The Marula tree (Sclerocarya birrea) is a local alternative to the Jacarandas and Madagascan Flamboyants. Jacarandas and Flamboyants are some of my pet peeves when it comes to gardening and trees. Not only are they aggressive invasives throughout Southern Africa, but they are also messy and destructive trees writes Nick Bredenkamp. Jacarandas roots are very […]

“While filming interviews for our story on the installation of suburb surveillance cameras, our presenter and crew were held at gunpoint and robbed!” says an incredulous Carte Blanche. The Carte Blanche team was filming an insert about tech platform Vumacam’s installation of CCTV cameras across Johannesburg (see above) in the latest fight against crime in […]

This year marks the 59th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa. On 21 March 1960 the apartheid police opened fire on unarmed marchers protesting against a law that forced black people to carry identity documents. Over 200 were injured and 69 killed. The following edited excerpt is from a new book featuring the […]

South Africa’s state utility Eskom will make more power cuts this week as it struggles with capacity shortages that threaten to stymie President Cyril Ramaphosa’s efforts to boost investments and economic growth. Eskom supplies more than 90 percent of the power in South Africa but has suffered repeated faults at its coal-fired power stations, along […]

“I have always prided myself in writing objective and truthful articles” says Tossie Beukes. One of four defamation cases against seven critics of controversial Australian mining company Mineral Commodities (MRC) and its South African operations has been dropped. A linked criminal defamation case against one of the seven has also been withdrawn. The cases, totalling […]

Marlon du Toit, one of South Africa’s finest wildlife photographers – and an International Expedition Leader – will be a guest star on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon tonight in the US. (Expats can watch on NBC on Monday evening, while South Africans back home can watch tomorrow on Comedy Central – see details […]

The 13th of March 2019 may have been an ordinary day for most but not for a 35-year-old male patient, who had previously lost his hearing in a car accident. In a pioneering surgical procedure using 3D-printed middle ear bones, developed by Professor Mashudu Tshifularo and his team at the University of Pretoria (UP), the […]

Recently a number of school boards and police services issued statements advising parents of an alleged cyberbullying threat called the Momo challenge. It’s unclear how many videos actually exist of the creepy-looking mask apparently telling children to harm themselves, or to what extent they have circulated, among children or elsewhere. While some experts suggest anxious […]

Rooibos is already popular in Europe and now it’s becoming a big deal in Japan – one of the largest tea-drinking nations in the world – with exports of our indigenous tea hitting record highs in 2018. More than 2 000 tons were shipped to Japan‘s shores last year – the largest consignment since Rooibos […]

South Africans abroad, who are registered to vote, have to submit the VEC10 form before the deadline of midnight (UTC +2:00) on Wednesday 13 March 2019… but so far tens of thousands who could vote, have not submitted the form! This is why…. 1. They don’t know about the VEC 10 Form! In order for […]

South African singer Selkii will be seen dazzling the judges of The Voice in America on Monday evening. As seen in a ‘sneak peek’ Blind Auditions 2019 video that The Voice released a few days ago, Selkii ‘stands out’ with her version of Macy Gray’s ‘I Try’. The sneak peek shows two judges turning around, […]

Research has shown that excess salt intake is harmful to people’s health. It can lead to high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Globally salt reduction programmes are gaining traction, whether through awareness campaigns or through governmental interventions. This has been true in South Africa too. Three years ago it […]

South Africans – like millions of people across the world – are seriously susceptible to religious abuse. The local media has once again been abuzz with a litany of shocking stories about manipulation, abuse and fraud by pastors. The latest one, a fake “resurrection” made headlines around the world. A video of Pastor Alph Lukau […]

Once upon a time… in a beautiful forest on the magical Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains… writes Sheryn Nader who took these beautiful photographs of nature’s delight in South Africa’s newest world heritage site. Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains in Mpumalanga was officially declared a World Heritage Site in July 2018, becoming South Africa’s 10th World Heritage site, and the […]

Jane Goodall visited a chimpanzee sanctuary in Sierra Leone on Thursday that has taken on the veteran primatologist’s mission to protect the animals threatened by deforestation, disease and hunting. Goodall, 84, famous for her ground-breaking study of chimpanzees in East Africa in the 1960s, praised the work of her old friends, Bala Amarasekaran and his […]

Two Hawks senior executives from Maluti a Phofung Local Municipality in the Free State have been arrested for alleged fraud and corruption. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) on Monday said the two — Chief Financial Officer Nrateng Khumalo and Expenditure Manager Diakanyo Khampepe — were arrested last Thursday and subsequently appeared in court on […]

South Africa and the World Bank have signed an agreement that will boost the local business environment while also helping to enhance foreign direct investment into the country. Signed on Monday in Johannesburg, the Advisory Services Agreement was signed between the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) and the World Bank Group. The partnership is […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has, on behalf of the government and people of South Africa, expressed condolences to the families affected by the Sunday crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane which killed all 157 people on board. In a statement issued on Sunday, President Ramaphosa said the thoughts of the South African people are with the […]

Eskom has warned South Africans that there is a high risk of load shedding today. “There is a high risk of rotational load shedding today, but it will only be implemented if absolutely necessary. This is as a result of a shortage of capacity due to the loss of generating units at our power stations,” […]

On Carte Blanche this evening (Sunday 10 March) in South Africa, and available to stream from Tues 12 March for South Africans abroad. Please note this is a 90-minute extended broadcast. (14-day Free Trial): The Future From the Fourth Industrial Revolution to the human brain connecting directly to machines and the Cloud with instant access to […]

Two of the men involved in the murder of the former owner of Maroupi Wedding Venue near Umhlali were sentenced to life imprisonment at Mtunzini High Court last week. SAPS spokesman Lt Col Thulani Zwane said the two men – 26-year-old Aron “Poliane” Feijao Moiane and 35-year-old Jaulane Feijao Moiane – were found guilty on […]

Europe’s finest, most storied clubs face off in the last-16 round of the UEFA Champions League. These matches are live and free on DStv Now! Fans don’t need to be DStv subscribers, they only need to be using DStv Now online or on their devices. Which UEFA matches will be streamed on DStv Now? Paris […]

Teaching is tough in overcrowded schools with ill-disciplined sometimes violent learners. “If I could change careers I would… Teaching is not easy,” says a teacher who has spent 12 years at a high school in Khayelitsha. The teacher, who preferred to stay anonymous, told GroundUp: “We teach some very ill-disciplined children, and sometimes there is […]

At the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) this weekend, the debut Showmax Original, Tali’s Wedding Diary, won five awards – the most of any TV comedy. The brilliant SA mockumentary – inspired by the real-life wedding of Suzelle DIY actress Julia Anastasopoulos – also reached 1 million views this week! The 5 awards […]

AfriForum says it has appointed five experts and a senior advocate to compile reports in order to send a submission that disputes the recent Centurion land claim to the Land Claims Commission. The self-proclaimed civil rights organisation says it wants to prevent claimants from receiving any monetary compensation for this “baseless claim”. The claim – […]