National Coloured Congress (NCC) leader Fadiel Adams arrived in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on Wednesday night after an almost 30-hour journey from Cape Town, where he was arrested at the parliamentary village this week.

Police have confirmed that he will be processed at an undisclosed station ahead of his appearance in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning.

Adams is facing charges of fraud and defeating the ends of justice.

He was taken into custody on Tuesday in Cape Town and transported to KwaZulu-Natal by members of the South African Police Service’s Political Task Team.

Briefing the media on Wednesday night, SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the decision to divert Adams to a different police station was prompted by the public disclosure of Westville police station as his intended destination.

“We have informed his lawyers of the latest development that we won’t be bringing him to the Westville police station for security reasons because everyone announced that he would be coming here,” Mathe said.

“So to protect him and to also protect the integrity of this entire process, we have taken a decision not to divulge his whereabouts, like I’ve indicated, for security reasons,” she added.

Mathe said the MP had been processed by the receiving officer, booked in at a local police station, and that “there are no complaints” from his side and no reported injuries.

She acknowledged concerns over the police’s secrecy regarding the details of Adams’ journey from the Western Cape but said the measures were operationally necessary to safeguard both the suspect and the investigation.

“We do not give out those details on any suspect that we are transporting, and that is a security measure that is put in place by the police to ensure the safety and security of firstly the suspect that is in transit, the team, as well as to protect the integrity of the whole process,” Mathe said.

Addressing speculation about the conditions of the trip, she confirmed that the convoy had stopped “in a nearby town” and that Adams had been given an eight-hour rest.

“He was fed. He received your breakfast, your lunch, your supper, and so on. So, he has been well taken care of,” Mathe said.

Earlier reports indicated that the convoy had made an overnight stop in Gqeberha before continuing its journey on Wednesday morning.

Mathe reiterated that the police respects constitutional protections, including the presumption of innocence.

“We know well the constitutional rights of every individual in South Africa, and the suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law,” she said.

His legal team, family members and senior NCC officials gathered at Westville police station on Wednesday awaiting his arrival, amid uncertainty over his exact location during transit.

By Wednesday evening, police confirmed he had arrived in KwaZulu-Natal.

The charges relate to alleged interference “at a critical stage” of the investigation into the 2017 killing of former ANC Youth League Secretary General Sindiso Magaqa.

Adams is accused of visiting convicted killer Sibusiso Ncengwa in prison and obtaining statements on who allegedly orchestrated what he has described as an assassination.

Members of the National Coloured Congress, including Adams’ wife and party officials, expressed frustration over the lack of communication during his transfer.

National organiser Nasmi Jacobs said the party was concerned about his safety and the absence of official updates as supporters waited outside the police station for confirmation of his arrival.

The NCC has condemned the arrest as unlawful and politically motivated.

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ALSO READ: WATCH: Ramaphosa, Chapo strengthen SA Mozambique ties amid regional challenges

Madlanga asked whether sufficient reasons had been provided by Senona’s legal team.
Sello said that while not all arguments were strong, key factors justified the delay.

“[I] wouldn’t say all the reasons advanced are cogent, but one of the issues he raises is that since his suspension, he doesn’t have sufficient access to his… computers and records held at the office, and it would require more time to attend to that. And I think perhaps that alone may be a sufficient ground to grant him the extension,” she said.

She added that Senona’s ongoing labour case and scheduling conflicts were also relevant.
Madlanga granted the application.  

The postponement follows objections from Senona’s legal team, who have raised concerns about alleged procedural irregularities, including claims that the summons was not preceded by a Rule 3 notice and supporting documentation.

His lawyers also argued that the issues contained in the summons had already been addressed in earlier testimony.

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

Senona had been expected to return to the commission amid fresh allegations, including claims by Hawks Serious Organised Crime head Major-General Hendrik Flynn linking him to events surrounding the theft of cocaine from police offices in Port Shepstone.

His attorneys further cited prior commitments, including a disciplinary hearing from 4 to 6 May and a court appearance in Durban on 7 May, as reasons for his unavailability.

Meanwhile, proceedings were briefly disrupted earlier in the morning when a fire alarm was triggered at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College, forcing an evacuation of staff and prompting a response from emergency services.

No injuries or damage was reported, with investigations into the cause of the alarm still ongoing.

