Little relief at the pumps; Farm attack accused turns State witness: Today’s top 7 stories - News24

News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature.

- Four accused – Phindile Alex Nomngcayi, 30, Thomas Thabo Motlhangtlhong, 27, Mothoka Godfrey Mathipa, 56, and Mokhema Jan Maishoane, 53 – made their first appearance in the Ventersdorp Magistrate’s Court on charges including attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and illegal possession of firearms.

- During an attack on 28 October at Donovan Marx’s Syferfontein farm near Ventersdorp, Marx was shot, stabbed and had both ears cut off; farm worker Christopher Jinga was assaulted and tied up with cable ties before the attackers stole three firearms and fled in Marx’s bakkie.

- A fifth suspect will serve as a State witness; police seized several firearms, clothing and jewellery during arrests, and two of the recovered firearms had their serial numbers filed off.

- Lastborn Shazi, an MK Party regional organiser, was shot dead at his homestead in Umzumbe on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on Monday night.

- The party described the killing as a devastating blow to the organisation, his family and the communities he served, and called for all those responsible – including anyone involved in planning or facilitating the attack – to be brought to justice.

- It urged the police’s Provincial Killings Task Team to investigate urgently, citing KwaZulu-Natal’s history of political killings, and asked members and supporters to remain calm while police conduct their investigation.

- Peet Viljoen, a disbarred lawyer and TV personality, is facing fraud charges and appears to be in plea negotiations with the State.

- The court heard that “lots of progress” has been made in those apparent negotiations.

- No further details on specific charges or a next court date were confirmed in court proceedings reported on 3 November 2026.

- An FNB employee testified in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban that more than R800 000, allegedly linked to the murders of rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, was channelled through a series of bank accounts.

- The witness traced the money trail and told the court that approximately R800 000 was moved in just 84 seconds.

- The transfers included references such as “dividends”, “wedding things”, “taxi loan”, “buying cows” and “Gwabs Mining”.

- Petrol prices are set to drop by just 1c per litre from 3 November 2026, with 95-octane retailing at R30.24/l in Gauteng and R29.37/l at the coast – while diesel wholesale prices fall by approximately R1.10/l.

- The minimal petrol relief is largely offset by a 48.14c/l increase in the slate levy, which now stands at 135.64c/l; the Slate Fund’s balance stood at almost negative R16 billion at the end of September.

- Broader fuel costs have risen sharply in 2026, with 95-octane petrol around R8/l higher since December 2025 and diesel approximately R11/l higher, driven by a weaker rand, rising Brent crude prices and increased freight costs.

- Four double World Cup-winning Springboks – Willie le Roux, Makazole Mapimpi, Faf de Klerk and Lukhanyo Am – appear to have been quietly phased out of the Test setup under coach Rassie Erasmus.

- None of the four have been selected in recent squads, with younger players being introduced as the Springboks move into a transitional phase.

- The writer asks whether the curtain has effectively fallen on their international careers, with no formal announcements made about their Test futures.

- Antoine de Massy, 29, was found dead after a 13m fall in a public park in Monaco’s Larvotto area; he had last been seen leaving a nightclub after midnight, appearing to stagger and leaning on another man.

- A 42-year-old Ukrainian man living in Monaco was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death; he has denied the charges.

- Antoine’s father, Baron Christian de Massy, is Prince Albert’s first cousin, linking Antoine to the Grimaldi family and the so-called “Curse of the Grimaldis” – a pattern of tragedy associated with Monaco’s ruling family, including the 1982 death of Princess Grace in a car crash.

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