The headlines of the leading newspapers on 31 October 2025:
NATIONAL:
# Business Day:
Reports the car industry and Numsa have failed in a last-ditch attempt to end their deadlock. The union is seeking a wage offer above inflation, but the carmakers say they want to balance competitiveness and job retention.
# Mail & Guardian on Fridays:
Writes next year’s election battle in Johannesburg in particular has already begun. The paper leads with “MASHABA: ZILLE DOES NOT CARE FOR BLACKS”.
# And the Netwerk24 website:
Leads with King Charles’ decision to strip his brother, Prince Andrew, of all his titles and honours and evict him from his mansion. He will henceforth be known only as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and relocate to the east of England. The action is linked to the Epstein scandal.
Then there is a report on the murder of 71-year-old Judie van Heerden from Frankfort in the Free State. Her body was found in her apartment in the town, and she was apparently strangled with a wire. The police are investigating the possibility that Van Heerden knew her killer.
And finally, there is news about Floyd Brink being reappointed as Johannesburg city manager.
GAUTENG:
# The Star:
Writes the International Pentecostal Holiness Church wants the Madlanga Commission to hold lieutenant general Shadrack Sibiya accountable for alleged interference in investigations related to the Jerusalem faction of the church’s religious leader, Bhekumuzi Gilbert Sandlana.
# Sowetan:
Reports the kitchen staff at Sebokeng Hospital have gone on strike after one of their colleagues received an electric shock. The CEO and other members of the management team had to step in to prepare food for the patients.
# And The Citizen:
Writes about a Ponzi scheme that has been exposed, in which communities and businesses are believed to have lost millions of rand. Investigators say this type of fraud has become a trend where people are robbing their own communities.
WESTERN CAPE:
# Die Burger:
Reports a member of the Political Murders Task Force, known as Witness C, has told the Madlanga Commission that Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala funded the presidential campaign of suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu by paying for airfare and accommodation for the ANC event on January 8. He also testified that 200-thousand-rand was allegedly left in a bin for Shadrack Sibiya.
And secondly, the paper writes the body of the hiker who went missing in the Tsitsikamma Nature Reserve, 74-year-old Hermie van Zyl, has been found. He has been missing since October 21. The cause of his death has not yet been determined.
EASTERN CAPE:
# Daily Despatch in East London:
Reports Eastern Cape High Court judge Mandela Makaula has apologised for what he admitted were derogatory remarks about legal practitioners in Mthatha. He made the remarks while being questioned by the Judicial Service Commission last month.
And secondly, the paper writes the start of the new planting season for Eastern Cape farmers gives new hope for the future.
KWAZULU-NATAL:
# The Witness in Pietermaritzburg:
Firstly, writes the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg has ruled that former ANC president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Chief Albert Luthuli, was murdered by the apartheid police, and that various government departments played a role in covering up the true cause of his death.
And secondly, it is reported the Msunduzi metro is warning against fake job advertisements at the metro that are doing the rounds.
And finally from NAMIBIA:
# Republikein in Windhoek:
The newspaper today shows its support for the fight against breast cancer with a pink front page.
Firstly, it is reported that three community conservancies, together with a tour operator, have obtained an order from the High Court allowing the seizure of mining claims belonging to a local prospector.
And secondly, the paper writes South Africa has lifted its import ban on certain Namibian agricultural products, restoring cross-border trade in tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, watermelons, and pumpkins, among others.