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PSG edged a thrilling 5-4 game in the first leg in Paris last week, and the defending champions made the advantage count to progress 6-5 on aggregate to set up a final in Budapest against Arsenal on May 30.

Ousmane Dembélé blasted home a first-time finish to open the scoring, with the assist going to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after a blistering run down the left flank and cutback pass to the France international.

Bayern were up in arms shortly after the 30-minute mark when the referee neglected to call handball on Nuno Mendes, who was already on a yellow card, and then waved off shouts for another possible handball on João Neves — this one coming in PSG’s own penalty area.

It did not appear the VAR was consulted on either decision, while replays showed that the referee had already blown his whistle for a handball on Bayern’s Konrad Laimer before the perceived Mendes infraction.

With the assist, Kvaratskhelia became the first player to score or assist in seven consecutive Champions League knockout stage games in a single season and drew level with Kylian Mbappé for the most goal contributions in the UCL season with 16 (10 goals, six assists).

Try as they might, the hosts could not find a way back into the game in the second half until Harry Kane scored a late consolation goal just before the final whistle blew. Bayern had won five of their past seven meetings with PSG in Munich, and were going for a repeat of the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble they won in 2020 and 2013.

That bid ultimately came up one goal short.

PSG and Bayern came into the second leg as the top-scoring sides in the competition with 43 and 42 goals, respectively. It’s the first time two teams have scored more than 40 in the same season — with the expanded League Phase format playing a role.

Arsenal sealed their spot in the final on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Atlético Madrid to advance 2-1 on aggregate over Diego Simeone’s side.

PSG will try to become only the second team to repeat as Champions League winners, with Real Madrid having done so twice by winning the competition three times in a row between 2016 and 2018.

Information from The Associated Press and ESPN Global Research was used in this report.

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Turner died surrounded by his family, according to Turner Enterprises, the company that oversees his vast business interests and investments.

Turner owned professional sports teams in Atlanta, defended the America’s Cup in yachting in 1977 and donated a stunning $1 billion to United Nations charities. He married three women — most famously actor Jane Fonda — and earned the nicknames “Captain Outrageous” and “The Mouth of the South.”

He once bragged: “If only I had a little humility, I’d be perfect.”

He was slowed in later years by Lewy body dementia. Long since out of the television business, he concentrated on philanthropy and his more than 2 million acres of property, including the nation’s largest bison herd.

His garrulous personality sometimes overshadowed a driven, risk-taking business acumen.

By the time he sold his Turner Broadcasting System to Time Warner Inc. in a 1996 media megadeal, Turner had turned his late father’s billboard company into a global conglomerate that included seven major cable networks, three professional sports teams and a pair of hit movie studios.

President Donald Trump, reacting to Turner’s death, called him “one of the Greats of All Time.”

“Whenever I needed him, he was there, always willing to fight for a good cause!” Trump posted on social media.

The creation of CNN

Turner’s signature achievement was creating CNN, the first 24-hour, all-news television network in 1980. At a time news is instantly available at anyone’s fingertips, it’s hard to recall that the idea of letting consumers decide when they choose to learn what’s going on in the world was once revolutionary.

In part, Turner’s own frustration with television news was the instigator. He often worked past 8 p.m., after the ABC, CBS and NBC nightly newscasts had already gone off the air, and was in bed by the time his local stations did their own newscasts at 11 p.m.

He took a chance by starting the operation sometimes derided as the “chicken noodle network” in the early days of cable television, living in an apartment above its Atlanta office.

“I was going to have to hit hard and move incredibly fast and that’s what we did — move so fast that the (broadcast) networks wouldn’t have the time to respond, because they should have done this, not me,” Turner recalled in a 2016 interview with the Academy of Achievement. “But they didn’t have the imagination.”

CNN’s breakthrough moment came during the Gulf War with Iraq in 1991. Most television journalists had fled Baghdad, warned of an imminent American attack. CNN stayed, capturing arresting images of a war’s outbreak, with anti-aircraft tracers streaking across the sky and correspondents flinching from the concussion of bombs.

Turner was promised a continued role in CNN after his company’s sale to Time Warner for $7.3 billion in stock, but was gradually pushed out, much to his regret.

“I made a mistake,” he later said. “The mistake I made was losing control of the company.”

