Tabla de contenidos para 2025-12-24 en Star

“Strong on the outside, breaking on the inside,” is how Wendy Figlan described the reality that shaped The Beauty and Battle of a Single Mom, a deeply personal book that turns quiet survival into a shared voice. From the opening pages, Figlan writes with honesty about motherhood lived in tension, holding strength and heartbreak at the same time. Her book is not framed as a guide or a lesson but as lived truth, told plainly, for women who rarely see their inner lives reflected with care. The book captures the weight of single motherhood without softening it. Figlan writes from years of carrying her story quietly, raising a child, working and managing emotional wounds that had little space to exist. “For years I carried my story quietly, balancing strength with…

A total of 227 motorists were arrested for drunk driving in Johannesburg in seven days as the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) intensified law enforcement operations during the peak of the festive season. In a statement, the JMPD said officers conducted a series of high-visibility roadblocks, roving patrols and targeted operations across all regions of the city between December 15 and 21. Commenting on the arrests, JMPD Chief of Police Commissioner Patrick Jaca emphasised the seriousness of the situation. “We are seeing very high numbers of accidents on our roads, and more people are being killed. It is our responsibility to ensure that this does not continue and that we reduce these numbers. “Each arrest made represents a potential tragedy averted and a commitment to protecting innocent residents and visitors.…

Vaal Central Water has moved swiftly to counter a circulating message in Nala Local Municipality that has sparked public alarm, firmly rejecting claims that its water is not chlorinated and therefore unsafe to drink. The bulk water supplier has described the message as misleading and inaccurate, warning that such claims risk undermining public confidence in critical water infrastructure and spreading unnecessary fear among residents. Vaal Central Water, which supplies treated bulk water to municipalities as a Water Services Provider (WSP), said its operations are governed by strict national standards and continuous quality controls. The entity said it operates fully in line with the South African National Standard for Drinking Water (SANS), which regulates microbiological, chemical and physical water quality parameters. According to the utility, water quality monitoring is conducted every…

A 55-year-old Limpopo man, Silah Phillemon Moila, from Ga-Ntata village, has been convicted and sentenced for raping and murdering his 91-year-old mother. Limpopo spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, said Moila was convicted and sentenced by the Tzaneen Regional Court to two life terms of imprisonment and an additional six years. The conviction stems from an incident that took place on February 24, 2024, at Ga-Ntata village. According to the NPA, Moila pleaded guilty to all charges, and the state accepted his plea. The court heard that at about 10 pm on the night of the incident, Moila went to his mother’s room and demanded money to buy liquor. The elderly woman told him she did not have money. Moila then raped and killed her. In aggravation of…

Sports are increasingly emerging as a powerful connection that unites people, acting as a glue holding bilateral and multilateral relations through shared purpose and commitment to mutually beneficial relations development. Sports are a powerful, universal tool for achieving national and international development, including broader goals like the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They play a vital role in development by fostering physical and mental health, building life skills like teamwork and resilience, promoting social inclusion and national unity, curbing youth violence, and driving economic growth. Sports provide immense economic opportunities that could drive sustainable economic growth and development, in addition to bridging adversities of human diversity and cultural experiences, especially where such differences sustain human prejudices. The global sports industry is a massive, multi-trillion-dollar market, with recent estimates placing its…

While the Sharks will bid farewell to Siya Kolisi in July next year, they are set to welcome back another burly loose forward in Dan du Preez. Du Preez, who has been at Sale Sharks since 2019, is close to signing a deal with the Durban team that gave him his start in professional rugby after he finished school at Kearsney College in KwaZulu-Natal. A source at the Sharks confirmed that Du Preez is keen to return to Durban and that the paperwork is underway. The Sharks have been searching for a big, ball-carrying No 8 for some time, an area where they have been lacking. Hanro Liebenberg, the former Bulls star who has flourished at Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership, was also approached but is understood to be…

