Controversial blogger Musa Khawula has been given 30 days to comply with a Gauteng High Court order requiring him to retract and apologise for defamatory claims about EFF leader Julius Malema and his wife, Mantoa Matlala-Malema, or face a jail sentence.

The High Court in Johannesburg found Khawula in wilful contempt of an earlier order handed down on 14 April, after he failed to remove social media posts and publish an apology over allegations about the couple’s marriage.

The court imposed a 30-day sentence of direct imprisonment, but suspended it for 30 days to allow Khawula to comply with the April order.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya shares Ramaphosa’s public schedule

That order followed posts published on X in February, in which Khawula alleged that Matlala-Malema had filed for divorce, or that the couple was heading for a split. The court found the statements to be unlawful and defamatory.

Khawula was ordered in April to remove the offending posts from his X account and any other platforms under his control, issue an unconditional public apology, refrain from repeating similar allegations, and pay the costs of the application on an attorney-and-client scale.

Instead, Khawula publicly rejected the order and said on X that he would not apologise, prompting Malema and Matlala-Malema to return to court for contempt proceedings.

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She is among a number of Mexican American business owners who’ve become more vocal about also honoring Mexican history and the significance of the holiday, as a way to combat anti-immigrant sentiments amid heightened immigration enforcement efforts that have targeted Latino communities.

Mendoza, owner of Cuernavaca’s Grill in Los Angeles, said she prefers a celebration that reflects “everything that as a community we’re enduring today.”

So, Mendoza will host Cinco de Mayo festivities at her restaurant that, along with traditional mariachi and Mexican cuisine, will include a nod to Mexican perseverance over the French in the Battle of Puebla over 160 years ago.

“Just looking at how much they did with very little resources,” she said. “It just showed resilience. So, on Cinco de Mayo we always make it a testament of our resilience.”

Restaurants owners aren’t the first Latino community leaders to reclaim Cinco de Mayo in the U.S. — moving away from a flattening of Mexican culture toward highlighting history and community. This year, the celebrations are noticeably embracing traditional Mexican culture and focused on preservation, said Sehila Mota Casper, director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation.

“These are just incredible moments of educating and knowledge sharing,” Mota Casper said. “The more we educate, the more knowledge we share, the better a community and people we become.”

Restaurants emphasize authenticity over tequila shots

Hispanic-owned firms accounted for 8.4% of 5.9 million U.S. employers in 2024, according to the Census Bureau’s annual survey of businesses. They also were approximately 18% of all restaurant businesses in the United States last month, according to the National Restaurant Association, which uses census data.

U.S. revelers hoping to crowd restaurants and toss back shots of tequila may find more wholesome and intentionally planned offerings, said Raul Luis, who owns the Birrieria Chalio Mexican Restaurant, with locations in Los Angeles and Fort Worth, Texas. On Cinco de Mayo, he wants his customers to eat and drink the types of “guisados” — traditional Mexican braises or stews served as taco filling — that one would eat when invited into a Mexican family’s home.

Well-made, traditional cooking will keep customers coming back, even if they aren’t Hispanic, Luis said.

“It’s the ultimate opportunity for restaurants to take advantage of that moment and bring them in and entice them to authentic Mexican food,” Luis said.

What Cinco de Mayo celebrates

Cinco de Mayo marks the anniversary of the 1862 victory by Mexican troops over invading French forces at the Battle of Puebla. The triumph over much larger French troops who were better-equipped was an enormous emotional boost for Mexican soldiers led by Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza.

In Mexico, historical reenactments are held annually in the central city of Puebla to commemorate the victory. Participants dress as Mexican and French troops and as Zacapoaxtlas — the Indigenous and farmer contingent that helped Mexican troops win.

In the U.S., May 5 is seen as a day to celebrate Mexican American culture, stretching back to the 1800s in California. Festivities typically include parades, street food, block parties, mariachi competitions and baile.

Folklórico, or folkloric ballet, features whirling dancers in bright, ruffled dresses and their hair tied with shiny ribbons.

