As tax season proceeds, South Africans are reminded to remain vigilant. With scam tactics becoming more sophisticated, understanding the signs of potential fraud is essential for safeguarding your personal and financial information.

Uzalo dethrones Generations from SABC 1’s 8pm slot

Johannesburg Water announced that a section of Blue Hills would go without water for 12 hours on Wednesday as crews work to commission new infrastructure in the area. According to the utility, the shutdown would begin at 9am on 29 July and run until 9pm that evening. Joburg Water affected areas The affected area fell under Region A and covered a wide stretch of Blue Hills, including extensions 21, 22, 53, 24, 71, 19, 17, 81, 76, 116, 117, 110, 15 and 32. Johannesburg Water listed the following areas among the specific properties that would lose supply: Blue Hills Agricultural Holdings Sunlands Stables Bridle Park Agricultural Holdings Santa Maria Saddle Brook Estate Eaton Farm America International School All streets in these areas were said to be affected. Explaining the reason behind the interruption, Joburg Water said the work was needed for the “commissioning of new water infrastructure”. The utility further stated that customers could expect “no water for the duration of 12 hours” while the maintenance took place. Joburg Water framed the disruption as ultimately serving residents’ long-term interests. Alternative water supply The utility said the shutdown would “improve service delivery and continuity of water supply” once the new infrastructure was operational. To soften the impact on households and the school in the interim, Joburg Water arranged temporary supply points across the area. Water tankers are set to be stationed at the Blue Hills Shopping Centre, at an engine garage on the R55, and at a Sasol garage on the corner of the R55 and Summit. The utility cautioned, however, that these tankers were meant only as a contingency measure rather than a first resort. Joburg Water noted that the tanker locations were there “for when the set/planned time on the shutdown notice is exceeded (24hrs),” at which point they could then be deployed to those points for customers to access. City Power to cut electricity to seven areas, including a prison Later in the week, City Power confirmed that a separate planned maintenance operation would leave several areas south of Johannesburg without electricity. The power utility said the Eikenhof Substation would undergo essential network maintenance on Friday, 31 July 2026, with the outage running from 8am until 4pm. The interruption falls under the Reuven Sub-District Centre in Region F. The following areas are set to be affected: Rispark Southfork Comptonville Parts of Devland The Johannesburg Prison Naturena Kibler Park Alveda Park Mayfield Park City Power said the work formed part of its broader upkeep programme, stating that the interruption was “necessary to do essential maintenance work on our network which is part of our program of constantly striving to provide a better service.” City Power also warned residents in the affected suburbs to remain cautious throughout the outage period. “As the supply may be restored at any time, customers are urged to always treat their electricity supply points as live,” the utility advised. Acknowledging the disruption this would cause to households and businesses in the area, City Power apologised in advance for the inconvenience.

Nearly 37 000 Grade 5 girls in the Western Cape have already received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine this year, with health authorities urging parents and caregivers of thousands more eligible children to sign consent forms as the next round of school vaccinations begins in August. The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness said 36 841 pupils in public and special schools received the HPV vaccine during the first six months of 2026. The department is now encouraging the parents and caregivers of more than 14 000 girls who have not yet been vaccinated to take up the free opportunity to help protect them against cervical cancer later in life. The next school-based vaccination programme will run from 3 August to 23 September 2026. Free vaccines at schools During the campaign, nurses from the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness will visit private, public, and special schools to administer free single-dose and catch-up HPV vaccines to eligible Grade 5 girls aged nine years and older. The department said the HPV vaccine has been proven worldwide to significantly reduce the likelihood of women developing cervical cancer later in life. “Parents and caregivers do so much every day to protect their children, and this is one more powerful way to protect your daughter’s future. “With one signed consent form, you can give her access to a free vaccine that can help prevent a cancer that could threaten her life many years from now,” said Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness Mireille Wenger Cervical cancer prevention According to the department, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in South African women and is often caused by HPV infection. “The HPV vaccine is given in early adolescence, when children have a strong immune response, making it highly effective at stopping HPV infections before they can cause harm.” In addition to the HPV vaccine, all Grade 5 boys and girls attending public and private schools will be offered a Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (TDAP) booster during the campaign. The booster aims to prevent localised diphtheria outbreaks, strengthen school vaccination programmes and renew protection against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough as immunity from earlier childhood vaccinations begins to decline. Consent required The department stressed that vaccinations will only be administered to students whose parents or caregivers have signed and returned the required consent forms. Wenger encourages families to seek information about vaccines from trusted healthcare professionals before making a decision. “We know that parents and caregivers may have questions about vaccines, and we want you to ask them. Speak to our school health teams or visit your local clinic. We want you to feel confident about the decision you are making for your child. “Ask your child if they have received their consent form and please sign and return it,” she said. The department said the HPV and TDAP vaccination programme provides parents and caregivers with an opportunity to protect their children’s health well into adulthood, urging families to return signed consent forms before the vaccination teams visit schools.

