A mining company which wanted to mine coal on the southern border of the Kruger National Park has withdrawn its application, to the relief of many South Africans. According to AfriForum, Tenbosch Mining’s environmental consultant said in a notice to all stakeholders that Tenbosch is withdrawing their application for a mining license and environmental approval in […]

While load shedding was reduced from Stage 4 to Stage 2 until 5am this morning, Stage 3 load shedding will kick in this afternoon. “Load shedding Stage 3 will resume at 4pm until midnight on Wednesday and be repeated on Thursday. Stage 2 will then be implemented from 4pm until midnight on Friday,” Eskom said […]

Hundreds of people, young and old, came out to the Cape Flats Book Festival at the West End Primary School in Mitchells Plain at the weekend. The two-day event hosted over 30 sessions with scores of authors, poets and publishers. During the sessions, writers and artists talked to smaller audiences, discussing their craft and answering […]

South Africa’s Professor Tulio de Oliveira has received huge praise at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany. The globally acclaimed bioinformatics scientist has been singled out for his sterling genomic sequencing work that led to the discovery of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. SA’s Health Ministry congratulated Prof de Oliveira who has been “praised […]

The Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden is a spectacular showcase of flora from South Africa’s arid and semi-arid regions. Located in Worcester, the garden is famous for its kokerboom, succulents, aloes and bright coloured vygies (when in season). And with a brand new braille trail, these attractions have become more accessible than ever. A braille […]

Here’s what’s coming up on Carte Blanche this weekend. You can watch the show on Sunday 16 October in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from 18 October if you’re abroad. Mammabearsteffs Behind the decks her grey hair is backlit by laser lights. She whoops at the crowd and […]

Forté Entertainment is currently casting for the second season of HOW I GOT HERE, a documentary TV series where second-generation Americans and Canadians embark on the adventure of a lifetime: travelling with a parent back to their country of origin to explore their culture, immerse themselves in local customs, and reunite with loved ones. And […]

A video has captured the moment an amazingly obedient – and rather large! – baboon does as requested in a hotel room in South Africa! The incident reportedly took place at Sun City. A woman can be heard politely begging: “Please go…” and then adding incredulously “udl’ushukela” (you eat sugar?)… to which the sugar-loving baboon […]

The police officers that used to search his belongings looking for drugs are now among “the shoe doctor” Eric Poku’s best customers. “The police thought I was selling drugs and using the shoe business as a cover,” said Poku, a cobbler who has been running his shoe-stitching business at Bosman Street in Pretoria Central, Tshwane […]

According to the DA, there are 229 “desperate” South African students studying in Russia who had until Monday 10 October 2022 to pay outstanding accommodation and tuition fees, or face the risk of being homeless in not just a foreign country, but a foreign country at war. The DA says this comes after the Mpumalanga Department […]

National Hawks Head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya has lauded the seizure of a firearms cache and arrest of 20 suspects linked to illegal mining during an operation at a mine shaft in Stilfontein in the North West. Lebeya on Monday hailed the operation, warning that these measures were “only just the beginning”. In a continuous […]

The “resolute resistance” of Johann Ferreira, CEO of long-distance bus operator Intercape, in the face of unabashed official bullying was to be commended, Makhanda High Court Judge John Smith has said. Last week we reported that the Eastern Cape High Court ordered Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula to protect Intercape, a long-distance bus company. On Friday Judge […]

The fee for a new adult South African passport is due to increase from R400 to R600 if you’re applying within SA and to three times as much – R1,200 – if you’re applying abroad, which will come as a shock to South African expats who currently wait months for new SA passports, whilst those […]

Here’s what’s coming up on Carte Blanche this weekend. You can watch the show on Sunday 9 October in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from 11 October if you’re abroad. Deadly Coal Run Carnage and death stalk the coal road as drivers put profits before lives. War in […]

Amidst news of load-shedding, corruption and crime, there’s one post that’s providing a flicker of hope and joy for South Africans… reminding everyone that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side, and that together we are stronger to tackle issues, and should celebrate all the things that make South Africans unique and […]

Blood Psalms, the biggest and most ambitious Showmax Original yet, has set a new record for the most first-day views on Showmax for any drama series, ahead of international titles like Game of Thrones. Set in Ancient Africa, the action-packed epic Blood Psalms follows Princess Zazi (Bokang Phelane) as she battles a world-ending prophecy to […]

Police in Mpumalanga have taken three people in for questioning in relation to the gruesome murder of a German tourist in White River on Monday afternoon, Police Minister Bheki Cele revealed during a visit to the scene of the crime on Wednesday. They are co-operating. Cele was accompanied by Police National Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, […]

The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has made the “tough decision” to drop animal welfare as a focus area for funding in 2022/2023, a decision that some organisations say is ignorant and unfair. Others say that the application for NLC funding is laborious and simply not worth applying for. The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has excluded […]

FEDHASA says it is “shaken to the core” by the tragic loss of a German tourist’s life near the Kruger National Park yesterday, during an attempted hijacking; and has called on the government to implement a “nationwide intervention to address the root cause of crime in our country”. The 67-year-old male tourist was driving from […]

The trial against three suspects in the brutal murder of a Cape Town-based couple travelling in Zululand, resumed on Monday at the Durban High Court in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Respected botanists Rodney Charles Saunders (74) and his wife Rachel May Saunders (63) were killed near Eshowe, and their bodies thrown in a river to be eaten […]

South African motorists will breathe a sigh of relief at the pumps this week as the price of all grades of petrol is set to come down by between 89 cents and R1.02 a litre. This marks the third consecutive month of decreases following increases experienced this year. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy […]

Patricia Mtuse has been a car guard for nearly 25 years and currently works outside Checkers in Makhanda, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. A project launched in Makhanda currently works with about 50 local car guards to upskill them and formalise their work. They do this through hosting “brainstorming” meetings with their members […]

The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga has launched a manhunt following the murder of a German tourist in Masoyi, near White River. Provincial SAPS spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said the tourist was fatally shot by a group of criminals on Numbi Road at around 4.30 pm. “According to the report, at that time, […]

Nosizile Bonakele waits on the bank of the Xhora Mouth river at 6am to catch a small rowing boat and begin what will be a day-long journey to access the nearest government clinic. For residents of Xhora Mouth in rural Eastern Cape, a trip to the closest government clinic is a day-long journey. HIV, TB, […]

Fed-up with the failure of the authorities to provide them with water, about 300 families in Mbokota village in Limpopo pooled their money and raised nearly R200,000 to drill three boreholes. But there is still not enough water for everyone. A third of the roughly 900 households in the village in Makhado local municipality raised […]