The day often is mistaken for Mexican Independence Day, which is on Sept. 16.

Latino activists and scholars say that disconnect in the U.S. is bolstered by the hazy history of Cinco de Mayo and marketing that plays on stereotypes that include fake, droopy mustaches and gigantic, colorful sombreros.

A testament to Mexican resilience

Since returning to the White House in 2025, President Donald Trump has continued to label Mexican immigrants as criminals and gang members, and Latino communities have been a target of his hard-line immigration tactics.

Memes shared from official White House social media accounts perpetuate negative stereotypes about Latinos, while a federally led English-only initiative and ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs all seem to target communities of color.

All together, it’s generated a great deal of fear in Latino communities.

Mendoza, the Los Angeles restaurant owner, said it’s also been a hard time for the restaurant industry because of rising costs. But in spite of it all, Cuernavaca’s Grill will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

As part of the restaurant’s Cinco de Mayo festivities, she’ll invite customers to contribute to a food and toy drive meant to support those who are struggling in the current climate.

“This is a testament of our resilience,” Mendoza said.

“It’s a testament of our hard work. It is pride to our community and everything that we’ve accomplished.”

AP

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The Greek goddess stands on a pedestal, holding a golden apple bestowed on her for her beauty — a classic ideal of beauty as old as, well, ancient Greece.

But the idea of “Costume Art,” which examines the dressed body through centuries of art history, is not to celebrate the classical form. It is rather, says Andrew Bolton, longtime curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, to use that form as a launch pad.

“Now, we go through and reclaim the body,” he says, leading a reporter through the gleaming new Conde M. Nast galleries that the show will inaugurate.

The corpulent body. The disabled body. The pregnant body. The aging body.

The new show, which gala guests will view before it opens to the public May 10, is the most consciously body-positive show the museum has attempted. Perhaps its most prominent feature is a group of new mannequins, based on real people with a wide variety of body types.

There is even, in the “aging body” section, an enormous gray hoodie, emblazoned with the phrase: “I’M RETIRED. (This is as dressed up as I get.)” Just in case you’re tired of the whole glittery glamour thing.

Bolton took The Associated Press through the exhibit late last week as a huge team of installers was busy hammering, nailing, posing and otherwise adjusting the 400 items on display. Here are some of the highlights.

A new space, giving fashion its due

Last year, the Met Gala, a fundraiser for the Costume Institute, brought in a record $31 million.

That gargantuan sum alone — it grows every year — can explain why the museum has granted its only self-funding department some prominent new digs, fashioned from former retail space on the museum’s main floor, right off the Great Hall.

“We’re in the epicenter of the museum,” notes Bolton, with evident pride.

It will house all future fashion exhibits, making them easier to reach for guests and enabling shows to last longer; “Costume Art” will be up for 8 months.

The universality of … diversity

The show travels through centuries of art history by pairing art objects with fashion garments, making the argument that not only is fashion art — that’s indeed the gala dress code — but more profoundly, art is fashion.

Its first main gallery bears the title “Bodily Being in its Diversity,” and begins with flowing Grecian-style gowns, paired with images on Greek vases or flasks.

But the display soon veers from classic forms into those that fashion has traditionally ignored.

The pregnant body, unhidden

Bolton argues that the pregnant body has either been ignored or stereotyped in art. Here, he presents designers — often female, working in the late 20th century or later — who have explored and accentuated the expectant form.

The so-called “pregnancy dress” from British designer Georgina Godley, which appeared in her 1986 “Bump and Lump” collection, is a straightforward celebration of the extended pregnant belly.

It is paired with a rare (for the time) 1920 sculpture by French artist Edgar Degas, “Pregnant Woman” — a nude figure holding her belly and seeming to reflect on what’s to come.

