At least 400,000 South Africans have been arrested over the past year for breaking COVID-19 lockdown regulations like not wearing a mask… and many are now left with life-damaging criminal records. Last year, Carte Blanche reported on allegations of unwarranted brutality and violence when police arrested people for breaking these lockdown regulations. This week, the […]

Currently, Covid-19 vaccine sites will only vaccinate if a person has an appointment through the Electronic Vaccine Data System (EVDS). After registering online, one must wait for an SMS with the time and location for vaccination. Walk-ins are not accepted. But on Tuesday, things did not go according to this plan at the Discovery Health […]

South African born and bred Jenni Rivett is one of the most highly respected and sought-after trainers and nutritionists in the world… writes Kim Carillo. Known for her ability to transform women’s bodies with her “Train Like A Woman” programme, she’s trained the likes of British actress Elizabeth Hurley, Pussy Cat Doll Ashley Roberts, and […]

Over 100 people picketed outside the Pretoria High Court on Monday to show solidarity with the “Deadly Air” case, which had its first day of court proceedings. The case deals with air pollution in the Mpumalanga Highveld. It was brought by two environmental activist organisations – groundWork and Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action (VEJMA). […]

South African National Parks (SANParks) has today, 18 May 2021 welcomed the culmination of two long-running rhino poaching trials by the Skukuza Regional Court. One rhino poacher was sentenced on 14 May whilst three – including a former SANParks employee – were sentenced on 17 May. The Managing Executive of the Kruger National Park, Gareth […]

Rugby, travel, cycling and a pair of mad-cap adventurers. What could possibly go wrong? A whole lot, although in the case of the intrepid James Owens from the UK and Ron Rutland from South Africa, their extraordinary journey to the 2019 Rugby World Cup held the ‘key’ to an amazing adventure that was remarkable for […]

Xoliswa Ndoyiya was Nelson Mandela’s private chef for 22 years, from the time he was released from prison until his death in 2013.  Madiba always treated Xoli more like family than an employee – even paying for her children to go to school and asking her to look after his grandchildren. Xoli often travelled with […]

Due to a loss of 10 generating units at seven power stations at Eskom this past weekend, the power utility is implementing stage 2 load shedding. Eskom implemented loadshedding on Sunday at 5pm and it is expected to end on Tuesday at 10pm. “The failure of three-generation units at Tutuka was due to loss of […]

The DA is calling on Eskom to provide an urgent state-of-the-system update and explain how its loadshedding schedule will be managed to ensure that it does not affect the vaccine rollout process. The latest announcement of loadshedding from Eskom, announced yesterday evening and just minutes before it began at 5pm, was yet another reminder that […]

The Kruger National Park (KNP) today, 17 May 2021 announced their management plans in anticipation of the coming winter fire season which usually takes place between June and October. Fires are a common and natural occurrence in KNP which is found within the Savanna biome (also knows as the Tropical Grasslands), and like the Fynbos […]

SA Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza has called an attack on farmers in South Africa an attack on the country’s food security. A Rural National Safety Plan has long been mooted, but, Carte Blanche asks this weekend, where are the results? With 15 recorded murders on KwaZulu-Natal farms in the last year, farmers are coming together […]

The South African government has welcomed the R3-billion commitment, to transfer the latest technology for producing vaccines and biological therapies to South Africa, announced by SA expat Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong on Wednesday. Dr Soon-Shiong, who is a South African born biotechnology entrepreneur, now based in the United States, made the exciting announcement during a meeting […]

Cabinet has approved the extension of the National State of Disaster on COVID-19 until 15 June 2021. “The extension considers the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of state to mitigate against the impact of the disaster on lives and livelihoods,” a statement released after this week’s Cabinet […]

The Information Regulator of South Africa has after correspondence, written to WhatsApp LLC requesting the company to revise its privacy policy in South Africa to the standard used in the European Union (EU). On 15 May 2021, WhatsApp will require users to accept new terms and conditions for using the app. In a statement released […]

A search is on for the family of a South African World War II war hero, Flying Officer Denis Charles James McKendry, who will be honoured at a War Memorial unveiling ceremony in the UK later this year. Please see UPDATE at bottom of article.  According to Helen Theron, who is researching the crew of […]

When people think of trading, the first associations are currencies and stocks. Both are accessible in South Africa, even from a smartphone. At the moment, FXTM stock trading is increasingly popular. But is it the best path for everyone? Two Popular Markets The foreign exchange is the largest financial market with a stunning daily volume […]

While the number of COVID-19 cases has been steadily increasing, South Africa has not hit the third wave yet. According to the Department of Health, the number of new infections peaked from 8 593 cases between 26 April to 2 May. Between 3 May and 9 May, cases rose to 12 531, constituting a 46% […]

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced voter registration for the October Local Government Elections will be held on the weekend of 17-18 July 2021. In a statement, the Commission said on this weekend all 23 146 voting stations around the country will open from 8am to 5pm to assist new voters to register and existing […]

When talking about Africa’s gaming market specifically, or about its economy in general, two trends are of essential importance. The first is the huge size of the African youth population – there are even indications that it might double over the next several decades. The other important fact is that the mobile phone market is […]

Cape Town, South Africa, doubles for a lawless 1870s San Francisco in the kick-ass martial arts action series Warrior, which now has two seasons available to binge on Showmax. Shot in Cape Town with Moonlighting 100% critics rating for S2, Rotten Tomatoes Nominated for Best Action Series at 2021 Critics Choice Super Awards “The most […]

A 31-year-old mother of twins, who were joined at the head, is over the moon after her babies were separated at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH) in Cape Town, South Africa. “I am overjoyed! I wasn’t expecting to leave here holding my children one in each arm,” said the elated mom, Ntombikayise Tyhalisi. […]

South Africa has recorded 1 778 new COVID-19 cases with the cumulative number of cases identified standing at 1 596 595. In a statement released on Sunday, Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said the number of tests conducted to date is 10 887 709. Of these, 26 098 tests were conducted since the last […]

To hear President Ramaphosa’s 22 April address to the Virtual Leaders’ Summit on Climate Change, you’d think South Africa were going “above and beyond” when it comes to addressing the climate crisis. Not so. SA’s long-awaited draft updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) closed for written public comment on 30 April. The NDC is our country’s pledge to take action […]

Carte Blanche first broadcast the Cooke Report exposé on canned lion hunting in 1997. Two decades later, the captive lion industry has expanded in scope and brutality – cubs are removed from their mothers, hand-reared, petted, then bred for the bullet or their bones. But these practices began to damage Brand SA… By 2019, the […]

A couple of old video compilations of funny old English and Afrikaans South African TV adverts have been going viral on Facebook and WhatsApp. Here are the original comedy videos, uploaded to YouTube by ‘Fast and Curious in RSA’. If you feel like a trip down Memory Lane, these South African television commercials will take […]