Update@Noon

National Assembly Speaker, Thoko Didiza, says there's an urgent need for security within the Parliamentary precinct to be heightend further. Parliament confirmed over the weekend that a man in his 30s was apprehended after unlawfully entering the precinct compromising secuirty. Both the Speaker and her Deputy Dr. Annelie Lotriet held an engagement with the Parliamentary Gallery Association, on various issues regarding Parliament. Abongwe Kobokana reports...

Civic Rights Movement NotInMyName has launched an initiative to mobilise men AND get them to sign a pledge not to abuse women and children. This comes amid the discovery of a NINTH body of a woman in Boksburg this morning. Nonhlanhla Ntshingila reports...

Police in Gauteng have again called on anyone with information regarding the murders of multiple women in Ekurhuleni to come forward. This after police discovered the half-naked body of a woman in Villa Liza township, in Boksburg, this morning. The latest discovery brings to nine the number of women's bodies found in Ekurhuleni since July. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Research associate Southern Centre for Inequality Studies at Wits, Dr Lisa Vetten

The South African Weather Service has issued a level six severe weather warning for parts of KwaZulu-Natal, including Durban. Heavy and disruptive rainfall is expected from today until tomorrow, with a risk of flooding in low-lying residential areas and informal settlements. SAWS warns that fast-flowing streams and deep water could create dangerous conditions, threatening lives and property. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to meteorologist Lehlohonolo Thobela

The National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Makgothi Thobakgale, says the smuggling of contraband into correctional facilities is an ongoing problem involving some officials. Testifying before the Madlanga Commission, Thobakgale says during the COVID-19 lockdown, correctional facilities were closed to visitors and inmate movements to court were restricted. He says the continued discovery of contraband during that period pointed to officials as a source, as staff movements were among the few regular movements into and out of facilities. Thobakgale says officials have also been found giving inmates access to cell phones, which are then used to commit crimes.

Four-time Olympic medallist Tatjana Smith is stepping out of retirement to race at the South African Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg next weekend. Her competitive comeback comes at a dramatic juncture, unfolding alongside her legal battle against Swimming South Africa (SSA) and a full-blown leadership crisis in the federation. Representing her new Stellenbosch-based team, Lane Leader, the 29-year-old star is entered in the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke, alongside several relays. SAfm sports anchor Jon Gericke has more  

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) says it will reconvene its National Congress in a month following the collapse of its 15th National Congress this week. The federation was forced to adjourn the congress after affiliate unions refused to submit credentials in retaliation against the suspension of Costatu's first president Mike Shingange by his union NEHAWU.   COSATU's executive committee emphasised that the federation's constitution allows for a congress to be reconvened a month after adjournment. Cosatu incurred costs of around 12-million-rand for the congress. SABC Economics Reporter Naledi Mabitsela-Ngcobo filed this report .....

Political appointments into executive roles within government institutions came under intense scrutiny at the Chartered Governance Institute Southern Africa conference earlier today. Analysts at the event warn that political deployments create severe structural weaknesses, making corruption almost inevitable. The conference met under the theme: "Fault lines and futures: Corporate governance at the crossroads."Economics Reporter, Nothando Magudulela, filed this report....

The Electoral Commission has noted the ANC's intention to appeal the Electoral Court's judgment over the candidate submission dispute. The Commission's Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, says the electoral justice mechanism allows for aggrieved political parties and candidates to go to superior courts to vindicate their rights. He was speaking in Centurion on the finalisation of the candidate lists ahead of the November municipal polls. The ANC lost its court bid against the IEC following the exclusion of about 181 of its candidates from contesting the upcoming elections.
Ntlantla Kgatlhane reports...

The United Nations Secretary-General has put de-escalation in the Middle East at the top of his agenda as world leaders prepare to descend on New York for next week's UN General Assembly. António Guterres says restoring freedom of navigation through the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab was critical — while also demanding action on Gaza, the West Bank, Ukraine and Sudan. But ahead of UNGA81, he is also sounding an unusually stark warning about artificial intelligence — calling runaway AI one of three existential threats facing humanity. Sherwin Bryce-Pease reports.