SAWS has issued a Level 2 severe thunderstorm warning for parts of KwaZulu-Natal, warning of heavy rain, hail, damaging winds and possible flooding. An extremely high fire danger warning remains in place for Nama Khoi in the Northern Cape.

Nicolas Jackson scored twice as Aston Villa defeated Manchester City 2-1, allowing Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal to draw level on 21 points following a routine 2-0 set-piece victory over Everton.

Get the Daily Lotto and Daily Lotto Plus results as soon as they are drawn on The Citizen, so you can rest easy and check your tickets with confidence. Estimated Daily Lotto jackpot: Daily Lotto: R450 000 Daily Lotto results for Saturday, 24 October 2026: The winning Daily Lotto numbers will appear below after the draw, usually within 10 minutes. You might need to refresh the page to see the updated results. Daily Lotto: 01, 04, 08, 13, 20 While great care has been taken to ensure accuracy, The Citizen cannot take responsibility for any error in the results. For more details and to verify the Daily Lotto results, visit the National Lottery website. How to play Daily Lotto in SA? If you are buying a ticket in-store: Pick up a betslip in any lottery store. Choose five numbers between 1 and 36 or ask for a Quick Pick. Entries cost R3 each. You can play a max of R150, but you are allowed to play multiple boards. Select how many consecutive draws you wish to enter, up to a maximum of 10. Leave blank for a single draw. Take your betslip to the teller to pay for your ticket. Write your details on the back of your ticket in case you need to claim a prize. If you do not sign your ticket and you lose it, anyone can use it to claim the prize. If you are playing online: Set up a lottery account here and make a deposit to pay for tickets. Choose five numbers from 1 to 36 or select ‘Quick Pick’ to generate a random set. Repeat this on as many boards as you want to play. Decide whether to enter a single draw or multiple draws. Confirm and pay for your entry. What time is the Daily Lotto draw? The Daily Lotto draws take place shortly after 9:30pm every evening, and tickets can be bought until 8:30pm. Visit www.nationallottery.co.za and go to the How to Play Daily Lotto section to learn more.

Get the Lotto and Lotto Plus results as soon as they are drawn on The Citizen, so you can rest easy and check your tickets with confidence. Estimated Lotto and Lotto jackpots: Lotto: R4.5 million Lotto Plus 1: R8 million Lotto Max 5: R1 million Here are the winning Lotto results for Saturday, 24 October 2026: The winning numbers will appear below after the draw at 9:00pm, usually within 10 minutes. You might need to refresh the page to see the updated results. Lotto: 02, 08, 09, 10, 30, 34, Bonus: 27. Lotto Plus 1: 01, 02, 03, 12, 23, 24. Bonus: 48. Lotto 5 Max: 11, 18, 25, 34, 48, 50. Bonus: 27. While great care has been taken to ensure accuracy, The Citizen cannot take responsibility for any error in the results. For more details and to verify the results, visit the National Lottery website. When do South African National Lottery ticket sales close? Lottery outlets close at 8.30pm on the day of a draw, which takes place at 9pm. The terms and conditions may differ from other service outlets. You can find the historical winning numbers for PowerBall and Lotto draws here. How much does it cost to play Lotto? Lotto entries cost R5 per board including Value-Added Tax (VAT). Lotto Plus costs an additional R2.50 per board. You can also play Lotto on selected banking apps (terms and conditions apply). Visit www.nationallottery.co.za and go to the How to Play section to find out more.

Mia le Roux is the latest Miss South Africa to go from being a beauty queen to a bride. The 31-year-old wed her longtime partner, Luke ten Oever, last weekend. INSIDE MIA LE ROUX’S WEDDING Last weekend, Mia Le Roux – South Africa’s first hearing-impaired title winner – wed her longtime partner Luke ten Oever at La Paris Estate. The Franschhoek venue was the same location as Vasti Spiller and Dricus du Plessis’s wedding ceremony a week earlier. Mia wore a stunning lace and satin ballgown, featuring diamante and pearls, which was designed by Anel Botha. She later changed into a more form-fitting dress for the reception.  Her marketing strategist’s spouse wore a classic black tuxedo. The wedding ceremony and reception featured elaborate floral displays, drapery, and chandeliers in a beige-and-gold theme. The couple cut their large vanilla-and-strawberry wedding cake. Take a look at her wedding posts… View this post on Instagram A post shared by M I A L E R O U X (@mialerouxx) MR AND MRS TEN OEVER Mia Le Roux and Luke ten Oever started dating four years ago after meeting at a New Year’s celebration. They announced their engagement last year. In his first social media post to his wife, Luke shared on IG: “To a life of memories, to a life spent together. Jy is my hart se punt [the apple of my eye], Mrs ten Oever” Mia has dedicated several sonnets to her husband, whom she claimed was her biggest supporter. She previously praised her partner, telling the media, “He understood me, and I understood him. It was easy and effortless. He is gentle, kind and sometimes too precious for this world.”

