The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness has officially opened a new 30-bed Acute Psychiatric Unit at Eerste River Hospital, marking a pivotal enhancement in mental health services across the Cape Metro. This R86 million investment aims to meet the rising demand for psychiatric care and ensure that every individual receives timely, compassionate support.

Anti-undocumented migrant groups march through Cape Town's CBD, demanding stronger immigration enforcement and targeting all undocumented foreign nationals, regardless of nationality or race.

The prosecutor in the bail application of disbarred attorney Peet Viljoen has argued that social media remarks Viljoen made about the judiciary were racist and intended to damage public confidence in the courts. Viljoen has since rejected this characterisation in his replying affidavit, insisting that his comments fell within his constitutional right to criticise problems in the South African context, including the government and the courts. Viljoen, 57, appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday for his bail application. He was arrested on 16 June by the Hawks at OR Tambo International Airport on his arrival from the US, where he had spent roughly 100 days in immigration custody. He faces more than 400 charges, including fraud, theft, forgery, corruption and contravening the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, linked to the alleged fraudulent sale of 46 Johannesburg Property Company (JPC)-owned properties worth R27 million. According to the state, Viljoen personally benefited from the scheme and poses a flight risk, a claim he maintains is unfounded. Prosecutor says Viljoen’s remarks targeted judiciary The prosecutor told the court that Viljoen’s own social media posts should count against him under the “any other factor” provision the court may consider in a bail decision. Referring to comments Viljoen made about the judiciary, the prosecutor argued that the remarks could not be read as directed at a single judge. “No one will be able to persuade me that this is not a racist remark and it’s not aimed at” the wider judiciary, the prosecutor said, adding that the comments appeared intended to damage public confidence in the courts. Viljoen defends his right to criticise the judiciary Addressing the prosecutor’s characterisation of his social media comments, Viljoen placed his own account on record. “I have never hesitated to criticise problems in the South African context, including the governmental administration and the courts,” he said, insisting that his remarks fell within his rights as a citizen. “I believe this to be my constitutional right,” he added, rejecting any suggestion that his comments amounted to an attempt to undermine confidence in the justice system. Prosecutor cites flight risk The prosecutor also argued that Viljoen did not return to South Africa of his own accord, but was in fact deported after being detained by United States immigration authorities. The prosecutor told the court that Viljoen’s return should not be read as a voluntary decision to face justice, but as the direct result of his illegal status in the US being uncovered. The prosecutor also pointed to Viljoen’s conduct after he and his wife left South Africa in May 2025, telling the court that the couple had initially claimed to be on holiday in Australia when they had in fact travelled to the US. He argued that Viljoen had gone on to sell his property and relocate his family’s life to America, all while never disclosing his pending legal troubles to the US immigration court. On the question of whether Viljoen intended to return to South Africa, the prosecutor was blunt, telling the court, “He was never coming back to South Africa.” Immigration proceedings and family ties The prosecutor argued that the transcripts from Viljoen’s US immigration proceedings showed that an American judge had refused Viljoen’s request for voluntary departure after Viljoen conceded he was in the country illegally. He further maintained that this undercut any claim that Viljoen’s return to South Africa had been voluntary, saying Viljoen had only returned because he was arrested and deported, not because he wanted to return home. According to the prosecutor, Viljoen’s own words to the American court showed he had no emotional ties keeping him in South Africa. Quoting from the immigration transcript, he told the court Viljoen had said, “I never want to come back,” referring to America rather than South Africa. He submitted that this statement, combined with the family’s sale of their property and relocation of relatives to the US, demonstrated a lack of genuine roots that could anchor Viljoen to appear for trial. Witness intimidation claims rejected Turning to allegations that he had intimidated witnesses and court officers, Viljoen rejected the claims. His legal team argued that the investigating officer had misread legal submissions made during earlier proceedings as threats. He contended that legitimate legal arguments about the consequences of certain actions had been misinterpreted. Viljoen maintained that no one had directly accused him of any threatening behaviour. He claimed any such interpretation stemmed from a misunderstanding of ordinary legal argument rather than actual intimidation. Old, withdrawn charges revived Central to Viljoen’s defence is his claim that the state is relying on criminal complaints that were either withdrawn years ago or arose from civil disputes related to his diamond-dealing business. “I now understand that criminal charges were laid in relation to these matters. However, those criminal charges were withdrawn several years ago,” his affidavit stated. He argued that if he was guilty of any wrongdoing, he should have been prosecuted at the time of his alleged crimes rather than having the allegations revived years later during his bail application. Judgment postponed to August Viljoen said he was preparing to sue the NPA for R5 million. The presiding judge told him she would only return to work on 3 August, meaning the earliest available date for judgment would be 17 August. The bail application was postponed to that date.