That same year — 1996 — saw the birth of Fox News Channel and arrival of a new dominant mogul in cable news, Rupert Murdoch. Political opinion became the stock in trade of networks like Fox News and MSNBC.

Building TBS SuperStation

Robert Edward Turner III was born Nov. 19, 1938, in Cincinnati. When he was 9, his family moved to Savannah, Georgia, where he grew up. After being expelled from Brown University for sneaking a coed into his room, Turner came to Atlanta to work as an account executive for his domineering father’s billboard company, Turner Advertising.

After his father’s 1963 suicide, Turner took over the company. In 1970, he bought an independent UHF station with a weak signal that didn’t even cover Atlanta.

On Dec. 17, 1976, he began transmitting the station to cable systems around the country via satellite. It became the TBS SuperStation. “It was the start of something bigger than we ever imagined,” Turner said in 1996.

TBS’ motley collection of old movies and “The Andy Griffith Show” reruns was augmented by Turner’s acquisition of baseball’s Atlanta Braves. Perennial doormats, the Braves slowly attracted fans across the nation through their superstation exposure and in the 1980s began declaring themselves “America’s Team.”

Turner, who early on donned a uniform and managed one game, helped open baseball’s free-agent price wars by signing pitcher Andy Messersmith.

In the 1980s, Turner went deeply into debt to buy MGM, a move again greeted with skepticism.

But the acquisition gave his company a huge library of vintage movies that eventually were parlayed into the TNT and Turner Classic Movies networks. His devotion to older movies earned Turner a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004.

He was also criticized for adding color to classic movies like “Casablanca,” which he said he did to make them appealing to a younger audience.

TBS also acquired the Hanna-Barbera animation library, which led to the launch of the Cartoon Network.

“He sees the obvious before most people do,” Bob Wright, former president and CEO of NBC, told The New Yorker in 2001. “We all look at the same picture, but Ted sees what you don’t see. And after he sees it, it becomes obvious to everybody.”

He revealed his ambitions as a younger man: “I used to tell people I wanted to become the world’s greatest sailor, businessman and lover all at the same time.”

Asked to share the secret to his success, he said: “Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise.”

Acquiring sports teams and land

For much of his life a partying roustabout who wooed beautiful women with a roguish charm, the lean, mustachioed sportsman married three times.

He was married to Fonda from 1991 to 2001. She quit acting while married to Turner, but tired of his philandering and divorced him, although they remained friends.

“He was sexy. He was brilliant. He had 2 million acres by the time I left. It would have been easy to stay,” Fonda said of her relationship with Turner.

Turner had an unexpected friendship with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, bonding over hunting and arguments about politics over rum and cigars. A once bitter rival who compared Fox’s Murdoch to Adolf Hitler, they later reconciled over a mutual concern over the environment.

Turner built a sports empire, at one point owning professional baseball, basketball and hockey teams in Atlanta.

He was best remembered at the helm of the Atlanta Braves, turning the doormats into postseason regulars by the 1990s. Their stadium, built for the 1996 Olympics, was named Ted Turner Field. The Braves replaced it in 2016 with a newer stadium north of Atlanta.

Perhaps Turner’s greatest love was for the land. He acquired millions of acres in ranches complete with roaming buffalo and was Nebraska’s largest private landholder.

He spoke often of reviving the West’s bison herds, and in 2002 started a restaurant chain serving bison burgers, Ted’s Montana Grill. Researchers at Texas A&M University credited his donation of a few bulls in 2005 with helping increase the genetic diversity of the last herd of southern Plains bison.

He had a net worth of $2.5 billion in 2023, but had dropped off Forbes magazine’s ranking of the 400 richest Americans in 2021.

During a stock market bust, Turner’s net worth went from nearly $10 billion to about $2 billion in two-and-a-half years.

“To put this in perspective, I lost nearly $8 billion in 30 months,” he wrote in his autobiography, “Call Me Ted,” in 2008. “That means that, on average, my net worth dropped by about $67 million “per week,” or nearly $10 million “per day, every day, for two and a half years.”

He had enough time, and money, to devote to such lofty goals as promoting world peace and protecting the environment.

“See, my life is more an adventure than a quest to make money. Adventure is going out and doing something for the pure hell of it,” Turner once said. “You just want to see if you can do it, period. There’s no thought of gain other than your own satisfaction.”

