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.

JP Pietersen says the Sharks’ injury-hit season has forced them to unearth new talent, with Zekhethelo Siyaya handed a chance at flyhalf against Benetton as the Durban side looks beyond a disappointing URC campaign.

Fadiel Adams appeared in Durban's Pinetown Magistrate's Court on Thursday.

After a period of tension over the 2024 election results, Jacob Zuma’s MK party and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) are attempting to resolve their differences, despite analysts believing the former president’s party has no case anyway. The MK party challenged the 2024 results in the Electoral Court, asking for it to declare them null and void. It alleged the results were compromised due to vote rigging, which the IEC denied. It later withdrew the case without giving reasons, but then decided to continue the matter in the Constitutional Court (ConCourt). MK party and IEC officials meet While the party continued with its legal challenge, it decided to keep communicating with the IEC. It still wants the ConCourt to set aside the 2024 results. This week, senior officials from the MK party held a meeting with the IEC’s senior officials, but the talks seemed to have deadlocked on the question of the court challenge, which the party wants to proceed with. The MK party performed well in the 2024 polls to become the third largest party in the country after the DA and the ANC. It received 15% of the national votes, replacing the EFF in third spot. It contested the polls almost a year after its launch in December 2023 under the ticket of radical economic transformation. ConCourt application In a statement after this week’s meeting, MK party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said it would forge ahead with the legal challenge despite the ongoing dialogue with the IEC. “Our Constitutional Court application is not a political manoeuvre but a necessary step to safeguard the will of the people. We cannot abandon this process when serious allegations about the credibility of the elections remain unresolved,” said Ndhlela. No evidence of vote rigging Some question the party’s insistence on proceeding with the matter when it was clear it had no case after it failed to produce evidence of vote rigging. Observers said the party was intent on winning the sympathy vote, particularly from those who believe that Zuma was being victimised. “Privately, my opinion is that MK is exploiting the cautious diplomatic (even differential) approach by the IEC to lend an air of legitimacy to the narrative that there is a case to answer with the rigging claim,” an analyst said.

The South African Weather Service (Saws) warns of disruptive rain, flooding and damaging waves in the Eastern Cape as well as gale winds and snow over the Western parts of the country from Sunday until Tuesday. The weather service has released its latest weather forecast for Friday, 8 May 2026. Here’s what you need to know. Weather forecast for tomorrow, 08 May 2026. Cloudy along the east & south coast of the country, with isolated to scattered rain & thundershowers possible. Otherwise, it will be partly cloudy and cool but cold in places over the central interior. #saws #weatheroutlook pic.twitter.com/KvmwAT1iXi— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) May 7, 2026 Weather warnings: Friday, 8 May 2026 Impact-based warnings The weather service has issued an orange level 8 warning for disruptive rain leading to widespread flooding and prolonged disruptions of settlements, roads and bridges expected over Koukamma, Kouga Municipalities and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro of Eastern Cape. Saws also issued a 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. A 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. The South African Weather Service also warned of 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. A yellow level 2 warning was issued. 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 the combination of snow, gale-force winds, heavy rain, flooding, very cold conditions and very rough seas is expected from Sunday until Tuesday. Provincial weather forecast Here’s what to expect in your province on Friday, 8 May 2026: Gauteng: Residents of Gauteng can expect fine and cold weather but cool in the extreme north. The region’s expected UVB sunburn index is “high”. Residents should take the necessary precautions against prolonged sun exposure. Mpumalanga: Mpumalanga residents can expect fine and cold to cool conditions but it will be warm in places in the Lowveld. Limpopo: The day will be partly cloudy in the Western Bushveld in the morning; otherwise, it will be fine and cool to warm. North West: Fine and cold to cool weather awaits North West residents, becoming partly cloudy in the southern parts in the afternoon. Free State: Residents of the Free State can expect a morning fog patches in the south and along the Lesotho border; otherwise, it will be partly cloudy to cloudy and cold. Northern Cape: The day will start with morning fog patches in places; otherwise, it will be partly cloudy and cold to cool but cloudy in the south-eastern parts. It will be fine in the extreme northern parts. Western Cape: Western Cape residents can expect cloudy conditions in the morning with isolated showers and rain along the extreme east coast; otherwise, it will be partly cloudy and cold to cool. The region’s expected UVB sunburn index is “very high”. Residents should take the necessary precautions against prolonged sun exposure. Eastern Cape (western half): The day will be cloudy and cold with isolated to scattered showers and rain except in the northern parts. Eastern Cape (eastern half): The day will start with morning fog patches in the extreme north; otherwise, it will be partly cloudy and cold with light morning rain in places along the west coast. KwaZulu-Natal: Residents of KwaZulu-Natal can expect fine weather in the west; otherwise, it will be partly cloudy and cool to warm, becoming cloudy in the east with isolated evening showers and rain. The region’s expected UVB sunburn index is “high”. Residents should take the necessary precautions against prolonged sun exposure.

