News Bulletin of 18 October 2026, 9am

South Africa’s youngest-ever open chess team has made its mark at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan.The open team finished 82nd and the women’s team 96th among competitors from around 200 countries. Cape Town player Charlton Mnyasta, making his Olympiad debut, won six-and-a-half points from ten games and earned the international FIDE Master title.The open team had an average age of around 20, with 16-year-old International Master Caleb Levitan among its players. The makeup of the team offered a fascinating dynamic. Woman International Master (WIM) Anzel Laubscher, playing her eighth Olympiad, first represented the country 28 years ago in 1998.

Young entrepreneurs have received bursaries and business support at Rotary BizEast’s first pitch festival in Benoni.Fourteen-year-old Lihle Mfenqa won a 28-thousand-rand bursary, while Onalerona Tudu received 25-thousand rand. Both also received laptops and cash prizes. The festival connected young business owners with mentors and potential customers, with plans to help finalists grow their enterprises.
The support gives young entrepreneurs resources and guidance to develop their ideas into sustainable businesses.

Cape Town environmental activist Zoë Prinsloo, who leads the Save a Fishie movement, will join more than 2,200 young leaders at the One Young World Summit in Cape Town.
Her initiative organises beach clean-ups and encourages communities to reduce litter and protect the ocean.The summit brings young leaders together with influential figures in politics, business and humanitarian work to share solutions to global challenges, including climate change, poverty and human rights.The event is returning to Africa for the first time since it was held in Johannesburg in 2013.
Prinsloo’s local conservation work is gaining a global platform, giving her the opportunity to share ideas and inspire more young people to protect the environment.