A female tourist tragically fell and died in the Tsitsikamma National Park on Wednesday. The woman, believed to be in her 50s, fell on a trail leading to the suspension bridge in the park, according to the South African National Parks (SANParks). “The Park Rangers and National Sea Rescue Institute successfully retrieved the body of […]

The daily Covid-19 case numbers in Gauteng, South Africa, are exceeding those seen during the previous two waves as the province suffers a ‘tsunami’ of Covid-19 cases in this third wave. The Premier has announced that from next week those between the ages of 50 and 59 will also be able to be vaccinated (the […]

Nine-year-old Romario Valentine is a pint-sized planet warrior and artist from Umhlanga, Durban. He has dedicated the last 4 years of his young life to protecting our planet… and has big planet-saving dreams for his tenth birthday. Fully focused on his passions, namely bird and marine conservation, climate change, and deforestation, Romario has remarkably already […]

A year ago, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we predicted that school closures in South Africa would result in learning losses. A loss of contact learning time would lead to lower educational outcomes, and the losses would be higher in no-fee schools (serving children from low income families) than in fee-paying schools. Now […]

The COVID-19 crisis has revived discussions on localising vaccine manufacturing to the African region to reduce the dependence on imports. The fact that Africa is lagging so far behind on the COVID-19 vaccination compared with Europe and North America has highlighted the importance of the issue. Most African countries depend on the WHO-sponsored COVAX scheme, […]

South Africa has reported 9 160 new COVID-19 cases, said the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). There were 36 858 COVID-19 tests conducted on Monday. This translated to a 24.9% positivity rate, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1 832 479. Of the latest infections, the majority were found in Gauteng (6 […]

With Lockdown restrictions eased since last year, the rhino poaching war has certainly heated up in South Africa. The last seven days have been hectic – a suspected rhino poaching kingpin gunned down just before appearing in court, three suspected poachers arrested in separate incidents (with tourists helping report them), and at least 21 poaching […]

For the first time in history, the entire country of South Africa may soon be lit up. Eskom has never been able to provide power to 100% of the population. And while the state-owned enterprise has battled to keep existing lights on, it has been unable to spend the time and energy needed to resurrect […]

The City of Cape Town has been selected from 630 applications, from 99 countries, as one of 50 Champion Cities to Advance in the Global Innovation Competition. The Comp is aimed at identifying the Most Transformative Urban Solutions during the Covid-19 Pandemic.  Cape Town was named as one of the 50 finalists in the 2021 Global […]

A keeper was mauled to death yesterday by a rogue Siberian tiger at a predator park near Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) in South Africa, after the electric fence to its enclosure was turned off for maintenance. The tiger then went on to kill another tiger. Jasper, a male Siberian tiger, scaled the 12-foot high fence […]

Aspen says it will release 300 000 Johnson & Johnson (J&J) doses earmarked for teachers soon. In a statement released this week, Aspen said it was “extremely disappointed” to learn that specific batches of the J&J manufactured at its Gqeberha production site have to be destroyed. This is due to the good manufacturing practice risk of […]

South Africa recorded 5 552 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, representing an 18.5% positivity rate. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Gauteng continues to drive the third wave with 3 720 new infections reported, accounting for 67%. The province is followed by the Western Cape after 446 people were confirmed to have contracted […]

Two South African Police Service (SAPS) dogs were tragically killed whilst fighting crime in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, yesterday. A third was helicoptered to the vet in critical condition (watch below). Three suspects were also fatally wounded during the shoot-out with police. IPSS Medical Rescue said on Tuesday morning: “We mourn the loss of two […]

South Africa detected 7 657 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, representing a 17.2% positivity rate. According to the latest data from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the majority of the new infections were logged in Gauteng after 4 891 people were confirmed to have contracted the virus. Meanwhile, the Western Cape recorded the second-highest […]

Queen Elizabeth II wowed the world yesterday with her delightful choice of outfit for her breakfast meeting with US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill. Photos of a beaming Queen were flashed around the globe… and it didn’t take South Africans long to notice that matching her smile, was a dazzling brooch she was […]

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has decided not to release the long-awaited Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines for use in South Africa. However, SAHPRA said about 300 000 doses from batches that have been cleared by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) meet the requirements and will subsequently be released and […]

On Johannesburg’s West Rand, over 1700 hectares of waste piles and open pits have been left behind after the 2018 liquidation of the Australian company Mintails Mining South Africa. Click here if you’re looking for the latest update on what’s coming up on Carte Blanche this Sunday. With an ongoing legal battle relating to a […]

South Africa on Thursday logged 9 149 new COVID-19 cases, which represents a 15.7% positivity testing rate. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), figures from the past seven days show that South Africa is now experiencing the third wave. “South Africa technically entered the third wave today as the national seven-day moving […]

South Africa detected 8 881 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest daily spike since 23 January, when the country recorded 12 271 infections. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the majority of new infections are from Gauteng, which accounts for 58%, followed by the Western Cape with 9%. The latest data show that […]

More than a hundred people marched from St George’s Cathedral to Parliament in Cape Town on Wednesday. They are demanding that former Western Cape Head of Detectives, Major-General Jeremy Vearey be reinstated. More than 100 people marched to Parliament on Wednesday demanding that former Western Cape Head of Detectives, Major-General Jeremy Vearey be reinstated. The […]

Eskom is currently implementing stage 3 load shedding, as there have been further breakdowns at Kusile, Matla and Tutuka power stations. The Stage 3 Loadshedding is due to continue until 10pm after which it will revert to Stage 2, said Eskom. The power utility noted a slight improvement in generation performance on Wednesday but said […]

Other than observing the commemoration of the historic events that took place in Soweto 1976, National Youth Day also happens to be the birthday of Springbok Captain & Red Bull athlete, Siya Kolisi. Turning 30 this year, Siya shared some of the life lessons that he has learnt along the journey to mark his 30th birthday. Below in the form […]

The City of Cape Town and the Western Cape government have worked together to turn the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) into a mass vaccination site… a ‘vaccination centre of hope’. With much of the legwork done and the funding for this important endeavour secured, formal contracts are due to be signed imminently with […]

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, most processes in South Africa were significantly slowed down, with some Home Affairs services even being suspended throughout higher levels of the national lockdown. Although South Africans were relieved when the country moved to relaxed levels of lockdown, the difficulties in obtaining documents such as police clearance certificates […]

South Africa’s multi award-winning Restaurant Mosaic has found a fabulous new home far from its Pretoria roots… in France! Chef Chantel Dartnall announced on Facebook yesterday: “This is where our story will continue and our new chapter will start.” Chantel, who won the Best Female Chef in the World title in 2017, announced the closure […]