Perhaps it is fitting that the portraits of the “Big 5” animals are featured on South Africa’s banknotes because there is a price on their heads, as well as a price on their severed tails, feet, horns, and other dismembered body parts… writes Ingrid Newkirk, president and founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of […]

The university says there are over 1,600 students with debt, amounting to R88 million… By Ashraf Hendricks UCT students marched to the Kramer Law building to protest against financial exclusion. The action follows protests by students in Johannesburg this week over the same issue. UCT says there are over 1,600 students with debt at the […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a statement recently (29 January 2021) arguing that the hunting industry is key to South Africa’s economic growth, and accusing conservation pressure groups of “cultural imperialism”. The statement appeared on the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa’s website. Here is the full transcript: HUNTING INDUSTRY KEY TO ECONOMIC GROWTH […]

The first substantial peer-reviewed clinical trial of the drug against Covid-19 finds no evidence that it is a wonder medicine. By Elsabé Brits. A study in Columbia of 398 people with mild Covid-19 symptoms found that ivermectin offered no statistically significant benefit over placebo. This is the first peer-reviewed large clinical trial of the drug […]

Almost a year after ice cream pedlar Richard Ngwane was featured in the North Coast Courier he has built a home for his son and grandchildren with the outpouring of donations from the newspaper’s readers… writes Juan Venter. Last June the 64-year-old Ndwedwe resident cast a lone figure walking the streets of Ballito – in […]

The rail agency’s policy dictates that employees should retire at 63. Zolani Matthews is 64… By James Stent PRASA’s new Group CEO is too old to take up the post. This is according to the rail agency’s own policy which states employees should retire at 63. PRASA’s lack of permanent leadership was identified by the […]

Two South African laboratories have used different tests to show that antibodies against the variant of the Covid-19 virus known as 501Y.V2, which dominated the second wave of infections in the country, are effective against the original version of the Covid-19 virus. This means that if a vaccine is designed to target 501Y.V2, it will […]

Millions of rands from a Lottery grant to build an old age home in Mpumalanga were used to pay for a luxury home on a sprawling estate in North West Province, which was purchased by a company belonging to a board member of the NLC. R5 million was paid towards a house for William Huma, […]

Interim results from clinical trials of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be presented to the FDA on Friday 26 February in an effort to obtain an emergency licence for its distribution. The briefing document for the FDA reports 66% efficacy for all cases and 85% efficacy for severe cases, as well as a favourable […]

Finding the right broker to accommodate the trading needs and objectives of individual traders can be a daunting task. South African traders who are looking for the best regulated forex brokers can consult the list below to see what they offer. Exness Exness caters for traders from around the world and is a well-regulated broker […]

Tanzania’s health minister said earlier this month that the country has no plans to procure COVID-19 vaccines. Moina Spooner, an editor with The Conversation Africa, asked Catherine Kyobutungi, African Population and Health Research Center, to explain Tanzania’s COVID-19 response and why it’s problematic. Why has the decision been taken not to vaccinate? Tanzania has had […]

The South African government halted the roll-out of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine this week following a study led by Wits vaccinologist Shabir Madhi, which found that it did not protect against mild to moderate Covid-19 in a local trial on account of the variant of the virus, 501Y.V2, that is dominant here. A pre-print of […]

The Augrabies Falls in the Augrabies National Park near Kakamas in the Northern Cape at the weekend were in full flood. John Yeld captured the spectacular sight. Published originally on GroundUp / © 2021 GroundUp

There are many reasons for the global spotlight to be on South Africa, but right now the country is gaining a lot of attention because of its interest in cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin (BTC), are rising considerably in popularity in South Africa to such a massive extent that many crypto space experts consider the country […]

Vendors, car guards and shop owners at Muizenberg beach in Cape Town, South Africa, were happy to be back in business on Tuesday following the easing of lockdown restrictions by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday night. Ramaphosa announced that beaches, dams, rivers, parks and public swimming pools would be open again after being closed for […]

The head of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA’s legal division, Martha Ngoye, who probably saved PRASA billions, has been fired, according to a statement by the chairman of the board of control, Leonard Ramatlakane. Two other executives have also been dismissed, on what look like spurious grounds. On Saturday 30 January, Ramatlakane announced that […]

In June 2020, the first Ivermectin news that received public attention was a report that Ivermectin inhibited the replication of SARS-COV-2 in monkey kidney cells (1)… writes Justin Ward. This sparked considerable interest in the drug and over the next six months, many studies were completed including randomized controlled trials (RCT) as well as prospective […]

Between 3 May 2020 and 16 January 2021, the number of excess deaths in South Africa was more than 106,000. This is the estimate of the latest weekly Medical Research Council mortality report. These excess deaths are, either directly or indirectly, due to the Covid-19 epidemic. Some of those deaths may be because people with […]

There is a clamour by some people for ivermectin to be approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to treat Covid-19. An article published a couple of week ago in the South African Medical Journal (SAMJ) titled Ivermectin for COVID-19: Promising but not yet conclusive, written by six Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch […]

Knowledge Nyamutowera came to Cape Town from Zimbabwe almost three years ago. He has been walking dogs at Paw Pets in Sea Point for over a year and a half now. “I’m just doing this for a living,” he says. Nyamutowera works from 8am to 5pm on weekdays and two Saturdays a month from 9:30am […]

What has been the effect of the alcohol bans? Groote Schuur Hospital trauma surgeons and Medical Research Council researchers have provided some answers using health records from the hospital’s trauma unit — which treats patients from the western part of the City of Cape Town — between February and June 2020. The study allows comparison […]

Sand sculptor Sonwabo Micheal Somfele has relied on the money he makes from making drawings and images at Lookout Beach in Plettenberg Bay for four years. But since the Garden Route was declared a hotspot, and the beaches closed, he is struggling to make a living. Artists and small business owners in Plettenberg bay say […]

For Cape Town ambulance paramedics Claire* and Mike*, the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic has been relentless. Suspected Covid-19 patients have replaced victims of gun-shots, stabbings and car accidents and each day is grimly the same.   Covid-19 call-outs have replaced call-outs to trauma victims, say Cape Town paramedics interviewed by GroundUp. More of their […]

The Harare Magistrates Court has dismissed a bid by journalist Hopewell Chin’ono to have a charge against him of “spreading falsehoods” declared invalid. The Harare Magistrates Court has upheld charges of “spreading falsehoods” against an award-winning Zimbabwean journalist. Hopewell Chin’ono was arrested on Friday and remains in custody. This week Chin’ono tried to challenge the […]

In his address to the nation on Monday night, President Ramaphosa claimed that his government has been working on vaccine acquisition for six months, which would have been since July last year. Yet there is much evidence to suggest this is simply not the truth… writes Democratic Alliance (DA) Leader John Steenhuisen. We cannot fully […]