Cape Town law enforcement officers made a startling discovery in Manenberg after seizing a firearm disguised as a cellphone, along with tik and Mandrax, during an early-morning operation.

With rested Springboks watching on, a young and hungry Sharks team produced a courageous display of grit and attacking flair to stun Lyon with a dramatic last-gasp winner.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula to rest after his dramatic collapse during a media briefing on Thursday. Mbalula was visibly emotional after the Constitutional Court ruled in the ANC’s favour in its case against the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). He was even seen wiping away tears shortly after the court ruling. Mbalula’s collapse after court ruling However, a short while later, the ANC’s relief turned to concern as Mbalula collapsed while speaking to the media. Mbalula had faced mounting criticism after the IEC had refused to place 181 ANC councillor candidates on the ballot for the local government elections on 4 November. Ramaphosa ‘ordered’ Mbalula to rest While on the campaign trail in Cape Town on Saturday, Ramaphosa said Mbalula is “getting better”. “He was under a lot of stress… he was carrying a heavy burden, as any secretary-general would,” said the president. Ramaphosa said that the ANC secretary-general needs to recover before returning to work. “We must be grateful that he led the ANC with great distinction through this whole challenge. “He had a little bit of a health situation but he is recovering; he’s going to be back at work and I said he must rest. “I ordered him to rest, and said ‘you’re not going back to work until I and the doctors are satisfied that you are fully OK.” WATCH: Ramaphosa says Mbalula is recovering ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa says Fikile Mbalula led his party with “distinction” during its list fiasco with the IEC.He says he has ordered Mbalula to take time off work to rest following his collapse this week. Ramaphosa was speaking to journalists in Cape Town during his… pic.twitter.com/InpSXt3huC— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) October 17, 2026 ANC leadership race The ConCourt decision this week will likely reinvigorate Mbalula’s campaign to take over the reins at the ANC. The party will hold its national elective conference next year. Mbalula is expected to run for president or deputy president. He criticised some factions in the ANC who used the IEC matter to put pressure on him. “There are others who used this temporary matter to sustain factional tendencies in our organisation. ANC members must learn, and they must respect leadership. Where we have erred, we will never run away to come back to you to apologise. “We must not use these issues to sustain factional tendencies in our organisation. We could all see that the ANC was up against each other, and I am in tears because I was singled out and attacked even by people I work with in my own collective. Even when I gave them reports, it’s not that they did not believe it; it’s because they want to catch Fikile Mbalula,” he said.

Twenty-year-old Cheswill Jooste scored a hat-trick during the Bulls’ emphatic 56-20 win over Stade Français at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. The Pretoria side extended their three-try 21-6 lead at half-time with five tries in the second half – including four unanswered scores in the last quarter – to secure a bonus-point win in the opening pool 4 clash. It was an important result after the Pretoria union didn’t win either of their home games in the Champions Cup last season. They paid for this by having to travel to pool 1 winners Glasgow Warriors in the last-16, where they lost 25-21. The Bulls had some dominance in the scrums but struggled in lineouts against the Parisians. They won their momentum through turnovers at the breakdown, and clever kicks and long passes for their pacy backline to exploit. Bulls take 20 seconds to score Almost immediately after a moment of silence was held for Lions lock Hyron Andrews, who passed away on Friday, the Bulls kicked off, won the ball back, and scored a try. Centre Harold Vorster kicked the ball through for winger Cheswill Jooste to dot down for a perfect start. Sebastian de Klerk nearly grounded after another kick-through. But a Khutha Mchunu turnover culminated in a Cobus Wiese try for the Bulls after a few drives. The Bulls then saw a Paul de Wet try disallowed for an earlier infringement – Elrigh Louw impeding a tackler. Louw was held up before Cameron Hanekom made sure the hosts would secure a third try before half-time, scoring from a tap-and-go. Stade Français fight back in second half The visitors finally secured their first try when Jacques Botha crashed over after a few drives. The Bulls immediately responded with a Marco van Staden try from a lineout. But Stade Français scored their second try through Petero Mailulu, reducing the deficit to 28-20. But their glimmer of hope was dashed when Jeandré Rudolph kicked twice, winning the chase both times on the way to the try line for an incredible individual score. Prop/hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels scored from a Willie le Roux cross-kick. But Cheswill Jooste stole the show with two more tries. He once crossed after a Le Roux long pass, and then threaded gaps in defence for an individual score to compound Stade Français’ hurt. Scorers Bulls: Tries – Cheswill Jooste (3), Cobus Wiese, Cameron Hanekom, Marco van Staden, Jeandré Rudolph, Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Conversions – Handré Pollard 8/8. Stade Français: Tries – Jacques Botha, Petero Mailulu. Conversions – Louis Foursans-Bourdette 2/2. Penalties – Ihaia West 1/1, Foursans-Bourdette 1/1.