England managing director Rob Key pledged yesterday to investigate whether players' drinking on a mid-Ashes beach break went too far, after reports said it had been like a "stag-do." The England team headed to Queensland tourist playground Noosa after heavily losing the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane. They spent several days on the sand and around restaurants and bars, followed by TV crews, photographers and reporters before travelling to Adelaide where they lost the third Test and the Ashes. Britain's Daily Telegraph reported that "after drowning their sorrows after the Brisbane Test, it is no exaggeration to say some, certainly not all, players drank for five or six days". It added that players "did nothing outrageous in Noosa" but there was concern over the level of drinking, with…

Teetering on the brink of despair for just over two decades, Bafana Bafana transformed years of anxiety and disappointment into triumph — at least for the moment. Monday night’s win over Angola represents not just a momentary success, but a shift in the trajectory of South African football. This victory restores hope after years of underperformance in high-pressure AFCON opening games. This crucial result marked a significant turning point in South African football history and was one of the major talking points from the Group B opener in Morocco on Monday evening. Remember Tunisia 2004 The last time Bafana Bafana won their opening AFCON match was a 2–0 triumph over Benin in 2004, courtesy of a brace from Siyabonga Nomvethe. Since then, South Africa had gone winless in their opening…

Police in Gauteng have established that the operating licence presented by the owner of a tavern where a brutal mass shooting claimed 10 lives in Bekkersdal on Sunday was fraudulent. The shooting took place at Kwa-Noxolo Tavern in the Tambo section of Bekkersdal. Speaking to journalists yesterday afternoon, acting Gauteng provincial police commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said the owner of the tavern would be arrested immediately. “On the day in question, when we were here, we checked the licence and took copies of the ID. “We then went to the Liquor Board for full verification. Just now, as we are here, a report with a statement came from the Liquor Board confirming that the licence is fraudulent,” Kekana said. “As we speak now, we are going to arrest her…

As the sun sets on 2025, something unfamiliar is settling over South Africa. It is not relief. It is not a triumph. It is something far more valuable. Clarity. For years, we were trapped in a tired argument. Either our democracy was collapsing beyond repair, or it was miraculously resilient. Doom or denial. 2025 broke that illusion. This was the year we stopped debating theory and started watching practice. Not a fairy tale. Not a rescue mission. A rough, imperfect demonstration of a democracy that still knows how to correct itself when pushed hard enough. When Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi stepped forward and alleged a criminal conspiracy within the heart of the justice system, the country held its breath. We have seen this movie before. Explosive claims. Media frenzy. Then silence.…

It's time to get even, Bafana Bafana. It is time to settle the score with the Pharaohs. Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations Group B clash between South Africa’s senior national team and their Egyptian counterparts will mark the fourth meeting between the two countries situated on opposite tips of the motherland. It is a crucial clash for both sides, with the winner set to book their place in the knockout stages with a match to spare. Both countries were 2–1 winners in their opening matches — Bafana having beaten Angola, while Egypt got the better of Zimbabwe. A recipe for a humdinger, alright! Not that clashes between the two are ever anything but. These, after all, are countries who have built something of an AFCON rivalry since South Africa’s return…

It’s the festive season, so go out there and have fun. That’s the message from Proteas T20I captain Aiden Markram to local players participating in the upcoming Betway SA20 Season 4. With South Africa’s premier domestic T20 competition scheduled just before next year’s ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, there are many who feel the 34-game competition is a virtual trial for the 15-player squad. But Markram, in his guise as the new captain of Durban’s Super Giants, erased the pressure and wanted players to express themselves. “From a Proteas point of view, the players that are maybe vouching for squad selection, it’s not to think about the World Cup. Absorb this month for what it is, and have as much fun as you can,” Markram said.…

As the 2025 Formula One season wraps up, the paddock’s attention has already shifted to 2026, a year many insiders are calling the most transformative in a generation. Once again, F1 is rewriting the technical rulebook, and this time it is not a subtle tweak but a full-blown evolution designed to reset competition, enhance racing, and pivot the sport towards sustainability and new forms of power delivery. The last seismic upheaval of this scale came in 2014, when the sport moved from screaming 2.4-litre V8 engines to 1.6-litre turbocharged hybrid power units. This hybrid era redefined how teams approached performance: energy recovery systems became as important as combustion power, budgets ballooned, and the balance of power shifted dramatically in favour of Mercedes in the early years. That change did not…

