Thirty years ago today, 26 April 1986, one of the reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded in the then Soviet Union. A South African who recently visited and took these pictures says the site, now in the Ukraine, is one of the eeriest places he has ever visited. “After the explosion, the Soviets kept it quite […]

If it hadn’t been for a grandmother who was left sobbing on the floor of a Pick ‘n Pay supermarket, it should have been a good day on Tuesday for the supermarket chain, after it said it had its strongest annual growth since 2010. But the incident with grandmother Iris Beukes got all the publicity, unfortunately […]

The Mall of Africa will open its doors on Thursday, 28 April. It is the biggest mall built in a single phase in South Africa/Southern Africa/Africa, depending on which website you read. Construction consumed 10 million bricks and 8,500 tons of steel. It is located in Waterfall, a new living, working, retail area between Johannesburg […]

The confusion over whether the executive capital of South Africa is called Pretoria or Tshwane has been going on for several years already, although the mayor of the city says that is about to end – well, kind of. “With regards to the name change, we have done public consultations and reviews in council and a resolution was […]

In her latest episode of “Evita’s Free Speech”, the inimitable Evita reflects on the EFF’s Julius Malema telling Al Jazeera that his party would “remove the government through the barrel of a gun“, but also her thoughts about Freedom Day, 27 April.

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane was joined by Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille and other party leaders in the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg as they launched the party’s election manifesto on Saturday. In his speech to a crowd of between 20,000 and 25,000, Maimane focused on the party’s six-pronged election platform of “opportunity, responsive government, service delivery, […]

Even though we live in one of the beautiful places in the world, it’s completely understandable that sometimes we may not give the beauty of Cape Town the appreciation it deserves. This is not because we don’t think our city is beautiful, it’s just because we become desensitised to it. But every Capetonian recognises that moment when the […]

PRETORIA – The office of President Jacob Zuma said on Friday that letters of reprimand had been sent to one cabinet minister and two former ministers, following the Constitutional Court ruling over the contested security upgrades at Nkandla. The presidency said that the court on 31 March ordered Zuma to comply with the remedial action taken against him by […]

CAPE TOWN – Dene Smuts, the well-known former editor of Fair Lady magazine and a member of parliament for the Democratic Party, has died suddenly. The Democratic Alliance said it was with sadness that it noted the passing of Smuts, who served in parliament for 25 years, from 1989 to 2014, where she made history […]

JOHANNESBURG – Steinhoff has increased its stake in Darty to 20.4 percent, it said on Friday, a day after a frantic bidding war with French rival Fnac for Europe’s third-largest electric goods retailer. Five new offers in less than 24 hours lifted Darty shares by more than 23 percent on Thursday to their highest since […]

NAIROBI – Kenya Airways has announced this week that will connect Cape Town to the Victoria Falls and Nairobi. The flight, which will run each way three times a week starting in July, will fly to the Kenyan capital via Livingtone, Zambia, gateway to the Victoria Falls. It is Kenya Airways’ second destination in South Africa, after […]

A company that says it brings space into your home (or your laptop) has released footage from the heavens of Cape Town, the Pyramids of Giza and Dubai. The company Urthecast took the ultra high definition footage from an Iris camera attached to the International Space Station, according to news reports. Look closely and you can see cars […]

The wildly successful singer Prince died on Thursday, at age 57, according to news reports quoting his spokesperson. A massive outpouring of condolences and grief overwhelmed social media. Prince had many hits including “Purple Rain”, “Kiss”, “Diamonds and Pearls” and “When Doves Cry”. No cause of death was immediately given, although questions were raised earlier this month […]

No, that’s not actually the South African stand at the Chelsea Flower Show. It’s a miniature, which was unveiled to the public on Thursday in preparation for the coveted event taking place in London on May 24-28. (UPDATE 24 May 2016: South Africa has won gold at the Chelsea Flower Show.) Launched at Kirstenbosch, the events manager […]

Charlize Theron has been named one of Time’s Most Influential People of 2016 for her contribution towards AIDS awareness, while South Africa-based anthropologist Lee Berger was also on the list. In a tribute written by Blake Mycoskie, founder of the philanthropically oriented Toms Shoes, he wrote: “A lot of celebrities know how to raise awareness. Charlize Theron […]

LONDON – SABMiller sold 4 percent more lager in its most recent quarter than a year earlier as momentum improved in the second half of its financial year. The brewer of Miller Lite, Castle Lager and other beers said its revenue rose 7 percent in the quarter ended March 31, with sales volume up 4 […]

Well, Starbucks’ first store in sub-Saharan Africa opened in Johannesburg on Thursday morning, and such was the anticipation that people were lining up from about midnight on Wednesday, according to news reports. The opening in Rosebank made news in a few places around the world. “South Africa’s first Starbucks opens to long queues,” said Reuters. “Starbucks […]

The successful US coffee shop chain Starbucks opens its first store in South Africa on Thursday, and then another before the end of the month, both in Johannesburg. But possibly the most South African coffee doesn’t seem to be on the menu (besides moerkoffie, that is). The two stores, in Rosebank and the soon-to-open Mall of […]

GRAHAMSTOWN – Women at Rhodes University on Tuesday led a protest against sexual violence on the campus by taking their tops off and baring their breasts. Earlier in the day women had formed a human chain after going to residences in search of alleged rapists. A list of names had been published on Sunday and was put […]

Tuk-tuks are coming to Cape Town! The city said on Tuesday that if all goes according to plan, there will be 80 tuk-tuks to start off with in eight areas of the city for travelling distances of three kilometres or less. It is hoped that they will be on the roads by September, in time […]

If you’re in London, try get to the new Circa Gallery by the weekend to see the brilliant opening show full of South African artists that are increasingly drawing world attention. The successful Circa Gallery of Johannesburg, started in 2009 as a sister gallery to esteemed Everard Read, opened in March with an exhibition full […]

South Africa and Brazil. We share the good (great beaches, fab climate) and the bad (flagging economies, falling exchange rates, possible junk status, a government often charged with corruption, and a president threatened with impeachment). But that’s where it ends – or it did this weekend, when the lower house in Brazil’s congress voted to impeach President […]

JOHANNESBURG – Former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene, who was sacked by President Jacob Zuma in December, sending the local markets into a spiral and the rand crashing, has been appointed to the board of the privately owned investment manager Allan Gray. The firm, which was started in 1973 by Allan Gray and is known for its […]