Four suspects aged between 21 and 25 have been arrested after police allegedly uncovered a drug-manufacturing operation at a family home in Meadowlands, Soweto.

Following the sudden death of former lock Hyron Andrews in France aged 31, the Sharks have paid a moving tribute to a beloved stalwart who gave a decade of service to the Durban club.

A lot has been said about the chosen name for the incoming Chery bakkie. The Chinese manufacturer last week announced that the bakkie will be called the Grootman, one of six names that were shortlisted after the public submitted suggestions. The other names on the ballot were Bakkie, Orca, Brahman, Induna and Chief. While social media has been abuzz with feedback on the Chery bakkie’s name, little has been said about the beast of powertrain it will have. Chery bakkie makes Pitstop On this week’s episode of our Pitstop podcast, we discuss the decision to call the Chery bakkie the Grootman. And more importantly, we look at the serious powertrain it will bring to the bakkie game. Initially, the Grootman will feature a bakkie-first plug-in hybrid diesel powertrain. This will consist of a 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine and 34kWh battery pack hooked up to single electric motor. The combine output will be a staggering 350kW of power and 800Nm of torque. The twist will go to all four wheels via dedicated hybrid transmission. The Chery bakkie features a low range transfer case, three locking differentials, all-terrain tyres and six driving modes. It has 247mm of ground clearance, a tow rating of 3 500kg and all-electric range of 100km. The power numbers will get eve more eye-watering when a hybrid petrol powertrain is introduced at a later stage. This configuration will produce 395kW/1 000Nm. Rosslyn gets green light Chery announced that the Grootman will be built in is newly-acquired Rosslyn assembly plant which was previously operated by Nissan. It is expected to become a locally produced vehicle from the second half of 2027 as production is only expected to start once the retooling and refurbishments finish. The Grootman will be built in Rosslyn alongside the Chery Tiggo Cross as well as other models under the Chinese carmaker’s umbrella like the Jetour T1 and T2 and Jaecoo J5.

Police surveillance turned into arrests on Friday when law enforcement teams raided a house in Soweto, seizing drug-manufacturing equipment, chemicals and a large quantity of Mandrax pills for analysis. Gauteng Organised Crime Investigations’ Tracing and Narcotics teams, working closely with Police Emergency Services Flexi and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (DPCI) Serious Organised Crime Investigations, made a bust on a suspected drug laboratory in Meadowlands on Friday. Four arrested as police raid mandrax lab in Meadowlands Four arrested as police raid drug lab in Meadowlands, Soweto. Picture: Supplied. Officers arrested four suspects following the discovery of a suspected lab at a family residence. The arrests come after the team received information about suspected illicit drug-related activities at the premises and conducted surveillance on Thursday. “Further information received indicated that the suspects might be in the process of moving suspected drugs. The team subsequently proceeded to the premises, where four suspects were arrested,” Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said. Four arrested as police raid drug lab in Meadowlands, Soweto. Picture: Supplied. The police discovered the drug-manufacturing operation in a room at the back of the house. Muridili said the criminal record and crime scene management team processed the scene. She added that the equipment and chemicals found at the premises will be seized for further investigation and analysis. Large quantity of pills suspected manufactured elsewhere found on scene Four arrested as police raid drug lab in Meadowlands, Soweto. Picture: Supplied. The police also found a large quantity of Mandrax pills suspected to have been manufactured somewhere else on the scene. South African Police Service (Saps) has handed over the case to the DPCI, known as the Hawks, for further investigation. The four suspects, aged between 21 and 25, are expected to appear before court soon to face drug-related charges. Friday’s bust comes a month after the Hawks arrested two foreign nationals following the discovery of a sophisticated mandrax lab in Erasmia, Pretoria, allegedly producing about 800 000 tablets a day. Four arrested as police raid drug lab in Meadowlands, Soweto. Picture: Supplied. Earlier on Friday, the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC) welcomed Angola and Uganda to join South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania to strengthen collective law enforcement against drug trafficking and transnational organised crime. Their inclusion aims to boost regional capacity to take on the growing manufacturing, trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs along the Southern Route and disrupt cross-border criminal networks. Trilateral Planning Cell welcomed Angola and Uganda Four arrested as police raid drug lab in Meadowlands, Soweto. Picture: Supplied. This week, the TPC Ministerial TROIKA Meeting brought together ministers, police chiefs and experts to share best practices and coordinate responses, building on successes since 2019, such as discovering clandestine labs, seizing illicit drug consignments and arresting suspects. “The Ministerial TROIKA provides an important platform for participating countries to assess progress, identify operational challenges and agree on priority interventions,” Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia said. “These include combating illicit drug trafficking, kidnapping, vehicle theft, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and financial and environmental crimes, as well as terrorism. We must strengthen the real-time exchange of information to ensure that our responses are proactive, coordinated and effective.” A new cooperation framework was developed to facilitate direct police-to-police engagement, timely exchange of operational intelligence, profiling of trafficking syndicates, and improved detection of drugs at border points.

