Spain captain Rodri is bracing for a " physical" battle with reigning champions Argentina when the two sides collide in the World Cup final on Sunday.

This week at the Madlanga Commission, intense scrutiny of police credibility and the handling of a major cocaine seizure unfolded, with testimony delays and conflicting evidence raising serious concerns.

Crime Intelligence deputy head Major General Feroz Khan was discharged from hospital on Friday and taken to a secure location. Khan had spent three weeks at Milpark Hospital after he was shot outside his home in Houghton on 28 June – three days before he was set to testify at the Madlanga commission. The shooting left the Crime Intelligence officer with abdominal injuries, internal bleeding, spinal damage and kidney complications. Despite the severity of the injuries, the timing of the shooting raised suspicion that the alleged hit was staged. Feroz Khan in undisclosed location In a statement, his family said Khan would need more time to recover from the shooting. “He now requires a period of recovery, rehabilitation and rest, and his family has implemented comprehensive and strict security measures to ensure his continued safety throughout his recovery,” it said. Madlanga commission The family said Khan’s recovery from his injuries will determine when he can appear before the Madlanga commission. “The recovery period will also be used to determine Major General Khan’s ability to assist the Madlanga Commission prior to its published extended deadlines whether in person or by way of affidavit, and may further allow for instructions to commence proceedings against a number of individuals and purported media houses who, through social media, have levelled unfair, unjustified and defamatory allegations against Khan and his legal team.” Family raises concerns Khan’s family also aired its concerns around the South African Police Service’s (Saps) investigation into Khan’s shooting. “To date, no Saps member has approached Major General Khan or his legal representatives for any statement, and no investigative progress or feedback has been communicated,” it said. The family said it has attempted to contact the head of detectives in Gauteng and the investigating officer. “Neither has reverted on the issues formally raised with their respective offices.” It added that the lack of assistance from the police has meant they have had to implement their own security measures. “The motive of the shooting remains a mystery and the family are now forced to implement their own security protocols given the lack of participation and candour from either Saps or the state.” There were also complaints that Khan’s car and his attorney’s laptop are being help by the police. “Major General Khan’s motor vehicle and his attorney’s spare laptop, which Khan was using at the time of the incident, remain inexplicably in Saps’ possession, with no lawful justification provided for their continued retention.” PKTT The family also stated its unhappiness that the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) is involved in the investigation. There is bad blood between the two police divisions, with both divisions investigating senior members of the other. “As there remains ongoing litigation and investigations aimed at, inter alia, the Head of the PKTT and other PKTT members, the lack of progression and urgency into the investigation of the shooting is a matter of concern,” the family said.

Australia snapped a six-match losing streak after dismantling a depleted Italy 57-10 in the Nations Championship on Saturday, ensuring coach Joe Schmidt ended his unsuccessful tenure on a winning note. The home side ran in nine tries to two in front of 19,268 fans at Perth’s HBF Park, with lock Josh Canham bagging a hat-trick. Schmidt will now hand over to Les Kiss, ending an underwhelming stint where he won 12 of his 31 Tests in charge since assuming control from Eddie Jones. The victory did ensure the New Zealander avoided the ignominy of finishing with the worst winning percentage of any Wallabies coach in the professional era. It gave Australia their first win of the Nations Championship and ended a prolonged form slump, where they had lost nine of their past 10 Tests. ‘It was awesome’ “It was awesome, and I think those three tries were because of how well that forward pack went tonight,” said player-of-the-match Canham. “I didn’t have to do too much. It was a metre each try, so yeah, it’s all the forward pack. “We put in a lot of hard work the past three weeks. It’s been frustrating to not get the results the last couple of weeks, but to put it together tonight, it feels a lot better.” After costly fade-outs against Ireland and France, the Wallabies’ red-hot start ensured their second-half frailties were not really put to the test. A rampaging Australian forward pack outmuscled Italy, scoring six tries in a one-sided first-half to lead 38-5 at the interval. The injury-ravaged Italians succumbed to their third straight defeat in the competition, having previously been beaten by Japan and New Zealand. Their task was made harder without head coach Gonzalo Quesada, who was suspended for the match for criticising the referee and Nations Championship scheduling following the heavy loss to the All Blacks. “Gutted. Obviously very disappointed with the result and the performance we put in,” said Italy captain Michele Lamaro. “I think we played a very good first half against the All Blacks last week, but apart from that, we’ve been pretty poor against Japan, pretty poor today, and the second half against the All Blacks wasn’t us. “We haven’t been able to put in a performance we were proud of, and that’s the most disappointing.” Improved Wallabies Italy had entered the match with confidence having beaten the Wallabies in consecutive matches, including a 26-19 triumph in Udine late last year. They were immediately on the defensive with a pumped-up Wallabies opening the scoring in the fifth minute when Canham barrelled over the line. The Wallabies’ knack of starting matches quickly was again on show as Tom Wright weaved through a tentative Italian defensive line to dot down. Brandon Paenga-Amosa got on the end of a patient move as the Wallabies stormed to a 19-0 lead. A rare foray into attack proved fruitful for Italy in the 20th minute when captain Michele Lamaro scored in the left corner. The Wallabies regained control with Canham scoring twice before Angus Bell and Len Ikitau put the finishing touches on a dominant opening half. “We had a lot of positive moments in a row. Our discipline was improved, and we’ve been preparing hard,” said Australia captain Harry Wilson The Wallabies came out of the blocks sluggishly with Monty Ioane dashing over the line to restore hope for Italy. Canham stormed over the line in the 52nd minute to complete his hat-trick and Italy’s wretched night continued when substitute Marco Riccioni was red carded for getting involved from the bench in a melee that spilled over the touchline.

