicles, cash, and other items worth about R48 million. During the operation, police arrested two South Africans and five Mozambican nationals. The investigators seized 11 vehicles, including seven luxury vehicles. They also found more than R3 million in cash concealed in the boot of one of the luxury cars. More than R3m concealed in boot “Investigations revealed that Pillay’s vehicle was among the luxury vehicles recovered at one of the premises allegedly used to produce final drug products,” Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi said. Nkosi added that Pillay’s car was the vehicle where investigators found more than R3 million in cash. She will appear again on 23 June 2026 with her co-accused. “The Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Mpumalanga, Major General Nico Gerber, commended the investigating team for their unwavering commitment and dedication in ensuring that all individuals linked to illegal drug manufacturing and trafficking are brought to justice,” Nkosi said. Meanwhile, in October 2025, police discovered a clandestine R350 million meth lab on a farm in Oudehoutkloof. The farm is less than 100km from Standerton. Oudehoutkloof meth lab bust The police uncovered the lab on 19 September after receiving a report of an unpleasant smell in the area. Police arrested five Mexican nationals and a South African caretaker, while two other suspects fled. The five Mexicans abandoned their bail application, while the court granted the South African R50 000 bail. Authorities seized large quantities of chemicals, machinery, packaged meth, and ammunition.

Struggling to decide what to wear? Here’s what today’s weather has in store for South Africa’s nine provinces. Your daily weather, UVB forecast and temperature updates around South Africa. Weather conditions and UVB forecast Gauteng Temperature: Fine and cold but cool in the extreme north. The expected UVB Sunburn Index: High DID YOU KNOW Where does Gauteng rank in size among South Africa’s provinces? Gauteng is the smallest of South Africa’s nine provinces, with an area of 18 178 square kilometres. Where does Gauteng rank in population among South Africa’s provinces? Gauteng is the biggest in terms of population, with an estimated 16 million inhabitants as per the most recent census in 2020. What is the capital of Gauteng? The administrative capital of the province is Johannesburg, which is situated at 25°44′46″S 28°11′17″E. Mpumalanga Temperature: Fine and cold to cool but warm in places in the Lowveld. DID YOU KNOW Where does Mpumalanga rank in size among South Africa’s provinces? Mpumalanga is the second smallest of South Africa’s nine provinces, with an area of 76 495 square kilometres. Where does Mpumalanga rank in population size among South Africa’s provinces? Mpumalanga is the sixth most populous, with an estimated 4.7 million inhabitants as per the most recent census in 2020. What is the capital of Mpumalanga? The capital and largest city in the province is Mbombela (formerly known as Nelspruit), which is situated at 25°27′57″S 30°59′07″E. The daily weather forecast and temperature updates around South Africa. Limpopo Temperature: Partly cloudy in the Western Bushveld in the morning, otherwise fine and cool to warm. DID YOU KNOW Where does Limpopo rank in size among South Africa’s provinces? Limpopo is the fifth largest of South Africa’s nine provinces, with an area of 125 754 square kilometres. Where does Limpopo rank in population size among South Africa’s provinces? Limpopo is the fifth most populous, with an estimated 5.9 million inhabitants as per the most recent census in 2020. What is the capital of Limpopo? The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, which is situated at 23°54′00″S 29°27′00″E. North West Temperature: Fine and cold to cool, becoming partly cloudy in the southern parts in the afternoon. DID YOU KNOW Where does the North West rank in size among South Africa’s provinces? The North West is the sixth largest of South Africa’s nine provinces, with an area of 104 882 square kilometres. Where does the North West rank in population size among South Africa’s provinces? The North West is the seventh most populous, with an estimated 4.2 million inhabitants as per the most recent census in 2020. What is the capital of the North West? Its capital is Mahikeng (formerly known as Mafikeng), which is situated at 25°51′56″S 25°38′37″E. Free State Temperature: Morning fog patches in the south and along the Lesotho border, otherwise partly cloudy to cloudy and cold. DID YOU KNOW Where does the Free State rank in size among South Africa’s provinces? The Free State is the third largest of South Africa’s nine provinces, with an area of 129 825 square kilometres. Where does the Free State rank in population size among South Africa’s provinces? The Free State is the second smallest in terms of population, with an estimated 2.9 million inhabitants as per the most recent census in 2020. What is the capital of the Free State? Formerly known as the Orange Free State, its capital and biggest city is Bloemfontein, South Africa’s judicial capital. It is situated at 29°07′S 26°13′E. Northern Cape Temperature: Morning fog patches in places, otherwise