Here is what the weather has in store for KZN, the Free State, and the North West on Sunday 18 October 2026. SAWS has issued a Yellow Level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms in western and southern inland KwaZulu-Natal. Heavy rain and damaging winds could cause localised flooding and damage to infrastructure and settlements. KWAZULU-NATAL Morning fog patches over the interior, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot. Scattered showers and thundershowers are expected but isolated in the north, except in the extreme north-east. The wind along the coast will be moderate southerly to south-westerly, becoming moderate easterly to north-easterly from the south towards afternoon spreading northwards The UVB sunburn index will be moderate. DURBAN Durban is going to be partly cloudy scattered showers and thundershowers in the afternoon. Light south-westerly winds will blow before a shift to moderate easterly to north-easterly in the afternoon. Temperatures will range from 21°C to 26°C. The UVB sunburn index will be moderate. FREE STATE Fine, windy and hot, becoming partly cloudy with isolated to scattered afternoon showers and thundershowers, except in the north-east. It will be windy in the west. BLOEMFONTEIN Bloemfontein is going to be partly cloudy with isolated afternoon thundershowers. Temperatures will range from a minimum of 15°C to a maximum of 34°C. NORTH WEST Fine and hot to very hot, becoming partly cloudy with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers in the west, where it will be windy MAHIKENG Mahikeng is going to be fine, becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon. Temperatures will range from a minimum of 16°C. to a maximum of 35°C. Weather forecast data provided by the South African Weather Service.

Eskom will switch off electricity in part of Ga-Rankuwa for 15 hours next week as it carries out maintenance on its distribution network. The power utility said the outage will affect customers in Ga-Rankuwa Zone 20 on Tuesday, 20 October, from 8:00 until 23:00. Eskom published the notice in its October 2026 Gauteng Cluster Connect newsletter, compiled by its Gauteng Communication and Stakeholder Management team. Why Eskom is cutting power in Ga-Rankuwa According to Eskom, the interruption will allow its teams to perform essential maintenance on distribution power lines serving the area. Unlike many planned outages that end in the late afternoon, this shutdown will stretch well into the night. Residents in Zone 20 can expect to spend the entire working day and most of the evening without electricity. Eskom cautioned that the maintenance may not go ahead as planned if circumstances beyond its control arise. Residents should keep an eye on Eskom’s official channels for any changes to the schedule. Tips to get through a long night without electricity With power only expected back at 23:00, households will need to plan for both daytime and evening needs. Residents can charge cell phones, laptops, power banks and rechargeable lamps on Monday night. Torches, candles and matches should be within easy reach before sunset, and anyone using candles or gas should never leave them unattended. Families may want to cook supper early using gas or prepare meals that do not require electricity. Filling flasks with hot water before 8:00 can help with tea, coffee and baby bottles later in the day. Homes that rely on electric gates, alarms or security lights should make sure backup batteries are charged, and residents may want to check in on elderly neighbours who live alone. Eskom advised customers to treat all electrical appliances as live at all times during the outage, since power could return without notice. Switching off sensitive appliances can also protect them from power surges when supply is restored. The utility thanked customers for their cooperation and apologised for the inconvenience.

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.