The corpulent body, unfettered

Garments on display here include the corsetry of designer Michaela Stark, who posed herself for three of the new mannequins. One of them displays the corsetry ensemble “Fat Not Fertile” — fighting the trope that a larger body represents reproduction and fertility. Stark uses corsets to bind the flesh and accentuate, not hide it — to “bring back power to the female form.” The ensemble is paired with an ancient marble statuette resembling the same body type.

The disabled body takes center stage

A striking subset of the Reclaimed Body section explores the disabled body, itself divided into different types of disability: physical, sensory and cognitive.

In one ensemble, a mannequin based on Paralympian athlete, model and actor Aimee Mullins wears a pair of Victorian-esque Alexander McQueen boots, which are really prosthetic limbs. The outfit is paired with a 1965 sculpture, “The Amputee,” by John Gutmann.

Irish disability activist Sinéad Burke, who was born with dwarfism, also posed for two mannequins. One wears a Burberry trench coat, cut down for length — and including part of a discarded sleeve, refashioned into a headpiece. The other is a Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren “Mickey and Minnie” dress, paired with an ancient Egyptian statue of a dancing dwarf.

Model and activist Aariana Rose Philip, who uses a wheelchair, also posed for a mannequin, placed in its own chair — wearing a pair of denim shorts and a shirt bearing the slogan: “Queer Capital.” The display is accompanied by a work from artist Lucy Jones, who, like Philip, lives with cerebral palsy.

Exploring a less visible disability is a coat by Scottish designer Nadia Pinkney, who paid homage in her “Remember Me Knot” collection to both her grandmother and great-grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s. The coat’s pattern — derived, according to curators, from brain scans — is meant to reflect the “physiological tangles” the disease inflicts on the brain’s structure.

It’s paired with a lithograph by Willem de Kooning, whose own experience with Alzheimer’s affected his late-career work.

The vital body — colorful and bloody

The second main gallery is devoted not to diversity so much as commonality — those things that unite us all. Like aging, which the show seeks to reframe as “a mode of sophistication rather than biological decline.” And mortality. There’s also a whole bloody section on, well, blood.

This includes Westwood’s “Martyr to Love” evening jacket where shiny beads represent a muscled torso, and deep red beading portrays blood dripping from a wound. It is paired with German painter Albrecht Dürer’s “Man of Sorrows with Arms Outstretched.”

“Costume Art” opens to the public May 10 and runs through Jan. 10, 2027.

AP

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Yemeni coffeehouses are opening at a rapid pace across the U.S. The number of cafes run by six major chains that serve Yemeni-style drinks grew 50% last year to 136, according to Technomic, a restaurant industry consulting company. The count doesn’t include the many smaller chains and independent cafes serving coffees and teas imported from Yemen.

Yemeni coffeehouses are meeting the moment for several reasons. They stay open late — sometimes past 3 a.m., especially during Ramadan — and provide a place to socialize for the growing number of Americans who don’t drink alcohol. Last year, a Gallup poll found that just 54% U.S. adults reported drinking alcohol, the lowest percentage in 90 years.

“Generally in the Middle East. our nightlife is coffee, right? People hang out at coffee shops, they play cards, they talk. We wanted to bring that here,” said Ahmad Badr, who owns an Arwa Yemeni Coffee franchise in Sunnyvale, California.

Another reason for the cafes’ popularity is the growing number of Americans of Arab descent. Between 2010 and 2024, the Arab American population in the U.S. rose by 43%, compared to around 10% growth for the U.S. population as a whole, according to the Arab American Institute.

While most Yemeni coffee shops are in places with high concentrations of Arab Americans, including Michigan, California and Texas, they’re also opening in locations as diverse as Alpharetta, Georgia; Overland Park, Kansas; and Portland, Maine.

A taste of home

Faris Almatrahi is the co-founder and owner of Texas-based Arwa Yemeni Coffee, a chain with 11 cafes across the U.S. and 30 more in development. He said an ongoing civil war in Yemen that began in 2014 has prevented Yemeni Americans like himself from visiting their homeland, so he has tried to evoke Yemen in his cafes.