The incident took place during Kaizer Chiefs’ hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Betway Premiership leaders, where Shabalala was forced off after a heavy challenge involving Adams. The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder was later shown a red card, with the tackle immediately sparking concern among Chiefs supporters as Shabalala struggled to continue. After the match, Adams appeared to respond to the situation on social media by posting a picture of the Chiefs youngster on Instagram. Also read: Chippa United fire third coach this season KAIZER CHIEFS STAR MDUDUZI SHABALALA RECEIVES MESSAGE FROM JAYDEN ADAMS Adams tagged Shabalala before writing a short message wishing him well following the collision. “Speedy recovery gazi [blood],” Adams posted. The message came shortly after Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef confirmed that the early signs around the injury were worrying. “You saw the injury, sometimes we need protection for players,” Ben Youssef said after the match. “He will miss one or two months out.” The injury overshadowed what was otherwise one of Chiefs’ most disciplined performances of the season away from home. Flavio Da Silva handed Amakhosi the lead in the first half before Brayan Leon levelled matters for Sundowns after the break. Chiefs then defended bravely for long periods, even after Sundowns continued to dominate possession in Pretoria. AMAKHOSI SHOW FIGHT AGAINST KABO YELLOW Ben Youssef praised the character shown by his players against the league leaders and insisted the team is making progress heading into the final stretch of the campaign. “I think it was a real battle tonight, a big fight for us,” Ben Youssef told SuperSport TV. “There was a lot of noise outside about this game but we showed we’re up for it, treating every game like a cup final.” The Tunisian coach also highlighted several players including Siphesihle Ndlovu, Lebohang Maboe, Dillan Solomons Monyane and Given Msimango for their work rate during the encounter. Kaizer Chiefs still have league matches against Sekhukhune United, AmaZulu and Chippa United remaining as they continue chasing a stronger finish in the Betway Premiership and a possible CAF qualification place.

South African Grammy Award winner Tyla attended this year’s Met Gala, which took place on Monday, May 4, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The annual fashion event once again marked the opening of the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, titled “Costume Art,” and drew some of the world’s biggest stars. While Tyla walked the iconic event among global celebrities, attention quickly shifted away from fashion moments and onto a viral social media clip involving her and Rihanna. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine) TYLA ADDRESSES VIRAL MET GALA MOMENT Social media users sparked rumours after a video circulated showing Tyla standing near Rihanna while appearing to be ignored. Some viewers interpreted the moment as awkward and quickly speculated that there was tension between the two artists. Rihanna totally ignored Tyla at the Met Gala 👀 pic.twitter.com/9HuB1z14qr— BlackMedia__ (@BlackMedia___) May 6, 2026 TYLA EXPLAINS WHAT REALLY HAPPENED Tyla quickly responded on TikTok, shutting down claims that there was any “beef” between her and Rihanna. She explained that the situation was misunderstood and that Rihanna was simply occupied at the time. “Everyone knows I love Ri. So, I met her last year and she was cool. When I met her, I think she was occupied because I went up to her, and she was like ‘My baby daddy is calling me’ and then she left. I was like maybe she was busy. So, I don’t know, I felt awkward, I don’t know how to say hi. I was waiting for my car and she was right there.” Tyla also shared a photo of herself standing next to Rihanna and added: “I didn’t want to go up because she was busy. When we do speak, if we do end up speaking ever, I want it to be like calm so that we can both just vibe and talk nicely.” She emphasised that she never took the moment personally and insisted there was no negativity between them. @hernametyla ♬ original sound – soundeffectpack ADDRESSES COMPARISON TO RIHANNA This is not the first time the two artists have been linked together online. Back in 2024, Tyla was frequently compared to Rihanna because of her music and growing global success. During an interview with Cosmopolitan, Tyla shared her thoughts on the comparisons. “Rihanna is Rihanna. It’s a compliment,” she told the publication. “But at the same time, I’m my own artist. I’m Tyla. And I know as people get to know me and my music, they will see me as just Tyla. So I’m fine with it now.”

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.