News24 | FF Plus guns for Lamola; ConCourt rules for ANC in candidates’ case: Today’s top 7 stories
News24 brings you the top 7 stories of the day.
Graphic: Sharlene Rood
News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature.
ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile urged residents of Vosloorus to vote for his party in the 4 November local government elections.
Nqobile Mtshali/News24
‘I don’t have a pool’: Vosloorus pensioner’s R4k water bill haunts Mashatile’s campaign
- A Vosloorus pensioner confronted Deputy President Paul Mashatile during his ANC campaign visit in the run-up to the 4 November local government elections, citing an inflated water bill of around R4 000.
- The pensioner denied having a pool or any explanation for the exorbitant charge, highlighting ongoing service-delivery failures and unresolved municipal billing disputes in the area.
- Mashatile’s response was to urge residents to vote for the ANC in the elections, a move that drew scrutiny given the party’s governance of the municipality.
Shadrack Sibiya claimed he had ‘dealt with’ the Madlanga Commission and 121 dockets, but his former bodyguard’s allegations undid him, the State argued in his bail hearing.
Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images
Sibiya’s ex-bodyguard ‘undid’ him after Madlanga Commission, State argues
- The State argued at Shadrack Sibiya’s bail hearing that his former bodyguard’s allegations effectively “undid” Sibiya’s claims that he had dealt with the Madlanga Commission and 121 dockets.
- Sibiya maintained he had addressed matters related to the Madlanga Commission, but testimony from his ex-bodyguard directly contradicted that position, according to prosecutors.
- The case centres on criminal allegations tied to the Madlanga Commission and forms part of an ongoing bail-hearing process in Johannesburg.
Solidarity has lobbied the FF Plus and DA to report International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola to the GNU clearing house.
Lamola Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images
At Solidarity’s behest, FF Plus reports Lamola to clearing house over handling of US talks
- The FF Plus has lodged a formal dispute against International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola in the GNU coalition clearing house, targeting his handling of South Africa’s talks with the US.
- The move was prompted by Solidarity, which lobbied the FF Plus – and the DA – to take action against Lamola over matters, including AGOA and the country’s relationship with Washington.
- Key figures mentioned in the context of the dispute include Donald Trump and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, underscoring the domestic and international political dimensions of the complaint.
The Constitutional Court has ruled in the ANC’s favour, ordering the IEC to include the party’s candidate lists and ward nominations. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula collapsed after the ruling.
Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images
Mbalula collapses after ConCourt rules for ANC in candidate lists case
- The Constitutional Court ruled in favour of the ANC, ordering the IEC to include the party’s candidate lists and ward nominations for six municipalities on the ballot for the 4 November local government elections.
- The ANC had missed the IEC system’s “submit as final” deadline, leading it to initially exclude those candidates; the Constitutional Court found against that exclusion.
- ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula collapsed following the ruling.
Pedestrians walk past a De Beers store in Hong Kong. Anglo has been looking to sell De Beers since it fended off an almost $50 billion approach from BHP Group in early 2024, but the process has been stymied by a crisis in the diamond market.
Sebastian Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Richemont in talks to join De Beers bid
- Luxury goods group Richemont and US jewellery retailer Signet Jewellers are in talks to join a consortium that is in a leading position to acquire diamond miner De Beers from Anglo American.
- Anglo American has been seeking a buyer for De Beers since fending off a near-$50 billion takeover approach from the BHP Group in early 2024, with the sale process complicated by a prolonged crisis in the global diamond market.
- No final purchase price has been disclosed, and the talks remain at an early stage, with Richemont’s potential involvement representing a significant development given its position as one of the world’s largest luxury conglomerates.
Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has called on organisers to improve the Soweto derby experience for fans.
Fani Mahuntsi/Gallo Images via Getty Images
McKenzie wags finger at Soweto derby ‘chaos’ as tickets sell out in six hours
- Tickets for the Soweto derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs sold out within six hours, triggering concerns about crowd management and the fan experience at one of South African football’s biggest fixtures.
- Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie publicly criticised the organisers, describing the situation as “chaos” and calling on them to improve their management of the event.
- McKenzie’s intervention signals growing government concern about the Premier Soccer League’s handling of high-demand fixtures and the safety and access challenges they present for fans.
Author Sally Rooney poses for a photograph ahead of the announcement of the winner of the Costa Book Awards 2018 in London, Britain, 29 January 2019.
Henry Nicholls/File Photo/Reuters
Sally Rooney’s books no longer sold in UK over support for banned pro-Palestinian group
- Sally Rooney’s books are no longer being sold in the UK after she declared her intention to direct her UK royalties to Palestine Action, a group proscribed by the British government as a terrorist organisation.
- UK law prevents publishers from passing on earnings to a proscribed group, leading her publisher to agree to stop supplying her works in the country; Palestine Action was banned following a series of attacks on Israel-linked defence companies and a June 2025 break-in at the RAF’s Brize Norton base.
- Rooney submitted a witness statement to the High Court in support of a legal challenge to Palestine Action’s proscription, describing herself as a “vocal supporter” of the group and saying she was “wholly prepared to accept the consequences” of her stance.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.