Author: Silver Sibiya

Real Madrid have confirmed the appointment of former defender Álvaro Arbeloa as the club’s new first-team coach, marking a significant shift towards internal continuity and long-term planning at the Santiago Bernabéu. Arbeloa’s promotion follows his steady rise through the club’s coaching ranks and comes at a time when Real Madrid are prioritising stability and a strong link between the first team and the club’s youth structures. The appointment signals confidence in a coach who understands the club’s philosophy, expectations and winning culture. Since joining Real Madrid’s academy setup in 2020, Arbeloa has built an impressive coaching résumé. He began with…

South Africa’s 2025 matric pass rate has reached a historic high of 88.4%, up from 87.3% in 2024, marking the highest National Senior Certificate (NSC) pass rate in the country’s history. The results were announced in Randburg on Monday by Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube, who praised the collective effort behind the achievement. “In 2025, more than 656,000 learners passed the National Senior Certificate. That figure reflects the dedication of teachers, learners and families in every corner of our country,” Gwarube said, before unveiling the provincial results. KwaZulu-Natal emerged as the top-performing province with a pass rate of 90.6%,…

Some of the country’s top-performing Grade 12 learners say they feel excited and honoured to be recognised among South Africa’s best academic achievers. The learners were hosted at a ministerial breakfast celebrating the Class of 2025 at MTN Headquarters in Fairlands, Johannesburg. Newsnote spoke to several of the top achievers about their journeys and future aspirations. Temogo Matong from Morokweng near Vryburg in the North West says becoming one of the country’s top learners has always been his dream. “I’m very happy and proud to be here. I was worried because I couldn’t secure bursaries to send me to school,…

Two suspects have been taken in for questioning after vehicles believed to have been used in a cash-in-transit robbery in Roodepoort were recovered at a house in Meadowlands, Soweto. Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni confirmed that a man and a woman were found inside the house where a white BMW and a Nissan Hardbody bakkie suspected to be getaway vehicles were discovered shortly after the robbery. “The two suspects were found inside the house where the vehicles believed to have been used in the commission of the crime were recovered. They are currently being questioned as part of…

Two people have died following a fire at the Marathon Informal Settlement in Primrose during the early hours of Saturday, 10 January 2026. “The City of Ekurhuleni Emergency Management Services (EMS) received a distress call at approximately 03:55 reporting a fire involving multiple shacks. A district response was immediately activated, with firefighting crews from Primrose, Bedfordview and Edenvale fire stations dispatched to the scene,” said City of Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services Spokesperson, Eric Maloka. “On arrival, emergency personnel found several shacks fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters conducted both offensive and defensive firefighting operations, successfully containing and extinguishing the…

The Chairperson of the National Investigative Task Team (NITT), Professor Chika Sehoole, has confirmed that the child of a Human Resource Officer in the Department of Basic Education is among the 40 learners found to have cheated during the 2025 National Senior Certificate examinations. Sehoole was speaking during the release of the task team’s interim report in Pretoria on Friday, following an investigation into a leak of matric examination papers from within the department. He says once the breach was detected, the task team launched an investigation into ten schools, including three in the North West province. “In the North…

Residents found occupying a hijacked property in the upmarket suburb of Bryanston say they were unaware that they were living there illegally. The occupants were removed during a raid led by City of Johannesburg Manager Floyd Brink, accompanied by several city entities, including the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), City Power, Joburg Water, Group Forensic and Investigation Services (GFIS) and Social Development. The operation resulted in the disconnection of illegal water and electricity connections, the arrest of an alleged mastermind behind the illegal occupation, and the confiscation of unlicensed vehicles. One of the occupants, Christopher Marumba (47), a Malawian national,…

The City of Johannesburg has intensified its crackdown on so-called property hijackings in upmarket suburbs, following growing complaints from residents about illegal occupations, unlawful electricity and water connections, and safety concerns. Bryanston has been identified as one of the areas affected, prompting coordinated law-enforcement operations late last year. In December 2025, city authorities conducted a raid on a Bryanston property suspected of being unlawfully occupied. During that operation, officials identified individuals believed to be operating an illegal rental scheme, where tenants were charged rent without the consent of the lawful property owner. Follow-up investigations led to today’s operation and arrest.…

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has on Wednesday issued a recall notice for 372 Volvo EX30 vehicles in South Africa, following a notification from Volvo Car South Africa. The recall affects certain Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range and Twin Motor Performance models from the 2024 to 2026 model years. Thr NCC in a statement said the vehicles were sold from 29 December 2025, mainly in Gauteng. It said according to Volvo Car South Africa, the recall is linked to a potential defect in the high-voltage (HV) battery system. In rare cases, the battery may overheat when charged to a…

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says South Africa is at a disadvantage because many teams at the Africa Cup of Nations have players competing in Europe’s top leagues. He believes local players need more opportunities to play in Europe to gain experience at the highest level. He was speaking during the return of Bafana Bafana return form Afcon at OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday. Broos says even organising international friendly matches against top teams would not provide sufficient preparation for the FIFA World Cup. “So let’s hope that, in the future, players will get opportunities to go to Europe,…