Arwa locations are painted in natural desert tones, with archways that mimic mosques and lampshades shaped like the hats worn by Yemen’s coffee farmers.

“One of the ways to actually visit without traveling there was to bring that experience to the U.S., and that was a huge passion for us when we opened our first location,” Almatrahi said. “It was extremely emotional for all of us due to the fact that it really transported us to Yemen.”

But Almatrahi noted that most of his customers aren’t of Arab descent. In fact, Americans of all backgrounds are seeking out new global flavors and authentic experiences, according to market research company Datassential. Food trends are also spreading quickly through social media.

Menus vary, but Yemeni cafes generally serve specialties like Adeni tea, a spiced tea similar to chai, and qishr, a traditional drink made from the dried husks of coffee cherries. Familiar drinks like lattes might contain special spices or honey; at Arwa, lattes features the outline of a camel stenciled in spices.

Bakery cases might contain khaliat nahal, or Yemeni honeycomb bread, a cheese-filled pastry drizzled with honey, or basboosa, a cake soaked in sugar syrup and often flavored with lemon or rose water. Many Yemeni menus also mix in more typical U.S. coffeeshop fare, like matcha lattes or berry refreshers.

Choices for coffee lovers

Peter Giuliano, a researcher with the Specialty Coffee Association, a California-based nonprofit, said culturally specific cafes have been a key growth driver in the U.S. coffee industry for the last few years. In addition to Yemeni cafes, he cited the Latin-style chain Tierra Mia in California and Nguyen Coffee Supply, a New York-based company that roasts Vietnamese beans.

A customer who visited Badr’s shop in Sunnyvale for the first time said an internet search brought her there on a recent weekday. Cindy Donovan said she’s always on the hunt for good coffee and was excited by Yemeni coffees she tried.

“I think they’re much more refined and mellow, and much more full of flavor than a regular cup of dark roast, for instance,” Donovan said. “The cardamom in the drinks is fantastic. Very, very flavorful, rich but not heavy.”

Most Yemeni coffee is sun-dried, which enhances its flavor and brings out undertones of chocolate and fruit, Almatrahi said. Yemeni cafes often mix coffee with special spice mixes – or hawaij – that may contain cardamon, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, coriander or nutmeg.

“Our coffee and teas are not just made through a fully automatic machine,” said Mohamed Nasser, the director of operations for Haraz Coffee House, a Dearborn, Michigan-based chain with 50 U.S. outlets and another 50 in development. “We have to manually blend and mix our coffee and tea, boil it with water and evaporated milk, make sure that it comes out (with the) perfect taste, perfect color.”

Yemen’s flavorful history

Coffee has a long history in Yemen. While the plant was likely discovered in Ethiopia, by the 1400s it was being cultivated in Yemen, where monks brewed it to stay awake during prayers, according to the National Coffee Association, a U.S. trade group. Yemen monopolized the coffee trade for around 200 years until Dutch merchants smuggled coffee seeds to Indonesia and began growing plants there.

Almatrahi said a revitalization of the Yemeni coffee industry over the last two decades, led by coffee companies, foundations and young entrepreneurs, helped make the current U.S. boom possible. Coffee is one of the most promising sectors for economic development in Yemen, where more than 80% of the population lives in poverty, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

“We are ambassadors for our culture and our people. So when we open these shops, we want to perform the outreach, to show the hospitality, to show what we have to offer,” Almatrahi said.

AP

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So you can see why making “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” two decades after the original, was hard to resist. The cast, led by Anne Hathaway, have hardly aged. The then-little-known Emily Blunt has turned into a star. Throw in some stiletto heels and a few T.J. Maxx quips and the thing practically writes itself.

Yet time has worn on “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” a fitfully functional sequel that doesn’t fit its cast nearly as snugly as the 2006 original did. Nostalgia, haute couture and the sheer appeal of Streep and Tucci will be enough for some to celebrate this 20-year reunion. The actors all don their old roles seamlessly.

