A ranger in Kruger National Park was wounded in a shootout with three suspected poachers on Sunday in which one of the men was fatally wounded, according to park authorities. Field Ranger Killers Ubisi was shot and wounded in the arm during a firefight in the central Houtboschrand section of the park, according to a statement […]

The Gupta family, who have recently come under severe attack by politicians and the media for reportedly receiving preferential treatment and financial breaks in South Africa because of their close relationship with President Jacob Zuma, have denied a report they are leaving South Africa for Dubai. In an emailed statement to Fin24, a representative for Oakbay Investments, the […]

South Africa’s great singer Miriam Makeba – Mama Africa – would have been 84 today. The singer famous for “Pata Pata” and numerous other songs and for being one of the most public opponents of apartheid on the world stage was born in Johannesburg in 1932. Her mother was a Swazi sangoma and her father […]

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has called on all eligible voters to come out in their numbers this weekend – 5-6 March – to register and to update their details ahead of the upcoming 2016 Municipal Elections during this weekend’s voter registration drive. This is one of the most anticipated local elections since 1994 as the African National […]

There will be an estimated 35,000 people riding the 109-km Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday, the biggest timed road race in the world, and it will include everyone from fund-raisers, moms and dads and kids, people in costumes, tandem riders, conservationists and even nudists. Well, the nudists won’t be ridding in the Cape Town Cycle Tour […]

The coffee chain Starbucks is to open its first two stores in South Africa in April, one in Rosebank, Johannesburg, and the other in the massive Mall of Africa between Johannesburg and Pretoria, according to news reports on Thursday. The stores will be Starbucks’ first in sub-Saharan Africa. The chain will reportedly adapt its menu […]

On World Wildlife Day, people from around the world are tweeting by the second – messages and pictures – to bring attention to species: the elephant, the rhino, the lion, the tiger, the moose, the butterfly, pandas, foxes, the Vietnamese langur (sought after for supposed medicinal qualities), dolphins, dugongs, pangolins, pythons, antelopes, the list goes on and on. And also, […]

MAPUTO – Debris from a plane found on a beach in Mozambique could come from the lost Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 that went down in 2014 while on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with the loss of 239 people. The one-metre-long piece of debris with the words “No Step” written on it was found in […]

In his latest salvo against Donald Trump, the candidate who against all odds seems most likely to win the Republic presidential nomination in the United States, Trevor Noah this week riffed in the Daily Show on Trump’s similarity to the fascist of all fascists, Benito Mussolini. The show has already generated its own hashtag, “FascistWeek2016”. It did […]

The African National Congress chief whip in Parliament, Stone Sizani, who has been one of the loudest supporters of President Jacob Zuma in the house, has resigned from his seat and will be posted to Germany as South African ambassador, according to news reports on Wednesday. The ANC said in a statement that Sizani would […]

Cape Town might be high on many a traveller’s bucket list but there are at least 9 other destinations in South Africa equally worth seeing, according to the US site Mashable. “For a medium-sized country,” Mashable says in a recent story, “South Africa has a lot going on.” (We choose an 11th at the end.) The list, which […]

Mohau Pheko, South Africa’s ambassador to Japan, has said she regrets claiming she had a degree that she didn’t actually have, which came from a dubious university in America that closed after it was found to be selling degrees online. Pheko made the apology last week during an interview with the SABC, although she said that […]

The list of speakers today:  

The far-flung island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic – not to be confused with the one off Australia – might be known to many in South Africa, but opportunities to visit Napoleon’s last place of exile have been few. At least until now. British Airways-owned Comair has announced that it will soon start flying weekly from Johannesburg to a […]

More than 1.4 million people have sent online emails lobbying the African National Congress members of parliament to support the no-confidence debate against President Jacob Zuma scheduled to be heard on Tuesday. The Democratic Alliance in December asked for the no-confidence debate and it was confirmed in January. It will take place at 2 p.m. South African time on Tuesday. […]

Race relations in South Africa are good, and the “acrimonious” debate that has raged in social media recently is not a reflection of what most South Africans feel, according to the Institute for Race Relations. In a statement on Monday accompanying a newly released study, IRR Policy Fellow Sara Gon said, “The results should fill all […]

A study by the non-profit Good Governance Africa has found that nine out of the 10 top municipalities in South Africa – out of a total of 234 – are in the Western Cape. Nine of the 10 worst are in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The results of the survey could inform the decision of […]

It’s tough being a rich white male. Alright, now that I’ve got your attention … I’ve witnessed a tectonic shift in this country’s narrative over the last 18 to 24 months. Today, as a white South African, I’m feeling vulnerable. I feel like I can’t speak freely. I feel like I’m damned if I do, […]

Barclays PLC Chief Executive Jes Staley has decided to shut the bank’s operations in Africa, the Financial Times said on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The bank’s board took the decision last week at a review led by Staley and plans to announce the exit on Tuesday, the FT said. The board has […]

The town of George on Friday became the first in South Africa whose airport will get a lot of its power from solar energy. The launch ceremony of the 750Kw plant on Friday was attended by the Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters and the mayor of George, among others. Skhumbuzo Macozoma, the head of Airport Company South Africa, […]

If the Los Angeles Times has its way, South African-born Margaret Sixel will win the Academy Award tonight for her brilliant editing of the Charlize Theron movie “Mad Max: Fury Road”, Sixel’s first action pic. “Margaret Sixel’s Herculean effort cutting together the massive amount of footage shot by her husband, George Miller, is the favorite,” […]

Drumming up support for  their ICC T20 World Cup campaign in India next month, the Proteas have released their own rendition of the Pitbull’s hit Fireball. Maybe there’s also a career in music! Watch the video above or below. .@faf1307 is on FIRE &in leopard print in the Proteas’ latest video. #WATCH #Fireball here: https://t.co/UyEfBMoqDx pic.twitter.com/yulQugBzdO — […]

So many people replied to our story “12 of SA’s Best Movies You Might Have Missed” – especially “Dirkie”, which triggered many a childhood memory – we thought we’d add some of the most popular suggestions that didn’t make it onto the first list. 1. e’Lollipop (aka Forever Young, Forever Free) (1975) A black South African boy […]

A flurry of heavily charged words – about maliciously leaked documents, rumours and gossip, reputations being destroyed – has suddenly erupted from the Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan and the office of President Jacob Zuma over an investigation by the Hawks into an apparent “rogue” unit that was operating in the South African Revenue Services several years ago. […]

Appletiser, South Africa’s famous sparkling, apple-flavoured drink that was somehow before its time – fun, bubbly but also healthy – is celebrating its first half century. The now famous drink was “mastered by French-Italian Edmond Lombardi in the Elgin Valley” and “developed with the help of Swiss technology”, according to Appletiser’s website. “The apple aroma taunts your taste-buds, and the […]