‘The Mouth of the South’

Through the years, Turner’s antics occasionally overshadowed his business activities.

Fresh from skippering his boat “Courageous” to the America’s Cup title in 1977, a very inebriated Turner was captured by TV cameras stretched out on the floor at the victory celebration.

Turner managed to insult many with his shoot-from-the-lip style. An atheist since his only sister died of lupus at age 17, he called Christians “losers” and “Jesus-freaks,” later apologizing for both remarks.

He once suggested in a speech that unemployed Black people be used to haul mobile missiles with ropes “like the Egyptians building the pyramids.” After civil rights leaders demanded an apology, he said he was just joking.

Other times, his humor saved him from potentially awkward situations, like when he talked to an audience in Berlin in 1999.

“You know, you Germans had a bad century,” Turner said, according to The New Yorker.

“You were on the wrong side of two wars. You were the losers. I know what that’s like. When I bought the Atlanta Braves, we couldn’t win, either. You guys can turn it around. You can start making the right choices. If the Atlanta Braves could do it, then Germany can do it.”

Turner, father of five children, grabbed a leadership role in American philanthropy with his Sept. 18, 1997, pledge to give $1 billion, or $100 million a year for 10 years, to United Nations charities. Even as Turner’s fortune shrank after the AOL Time Warner merger, he continued giving money to the U.N., calling it the best hope for peace.

Dedication to various causes

He promoted a range of humanitarian causes. Turner joined former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn to start the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to reducing the threat of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. Turner fretted publicly about the world’s problems.

“If I had to predict, the way things are going, I’d say the chances are about 50-50 that humanity will be extinct in 50 years,” Turner said in 2003. “Weapons of mass destruction, disease, I mean this global warming is scaring the living daylights out of me.”

As he poured millions into nonprofits on a global scale, Turner was also fond of spreading his wealth in small ways.

He once gave $500 to a volunteer fire department that helped extinguish a blaze on one of his ranches. Another time he lent personal paintings for an exhibit at a Bozeman, Montana, museum.

AP

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“The broad resilience of emerging market currencies may well be due to weakening global trust in the US dollar and the need of investors to diversify portfolios,” he told an audience in the Eastern Cape on Monday evening.

“It is not that they are abandoning the dollar, but nowadays no one wants to be all-in on the dollar either.”

The rand, which had strengthened considerably before the conflict began on 28 February, has backed off to around the levels of late last year, even as oil-importing South Africa faces surging fuel prices.

“The rand exchange rate has been surprisingly resilient so far,” Kganyago said.

“It depreciated in March but then recovered to roughly pre-crisis levels. Many of our peers have had similar experiences.”

The JPMorgan Emerging Market Currency Index has recovered since late March and is now almost back to pre-war levels.

Investors have warmed to rand assets in recent months, reassured by growing confidence in the nation’s fiscal discipline, economic reforms and the central bank’s adoption of a 3% inflation target.

Analysts at Moody’s Ratings, in a note published Tuesday, also point more broadly to durable improvements in public finances to explain how some large emerging-market economies have been able to absorb external shocks.

Not that the dollar’s dominance is under threat.

International Monetary Fund data showed it accounting for around 57% of the world’s official foreign exchange reserves in the final quarter of 2025 versus under 2% for China’s yuan.

Still, Kganyago’s remarks touch on an undercurrent of criticism that US President Donald Trump’s actions since re-entering the White House will have lasting consequences for the dollar’s appeal.

These include his trade tariffs, attacks on traditional allies and Washington’s use of financial sanctions against adversaries, which his predecessors also deployed.

South Africa is a member of the Brics group of influential emerging-market nations who’ve previously discussed reducing their dependence on the greenback – a suggestion that drew a Trump threat of punitive tariffs if they failed to commit to the US currency.

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Leaders of an anti-illegal immigration protest march held in Durban on Wednesday claimed “victory” after allegedly “nabbing five drug dealers” in a block of flats in the notorious Point area on Durban’s South Beach.

The march was led by radio personality and activist Ngizwe Mchunu, influencer and social activist Nkosikhona Ndabandaba, radio presenter and event organiser Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma of the March and March Movement, Xolani Khumalo of Sizokuthola fame, and the Labour and Civic Organisation (LACO).

