Update@Noon

Police have offered a cash reward of 400-thousand rand for anyone who would come forward with information that could lead to arrests in the Ekurhuleni murder cases.  This reward offer was announced by police during a media briefing on measures to apprehend the perpetrators of the Ekurhuleni killings.  This comes after the bodies of eight women were found in the Ekurhuleni Municipal area in less than two months. Police say they do not want to treat the cases as linked incidents, until investigations prove otherwise, they need every help they can get. Horisani Sithole reports…..

Judgment in the defamation case between ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula and ANC NEC member, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has been reserved. Mbalula challenged Dlamini-Zuma's claims that he used money to secure his position during the 2022 ANC Elective Conference in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. Mbalula dismissed the allegations and requested Dlamini-Zuma to retract them. Ntlantla Kgatlhane reports.....

Day Two of the Congress of South African Trade Unions' (COSATU) 15th National Congress in Midrand has faced further disruptions. Top national office bearers were locked in a behind-closed-doors meeting to resolve a high-stakes leadership dispute that brought proceedings to a standstill. A legal opinion commissioned by COSATU has cleared First Deputy President Mike Shingange to stand for re-election, following contention over his recent suspension by his affiliate union, NEHAWU. However, tensions remain high. Several affiliated unions—including the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)—are still withholding their delegate lists. They are demanding absolute clarity on the legal opinion and its validity if challenged in a court of law.

Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals in Bloemfontein will hand down judgment in the ANC-IEC candidates submission battle later this morning. Judgment was reserved last night after two and half hours of legal wrangling which stems from the ANC's alleged failure to submit its councillor candidates for the November 4 local polls. The party cited a technical glitch on the IEC system which prevented it from submitting over 180 of candidates during the August 28 deadline. The IEC had since refuted the claim. Our Politics Report Ntebo Mokobo has more. 

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has condemned the fatal shooting of 19-year-old KwaNdengezi High School learner Sphephelo Ngubane. Ngubane was shot multiple times inside the school premises on Monday and died at the scene. Ntuli has directed law-enforcement agencies to urgently identify and arrest the perpetrator. He has also ordered strengthened school security measures and immediate psychological support for learners, educators and others affected by the tragedy. Lindelani Mbatha is KZN Premier’s Media Liaison Officer and Spokesperson

Police are investigating the discovery of a sixth woman's body in Kwa-Thema, Springs. This latest discovery brings to six the number of women's bodies found in Ekurhuleni in the last two months. Yesterday, a fifth woman's body was also discovered in Olifantsfontein, near Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni. Authorities say investigators have not yet established whether the six cases are linked, or whether police are dealing with one perpetrator, multiple perpetrators. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to  independent crime and policing expert Dr Mxolisi Mathebula

The COSATU congress is today expected to focus on the organisational and financial report and affiliates resolutions. The congress stalled yesterday, due to disputes over credentials. Several affiliates, including the National Union of Mineworkers, withheld credentials in protest over the suspension of First Deputy President Mike Shingange. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to  Economics Reporter, Katlego Legodi.....

The Madlanga Commission has heard testimony that Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) Internal Affairs identified a pattern of collusion between certain JMPD officers and criminal elements. Head of JMPD Internal Affairs, Superintendent Elmarie de Beer, testified that the units most frequently implicated include the Tactical Response Unit (TRU), the Special Patrol Unit (SPU) and, to a lesser extent, the K9 Unit. De Beer further testified that criminal networks allegedly used civilian informers to identify cash-intensive businesses, with some cases involving collaboration between JMPD officers and other criminal actors. Supt. Elmarie de Beer says lack of evidence was a shortcoming in dealing with Superintendent Phineas Manyama's investigation...

Civil society activists have lodged a formal appeal against a land use approval that will allow US technology company Equinix to build a hyperscale data centre at King Air Industria in Cape Town. The Housing Assembly and technology justice organisation Foxglove, represented by the Legal Resources Centre, say the application should have been rejected because of inadequate information about the data centre's impact on surrounding communities, in particular on electricity and water resources. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Attorney at the Legal Resources Centre, Kimal Harvey 

While the poor residents of Pango Camp Informal settlement in Munsieville, outside Krugersdorp are trying to keep limb and life together, politicians are scrambling to garner votes for the November polls. Every day, dozens of hungry children, pensioners and people living with a disabilities, flock to a local soup kitchen to get their meal for the day. Owner, Elise Saunders, who lived in a run-down shack at the edge of the informal settlement, was disturbed to see children eating rotten food from the landfill site. Our Politics Reporter Ntebo Mokobo visited the family, who chose love over comfort, proving  that compassion knows no colour.