Social media users shared their unpleasant encounters with renowned actor Ray Ntlokwana, better known as Velaphi Mjongeni. He starred in the 90s isiXhosa comedy-drama Velaphi on SABC 1. While the Eastern Cape native portrayed a timid and comical character on screen, netizens claimed he was quite the opposite in real life and preferred to be called “Bhuti Ray” rather than Velaphi. FANS SHARE REAL-LIFE ENCOUNTERS WITH RAY NTLOKWANA On 16 October 2026, @MsAphelele shared a post from History ZAR on her X (formerly Twitter) timeline. The page documents and commemorates cultural, political, and historic moments across South Africa. However, @MsAphelele diverted from the celebratory tone of the original post by sharing her alleged not-so-great experience with Ray Ntlokwana. She recalled how, during her childhood in the Eastern Cape, she and other kids excitedly fawned over the legendary actor, only to be met with a side of him they did not expect. She wrote: “As kids, seeing him eGugulethu, we ran up to him and screamed, ‘Nank’ uVelaphi, nank’uVelpahi!’ [There’s Velaphi.] Akasithuka kanje [He swore at us.]” As kids seeing him eGugulethu, we ran up to him and scrome "nank’ uVelaphi, nank’uVelpahi!" Akasithuka kanje😭😭😭🤣💔— Thole loMthwakazi 🇵🇸 (@MsAphelele) October 16, 2026 MORE FANS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES @Oskava16: Wathuka [he swore] one of my friends as well, and we all became embarrassed on his behalf; he was very rude. @bongolesizwe1: He never liked being called Velaphi. I think he was depressed and exploited; there was so much happening in his personal life. Even when he was here in Uitenhage, ebebathuka abantu abambiza ngo Velephi [He swore at those who called him Velaphi]. His brother lives in my area; he is still alive. @KeithFuturistic: He hated that and hated being called by his screen name. Wayeserious umeck [He was very serious] in real life. @nunnah_M: I’ve heard this story so many times. ebeRude uTimer! [He was rude] @Mashaba_Ntobs: He never liked being called by his character name, if you say Bhuti Ray. He would be okay with it. He was making nice sandals. RAY NTLOKWANA: A FORMIDABLE ACTOR Ray Ntlokwana’s range as an actor exceeds the comedic roles many know him for. Beyond his unforgettable performance in Velaphi, he has starred in many other projects, including Trouble in Constantia and Ingqumbo Yeminyanya, where he played a serious character named Ngxabane. Ntlokwana has received several accolades throughout his career as an actor.  In March 2000, the Western Cape provincial government honoured him with a merit award for his inspiring contribution to the arts. He also won the Best Actor in a Comedy award for his role in Trouble in Constantia. INSPIRATION FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATION The Velaphi character was so iconic that even the younger generation continue to appreciate Ntlokwana’s artistry. Popular TikToker Stunning Maze has dubbed himself “Velaphi’s son” because of his admiration for the late actor. In one of his videos, he playfully styles his hair to match Velaphi’s distinctive hairstyle. @stunningmaze Like father like son #xhosastorytellers #stunningmaze #velaphimjongeni #AfricaRising ♬ original sound – Phiwe Mkhuzo @stunningmaze #greenscreen #stunningmaze #xhosastories #velaphimjongeni #velaphii ♬ original sound – Phiwe Mkhuzo

The presidency has pulled its website offline, two days after the PHP project released fixes for critical flaws.

A hacker claims it has 366GB of data from the insurer that handles injury claims for mineworkers and metalworkers.