It started at King Dinuzulu Park (formerly Botha Park), moved through the Durban city centre via Anton Lembede Street (West Street), and then proceeded along Mahatma Gandhi Road (Point Road) to the South Beach.

Ndabandaba later instructed marchers to gather outside the Point Parkade on Mahatma Gandhi Road, saying they had received information that the flats had allegedly been overrun by drug dealers, believed to be from Nigeria.

“We won’t go inside — only the police, Ngizwe, Xolani and other leaders will enter to look for drugs. We will not leave until the drugs are found,” Ndabandaba told protesters, urging them to maintain maximum discipline.

After nearly an hour of searching the building, Khumalo and police emerged with a man they claimed to be a Nigerian national.

He was allegedly found with drugs in his flat and reportedly indicated that more could be found at the Rond Vista block of flats across the road.

He was taken there to point out the location, and after about an hour, was brought back to the original flat.

The raid lasted nearly two hours, with protesters guarding the building outside.

The claim that the building is a drug den was supported by Ngobese-Zuma, who said they had received information from residents that it was one of several such sites, prompting them to remain until police conducted a raid.

“Indeed, we have been proven right, as you have seen that one suspect has been nabbed and police are looking for others. What is sad is that this is not the only building used for such activities. These buildings are also used for human trafficking and prostitution, and we have been informed that some police officers are in their pockets, which is why they are not acting,” she alleged.

Photo: Sihle Mavuso/ Inside Politics

After the raid, protesters marched in an orderly manner to Gugu Dlamini Park near the Workshop Mall, where they were addressed by Mchunu, Khumalo and Ndabandaba.

It was there that Mchunu claimed they had nabbed five drug dealers.

“We even found drugs on the table and other illegal substances in one flat; that’s how bad the situation was in the complex,” Mchunu told protesters, also taking a swipe at Julius Malema and the EFF, alleging they protect illegal immigrants in the country.

Khumalo said the battle ahead would be long and would require bravery, adding that he expected a larger turnout at future marches.

Ndabandaba said this marked the beginning of a prolonged campaign to fight drug dealers and illegal immigrants in the country.

Photo: Sihle Mavuso/ Inside Politics

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The head of the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, Major General Hendrik Flynn, has implicated KwaZulu-Natal provincial head Major General Lesetja Senona, saying he directly contributed to the disappearance of 541kg of cocaine from Hawks offices in Port Shepstone.

Concluding his testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday, Flynn stressed that this was not a mere oversight by Senona, but raised serious concerns about the provincial head’s conduct

“He played an active role in the Port Shepstone matter, it’s not as if as if he was just the provincial head sitting at the distance. He was privy to the activities,” Flynn said.

“He visited the Port Shepstone offices shortly after the seizure and took possession of the key. That’s active participation. It is it’s not as if he was at the distance and that he was not related to this matter.”

The 27 bags of cocaine, seized in June 2021 from a shipping container at a depot and initially booked at Isipingo police station, were later moved to the ‘strong room’ of Hawks offices in Port Shepstone, where they were stolen in November of that year.

Flynn set out the strict regulatory framework governing the handling of exhibits, before contrasting it with what he described as widespread non-compliance in this case.

“All property and exhibits seized must be entered in the SAPS 13 Register of the relevant police station where the crime was committed or where the property was found and then transferred to the relevant unit and entered in the SAPS 13 of the relevant unit,” Flynn said.

He stressed that exhibits must be securely stored and tracked at every stage, but testified that none of these safeguards were properly followed in the handling of the cocaine consignment, valued between R200 and R250 million.

“There was no compliance in the transfer of the drugs, and I have never seen transfer documents,” he said, referring specifically to the absence of a required SAP 13 Sub-G form documenting the movement of exhibits.

Flynn told the commission that the register at Isipingo police station failed to properly capture the seized drugs.

Instead of detailed entries, including seal numbers and individual descriptions, the entire consignment was recorded as a single line item, with no container or additional information.

He described the documentation process as fundamentally flawed, characterising parts of it as a “paper exercise” designed merely to generate reference numbers rather than accurately track evidence.

“It’s clear it was just an entry to have a reference number from exhibits, this was just a paper exercise performed,” Flynn said.

