A 65-year-old woman has died after being attacked by a shark at Orient Beach in KuGompo City, formerly East London, on Tuesday morning, 20 October. Janine Lochrenberg was completing her regular morning swim with a local open-water swimming group when the attack occurred at around 08:00.

Fellow swimmers rushed to assist and brought her back towards shore, but she had suffered severe injuries to her upper arm and thigh and died before she could be saved. Lochrenberg was a retired medical professional and experienced swimmer who was well known within the local open-water swimming community.

Authorities have opened an inquest, while Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach have been closed until further notice. The municipality has urged swimmers and beachgoers to remain cautious and follow safety warnings. Fatal shark attacks remain rare in South Africa, with this reported as the country’s first recorded fatal shark attack of 2026.

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Roadworks are under way on three routes in Gordon’s Bay and Somerset West, with the upgrades scheduled to continue until Friday, 11 December. Work began on 19 October and is taking place between 09:00 and 16:00 from Sunday to Friday, weather permitting.

The affected routes are Faure Marine Drive between The Water Way and Beach Road in Gordon’s Bay, Irene Avenue between Helderberg College Road and Harewood Avenue in Somerset West, and Gordonia Road in Gordon’s Bay. The work includes resurfacing, replacing damaged or missing kerbs, restoring road markings and repairing the section of Gordonia Road and its embankment damaged by heavy rains.

The City says it will try to minimise disruption, but motorists should expect uneven road surfaces, temporary traffic controls and possible delays. Drivers are being advised to slow down around construction zones, follow signage and use alternative routes where practical.

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Nine piano students of Professor Pieter Grobler will perform a recital at the Somerset West Public Library Hall on Friday, 23 October. The concert forms part of their preparation for upcoming examinations at the Stellenbosch University Konservatorium.

The programme will feature works by composers including J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, Mozart, Liszt, Debussy and Charles Griffes. Several of the performers have completed their first year of degree studies, while more experienced students are preparing for full recital programmes in November.

The recital begins at 11:00 and is free and open to the public. Tea will be served afterwards. The performers are Amy Clover, Aneni Chigwedere, Caitlin Warne, Emma Oberholtzer, Michael Erfort, Hyron Scheepers, Logan Jantjies, Ntombi Ngcobo and Peter Clarke.

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South Africa has reclaimed the world record for the longest freight train, after Transnet Freight Rail successfully operated a 7.6km-long train made up of 696 wagons. The train travelled along the 861km Iron Ore Export Line between Sishen in the Northern Cape and the Port of Saldanha in the Western Cape.

The record-breaking train used a combination of electric and diesel-electric locomotives, positioned throughout the train and electronically linked using Radio Distributed Power technology. This allowed power and braking forces to be distributed safely across the unusually long train.

South Africa previously held the record in 1989, before Australia’s BHP Iron Ore claimed it in 2001 with a 7.35km train of 682 wagons. The new record comes as government invests R8.9 billion in restoring and upgrading the Iron Ore Export Line, which is a key route for South Africa’s iron ore exports.

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