A KwaZulu-Natal school has banned parents from delivering elaborate gifts to their children on school premises. Ndukwenhle High School in Umlazi has voiced its concerns for others who cannot afford the grand gestures. KZN SCHOOLS BAN ELABORATE MATRIC GIFTS In a Facebook post, Ndukwenhle High School in Umlazi issued a directive to parents not to deliver matric gift hampers to their children on school premises. The school shared: “This is because other parents do not have the means to afford such gifts for their children. We kindly ask for your understanding and support in this matter. It added: “Let us promote equality and fairness among all our learners”. In the comments section, the school defended its stance by adding, “Parents who can afford to do so are encouraged to gift their children. However, NO gifting will be allowed on the school premises” The school received a positive response from the public. Lelo Moumakwe commented: “Big up to the school 👏 by all means buy the gifts but have them delivered at home”. Emeldah Charl added: “Much respect to the school”. Some even called for the school to impose strict regulations on Matric Dance events. WHEN DO EXAMS BEGIN AND END? According to the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination timetable, matric exams began on Tuesday, 13 October, and will end on Thursday, 26 November 2026. Results are expected to be released on an unconfirmed date in January 2027.

Weny Parker, the wife of Bernard Parker, has given the strongest hint that her marriage is still alive and thriving amid public scrutiny of his personal life. The former Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs player has trended on social media after he posted a statement about splitting from his alleged baby mama, Kacha Stepanovic. The 40-year-old claimed to have been in a three-year relationship with the red-haired woman. He has since denied posting the statement. BERNARD PARKER’S WIFE WENDY SHOWS SUPPORT AMID MEDIA STORM On her social media accounts, Wendy Parker changed her profile picture from one of herself to one with her husband, Bernard Parker. On Facebook, she liked comments from followers – who responded to the apparent show of support – that read: “I’m so happy to see this” “My fav couple. May God bless you more, guys” “This is what we know and love” Wendy also liked another comment, seemingly calling Bernard’s baby mama “delulu” Wendy last posted a picture with Bernard in March 2024. A few months earlier, she posted a picture with her spouse with the caption: “Me and you till the end of time”. The couple met in the late 2000s and married in 2012. They have two sons, Skye and Storm. BABY MAMA BRINGS THE DRAMA? Meanwhile, Bernard Parker’s baby mama, Kacha Stepanovic, who claims he is the father of her baby girl, has made her own cryptic statement on social media The businesswoman posted on her IG Storis: “Therapy is not enough. He needs to know people congratulated me when we broke up”. Kacha has two older sons from her marriage to Ntukza, or Bantu Hanabe, who was a member of the hip-hop group Teargas.

The Reserve Bank wants all of South Africa's ATMs white-labelled, with free transactions below a threshold, starting with a pilot in January.

Apple's first foldable iPhone carries a steeper local premium than its new HomeView, HomePod mini 2 and Apple TV 4K.