partly cloudy and cold to cool but cloudy in the south-eastern parts. It will be fine in the extreme northern parts. Wind: Temperature: The wind along the coast will be light to moderate southerly to south-easterly. DID YOU KNOW Where does the Northern Cape rank in size among South Africa’s provinces? The Northern Cape is the largest of South Africa’s nine provinces at 372 889 square kilometres. Where does the Northern Cape rank in population size among South Africa’s provinces? The Northern Cape is the smallest in terms of population, with an estimated 1.3 million inhabitants as per the most recent census in 2020. What is the capital of the Northern Cape? Its capital is Kimberley, which is situated at 28°44′18″S 24°45′50″E. Western Cape Temperature: Cloudy in the morning with isolated showers and rain along the extreme east coast, otherwise partly cloudy and cold to cool. Wind: The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly to south-easterly, but light to moderate south-westerly to southerly along the south coast. The expected UVB Sunburn Index: Very High DID YOU KNOW Where does the Western Cape rank in size among South Africa’s provinces? The Western Cape is the fourth largest of South Africa’s nine provinces, with an area of 129 449 square kilometres. Where does the Western Cape rank in population size among South Africa’s provinces? The Western Cape is the third most populous, with an estimated 7.2 million inhabitants as per the most recent census in 2020. What is the capital of the Western Cape? The capital city is Cape Town, which is situated at 33°55′31″S 18°25′26″E. Eastern Cape The Western half: Cloudy and cold with isolated to scattered showers and rain except in the northern parts. The Western half – wind: The wind along the coast will be strong westerly, moderating in the evening. The Eastern half: Morning fog patches in the extreme north, otherwise partly cloudy and cold with light morning rain in places along the west coast. The Eastern half-wind: The wind along the coast will be strong south-westerly to westerly, moderating in the evening. DID YOU KNOW Where does the Eastern Cape rank in size among South Africa’s provinces? The Eastern Cape is the second largest of South Africa’s nine provinces at 168 966 square kilometres. Where does the Eastern Cape rank in population size among South Africa’s provinces? The Eastern Cape is the fourth biggest in terms of population, with an estimated 6.7 million inhabitants as per the most recent census in 2020. What is the capital of the Eastern Cape? Its capital is Bhisho, which is situated at 32°50′58″S 27°26′17″E. KwaZulu-Natal Temperature: Fine and cool but warm in the extreme north-east. It will become partly cloudy in the afternoon. Fine in the west, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm, becoming cloudy in the east with isolated evening showers and rain. Wind: The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly, but south-easterly in the north. It will be strong at times in the south. The expected UVB Sunburn Index: High DID YOU KNOW Where does KwaZulu-Natal rank in size among South Africa’s provinces? KwaZulu-Natal is the seventh largest of South Africa’s nine provinces, with an area of 94 361 square kilometres. Where does KwaZulu-Natal rank in population size among South Africa’s provinces? KwaZulu-Natal is the second most populous, with an estimated 11.5 million inhabitants as per the most recent census in 2020. What is the capital of KwaZulu-Natal? The capital city is Pietermaritzburg, which is situated at 29°37′S 30°23′E. WEATHER ALERTS IMPACT-BASED WARNINGS A. Orange Level 8 Warning for Disruptive Rain leading to widespread flooding and prolonged disruptions of settlements, roads and bridges is expected over Koukamma, Kouga Municipalities and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro of Eastern Cape. B. Yellow Level 2 Warning for Disruptive Rain leading to localised flooding of susceptible settlements or roads and bridges, as well as localised disruption due to sinkholes/blocked drainage systems, is expected over the west coast and adjacent interior of the Eastern Cape. C. Yellow level 2 warning for Damaging waves leading to damage to coastal infrastructure, disruption of harbours/coastal routes, medium/large vessels dragging anchor/breaking mooring lines and disruptions to beachfront activities is expected along the Eastern Cape coast. D. Yellow Level 2 Warning for Damaging Winds and Waves leading to damage to coastal infrastructure, disruption of harbours, medium/large vessels dragging anchor/breaking mooring lines and disruptions to beachfront activities is expected along the KwaZulu-Natal coast. FIRE DANGER WARNINGS NIL ADVISORIES Very cold, windy and wet conditions are expected over the Western parts of the country. The public and all small stock farmers are advised that a combination of snow, gale-force winds, heavy rain, flooding, very cold conditions, and very rough seas is expected from Sunday until Tuesday (10/05/2026 – 12/05/2026). Weather forecast data provided by the South African Weather Service

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.

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.