Zimbabwe’s former president, Robert Mugabe, has broken his silence on Sunday afternoon ahead of the country’s elections on Monday. Mugabe was addressing the media in an off the cuff speech which lasted over an hour, outside his mansion in the capital city, Harare. The former president, who was removed from his position, says he will […]

Lions have attacked the sole survivor of the disastrous relocation of 11 black rhino to Tsavo East National Park in Kenya. The relocation was intended to save and protect the rhino, a species whose future is in jeopardy… as poaching syndicates wipe them out to feed an Asian market that mistakenly believes the rhino horn […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa cannot afford large-scale expansion of its nuclear power fleet but would still be open to future nuclear deals with Russia, the ruling party’s Treasurer General said on Thursday shortly before President Vladimir Putin arrived for the BRICS summit. The nuclear project was prioritised by former President Jacob Zuma but new President […]

JOHANNESBURG – The New Development Bank, set up by the BRICS group of emerging economies, has approved loans of $300 million for energy projects in South Africa. South Africa, which will host a BRICS summit later this week in Johannesburg, is trying to diversify its energy mix to reduce its reliance on heavily polluting coal-fired […]

Are you planning a 4×4 adventure through Botswana? Keen to organise an overland trip through some of Southern Africa’s most beautiful and wild parks? Annie DuPre-Reynolds has all the best travel tips for you… There are quite a few things to take in mind for a trip like this. Having recently gone through the process, I’d […]

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa addressed a crowd of white voters on Saturday in an attempt to improve relations ahead of a July 30 election, reassuring white farmers their land will not be taken… which is a marked shift from his predecessor Robert Mugabe whose policies became increasingly racially divisive. Mnangagwa – who […]

A proudly South African team is planning an epic trek to Everest Base Camp and Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds and awareness for iconic – and endangered – Big Cats. During the month’s trek the three South African conservationists – who are all qualified safari guides – will be wearing very realistic custom-made cat mascots… […]

This week Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa – the man who rose to power in a military coup – is in the hot seat, as Carte Blanche goes one-on-one with the country’s leader. (Available for South Africans abroad to watch from Tuesday 24 July 2018 if you subscribe to Showmax.) One-on-one with President Emmerson Mnangagwa Free and fair elections […]

South African comedian Trevor Noah has responded to the French government’s criticism of his Africa joke, which he cracked after France won the World Cup. Speaking on ‘Between the Scenes’ – the segments he films between recording ‘The Daily Show’ – Trevor said: “The French ambassador to the U.S. Gérard Araud didn’t like that I […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa will tighten its mine safety regulations to hold mine operators accountable for accidental deaths in the industry, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday. Safety is a huge issue in South Africa’s deep and dangerous mines and increasingly a focus for investors. A spate of deaths at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold operations, including a seismic event that killed seven […]

GABORONE – Botswana, home to the world’s largest elephant population, may lift a ban on hunting for sport in the face of what the government says is growing conflict between humans and wildlife, a move sure to provoke protest from animal welfare groups. Conservationists estimate the land-locked southern African country to have around 130,000 elephants, […]

As former American President Barack Obama prepares for his trip to Africa this week, he has revealed his choice of top Africa-centric books. Obama, who will deliver a speech in South Africa to mark the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, is travelling to Africa for the first time since his Presidency. In a post […]

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit South Africa for a summit of BRICS countries on July 26-27, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Friday. The BRICS group of emerging economies comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. (Reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Writing by Maria Tsvetkova; editing by David Stamp)

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Eight black rhinos have died in Kenya while being transported by the state wildlife service between two national parks, Tourism Minister Najib Balala said on Friday in a statement. The rhinos, who are part of a critically endangered species, died at Tsavo East National Park, the Daily Nation newspaper reported. An initial […]

It’s not often you see international TV mogul Simon Cowell clapping along to the acts he judges, but this Los Angeles choir’s mesmerising rendition of Toto’s ‘Africa’ has even Cowell joining in… and giving it a standing ovation! SAPeople followers will remember Angel City Chorale’s original video of ‘Africa’ in 2013 – in which they […]

JOHANNESBURG – Barclays Africa changed its name back to Absa on Wednesday, in a rebranding aimed at underlining its South African roots as Britain’s Barclays gradually retreats from the continent. The name change comes almost a year after Barclays sold most of its controlling stake in Absa, South Africa’s third-largest lender, ending more than a […]

Hawaiian surfer Koa Smith had the ride of his life on 15 June 2018, surfing one of the world’s top waves – on the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. Koa scored EIGHT barrels on the same one wave! Watch below as his journey on the wave goes on… and on! The legendary Skeleton Bay waves are […]

KINSHASA, 29 (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo’s government said on Friday that it has decided to open up parts of Virunga and Salonga National Parks, home to mountain gorillas, bonobos and other rare species, to oil drilling. Earlier proposals to allow oil exploration in the parks met fierce resistance from environmental activists, who say […]

SAMARA, Russia (Reuters) – Africa is sadly out of the World Cup as Yerry Mina’s header secured Colombia a 1-0 win over Senegal in Samara on Thursday, to clinch their safe passage to the last 16 as they finished top of Group H, while Senegal – Africa’s last hope – missed out to Japan on […]

Wikipedia mania is about to hit South Africa… in the form of the first Wikimania conference to be held in sub-Saharan Africa – in Cape Town from 18-22 July. And the key focus will be to increase regional contribution to the world’s largest free, collaboratively-built online encyclopedia. According to Wikimedia SA President, Douglas Scott, there […]

SAMARA, Russia (Reuters) – Senegal will carry the hopes of a continent into their final World Cup group game against Colombia on Thursday, but there is no added pressure in being Africa’s sole last-16 prospect, according to defender Kalidou Koulibaly. Senegal need a point in their decisive Group H encounter in Samara to guarantee a […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Glencore said on Tuesday that eight people were injured at its South African smelting operations in the North West province during a protest. Glencore said a security company at its Wonderkop Smelter fired rubber bullets to disperse the protestors, who were demanding employment, resulting in eight people sustaining minor injuries. (Reporting by […]

Sibanye-Stillwater mine has confirmed on Tuesday yet another death of a miner, at its Khomanani mine,  Driefontein operation in the west of Johannesburg, South Africa. The company says that according to preliminary investigations one of the miners entered a scraper path and was caught by the scraper. “This is another sad incident and all efforts […]

Meet Martha Hester Sehao, perhaps one of the last people alive from the 1800s… The 121-year-old South African woman has had seven children, of whom she has outlived three. Hailing from Ventersdorp in the North West province of SA, Martha says there’s only one secret to her long life… https://www.facebook.com/BrightVibesAfrica/videos/983504248500688/

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has urged African Americans to visit Africa. He says the experience for him, during the filming of the blockbuster, was “life-changing”. Coogler was speaking at the BET Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night, where Black Panther won Best Movie (and South Africa’s Sjava won BET Viewers’ Choice for […]