The Bulls have reacted to their poor performances in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup by sacking assistant coaches Andries Bekker and Chris Rossouw. The development was leaked on social media on Tuesday morning, with the Bulls set to confirm the move in a statement later in the afternoon. Bekker (forwards) and Rossouw (backline) served under former head coach Jake White, who parted ways with the Pretoria-based franchise in July following a player revolt after comments he made following the URC final defeat to Leinster. White was succeeded by Johan Ackermann, who initially retained the existing backroom staff. The Bulls began their season in late September with home victories over the Ospreys and Leinster. They then went on tour and, while they recorded a spirited win against Connacht, they…

For much of the professional era, the Springboks were justifiably criticised for targeting World Cups at the expense of everything in between. Before Rassie Erasmus took over the Springbok reins in 2018, the Boks had won just three Tri Nations/Rugby Championship titles since the tournament began in 1996, but had bagged two World Cups. Under Erasmus, the Boks have added two more World Cups while also claiming two more Championships (2024 and 2025), becoming back-to-back “nog al” winners. This new consistency between World Cups is hardly by accident — it is very much by design. The dew had barely settled on the Boks’ 2019 World Cup final win in Japan when Erasmus said the team had to have the ambition to be No. 1 in the world between World Cups,…

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) has urged young people across South Africa to celebrate the festive season responsibly and to refrain from alcohol and substance abuse. The call comes as the department highlights the link between substance abuse and increased incidents of violence, unsafe behaviour, and community harm, in line with the objectives of the National Drug Master Plan (NDMP) and the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP on GBVF). Cassius Selala, spokesperson for DWYPD, said: “The festive season is a time of celebration, rest and social connection. However, it is also a period that consistently records increased levels of alcohol and substance abuse, which contribute to road accidents, crime, family conflict, unsafe sexual behaviour, and heightened incidents of gender-based violence and…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has frozen a high-value property in Hesteapark, Pretoria, connected to the late actor Presley Chweneyagae, his spouse, and other co-respondents as part of a high-profile National Lotteries Commission (NLC) corruption probe. The court order was handed down by Judge M Victor on December 18 against the late Charlaine Christinah Chweneyagae, acting as Executrix of her late husband’s estate, as well as Alfred Muzwakhe Sigudla, the Southern African Youth Movement NPO, Domestic Baboon (Pty) Ltd, and other parties. The order prohibits any sale, transfer, lease, encumbrance, or disposal of the Pretoria property pending the finalisation of civil proceedings to be instituted by the SIU within 60 court days. Kaizer Kganyago, spokesperson for the SIU, said the property is alleged to have been purchased with approximately R889…

The SA Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has welcomed the Pretoria High Court ruling that set aside Eskom’s R54 billion tariff clawback arrangement with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), calling it a victory for transparency and hard-pressed electricity consumers. The court found that a decision with far-reaching consequences for households, workers and the broader economy could not lawfully be taken without meaningful public participation, effectively halting Eskom’s attempt to recover billions through future tariffs. SAFTU said the judgment restored constitutional safeguards in energy regulation. “This judgment is a significant victory for electricity consumers who have endured relentless tariff hikes for over a decade, while their living standards have deteriorated and wages have stagnated. “It reasserts the constitutional principle that regulatory decisions must be transparent, accountable, and participatory,”…

A Killer in the Low Country Candice Fox Multi-cast narration Audible Originals AUDIBLE Originals has once again captured the essence of enthralling storytelling with A Killer in the Low Country, written by the prolific Candice Fox, renowned for her knack for immersing readers in suspenseful narratives. This gripping audio experience spans just five hours, yet it packs a significant emotional punch, as listeners are drawn into a dark yet meticulously crafted web of friendships and true crime obsession. The narrative follows two high school teachers, Amber Dorris and Leticia Laye, as they delve into a true-crime podcast about the shocking 1999 murder of 12-year-old Sarah Gerlach. Their investigation centres around Blake Wernerhet, a man convicted of the crime who claims he is innocent. Meanwhile, Amber’s personal life is unravelling; she…