South Africans Rulani Mokwena and Eric Tinkler will coach former African club champions Pyramids of Egypt and Asante Kotoko of Ghana, respectively, for the 2026/27 season, it was confirmed on Saturday. Mokwena has had mixed fortunes with other north African teams since leaving Tshwane giants outfit Mamelodi Sundowns in 2024. He flopped at Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, left Mouloudia Alger of Algeria just before they won the national league, then failed again with Al Ittihad of Libya. Failed with both teams His main target at Wydad and Ittihad was qualifying for the CAF Champions League, the elite African club competition, but he failed with both teams. The 39-year-old succeeds Croat Krunoslav Jurcic at 2024/25 African champions Pyramids. His chief objectives will be to win the CAF Champions League again and the Egypt Premier League for the first time. Combative midfielder Eric Tinkler, 55, was a combative midfielder in the South Africa team that won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, the sole major post-apartheid success by the senior national team. He came closest to achieving success in Africa as a coach by finishing CAF Confederation Cup runners-up with Orlando Pirates in 2015 and SuperSport United two years later. Orlando Pirates are among six top-flight clubs he has coached. He left Sekhukhune United as the 2025/26 South African season drew to a close. Kotoko won the Champions League – then called the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1970 and 1983 – and hold an unwanted record of being losing finalists five times. Failed to qualify for Africa Known as the Porcupines, Kotoko failed to qualify for Africa next season after finishing eighth, 13 points behind champions Medeama. Last weekend, another South African Manqoba Mngqithi took over at Tanzanian champions Young Africans. The leading domestic rivals of Young Africans are Simba, and they are coached by a South African Steve Barker.

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has dismissed four officials from its Nebo Local Office in Sekhukhune, Limpopo, after they were found guilty of their involvement in a R33 million social grants fraud scheme. In a statement, SASSA said an internal investigation uncovered how the officials manipulated the agency’s social grants system in collaboration with external syndicates, resulting in fraudulent transactions valued at R33 million. [MEDIA STATEMENT]SASSA DISMISS FOUR NEBO OFFICIALS FOR SOCIAL GRANTS FRAUD pic.twitter.com/Y9zuF1zLln— SASSA (@OfficialSASSA) July 16, 2026 Appeals rejected Following the investigation, disciplinary proceedings were instituted against the four employees, resulting in their dismissal. The officials appealed the sanction, but SASSA’s Appeals Committee upheld the dismissals, citing the seriousness of the misconduct and the need to protect public funds. Zero tolerance for fraud SASSA said the dismissals reflect its zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption and reaffirm its commitment to ensuring social grant payments reach the rightful beneficiaries. Regional Executive Manager Mapupula Pheeha said corruption within the agency directly affects South Africa’s most vulnerable citizens. “Fraudulent activities undermine the trust placed in SASSA and deprive vulnerable communities of much-needed support. We will continue to act decisively against any employee found guilty of misconduct,” said Pheeha. Measures being strengthened The agency said it is implementing additional measures to prevent similar incidents in future, including enhanced monitoring, stricter internal controls and ongoing ethics training for staff. According to SASSA, the action taken against the four officials demonstrates its commitment to rooting out corruption, holding employees accountable and safeguarding public funds intended for millions of South Africans who rely on social grants.

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