CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – For the Khoi and San – South Africa’s first inhabitants – a verdant patch of land in Cape Town embodies victory and tragedy… writes Wendell Roelf. The two communities drove back cattle-raiding Portuguese soldiers there in 1510. But, a century and a half later, it was where Dutch settlers launched a […]

Passengers on the inaugural United Airlines flight from New York to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, received a warm welcome on Friday 4 June 2021. The flight left Newark International Airport on Thursday, where the Consul General of South Africa in New York, Dr Motumisi Tawana, spoke at the launch. In South Africa, Tourism […]

Eskom Group Chief Executive (GCE) André de Ruyter has been cleared of allegations of racism by an independent inquiry. The inquiry, led by Advocate Ishmael Semenya, was established by the Eskom Board to probe a series of allegations made by Eskom’s former Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), Solly Tshitangano, against De Ruyter. The allegations included the […]

Immigrant spaza shop owners in Diepsloot say they have been struggling to recover tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of rands confiscated by police during Operation Okae Molao two months ago. In March under Operation Okae Molao immigrant-owned spaza shops in Diepsloot were targeted by police. Police say they confiscated R63,000 in cash and it […]

It’s been a while, but President Cyril Ramaphosa held a ‘family meeting’ in South Africa this evening (Sunday, 30 May 2021), addressing the nation on his concerns in containing the Covid-19 Pandemic, and announcing a move to Adjusted Alert Level 2 with effect from tomorrow (Monday 31 May). What does Level 2 Lockdown in South […]

A Special Tribunal has ordered that R18-million worth of assets belonging to former Transnet executive Herbert Msagala, be forfeited to the State. The assets include 35 luxury vehicles and five properties which include two farms and houses in gated estates. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) said in a statement that it welcomed the Special Tribunal’s […]

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan says the acquisition of a strategic partner for South African Airways (SAA) could be concluded in the next four to six weeks. “As you know, SAA is now out of business rescue as of the 30th of April. There is an interim board in place and an interim top management. […]

A General Manager at Richards Bay Minerals was assassinated on Monday, in a hail of bullets during rush-hour traffic. Nico Swart was on his way to work, when his vehicle was reportedly approached by three armed men. The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that more than 20 high-caliber bullets were fired into Swart’s car, […]

At least 400,000 South Africans have been arrested over the past year for breaking COVID-19 lockdown regulations like not wearing a mask… and many are now left with life-damaging criminal records. Last year, Carte Blanche reported on allegations of unwarranted brutality and violence when police arrested people for breaking these lockdown regulations. This week, the […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has concluded a successful visit to Paris, France, where he attended the Summit on the Financing of African Economies, organised by and hosted by France’s President Emmanuel Macron. Possible French partnership with SA for vaccine production Separate to the Summit, President Ramaphosa met with the French President at Élysée Palace […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived yesterday, 17 May 2021, in Paris, France, to participate in the Summit on the Financing of African Economies. At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, South Africa’s Ramaphosa will be joining several African Heads of State and Government as well as leaders of global financing institutions at the Grand Palais […]

Kuils River Magistrate Court’s has issued a summons to the EFF to pay over R80,000 in damages they caused during their protests in Brackenfell in the Western Cape last year. The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it welcomes the summons.  In November 2020, EFF protesters descended on Brackenfell High School, in protest against alleged racism at […]

Due to a loss of 10 generating units at seven power stations at Eskom this past weekend, the power utility is implementing stage 2 load shedding. Eskom implemented loadshedding on Sunday at 5pm and it is expected to end on Tuesday at 10pm. “The failure of three-generation units at Tutuka was due to loss of […]

Well-respected human rights lawyer Richard Spoor says he believes the arms deal case against former South African president, Jacob Zuma, is “unfair” and that many people don’t understand it. “I think people do not have a fair understanding of what this case is about. It’s been going on for 15 years and it’s tainted his […]

The South African government has welcomed the R3-billion commitment, to transfer the latest technology for producing vaccines and biological therapies to South Africa, announced by SA expat Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong on Wednesday. Dr Soon-Shiong, who is a South African born biotechnology entrepreneur, now based in the United States, made the exciting announcement during a meeting […]

Cabinet has approved the extension of the National State of Disaster on COVID-19 until 15 June 2021. “The extension considers the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of state to mitigate against the impact of the disaster on lives and livelihoods,” a statement released after this week’s Cabinet […]

The Information Regulator of South Africa has after correspondence, written to WhatsApp LLC requesting the company to revise its privacy policy in South Africa to the standard used in the European Union (EU). On 15 May 2021, WhatsApp will require users to accept new terms and conditions for using the app. In a statement released […]

When people think of trading, the first associations are currencies and stocks. Both are accessible in South Africa, even from a smartphone. At the moment, FXTM stock trading is increasingly popular. But is it the best path for everyone? Two Popular Markets The foreign exchange is the largest financial market with a stunning daily volume […]

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced voter registration for the October Local Government Elections will be held on the weekend of 17-18 July 2021. In a statement, the Commission said on this weekend all 23 146 voting stations around the country will open from 8am to 5pm to assist new voters to register and existing […]

When talking about Africa’s gaming market specifically, or about its economy in general, two trends are of essential importance. The first is the huge size of the African youth population – there are even indications that it might double over the next several decades. The other important fact is that the mobile phone market is […]

“Plans are afoot” for the South African Revenue Services (SARS) to address tax avoidance in the country’s minibus taxi industry, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has revealed. Tax avoidance, the Minister said in a Parliamentary response, was, however, across the tax ecosystem in general. In an effort to address this, the revenue collector is adopting a […]

While South Africa’s minibus taxi industry is demanding government subsidies, it has emerged that the entire industry pays only R5-million in taxes. The Minister of Finance revealed, during a reply to a DA Parliamentary question, that only approximately R5 million in tax is collected from the entire minibus taxi industry in South Africa. In response, […]

Funding was awarded just weeks after the company was registered, and after the event took place. By Raymond Joseph… The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) awarded a half-a-million rand grant to a brand new nonprofit company just two weeks after it was registered, to help pay for a music extravaganza staged by acclaimed South African singer, […]

To hear President Ramaphosa’s 22 April address to the Virtual Leaders’ Summit on Climate Change, you’d think South Africa were going “above and beyond” when it comes to addressing the climate crisis. Not so. SA’s long-awaited draft updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) closed for written public comment on 30 April. The NDC is our country’s pledge to take action […]

A police constable in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is being heralded for breaking barriers and proving the might of a woman. Constable Thulile Gwala is employed as an artisan, and the first female mechanic, at Eshowe Mechanical Services where she knows her way around motor vehicles… and is quite literally putting a spanner in the works! […]