But the trouble with “The Devil Wears Prada 2” isn’t its winning cast. It’s that everything else has changed. The sequel, which returns director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, valiantly tries to catch up to the times, but the result is enough to make you wish they had said “That’s all” after the first one.

“The Devil Wears Prada,” Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel, was born out of an earlier media age when the New York magazine was a midtown dream of power, cachet and free-flowing expense reports. Weisberger, who had worked as a personal assistant to Vogue editor Anna Wintour, famously based her Runway magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Streep) on her former boss.

But the sequel takes place in a very different media ecosystem. In the opening scenes of the new film, Andrea Sachs (Hathaway) receives an award for her investigative journalism for a newspaper called The Vanguard only to, moments before her speech, find out that she and her colleagues have been laid off. If Chanel-styled escapism is part of the promise of “The Devil Wears Prada,” reporters will likely find it soberly realistic. There is, for better and worse, an awful lot of Hathaway preaching about the power of journalism here.

Things at Runway aren’t much better, either. The magazine is more digital than glossy now; going viral matters more than shaping fashion trends. After the magazine unwittingly publishes a laudatory profile of a label soon after revealed to be a sweatshop, Runway chair Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), in PR crisis mode, hires Andrea to run the features department.

So it takes quite a bit of narrative cross stitching to, 20 years later, make Miranda Andrea’s boss again. At their reunion, an overexcited Andy is met by a typically cool Miranda, who characteristically doesn’t even remember her. Their task of reviving the reputation of Runway gets significantly more difficult when Irv’s tech bro son (B.J. Novak) takes over ownership. Further corporate jeopardy follows when other players — including Blunt’s Emily Charlton, now a Dior executive, and her wealthy boyfriend, Benji Barnes (Justin Theroux) — join the mix.

The second “Devil Wears Prada” plays out a bit like a fashion world “Succession,” with better clothes and a lot less cursing. While these shifting power dynamics make for some dramatic reversals, they don’t get near the pure enjoyment of the novice assistant-tyrannical boss relationship that defined the original.

That might be the real rub of “The Devil Wears Prada 2”: Mid-life career changes aren’t nearly as compelling or relatable as a newbie assistant thrown into the high-fashion fire. All we really want is to see Meryl Streep say cutting things to Anne Hathaway, with a few zingers from a well-tailored Tucci on the side.

The sequel delivers a little of that, but it mostly tries to cover its narrative issues with trips to the Hamptons and Milan, and a long list of cameos, from Karl-Anthony Towns (go Knicks) to Kara Swisher. There’s also Kenneth Branagh as Miranda’s violin-playing husband, Lucy Liu as a sought-after interview and Patrick Brammall as an Aussie developer and Andrea’s love interest. (Pour one out for Adrian Grenier’s sous chef, who doesn’t return in the sequel.)

The first “The Devil Wears Prada” was about having career ambitions while not entirely sacrificing your personal life, too. In the sequel, the struggle is for maintaining a standard of quality, in journalism and taste, when those things are going increasingly out of fashion.

What else has gone by the wayside? The cruel boss. “The Devil Wears Prada” might have very well had Miranda, in the intervening years, be canceled and have to claw back her seat of power. Instead, she has two assistants. One, played by Simone Ashley, is a sharp-elbowed heir to Blunt’s character. The other, played by Caleb Hearon, is smiley and chipper. Andy has an assistant (Helen J. Shen) too, but they get along terrifically.

In the workplace, this would be called progress. On the screen, it’s a setback. Everyone, even Miranda, is a bit too, well, nice in “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” We should relish every Streep performance. It’s been five years since she had a major role in a movie; a once constant joy of moviegoing has turned infrequent. I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who just wants to see her and these actors together again. But the movie, well stocked in Prada, could have used a bit more of Streep’s unflappable devil.

“The Devil Wears Prada 2,” a 20th Century Studios release in theaters Thursday, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for strong language and some suggestive references. Running time: 119 minutes. Two stars out of four.