Despite boasting a well-deserved reputation as one of the Stormers’ most impactful players, Evan Roos has continued to struggle to nail down a permanent Springbok place. A string of ill-timed injuries have stalled his momentum at times, and yet physical setbacks tell only half the story. For quite some time, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has hinted that Roos has simply been unable to break through to earning regular game-time due to the fact that the likes of Jasper Wiese and even Kwagga Smith are ahead of him in the pecking order. Yet, even with Smith facing a serious long-term injury this season, Roos has again been omitted from the latest Springbok squad and has rejoined the Stormers ahead of the All Blacks’ tour to South Africa. It now seems that Roos has again been leapfrogged by others, such as Cameron Hanekom and perhaps even Elrigh Louw. Can Evan Roos come back into the Springbok picture? The fundamental disconnect seems to lie in tactical identity. In John Dobson’s open-phase Stormers system, Roos is granted license to roam in open olay, linking the attack with flair and ball carrying. Under Erasmus, however, a Springbok No 8 is expected to offer far more grunt, physicality, work ethic and discipline. On the international stage, his exuberance has frequently manifested in penalties and turnovers, but whatever the case may be, it does seem that he simply isn’t delivering what the Springbok coaches are looking for right now. Work to do There is no doubt that after spending time in the Springbok camp earlier this year, Roos will be returning to the Stormers with a clear road map and requirements for him to find a way back to the national team. “The players released to their franchises will also have an opportunity to face the All Blacks in their respective midweek games if they are selected,” Erasmus insisted. “This will be invaluable for them once we decide on the final squad for RGR (Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series), so we see this as a win-win situation for the team and players.”

Kaizer Chiefs are on the verge of concluding a deal to terminate Thabo Cele‘s contract which was set to runfor the next two seasons. Newly-appointed Fernando da Cruz has already made it public that Cele is not in his plans for the upcoming campaign. Cele came in highly-rated after he was signed on a free transfer following his stint in Europe, and he fitted like a hand in a glove. However, last season proved to be somewhat difficult for the midfield anchor as he was used sparingly by the previous co-coaches. Now, there is a new development… KAIZER CHIEFS MIDFIELDER THABO CELE TRAINS ON HIS OWN The latest is that Cele is not part of Da Cruz’s training sessions, and he’s actually training on his own as both parties continue to try and find each other. However, it is clear that Cele, one way or the other, will leave Amakhosi either by mutual consent or being sold. There are already several PSL clubs interested in the 29-year-old midfielder, including AmaZulu FC. With Cele set to leave, Chiefs have since secured the services of Tanzanian midfielder Adolf Mtasingwa Bitegeko. Amakhosi fans got to see Mtasingwa in action as the Soweto giants played their final pre-season match against Scottland FC in the Toyota Cup. THABO CELE’S STATS AT AMAKHOSI Cele was limited to just 17 appearances, including 15 league matches without finding the back of the net. He will leave Chiefs having featured 36 times since his arrival in January 2025. Cele has no goal or assist in the Amakhosi colours.

Canal+ acquired the 30% stake in Showmax held by Comcast's NBCUniversal before shutting down the streamer.

MultiChoice Group's delisting took DStv's subscriber numbers with it, and new owner Canal+ has not put them back.