Thokoza Residents Left Stranded as ATM Bombers Unleash Terror with Explosives and Gunfire

Residents of Thokoza in Ekurhuleni were jolted awake in the early hours of Thursday morning when the sounds of automatic gunfire and powerful explosions shattered the silence as ATM bombers struck again, leaving an already frustrated community fearing for their safety and access to cash.

The incident, which happened at approximately 2 am on Thursday, November 12, saw about five suspects target ATMs belonging to three banks at a shopping centre in Thokoza Gardens along Khumalo Road.

The brazen attackREAD MORE

South African football will have a strong presence at the 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards, with Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Teboho Mokoena earning a nomination for the prestigious Men’s Player of the Year award.

Mokoena is among 10 footballers shortlisted for Africa’s most coveted individual football honour following the unveiling of the nominees by CAF on Wednesday, 4 November.
The Bafana Bafana international faces competition from some of the continent’s biggest football stars, including reigning African Player of theREAD MORE

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has urged matric candidates and provincial education departments to remain alert to potentially disruptive weather conditions as the 2026 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations enter their final stages.

The department warned that excessive heat, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms could affect examination activities in parts of the country, raising concerns about the safety and well-being of candidates and examination personnel.

In a statement issued on Thursday, November 12, the DBE said the administration of theREAD MORE

XI’AN, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) — A national high-level think tank released a report on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in promoting an open world economy on Tuesday.

The report, titled “Building an Open World Economy Through Belt and Road Cooperation,” was released by Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with Xinhua News Agency, at the Belt and Road Forum for International Think Tank Cooperation 2026 & the 4th Silk Road (XI’AN) International Communication Forum in Xi’an, capital of northwest China’sREAD MORE

The search for missing Hartbeespoort Dam skipper Jan Obakeng Mokonyane has turned into a race against time, with thick water hyacinth covering nearly half of the dam and hampering efforts to locate him more than two weeks after his boat capsized. There were eight in the boat; seven people were rescued. Unfortunately, he wasn’t.

Mokonyane went missing on October 25, 2026, after a boat capsized at Hartbeespoort Dam in North West.

Despite ongoing search and rescue operations, there has beenREAD MORE

XI’AN, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) — The Belt and Road Forum for International Think Tank Cooperation 2026 and the 4th Silk Road (Xi’an) International Communication Forum opened in Xi’an, capital city of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, on Tuesday.

Themed “High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation Empowering Modernisation and Mutual Learning among Civilisations,” these forums aim to pool global wisdom and promote new development of Belt and Road cooperation with higher quality and at a higher level.

More than 300 diplomats, think tankREAD MORE

South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) is operating with 2,146 officers across its four regions, while a 75% vacancy rate continues to undermine its capacity, according to a written parliamentary reply by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber.

The figures were provided in response to questions from African Transformation Movement (ATM) Member of Parliament Thandiswa Linnen Marawu, who sought information about staffing levels at border posts, the adequacy of personnel and whether officers had the necessary tools to combat corruption.

TheREAD MORE

Two Lesotho nationals have been sentenced to a combined 27 years in prison for murdering fellow countrymen in separate incidents in the North West and Northern Cape.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) secured a 12-year direct imprisonment sentence against 23-year-old Tshepo Nkhope in Koster, North West, for murdering a man who had visited his residence looking for his girlfriend.

In a separate case, Phosholi Peete was sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment for stabbing fellow Lesotho national Thabo Rakeketsi toREAD MORE

Banyana Banyana are heading into a defining November showdown in Morocco, with Chinese Taipei, Ecuador and Uzbekistan standing between South Africa and the next step towards the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Head coach Dr Desiree Ellis has named her 23-player squad for the high-stakes play-off tournament, knowing that there is little room for error as the African champions fight to keep their World Cup ambitions alive.

The tournament, which runs from 28 November to 5 December atREAD MORE

The Democratic Alliance (DA) must turn its strong local election showing into a stable Johannesburg administration, with mayoral candidate Helen Zille saying the city’s finances must be repaired before residents can expect service improvements.

The DA secured the most votes in five of the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities, but won an outright majority only in Cape Town. In Johannesburg, the party emerged in first place without a majority, leaving it dependent on negotiations with other parties to form a government.READ MORE