The component head alleged that warrant officer Livingstone Mpangase, supposedly assigned by Senona to investigate the case, made false entries, including falsely recording that samples of the cocaine had been sent for forensic analysis.

A similar issue arose in the Port Shepstone register, where entries suggested that the exhibits had been formally received and processed, despite remaining physically stored in a strong room at the DPCI offices.

Flynn said the irregularities extended beyond documentation to the physical handling and storage of the drugs.

The room itself, he testified, was unsuitable for storing such a large consignment, citing at least seven prior break-ins at the premises before the 2021 theft.

Despite these security risks, including an attempted break-in just weeks before the cocaine was stolen, no additional protective measures were implemented, nor were the drugs moved to a safer location.

Flynn also cast doubt on whether there was ever any intention to properly process the seized substances through the forensic system.

“There is no report confirming that the consignment was formally verified as cocaine,” he said.

He strongly agreed with concerns raised by the commission that the exhibits may never have been intended for submission to the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Silverton, Tshwane.

“In my view there was no intention for the substances to ever reach the FSL for proper testing and confirmation,” Flynn testified.

He said the crime scene management failings compromised the integrity of the investigation, warning that such lapses ultimately undermine efforts to combat organised crime.

In his closing remarks, Flynn highlighted the systemic challenges of tackling drug trafficking networks.

“The persistence of drug trafficking at an organised crime level is often facilitated by the complexity of modern supply chains and involvement of officials who exploit positions of trust within logistics, border control, law enforcement or commercial processes. Trafficking networks or syndicates are deliberately structured which makes detection more difficult,” he said.

Chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga, in the commission’s final questions, asked Flynn whether Senona should have been subjected to a polygraph test after the theft in late 2021.

“The facts here are that General Senona was involved in the decision to take the cocaine to Port Shepstone and in the end he kept the key. I’m just trying to establish in my own mind whether he ought not to have been subjected to a polygraph test. I’m asking this in the context of the fact that there were polygraph tests here and I assume that everybody who was involved in all of this saga was subjected to such tests, but he was not,” Madlanga said.

Flynn agreed with the commission, stressing that Senona had taken an active part in the moving of the drugs, yet was not subjected to any disciplinary hearings or investigations, to his knowledge.

“In my opinion Commissioner, indeed, he was supposed to be exposed to the process [polygraph] as he played an active role in the Port Shepstone matter,” Flynn said.

Proceedings adjourned for the day, with retired DPCI unit head of Port Shepstone, Lieutenant-Colonel JPP Prinsloo, expected to appear before the commission on Thursday morning.

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ALSO READ: WATCH: Ramaphosa, Chapo strengthen SA Mozambique ties amid regional challenges

Magwenya said Ramaphosa visited Zimbabwe at the invitation of his counterpart, providing both leaders an opportunity to engage on a wide range of mutual and bilateral issues.

The visit, however, was overshadowed by reports that one of the businesspeople present at Mnangagwa’s private farm is a person of interest to South African law enforcement authorities.

“The Presidency has noted with concern the reports that have surfaced following the President’s visit to Zimbabwe, identifying an individual who is a person of interest to our law enforcement, who was also present during the visit.

“President Ramaphosa had no prior knowledge of who would be present during the visit, nor was he familiar with the said individual. The President flew to Zimbabwe for a meeting with his counterpart and nothing else,” said Magwenya.

He added that the president had encouraged law enforcement agencies to continue pursuing all matters under investigation without fear or favour.

Magwenya also briefed journalists on the National Water Crisis Committee, chaired by the president, which incorporates the existing Inter-Ministerial Committee on Water established earlier this year.

The committee’s key task is to oversee the implementation of the National Water Action Plan (NWAP), which outlines urgent measures to address water supply disruptions in several parts of the country and accelerate institutional reforms across all levels of government.

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Magwenya said the plan has already been presented to provincial and local government structures, including engagements led by the president with mayors.

“Further engagements will be held with business, labour and civil society to ensure a collaborative approach across all spheres of government and with social partners.

“A process is underway to establish an advisory group of water experts from universities and other institutions to provide input on the plan and its implementation,” he said.

On the president’s programme, Magwenya said Ramaphosa will on Thursday tour South32’s Hillside Aluminium smelter in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, marking 30 years of the company’s operations.