AP

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Nicknamed Timmy by German media, the whale was spotted swimming near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, far from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean. The mammal’s health deteriorated as it became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters, and unsuccessful efforts to coax it toward deeper seas were livestreamed across the globe.

Rescuers on Tuesday pulled the whale to a flooded barge using straps and a channel previously dredged to create a passage to the vessel, the Germany press agency dpa reported.

The barge is now expected to go around the northern tip of Denmark via the strait of Skagerrak toward the North Sea.

“Something like this has never happened before in Germany, where a life-saving operation of this kind has been carried out,” Till Backhaus, minister for climate protection, agriculture, rural areas and the environment of the federal state of Mecklenburg Vorpommern, told a press conference. “And this was an experiment, and the experiment was a success, and that’s wonderful.”

The minister said the whale was resting peacefully and on Tuesday night it vocalized, which meant it was doing well.

The minister had given the green light for the latest attempt to save the whale, proposed by a private initiative, despite some warnings from the scientific community that it may be too much for the animal.

The debate about whether to let it die in peace or try to assist its return to the Atlantic Ocean has gone on for weeks. Activists have staged protests on the beach in Wismar calling for its liberation, while others have supported new ideas about how the whale could be transported.

Thilo Maack, a marine biologist at Greenpeace, told the The Associated Press earlier this month that efforts to save Timmy have caused the animal severe stress.

“I believe the whale will die very soon now. And I would also like to raise the question: What is actually so bad about that?” he said. “Yes, animals live, animals die. This animal is really, really very, very, very sick. And it has decided to seek rest.”

Some scientists believe the whale had searched especially for shallow waters because it was weak and needed rest. The veterinarians of the private initiative, however, consider the animal fit for transport.

AP

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The film evokes Prada without being about the storied fashion house that has become synonymous with Milan. In homage, Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour both wear Prada on a current Vogue cover celebrating the film about a demanding fashion editor.

But when part of the movie was shot in Milan during fashion week last September, a Dolce & Gabbana runway show, not Prada, was the backdrop for a scene featuring Streep and Stanley Tucci.

‘’When you think of Prada, when you think of the Prada brand, you also think of Milan. This is obviously good for the fashion system,’’ said Tommaso Sacchi, Milan’s counselor for culture. “It’s a film that is good for the city.’’

Fans converge on film pop-up

That enthusiasm is spilling over to a pop-up at Milan’s main department store, where aficionados of the film and fashionistas have flocked to take selfies at a replica of fictitious fashion editor Miranda Priestly’s desk and against the backdrop of a faux Runway magazine mock-up cover.

VIPs attending the film’s Italian premiere on Thursday, ahead of its global release next week, will attend a cocktail in the space.

The Rinascente CEO, Mariella Elia, said the response to the pop-up — which is announced by giant statues of the iconic red pumps outside the store — shows that people have “a desire for lightness.”

“It’s not just about buying, it’s really about reviving what fashion represents … a desire to have a stylish flair once again, a desire for joy, too — perhaps in contrast with the current economic and international moment that humanity is experiencing,’’ Elia said.

On a recent day, the space filled with people browsing limited edition T-shirts with famous phrases from the first film like, “Is there some reason my coffee isn’t here?”

Valentina Cattivelli, a professor, said she wasn’t trying to channel Priestly as she sat behind the replica of her desk. It included an inbox full of other lines from the original film, including Priestly’s dismissive, “That’s all.’’

“No, I’m not so cruel in my daily life, but I appreciate her professional style and also her fashion and the taste for fashion. But not her sarcasm or cruelty, no,” Cattivelli said.

Where Prada meets the film

The Prada brand was founded a few steps away, in the stately Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery, by Miuccia Prada’s grandfather. The shopping arcade today is anchored by two Prada flagship stores.

Miuccia Prada transformed the brand into a fashion juggernaut, turning the infamous ugly chic aesthetic into must-have or must-emulate looks and accessories that bring intellectual heft to runway fashion — a theme of the original movie, which offered a peek beyond fashion-world frivolity.

