South African President Cyril Ramaphosa used his State of the Nation Address on February 7 to outline his relatively new government’s actions and plans. Ramaphosa focused particularly on economic growth, investment and job creation. He also announced substantial investments in education, health and housing. But there was very limited focus on crime. Prevention strategies he […]

“There are so many people in our community who are unemployed yet we still see rubbish lying around”. On a scorching Friday afternoon, Ayanda Kunene sits under a makeshift shelter that covers his car wash. He is waiting for customers. Despite matriculating and actively searching for work, Kunene, 30, has never had a permanent job. […]

Manufacturing — a vital industrial sector — has shed 300,000 jobs. Unemployment in South Africa increased from 23.2% to 26.7% between the first quarters of 2008 and 2018. The actual number of jobs increased from 14.4 million to 16.4 million, but the number of people wanting to work (the labour force) increased much faster, from […]

South Africa is historically a water scarce country, and prolonged droughts coupled with infrastructural decay have led us to start considering water conservation as a priority. As recent events in the Western Cape suggest, climate change is a reality and will affect us all. The question is, what can we do about it, writes Craig […]

Broadcast TV isn’t an option and using self-publish platforms like YouTube means competing with millions of videos from across the globe, so how do SA film students get their work noticed? A recent deal between the video-on-demand service Showmax and African film school AFDA is set to showcase local talent in an entirely new way. […]

South African media have been invited to submit entries for the 2019 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Media Awards competition. The awards are aimed at recognising excellence in journalism in print, photo, television and radio, as well as to encourage media practitioners in member States to cover issues pertaining to the region. They were established […]

In the near future, classrooms will be vibrant spaces where fun and acquiring knowledge blend seamlessly as the Basic Education Department wants to make play a fundamental block of learning. Following the President’s announcement at the State of the Nation Address that Early Childhood Education (ECD) centres will migrate from the Department of Social Development […]

London’s Bush Hall is set for a one night live ‘Chasing Dreams Tour’ Concert with South African Electronic Trio Goodluck on February 27th 2019. Coming off the back of their 2018 smash hit ‘Be Yourself’, and a sold-out debut at London’s The Garage, GoodLuck returns to the UK for a February performance at Bush Hall, London […]

The Western Cape’s top Engen Maths and Science Schools (EMSS) matriculant, Maajidah Arendse hopes to become a successful civil engineer and a proud representative of women in Engineering. “I want to be a part of projects that improve both the built and natural environment by making new discoveries and making the lives of my fellow South […]

Humane Society International/Africa has joined forces with local South African organization Hoedspruit Animal Outreach (HALO) to improve the lives and welfare of community cats and dogs in the villages around Hoedspruit… which in turn will protect wild species in the area like the African Wild Dog. This year HSI/Africa is providing HALO (which is run […]

Would you wait if it was your child or someone you loved? Robbie Eddles – an incredibly special and courageous 17 year old from Durban, South Africa – has just relapsed for the third time. He was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was 5 years old and fought so bravely for so […]

MultiChoice took an early lead at The South African Film and Television Awards as the most nominated broadcaster overall, with 149 SAFTA nominations. These included the most nominated shows in all major categories: feature film, TV comedy, TV drama, soap, and telenovela. “We’ve got a simple goal for MultiChoice – to be the most-loved teller […]

On this day in 1990, Nelson Mandela left Victor Verster Prison in Cape Town a free man, after spending 27 years in prison. Accompanied by his then-wife Winnie, Mandela was enthusiastically received by the throngs of people who gathered to see him outside Cape Town’s City Hall. Mandela spent 18 years on Robben Island and […]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address, delivered in Cape Town on February 7, has attracted a fair amount of praise. But while the speech scored an A for its vision and plan for economic renewal, it scored an F for education. If the amount of time spent on a topic during […]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has unveiled a new plan for the country’s beleaguered state-owned power utility, Eskom. During his State of the Nation Address on 7 February, Ramaphosa announced that Eskom would be unbundled into “three separate entities – generation, transmission and distribution”. These would all be established “under Eskom Holdings”. This announcement has […]

Organisations are concerned the number of adoptions will decline. A debate is raging over a proposed amendment to the Child Care Act that would outlaw charging fees for adoption services. The amendment is expected to be passed by the end of the year, as part of a number of changes to the Act. Adoption is […]

Coming Up on Carte Blanche this week on Sunday 10 Feb in South Africa, and available to stream from Tues 12 Feb for South Africans abroad. (14-day Free Trial). Art Theft Art theft is not a common crime, but when the thieves hit, they hit big – taking expensive paintings and drawings and selling them on the black […]

A new safety video for an airline stars Cape Town as the host of a Super Hero match. The stunning footage – including 20 million LEGO bricks – was created for Turkish Airlines by the LEGO® movie team… as it coincides with the release of The LEGO Movie 2. Around 24,000 LEGO mini-figures were used to […]

The countdown to International Rare Disease Day 2019 has officially begun. Taking place on 28 February, the 12th edition of the annual event will see Rare Diseases South Africa (RDSA) increasing the visibility of rare diseases among the general public. This year’s theme, ‘Bridging the Gap’ is dedicated to living beyond diagnoses, calling attention to […]

An investigative directorate – tasked specifically with probing corruption and associated offences – is on the cards for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). President Cyril Ramaphosa made this announcement during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) and the last of the fifth administration on Thursday evening. The President said the idea of the […]

Student leaders call off protests. Activities at Wits University were brought to a halt as student protests entered a fourth day on Thursday. About 200 students, led by the Wits Student Representative Council (SRC), went door-to-door across campuses, stopping lectures along the way. In its letter of demands sent to Wits management last week, the […]

State capture’s most visible effect is the breakdown of Metrorail. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) offered South Africa much hope. He spoke of plans to grow the economy, create new jobs and improve health-care. Particularly exciting was the mention of reading programmes for young learners, which we hope will make […]

U.S. shared workspace provider WeWork plans to launch in South Africa later this year, it said on Thursday, a move that would mark the first African expansion for the $47 billion New York-based company. The firm, backed by Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp, will team up with Redefine Properties, one of South Africa’s biggest real estate […]

South African President Ramaphosa has finally signed into law a new bill aimed at regulating the funding of political parties. It was approved by Parliament in June 2018. The Political Party Funding Bill, when it eventually becomes law on April 1, will enable South Africans to know who funds their political parties. The new law […]

Merlin Mosoko has trained dozens of children to play basketball. “Here we don’t only play basketball. We are also taught about the dangers of substance abuse and other life skills,” says Allen Chisvo, a grade 12 learner at Leiden High School in Delft, Cape Town. “My dream is to become a software developer and play […]