Social media was abuzz in South Africa on Tuesday evening with sightings – including video and photographs – of what many thought was a meteor. The bright light flying through the air was seen above Pretoria, as well as other parts of the country, including Limpopo. In fact a former politician (David Coltart) in neighbouring […]

Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo plans to rejuvenate the historical Brixton Cemetery through greening restoration, green fencing and the planting of 2 000 indigenous trees to mark Arbor Day on 1 September 2021. The cemetery has suffered on-going acts of vandalism, theft of palisade fencing, illegal dumping and the presence of “displaced persons”, the City […]

South Africa’s NSPCA (National Council of SPCAs) has revealed its shocking findings of “unjustified exploitation” at yet another lion farm, following a joint inspection it conducted in the Free State with Environmental Management Inspectors from DESTEA. The NSPCA said in a statement today that the inspection of the lion breeding farm was carried out on […]

​​A 28-year-old City of Johannesburg health worker, from the Parkhurst Clinic, was arrested on Saturday night for allegedly selling fake Covid-19 negative tests to would-be travellers. And it is believed that he was not acting alone. “More suspects are expected to be arrested as the investigation is ongoing,” the City of Johannesburg said in a […]

Not all South African rock art is ancient; some dates back to the colonial period – and was created by runaway slaves. It tells a remarkable story. With the founding of the Cape Colony in 1652, European colonists were forbidden from enslaving the indigenous Khoe, San and African farmers. They had to look elsewhere for […]

A stunning first half display and two tries of pure magic aided the Springboks to a well-deserved 29-10 win over Argentina in the second of their Castle Lager Rugby Championship matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday, and helped them maintaining their strong start in this year’s tournament. (Watch video highlights a little further […]

Prince Harry has unveiled a million-dollar donation to a Lesotho charity from his lucrative book deal. The decision to donate some of the profits from his memoir was announced on Thursday during the Sentebale Polo Cup in Colorado, USA where he made a surprise appearance. The Sentebale Polo Cup is a charity match named for […]

With the murder rate for the last quarter up by 60.2%, Police Minister Bheki Cele said the stats are “high and unnatural” as a result of the lockdown… although opposition party, the DA, says these figures are more an indictment on the failings of the Minister and the South African Police Service (SAPS). The latest quarterly […]

The South African Cabinet, which held a virtual meeting yesterday, said in a press statement today that it welcomes the renaming of Brandfort in the Free State to Winnie Mandela, “in honour of the Struggle and liberation icon who was banished to the town during the height of apartheid”. Plans to unveil the name were […]

South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is expected to increase drastically following Cabinet’s approval for the vaccination of people aged between 18 and 35 years from tomorrow, Friday 20 August 2021. Cabinet said it had received a report from the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) indicating that over nine million vaccines have been administered in South […]

South African golfing legend, Gary Player, has shared a moving tribute to his beloved wife Vivienne (‘Viv’), who died this week from cancer. He said “the unthinkable has happened”. Player may have accumulated a mountain of international golfing championships, but the sports star’s biggest win in life was a lifetime shared with his childhood sweetheart. […]

The number of Nando’s restaurants in the UK which have had to shut their doors has now risen to almost 75, according to the Daily Mail, as the South African-owned fast-food Peri-Peri chicken chain battles to get its hands on… well, chicken! Nando’s explained on Twitter yesterday: The UK supply chain is having a bit […]

At least 1,227 ATMs and 310 bank branches were vandalised or destroyed during the recent unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, which occurred between 9 and 17 July. And over R119-million in cash was stolen, it was confirmed by the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) today. SABRIC, which has been assessing […]

Ziggi Goredema lost his job and home at the start of lockdown and began making and selling the hanging lampshades… By Ashraf Hendricks. Ziggi Goredema lives in a weathered tent in Van Riebeeck Park, near Cape Town’s city centre. On the tree above his tent hang unique lampshades, which he has made from materials like […]

Annelee Murray may not be a Springbok rugby player herself, but she’s as much a legend as the sports stars she worked with for over 200 matches! Proudly South African and Proud Bok Supporter, Annelee is celebrating her 20 year journey as the first lady of Springbok rugby (aka the Boks’ Public Relations Manager) with […]

South Africa’s Paralympic team have headed off to Japan for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Here’s a guide to the events our 34 SA athletes will be competing in, along with an explanation as to what each category classification means. But first, here’s a wonderful message from Olympic gold-medal winner, Tatjana Schoenmaker for the SA Paralympic […]

UK celebrity Michaela Strachan says her dogs were poisoned by crystal meth in Cape Town, South Africa, where she is based… and they are apparently not the first dogs to overdose on Tik. The 55-year-old TV presenter, who has been living in South Africa since 2002, said she had to rush her pet pooches Rio […]

AfriForum, which originally launched a medal fund on 10 August for Olympic and Paralympic medallists, says it has now joined hands with Atterbury Trust’s medal fund so that the athletes can receive their rewards collectively. (See details at bottom of page if you’d like to contribute.) The fund-raising amongst South Africans for Olympic medallists – […]

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been “inundated with messages of love, support and concern” since undergoing unspecified surgery in hospital on Saturday. Zuma’s Foundation said all the messages have been “well received and appreciated”. According to the SA Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Zuma will also be having “other procedures scheduled for the coming […]

Today, South African Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder won the Austria MotoGP in spectacular fashion – braving out heavy rain – in front of 86,000 spectators. This was his second win in the premier class, since making the move up in 2020. MotoGP tweeted: “You really had to see it to believe it!” and […]

You may have an illegally-sourced succulent in your home… In an illicit trade rivalling that of rhino horn and perlemoen poaching, massive hauls of succulents are being stripped from delicate ecosystems in South Africa’s outermost corners by rare plant collectors with the help of local guides. This week Carte Blanche investigates the latest trend that […]

Phumelela Mbande has a dream. The young Olympic star from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, who was given an opportunity to play hockey when she was young, now wants to pass it forward and get involved in hockey clinics, teaching hockey in disadvantaged communities. Phumelela recently returned from the Tokyo Olympics, where she represented SA as […]

For anyone outside of the continent of Africa who thinks it never rains or snows down in Africa… take a “Look at all of that SNOW! ❄️❄️❄️“ (as Afriski Mountain Resort in Lesotho, Southern Africa, says). Watch snow videos below. As predicted by the South African Weather Service, two winter systems breezed in making this […]

The snow has arrived in bucketloads in Southern Africa, transforming ski resorts into a winter wonderland that looks more like the Alps than Africa! About 10cm of snow fell at Semonkong Lodge in Lesotho, and the good news is, it’s still falling! Definitely a winter wonderland across Lesotho today. Semonkong Lodge, Place of Smoke, says: […]

VANRHYNSDORP, South Africa (Reuters) – Come December, when farmers near Cape Town harvest rooibos leaves, they will become the first generation to grow and sell a tea with a unique regional status, a designation awarded to other such products as French champagne or Irish whiskey. (Watch video below.) As many proud South Africans already know,  […]