A news presenter for eNCA TV channel now probably regrets that he called out the Minister of Education Angie Motshekga on air for mispronouncing the word “epitome” in a speech this week – a week to remember when emotions seemed to be running particularly high on various fronts. Andrew Barnes has been suspended, according to eNCA, which […]

In a Mark Zuckerberg-like gesture of incredible kindness and philanthropy, the head of a Johannesburg-based fund manager controlling $35 billion has given his family’s controlling stake in the company to a charitable foundation, according to news reports and a statement by the company. Control of Allan Gray and its Bermunda-based partner Orbis Investment Management has been transferred to the […]

Cape Town has had one of the busiest-ever holiday seasons, according to early figures – and it’s not over yet – the Cape Town tourism authority has said. Two major attractions, Table Mountain Cableway (with 28 percent more visitors than December 2014) and Robben Island (with 43 percent more visitors, almost 47,000 in December), had record-breaking numbers, […]

PRETORIA – South Africa said on Thursday it had come to an agreement with the U.S. at the 11th hour over poultry imports that were threatening to sabotage the country’s preferential access to the U.S. for several agricultural products. “All outstanding issues on AGOA (the African Growth and Opportunity Act) have been agreed upon and finalised and negotiations have […]

The successful U.S. streaming entertainment company Netflix has broadened its global outreach to South Africa, where it launched this week and goes up against local streaming company ShowMax, which began in 2015. South Africa is one of 130 countries that will get Netflix from Wednesday. The latest move means that Netflix is now available in […]

Think you know Africa? Think again. Our continent holds a fascinating range of histories, languages, amazing people, and diverse and complex cultures. From Algeria to Zimbabwe, here’s a quick quiz to test how much of Africa you know. (Click on the answer you think is correct, and the right answer will appear below. You can Google, […]

Even if it is a few days after New Year, it’s well worth taking a look at the “Hip Hop 2015 News Wrap Up” by rapper Tswyza on the satirical news site ZANEWS. As the Limpopo-born rapper says, he covers everything “from Jozi to Nkandla, from Cape to Cairo”. Plus he makes it pretty entertaining. Watch the video […]

MIDRAND – While the number of grade 12 enrolments in 2015 was the highest in the history of South Africa’s basic education system, almost 800,000, the pass rate dropped more than five percent over the past year, according to the Minister of Education Angie Motshekga. At the same time it was announced that the top achiever […]

In video footage apparently taken in Sabi Sands near the Kruger National Park in December, a group out game spotting came on a leopard playing with a baby impala. And the impala played back. The impala ran around at first, then the leopard chased it, before the young antelope lay down in the grass near […]

The top matriculants of 2015 were brought together by the Department of Basic Education at a function in Johannesburg on Monday, ahead of the release of the year’s matriculation results across South Africa’s nine provinces. More than 800,000 students will receive their results on Tuesday night (with the Western Cape coming the following day), although early […]

A panel of 10 travel experts have told Britain’s Financial Times that South Africa is one of the destinations to watch in 2016, with several factors – the England cricket tour, more diverse destinations in the country, the upcoming release of a sequel to Nelson Mandela’s autobiography – pointing to heightened interest and tourism numbers. The other areas around […]

How does a municipal structure in place for decades get broken with abandon? Is it a process? What breaks first that is deemed not important enough to fix? The abysmal current state of Pretoria Art Museum is a crying shame to its proud, polished history. It feels as though the best solution is to shut […]

The singer Beyoncé wants to make a movie playing Saartjie Baartman, the Khoi woman who was sent to Europe in the 19th century and spent the rest of her short life as an oddity gawked at by Europeans, according to news reports. The Grammy winner who has acted in movies like “Dreamgirls” has apparently requested countless books on […]

Comments by some white people on social media about the state of KZN beaches over the festive season have unleashed a storm on Twitter, with some people saying this attitude among whites is prevalent and that’s why black people vote EFF. The first post, by a woman named Penny Sparrow, who identified herself as a real estate agent for […]

While reports over the last few days claim rhino poaching in South Africa is marginally down for 2015, some conservationists warn it’s too early to tell and say the government might not be releasing figures regularly to create the impression that poaching is not a problem. “The Department of Environmental Affairs’ decision to not release stats regularly has had the […]

Cape Town city was flooded with tens of thousands of people on Saturday, as the Cape Minstrels – or the Kaapse Klopse – took to the streets in one of the best and, surprisingly, least-known carnivals around. Tweede Nuwe Jaar, or Second New Year, is held on 2 January every year and was started by […]

The US-based Elephant Action League (EAL) on Wednesday published a report on its undercover investigation in mainland China and Hong Kong in an effort to expose the areas – which include using a South African taxidermist – where illegal ivory opportunistically enters the legal ivory market, and where China’s legal trade system and legal businesses are exploited to launder illegal […]

DURBAN – President Jacob Zuma has received the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Strategic Defence Procurement Packages, also known as the Arms Deal Commission, the presidency said in a statement on Wednesday. The commission, chaired by Judge Willie Seriti, was established in September 2011 to investigate allegations of fraud, corruption, impropriety or irregularity in the multibillion-rand arms deal. “The […]

On Christmas Day, 1944, a young South African died tragically and far away from home, and despite his incredible achievements, bravery, creativity, not to mention the romance of his life, he still remains largely unknown in the country of his birth. George Steer, in the 35 years he was alive, crammed an exciting, dangerous and astonishing career. He […]

From the real to the surreal (especially for Trevor Noah), here are some of the quotes of the year, from South Africans (and Africans) around the world, that made it into a list from the BBC. Plus, we have added some others worth mentioning. “This is surreal for me, I’m not going to lie, growing […]

There may be a new player on the entertainment block in 2016, with numerous reports saying that the well-known U.S. streaming company Netflix will enter the South African market as early as January. Streaming provider Netflix, which shows movies and TV series, some of them originally made, said in January 2015 that it was planning to enter South […]

CAPE TOWN – Measures introduced earlier this year to protect the endangered penguins in Simonstown after a spate of killings have been effective so far, according to the city of Cape Town. The city said in a statement on Tuesday that at least 40 penguins were killed in 2015 before it introduced measures to protect them, and […]

From Jude Law to the law of returning politicians (ask the Democratic Alliance’s Dianne Kohler Barnard). From the orange sister of SAA to the red faces over #RhodesMustFall (in the United Kingdom this time). These are some of the stories you might have missed over the past 10 days. 1. The Airline Mango’s Groove While there has been […]

Summer is the time many people head to the beach to enjoy a refreshing dip in the sea to wash away the years’ hard work. Being bitten by a shark remains a concern for many beachgoers even though statistically, the chances are extremely low. Last year, worldwide 72 people were bitten in unprovoked incidents with […]

The tiny town of Johannesburg in California doesn’t often make the news, but it did earlier Saturday when a magnitude 3.7 earthquake hit the area, followed by one of 3.8, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquakes were fairly minor, and no damage was reported, although they did feature on several U.S. news reports. Johannesburg, an old mining […]