The price of petrol is set to increase by 65 cents a litre as of Wednesday, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) said. In a statement on Tuesday, the DMRE said the prices of 93 (ULP and LRP) and 95 (ULP and LRP) will rise by 65 cents a litre. A litre of […]

South Africa’s Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, has spoken frankly about the ongoing struggle with the price of school uniforms as parents around the country battle to make ends meet. “This is very close to my heart and I think anybody who comes from a poor background – like ourselves – or a township will […]

Investigations into the source of the sulphur stench that was experienced in parts of Gauteng and Mpumalanga last month are ongoing. The update on the investigations comes after a visit by officials from the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and the Gert Sibande District Municipality in Mpumalanga to the Sasol Secunda Plant on […]

On 22 February it was announced that Western Cape minister for Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADPA) Anton Bredell had decided to dismiss appeals lodged against the Environmental Authorisation (EA) issued by his department in August 2020 for a proposed R4.5 billion development in Observatory. The Western Cape MEC for Environmental Affairs and Development Planning […]

DStv continues to bring the best of international content to South Africans with the movies and series streaming and playing on its platforms receiving top honours at this year’s 78th Golden Globes Award ceremony. Twenty-five of DStv and streaming service Showmax’s featured content from the top studios and broadcasters from around the globe were shortlisted […]

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and the Western Cape Agriculture Department, have jointly confirmed an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the Western Cape. The outbreak has been reported in the Western Cape for the first time. Two small-holding farms in Mfuleni, North of Khayelitsha, were found to be […]

South Africa on Sunday reported 1 168 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, down from 1447 the previous day, data from the Health Department showed. According to the latest figures, 52 patients died from Coronavirus in the space of 24 hours. Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said 25 fatalities occurred in Gauteng, four each in the Eastern […]

An enchanting documentary by well known South African filmmakers – Bonné de Bod and Susan Scott – has been nominated for the Best Feature Film category at the International Wildlife Film Festival in the US. The documentary – ‘Kingdoms of Fire, Ice & Fairy Tales’ – charts the award-winning filmmakers’ epic journey from Yellowstone National […]

Meet some of South Africa’s doctors who have been vaccinated this week, after bravely fighting the coronavirus pandemic on the frontline over the last year, risking their own lives to help save thousands of others. Many are feeling relieved, honoured and hopeful, whilst also sad for those who didn’t make it. Over 52,000 healthcare workers […]

What led outraged community members, from a wildlife reserve bordering the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, to launch an arson attack on the R60-million luxury Bongani Mountain Lodge on their trust land? Amidst rumours, this is one of the key questions asked by Carte Blanche in this week’s broadcast. Combustible Conditions at Bongani Mountain Lodge […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it will submit a parliamentary question to Pravin Gordhan, the Minister of Public Enterprises, in order to obtain full details of the costs and reasons for the use of a large SAA jetliner to fly to Brussels to collect a small consignment of apparently only 80,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses. UPDATE: […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has encouraged the private sector to buy local goods in an effort to create jobs in South Africa. “We really need our corporates to come on board for us to build strong local capabilities. We are not asking corporates to buy goods for the sake of buying locally. We are saying that […]

The South African Revenue Service has announced the formation of a High Wealth Individual (HWI) Taxpayer Segment, which will focus on wealthy taxpayers with complex financial arrangements. “For SARS to continue to provide a customised and seamless service to various categories of taxpayers, we are establishing a separate unit to focus on individual taxpayers with […]

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the race to make vaccines and other useful technologies more accessible to people around the world, has once again highlighted the tension between intellectual property rights and the promotion of public health. There is no doubt that the monopolies offered by exclusive rights such as patents are necessary to incentivise pharmaceutical […]

The South African government says it is working tirelessly to deal with the danger of fake news in the fight against COVID-19 and the vaccination plan. Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, believes that while social media is beneficial for communicating, it can be easily hijacked to spread false claims about inoculation. […]

As most South Africans know, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa published a number of name changes for towns, cities and airports in the Eastern Cape, in the Government Gazette, on Tuesday. Today the department released an official statement about the name changes. “The transformation of the naming landscape is a critical […]

South Africa kick-started its first phase of the vaccination rollout programme using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine a week ago Wednesday. Here the Health Department answers some of the burning questions about who will get it first; why it is a good choice for the country; why pregnant woman cannot get the shot and how […]

Silwerskerm Best Actress winner Lea Vivier (Wonderlus, The Day We Didn’t Meet) is the lead in the new Showmax Original DAM, a small-town psychological thriller from four-time SAFTA winner Alex Yazbek that’s now streaming.  In DAM, Lea stars as Yola Fischer, who returns from Chile to a small town in the Eastern Cape to bury […]

The drug whoonga has plagued South African communities for at least a decade, yet only gained significant public attention when it appeared more visibly in the inner-city and surrounding suburbs of Durban, the major city in the country’s KwaZulu-Natal province. Also known as nyaope, whoonga is a street concoction of B-grade heroin, rat-poison (strychnine) and […]

Everything is falling apart in Kannaland: water supplies, sewage, rubbish collection. Even the Ladismith city hall is in a mess in this Little Karoo municipality marked by strange political alliances and in-fighting. The municipality includes Ladismith, Zoar, Calitzdorp, and Van Wyksdorp. A brief trip by GroundUp to Ladismith and Zoar revealed serious municipal service failures, […]

If you’re missing SA, here’s a behind-the-scenes weekend at Manyoni Private Game Reserve… packed with exquisite panoramic and aerial views of the reserve in the heart of Zululand, South Africa. Filmmaker Anthony George Kirkwood gives viewers a glimpse of Etienne Gerber’s life as the reserve’s Head of Law Enforcement, running the anti-poaching unit. It’s a […]

South Africa’s low-cost airline kulula.com today announced that it will restart its operations at Lanseria International Airport from 1 April 2021, servicing its Durban and Cape Town routes. Similar to the re-introduction of its other routes, kulula.com will commence with a limited schedule, adding additional frequencies over the next couple of months. Customers are now […]

British Airways (operated by Comair) has announced the reopening of bookings for daily regional flights between Johannesburg, South Africa, and Harare, Zimbabwe, with one-way fares starting from R995, including taxes and surcharges. Bookings for the regional route are open from today and will start operating on 28 March 2021. Desmond O’Connor, Executive Head of Revenue […]

The world needs a laugh right now, and Netflix has selected South Africa’s Loyiso Gola to deliver just that. The sharp-witted comedian is back with his sharp wit and critically acclaimed comedy hour, Unlearning, which will debut globally on 23 March 2021. Gola is the first African to have a solo full hour of stand […]

South Africa’s vaccination programme is gaining momentum, with over 15 000 healthcare workers having already received their Johnson & Johnson shot in five days. “South Africa is rapidly moving to protect its highly valued healthcare workers through the Sisonke Early Access Programme,” said the Health Department. According to the latest data, there are 15 388 […]