It has been nearly a decade since the tragic events at Lily Mine in Mpumalanga’s gold belt, where a catastrophic collapse claimed the lives of three individuals and left a community grieving and without closure. The incident, which occurred in February 2016, buried Solomon Nyirenda, Pretty Nkambule, and Yvonne Mnisi inside a container they were working in. Since that fateful day, they have been stuck in the mine’s depths. Since April 2019, family members of the victims have set up camp near the mine, living in a state of prolonged anguish while clutching onto hope that the remains of their loved ones will one day be recovered. This ongoing vigil speaks to the deep sense of loss and unresolved grief that hangs heavy over the families and the surrounding community,…

Records are meaningless without honours and silverware in football. This is a fact that Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos knows all too well as he strives to steer his side to only their second AFCON title in three decades. Bafana have been on a high, extending their unbeaten run in official matches to 26 games – and 27 overall – after opening their continental showpiece with a 2-1 win over Angola at the Stade de Marrakech on Monday night. The victory, inspired by goals from Oswin Appollis and Lyle Foster, ensured that Broos – the longest-serving coach in the team’s history – celebrated his 50th match in charge in style. Broos is no stranger to chasing the continent’s biggest prize. He won AFCON with Cameroon in 2017 by laying a…

Sometimes it helps when you can go to someone that has been there and done it. And few have done it more often than Proteas legend Hashim Amla. The South African genius has since of course transformed himself into a batting coach of the highest quality, imparting his vast knowledge at both the Lions and MI Cape Town. It just so happens that Rassie van der Dussen gets to tap into Amla in both camps. “It’s a luxury I have for having him at Lions,” Van der Dussen said ahead of MI Cape Town's competition opener against Durban's Super Giants at Newlands on Friday. “I came into the Lions setup a little bit underprepared, I think. There were one or two technical things that were out of sync. And I…

Alexander Isak faces two months on the sidelines after fracturing his leg in a "reckless challenge" from Tottenham's Micky van de Ven, Liverpool boss Arne Slot said yesterday. The Sweden striker was injured in a tackle from the defender in the act of scoring the opening goal in Saturday's 2-1 victory at Spurs. The Premier League champions said in a statement on Monday the forward had undergone surgery on "an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture". "It's going to be a long injury, for a couple of months," Slot told reporters. "So, yeah, that's a big, big, big disappointment for him. And as a result also of course for us." The Dutchman, whose team are fifth in the Premier League, described Van de Ven's tackle as "reckless". "The tackle…

It has become increasingly difficult to question the selection criteria of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, as time and again he proves his detractors wrong. Broos is refreshingly honest, often the first to admit when his players are either at their best or have had an off day. He was back at it at Stade de Marrakech after the 2–1 win over Angola in their AFCON opener, saying his players “went to sleep” in the first half. While the team could have done better to avert the situation, it was at centre-back where they largely struggled defensively. The new pairing of Siyabonga Ngezana and Mbekezeli Mbokazi failed to show chemistry and fluidity. With Bafana set to face Egypt in a top-of-the-table clash at Stade d’Agadir on Friday, all eyes will…

The Democratic Republic of Congo edged out Benin 1-0 in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations yesterday, with Theo Bongonda scoring the only goal of the Group D clash. Bongonda, of Spartak Moscow, pounced to score on 16 minutes at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat after the Benin defence left a long ball. The Leopards thought they had doubled their lead just after half-time when Cedric Bakambu met a Nathanael Mbuku cross to head home from close range, but the goal was eventually ruled out for offside after a long VAR check. One goal proved enough, however, for a DR Congo side backed by the majority of the crowd and who will hope to emerge from a group which also contains 2022 champions Senegal and Botswana…