RC 261017702Gugs Mhlungu
Saturday, 17 October 2026
Saturday's 702 Weekend Breakfast led with a Soweto drug lab bust and Character AI's bankruptcy, alongside rising petrol prices, US sanctions moves, and spine-health advice.
- 06:01
Four family members were arrested in Meadowlands, Soweto, after police uncovered a mandrax lab at a suburban house; at least 12 such labs have been found across the country this year.
- 06:04
Trump used an executive order to withhold some Russia sanctions passed by Congress, which were due to take effect, citing US national interests, days before the November midterm elections.
- 09:09
Character AI has filed for bankruptcy after lawsuits alleged its chatbots were linked to mental health problems and suicides among teens, one of the first cases of an AI company failing over harm on its platform.
- 07:16
Warren Tucker says petrol, already above R30 a litre, could reach R40 by the end of the year if the Strait of Hormuz situation continues, pushing up the cost of running any car.
- 06:53
About 18.1% of South African adults have chronic low back pain, and Dr Fundile Nyati says spinal problems are a leading cause of disability, so prevention matters long before pain starts.