10 h. ago ‘I was locked in the bathroom sulking’: Temba Bavuma on his path from township to WTC final

The South Africa captain talks about street cricket in Langa, adapting to new schools after a scholarship and why playing at Lord’s means so much“There was always some sort of allegiance with Lord’s when we were growing up in Langa,” Temba Bavuma says of his childhood as a township boy living just outside Cape Town. Bavuma, the first black cricketer to captain South Africa, will lead his country against Australia in the World Test Championship final, which begins at Lord’s on Wednesday.In the quintessentially English surroundings of Arundel, the 5ft 3in Bavuma looks as if he has gone back to being a kid in the dusty townships. “In Langa we had a four-way street,” he says, his face crinkling with the memories. “On the right-hand side of the street the tar wasn’t done so nicely and we used to call it Karachi because the ball would bounce funny. The other side was the MCG [Melbourne Cricket Ground] but my favourite section of the street was clean, and done up nicely, and we called...

Politics

28 h. ago All branches of major UK high street supermarket could be sold to 'mystery buyer'

Currently owned by South Africa's SPAR Group, the UK arm of the SPAR Group is run by the Appleby Westward Group – and has more than 1,750 stores across the country

Economics

31 h. ago Children plummet from bouncy castle blown away in front of terrified parents

Two children were left with injuries after the untethered bouncy castle was carried high into the air by a gust of wind at a school event in Krugersdorp, South Africa

Society

31 h. ago Terrifying moment two children cheat death after falling from bouncy castle blown 40 feet into the air during school fund

The horror happened during a fund-raising day at a school in South Africa when an unexpected gust caused the apparently untethered inflatable to take flight.

Society

32 h. ago Stuart Broad to help out South Africa bowlers but not interested in coaching job

Broad will join the Proteas as a consultant for one day ahead of their World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s.

Politics

43 h. ago Brit, 73, strangled to death with own belt in horror South Africa phone robbery

Retired Brit Karl Lauks, 73, was brutally killed on his driveway when he was strangled with his own belt after coming home from the pub, in South Africa - police said a 29-year-old has been arrested

Events

44 h. ago Sick ICE agents are stuck in Djibouti at risk of malaria and rocket attacks. Why won’t Trump bring them back?

DHS accuses judge of ‘stranding’ officers in east Africa while legal battle plays out over South Sudan deportations, but he never ordered them there.

Events

47 h. ago Cutting off rhinos' horns is a contentious last resort to stop poaching. A new study found it works

A study published in the academic journal Science has found that cutting off the horns of rhinos in Africa leads to a reduction in poaching of the endangered species

Politics

50 h. ago Brit, 73, is ambushed and strangled to death with his own belt outside his South Africa home as he's robbed for his phone for fourth time in six months

The killer is said to have used Karl's scarf to silence him by jamming it in his mouth to stop his screams then wrapped the belt round his neck and choked him to death.

Events

52 h. ago Oscar Pistorius competes in Durban triathlon 12 years after murdering girlfriend

Pistorius was released on parole in January 2024, 12 years after the murder of Steenkamp

Events

54 h. ago Bikes, the Bean and Black Panthers in Chicago: Wembley to Soweto initiative 2025

After the huge success of projects across Europe, southern Africa, South America, the Middle East and the UK, the Wembley to Soweto Foundation started its US rollout in 2022. Focusing on young people affected by gangs, the charity uses photography as a catalyst to improve participants’ self-esteem and confidence and teach life skills to help disadvantaged youth into employment and tertiary educationThe backdrop of sport has been a constant in the Wembley to Soweto Foundation’s projects, and the foundation has encouraged the young photographers to reflect how their communities are shaped by football, rugby, athletics, cricket, boxing and the like.Since the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa, the charity has worked alongside the Premier League, the FA, the Olympic Games, the Cricket World Cup, the RFU and now the MLS in North America. Ultimately the US cohorts will be given the opportunity to photograph at the US Soccer World Cup in 2026 and the 2028 LA Olympics.Quiet Reflection – Th...

Politics

3 d. ago Trump scapegoats ‘too late’ Fed Chair as his morning goes from ‘Best May in 30 Years’ to dismal jobs outlook

Jerome Powell has repeatedly defied Trump with interest rate decisions and statements about tariffs

Politics

3 d. ago The Spin | Why neutrals should back South Africa against Australia in WTC final

Wealth of Big Three is skewing Test cricket and a big win for Australia at Lord’s would only emphasise this gulfOn a recent episode of The Grade Cricketer podcast, the hosts, Sam Perry and Ian Higgins, tore lumps out of South Africa in a foul-mouthed tirade about the World Test Championship final against Australia. Perry predicted a finish “inside three days” and Higgins, practically thumping the table, said: “If I don’t look at a scorecard and South Africa are three for spit my TV is going through the window.” Cue big alpha chuckles and main-character knee slaps.I know they were joking, skewering Australian arrogance as much as South African frailty, and that they have built a formidable brand that runs on side-mouthed jibes and hyperbolic bluster. Still, the lizard part of my brain lit up in protest. How dare they dismiss my countrymen? I wasn’t alone in taking offence. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Morocco reveals ambitious £887m plan to host African F1 race

South Africa and Rwanda are keen on hosting a race but Morocco has also joined the list of interested parties

Economics

4 d. ago I'm A Celebrity winner Scarlett Moffatt 'signs up for second series of All Stars'

I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! All Stars is coming back next year in South Africa as famous faces from past series battle it out to be crowned the ultimate champion

Politics

5 d. ago Starmer changes 50 years of foreign policy to land £33bn deal with Morocco

The UK has recognised Morocco’s claim to the disputed Western Sahara as it unveils a new economic partnership with the north African country

Economics

5 d. ago South Africa seek Stuart Broad help in bid to beat Australia in World Test Championship final

England bowling icon to spend brief stint as coaching consultant for the Proteas at Lord’s next week

Sport

5 d. ago Stuart Broad to work with South Africa ahead of World Test Championship final

This will be Broad’s first coaching role, with the 38-year-old having been a television pundit for Sky Sports since retiring from playing.

Sport

5 d. ago Trump’s tax bill helps the rich, hurts the poor and adds trillions to the deficit | Katrina vanden Heuvel

The ‘big, beautiful bill’ has reaffirmed that a pledged golden age is really just a windfall for the uber-wealthyThe blush is off the rose, or, rather, the orange. The erstwhile “First Buddy” and born-again fiscal hawk Elon Musk recently said he was “disappointed” by Donald Trump’s spendthrift budget currently under debate in the US Senate. Squeaking through the House of Representatives thanks to the capitulation of several Republican deficit hardliners, this “big, beautiful bill” certainly increases the federal debt bigly – by nearly $4tn over the next decade.Equally disappointed are those who have been busy burnishing Trump’s populist veneer. Steve Bannon had repeatedly promised higher taxes for millionaires, but he has confessed he’s “very upset”. That’s because the bill would cut taxes by over $600bn for the top 1% of wage-earners, also known as millionaires. It amounts to the largest upward transfer of wealth in American history. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Scientists are baffled as measurements reveal South Africa is RISING out of the ocean

Scientists have been baffled to discover that South Africa is rising out of the ocean by as much as two millimetres per year.

Politics