“How do you get Australians to punt our South African beer? Simple. You go to Newlands and ask them.” That’s the premise of a new ad for Newlands Spring Beer. The catch of course is that the advertisers went to Newlands in Western Australia, where the Aussie tasters presumed they were drinking good ol’ Aussie brew… […]

Congratulations to South Africa’s Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky – and Andy Watts – for winning two major awards at the prestigious World Whiskies Awards in London! At a gala dinner at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel on 22 March 2018, Bain’s was awarded 2018 World’s Best Grain Whisky… and the company’s Founder Distiller, Andy Watts, was […]

A “safe space” for homeless people at the Culemborg bridge in the Cape Town city centre should be operational in May 2018, according to JP Smith, Mayco Member for Safety and Security, and Social Services. The space was initially scheduled to open in February but “a temporary land use departure had to be secured” said […]

Travel to South Africa is set to start becoming easier for tourists within a year! The first phase of a new e-visa system will be piloted by 31 March 2019, according to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). The DA, which has campaigned for the introduction of electronic visas to make it easier for tourists […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), Tom Moyane, on suspension with immediate effect. “President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner Tom Moyane of his suspension with immediate effect pending the institution of disciplinary proceedings,” said the Presidency on Monday evening. President Ramaphosa said […]

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) says it is “regrettable” that the Australian Government did not use the available diplomatic channels to raise concerns or seek clarification on the land redistribution process in South Africa. This follows reports attributed to Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, who said they are exploring how to […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that land expropriation without compensation must be done within the confines of the law, so that “everybody’s rights are protected and advanced”. The President was speaking in his capacity as head of the African National Congress (ANC) during a voter registration drive at the New Creation Covenant Church in Olievenhoutbosch, […]

South African Airways (SAA) and Mango airlines have received qualified opinions according to their audit reports, which were due in September last year, tabled in Parliament today. According to Alf Lees, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Finance, the adverse findings by the Auditor General partly explain why there has been a such a reluctance by SAA […]

This Sunday’s episode of Carte Blanche is packed with all the latest hot topics in South Africa – Listeriosis, the rising EFF party, Cape Town’s Day Zero and Minister Nomvula Mokonyana’s ‘Leaky Legacy’. South Africans abroad can watch the show (and many more) by subscribing to Showmax International, where this episode will be available to stream from Tuesday 13 […]

South Africa’s economy grew by 3.1% in the fourth quarter of 2017 ending the year on a strong footing, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) announced on Tuesday. At a media briefing in Tshwane, Stats SA’s Deputy Director-General: Economic Statistics Joe de Beer announced that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the fourth quarter grew by 3.1% […]

In this week’s episode of Carte Blanche, Showmax international subscribers can discover more about the latest hot topics in South Africa, available to stream from Tuesday – 6th March 2018. Estina Dairy Farm 3 For years, the Estina Dairy farm project, which was intended for the benefit of local Free State farmers, has been at […]

South Africa’s newly reappointed Finance Minister, Nhlanhla Nene made his first public appearance on Monday, as a speaker at the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) conference in Pretoria. “So I told them that the long and short of it was that I’ve been on sabbatical,” he joked. Nene said: “We are at a point […]

South Africans of all political leanings and colours have come out against Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) Leader Julius Malema’s latest apparent racist rant. At a time when the country is urgently seeking unity, relieved to be rid of the allegedly corrupt Jacob Zuma years and revived under the promising new leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa; […]

For weeks two opposing conspiracy theories about Cape Town’s drought have been circulating. One appears to have traction in the Muslim community, and the other in the Jewish community. In the past few days they’ve entered the mainstream, one receiving support from an ANC politician and the other from the Wall Street Journal. News24 reported […]

Following a complaint by the DA, the Public Protector has found Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown guilty of misleading Parliament, when she failed to disclose if there had been any contracts of engagement between Eskom and Gupta-linked, Trillian. The report has now given President Cyril Ramaphosa 14 days to take action against the Minister after it found […]

In this week’s episode, Showmax international subscribers will find out from the Carte Blanche team about the most important development of last week: the end of Zuma’s presidency. Country on the verge of change It’s been a tumultuous week of anxiety and insecurity as South Africans waited for developments in the political arena, which culminated […]

Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba’s Budget Speech has seen him make “difficult decisions” to address a revenue shortfall and to fund free higher education; including a 1% increase in value-added tax which hasn’t been adjusted since 1993. An increase in VAT, fuel levy and a higher estate duty tax are just some of the things South […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the most important people are ordinary South Africans, who are faced with socio-economic challenges ranging from poverty to diseases. The President said ever since he delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week, many have given him an indication of a sense of patriotism with the message, “Send me”. […]

Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba will this week table the 2018 Budget in Parliament. The much anticipated budget will be tabled in the National Assembly on Wednesday. Appointed to head National Treasury following former President Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle in March 2017, Minister Gigaba is set to deliver the budget in a tough economic environment. It […]

Messages of congratulations have poured in from Heads of State across the world for South Africa’s newly-elected President Cyril Ramaphosa. “President Cyril Ramaphosa received messages of congratulations from a number of Heads of State and Government during a round of telephone calls on Sunday 18 February 2018. President Ramaphosa took the calls at his official […]

Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa – forgive me, President Ramaphosa – is self-evidently a private and reserved human being. Since his decision to contest the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC), he has been the subject of an endless series of “think-pieces”, more or less informed including by this author, as well as a year or […]

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) officially released the statistics for the unemployment rate in SA during the fourth quarter in 2017. The statistics, released on Tuesday, show the rate has dropped down to 26.7%.  Stats SA says that 5.9 million people are unemployed but actively looking for jobs. The unemployment rate for females remain higher than […]

The office of the Registrar of Banks received official notification on Monday from the Gupta-linked Bank of Baroda of its exit from South Africa. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has confirmed that the bank of Baroda is officially closing down its operations and will no longer operate in South Africa at the end of […]

SpaceX has now launched the most powerful spacecraft since the Apollo era – the Falcon Heavy rocket – setting the bar for future space launches. The most important thing about this reusable spacecraft is that it can carry a payload equivalent to sending five double-decker London buses into space – which will be invaluable for […]

Former acting National Police Commissioner, Khomotso Phahlane, appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes court Thursday morning, to face alleged corruption and money-laundering charges. Phahlane and his wife, Beauty, handed themselves over to the authorities. Phahlane has been facing allegations of corruption and has been under investigation by the police watchdog, Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). […]