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddouhas made it clear that he wants to end the Spanish tour on a high note by winning their final pre-season friendly against NEOM SC.The Buccaneers conclude their stay in Spain with a clash against the Saudi Pro League outfit at the Estepona Football Center on Friday.Having suffered a defeat against another Saudi side in Al-Ittihad earlier in the week. Ouaddou has described the clash against Neom as an opportunity to make amends for that loss. “We still have one game, and it will be a tough one again,” said Ouaddou as quoted by Sportswire. “I think it will be an opportunity to make amends because my team didn’t deserve to lose [against Al-Ittihad on Tuesday]. Against Neom, we’ll have the chance to respond, and I’ll be happy if we finish this camp with a victory.” Ouaddou hails Pirates youngsters Meanwhile, Ouaddou has praised Pirates’ young players following their 1-0 win against UD Las Palmas on Wednesday.Ouaddou showed great faith in the club’s young talent by naming several youngsters in his starting lineup against a Las Palmas side they had never defeated before in their two previous encounters.The Moroccan was happy with the performance of the young players, insisting that the Buccaneers have a bright future with the talented youngsters coming through the club ranks.“I’m very happy with the preparations of the boys, and today [Wednesday] was a top performance,” said Ouaddou. “We gave an opportunity to some young players. I’m very happy because it was the most important thing to do. This is the youngest team I could have fielded during this camp. They are responding well in terms of aggressiveness and tactical organisation. Technically, they were very clever. I think Orlando Pirates have a bright future with these young players.”After the Neom game, Pirates will head back to South Africa to prepare for their opening game of the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season against newly promoted Milford FC.The defending champions will be looking to start their title defence against the newly-promoted outfit on a positive note.And that clash with Milford will be followed by an MTN8 title encounter against Durban City. The Buccaneers are also the defending champions of the MTN8 having won it last season.

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: Morning frost in places, otherwise fine and cool, but warm in the extreme north. The expected UVB Sunburn Index: Moderate 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: Partly cloudy in the east, otherwise fine and cool to warm. 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 east, 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 cool. 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: Fine and cold to cool. 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: Partly cloudy with morning fog patches in the south, otherwise fine and cold to cool. Wind: 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 with morning fog over the southern and western parts but with early morning light rain along the south-east coast, otherwise partly cloudy and cold to cool. Wind: The wind along the coast will be light to moderate easterly to south-easterly. The expected UVB Sunburn Index: Low 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 in places along the coast and adjacent interior with isolated showers and rain in the morning, otherwise partly cloudy and cold. Light snowfall are expected in the north at first. It will become fine in the afternoon. The Western half – wind: The wind along the coast will be Light to moderate southerly, becoming light and variable from late morning. The Eastern half: Partly cloudy and cold with isolated showers and rain along the coast and adjacent interior, clearing up by late afternoon. The Eastern half-wind: The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southwesterly, becoming light and variable in the afternoon. 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: Morning and evening fog patches in places, otherwise partly cloudy and cool but cold in the west with isolated showers and rain along the coast. Wind: The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly, reaching strong at times, and spreading to Kosi Bay by mid-morning. The expected UVB Sunburn Index: Moderate 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. Yellow level 2 warning: Damaging winds and waves resulting in localised disruption of small harbours and/or ports for a short period of time, small vessels at risk of taking on water and capsizing in a locality, difficulty in navigation, and localised disruptions to beachfront activities are expected along the KwaZulu-Natal coast. FIRE DANGER WARNINGS NIL ADVISORIES NIL Weather forecast data provided by the South African Weather Service

Here is what the weather has in store for KZN, Free State and North West on Friday 24 July 2026. KWAZULU-NATAL Morning and evening fog patches will affect some areas before partly cloudy skies develop. Conditions will remain cool across most areas but cold in the west, with isolated showers and rain expected along the coast. Moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly winds will blow along the coast, becoming strong at times and reaching Kosi Bay by mid-morning. The UVB sunburn index is expected to be moderate. DURBAN Partly cloudy skies will bring early morning showers and rain before conditions clear to fine weather from late morning. Moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly winds will blow throughout the day, becoming strong at times. Temperatures will range from 15°C to 21°C. The UVB sunburn index is expected to be moderate. FREE STATE Free State is going to be fine, cold to cool. BLOEMFONTEIN Bloemfontein is going to be fine. Temperatures will range from a minimum of 02°C to a maximum of 17°C. NORTH WEST The North West province is going to be fine and cool. MAHIKENG Weather in Mahikeng is going to be fine. Temperatures will range from a minimum of 5°C. to a maximum of 22°C. Weather forecast data provided by the South African Weather Service.

Telkom fell short of its own bonus targets in FY2026 - yet most executives earned above-target payouts anyway.

On the TechCentral Show: Optasia's Salvador Anglada on algorithms, Nigeria and lending without collateral.