“There is a close relationship between the ‘Devil Wears Prada’ franchise and Prada, because by evoking Prada from the very title, it evokes a fashion that makes you dream, a fashion that makes you feel elegant, a fashion that makes you feel good, a fashion that gives you an allure,’’ said Annarita Briganti, a fashion journalist who wrote a book about Prada for Rizzoli’s Made in Italy editions.

AP

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President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived at the Dr Rantlai Molemela Stadium on Monday to lead the 2026 National Freedom Day Commemoration, marking 32 years of democracy under the theme Freedom and the Rule of Law: Thirty Years of Democratic Citizenship.

In his keynote address, Ramaphosa said government is working to undo the economic injustices of the past.

“We have begun to redress the economic injustices of our past, expanding ownership, control, and management of the economy beyond just a privileged few.”

He acknowledged progress but stressed that more must be done.

“The progress we have made is evident in the improvements in the income and quality of life of Africans, Coloured and Indian South Africans, and the gradual reduction in income inequality between the races. But this is not enough. There are many more hills to climb and rivers to cross.”

ALSO READ: Zandile Dabula to leave Operation Dudula Movement, citing internal strife

Ramaphosa added that strengthening Black Economic Empowerment policies and training young people remained central to building dignity.

“Dignity means that people must be able to live free from the fear of violence and crime.”

Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie praised Ramaphosa’s leadership.

“Despite ongoing criticism, President Ramaphosa will remain in office until 2029. His leadership continues to guide the nation through difficult times.”

The commemoration drew government leaders, civil society, and communities together, with ceremonial participation by the South African National Defence Force adding to the day’s significance.

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The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing South Africa’s digital transformation agenda through closer collaboration with industry leaders.

On an official invitation, Deputy Minister Mondli Gungubele visited Huawei Technologies South Africa’s Office Park in Woodmead this week.

During the engagement, the Deputy Minister met with Mr. Kui Zheng, the newly appointed CEO of Huawei Enterprise South Africa.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Morolong closes North West media Summit with call for collaboration and sustainability

Discussions focused on ICT priorities, digital infrastructure, technology transfer, and strategies to accelerate digital inclusion.

“This visit presents an opportunity to strengthen the partnership between government and industry, engage on current ICT priorities, and gain insights into Huawei South Africa’s latest developments and capabilities,” the Department said.

The Huawei engagement formed part of a broader programme of strategic site visits, which also included AM Hengtong Africa Telecoms in Kempton Park. There, discussions centered on leveraging projects such as the PEACE Cable system to expand international connectivity and position South Africa as a regional digital hub.

ALSO READ: EFF sub regional secretary Loyiso Mangisa laid to rest

The department said partnerships of this nature are vital for implementing the National Digital Economy Masterplan, which aims to build a connected, inclusive, and globally competitive digital society.

“Engagements of this nature are critical in fostering innovation, accelerating digital inclusion, and building a connected South Africa,” the Department said.

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Durban’s Oceans Mall became the epicenter of style and sound as African Fashion International (AFI) unveiled its House of NALA pop-up ahead of the Metro FM Music Awards 2026.

The showcase marked a glamorous “return to Durban” theme, blending high fashion with one of South Africa’s biggest entertainment weekends.

As the official fashion partner, AFI positioned African luxury alongside global brands, spotlighting designers Loice Dube and Thulani Molokomme.

Loice’s Autumn/Winter 2026 collection redefined modern African formal wear through bold colours and avant-garde tailoring, while Thulani’s range drew on mystical inspirations to deliver dramatic high-fashion statements.

The collections set the tone for the Metro FM Awards’ celebrated “Black Carpet” culture, proving that African craftsmanship belongs at the forefront of global luxury.

With the awards returning to the Durban ICC, the city pulses with a fusion of music and fashion, reminding audiences that Durban is not just a stage this weekend but a cultural canvas.

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