He said the facility forms part of the post-apartheid government’s broader vision to expand industrial capacity, create jobs, boost international trade and support downstream beneficiation.

Ramaphosa is also scheduled to officially open Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban on May 12, before returning to Parliament later that week to respond to oral questions in the National Assembly.

On May 20, the president will undertake a working visit to Botswana aimed at strengthening bilateral ties in sectors including agriculture, health, education, transport and mining.

He will be accompanied by ministers and senior government officials.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa hosted Mozambique President Daniel Francisco Chapo in Pretoria this week, to reaffirm the bond between the two countries and plan new paths for cooperation in energy, trade, and security.

Speaking after their tête-à-tête, Ramaphosa lauded the constructive nature of the discussions.

“This has been a working visit. We’ve had very extensive discussions on matters of mutual interest to both countries that span the economy, security, as well as some social issues. And we’ve also taken an opportunity to see how we can continue and deepen cooperation between the two countries at an investment level.”

The engagement builds on the 4th Session of the Bi-National Commission held in Maputo in December 2025, which reinforced bilateral frameworks across multiple sectors.

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

Ramaphosa said ministers from both countries would soon address trade restrictions to ensure smoother economic integration.

“Our ministers are going to discuss how best we deal with those. We want to assure our South African business people that discussions are going to be quite detailed in expanding trade between our two countries in many, many ways.”

Against the backdrop of regional economic pressures and rising concerns over migration and employment, Ramaphosa said, “South Africans inherently are not against people from other nations. We are one people. We have always been one people. But we must also pay heed to the concerns that are being raised by South Africans. President Chapo and myself agreed that we should work together… join hands to find solutions.”

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“We also say to employers in South Africa that we’ve passed a law that people who do not have the necessary work permits in South Africa, yes, should not be employed. At the same time, we encourage all people from other nations to make sure that they have proper documentation to be in South Africa, like South Africans need to have proper documentation to be in other countries.”

Ramaphosa described the meeting as positive and constructive.

“We’ve had really good discussions that are going to open up many opportunities for people on both sides.”

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Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich will join the Premier League club in the showpiece at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, this month.

Defending champion PSG leads Bayern 5-4 after a thrilling first leg in Paris. The second leg is on Wednesday in Munich.

Here’s what to know about the Champions League final.

When is the Champions League final and what time is the kick-off?

This year’s final will be staged in Budapest on May 30. Kick off time has been brought forward to 1800 CET, having traditionally been played 2100 CET. Governing body UEFA said the decision for an earlier kick off was to enhance the matchday experience for fans and to optimize logistics such as public transport.

Who is headlining the pre-match show?

Rock band the Killers will be performing on the night. In recent years Linkin Park and Lenny Kravitz have headlined.

About the finalists

Arsenal is in the final for the first time since 2006. It is only its second time in the final and it has never won European club soccer’s top competition, having lost to Barcelona in 2006.

Mikel Arteta’s team was beaten in last year’s semifinals by eventual champion PSG.

PSG is aiming to become only the second team to win back-to-back Champions League titles, having lifted the trophy for the first time last year.

Since the tournament was rebranded as the Champions League in the 1992-93 campaign only Real Madrid has retained the title, winning three times in succession from 2016-18.

Bayern has won the Champions League or European Cup on six occasions — most recently in 2020. Victory this year would see it equal AC Milan’s total of seven titles to make the German giant the joint second most successful team in the competition’s history behind Madrid, which is a 15-time winner.

About the Puskas Arena

The 67,000-seater stadium was opened in 2019 and built on the same site as the previous Ferenc Puskas Stadion — named after the Hungarian and Real Madrid icon, who won three European Cups as a player.

Recent winners

2025 PSG

2024 Real Madrid

2023 Manchester City

2022 Real Madrid

2021 Chelsea

Most Champions League/European Cup wins

15 Real Madrid

7 AC Milan

6 Bayern Munich, Liverpool

5 Barcelona

4 Ajax

3 Manchester United, Inter Milan

Where is the 2026-27 Champions League final?

The 2027 final will be staged at Atletico Madrid’s stadium, the Estadio Metropolitano. It is the second time it has held the final, having staged the 2019 showdown between Liverpool and Tottenham.

The city of Madrid has hosted the final on five previous occasions.

AP

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