Shonisani Lethole was young, had no co-morbidities, and a fair chance to live. However, due to negligence at the Tembisa Tertiary Hospital – including not being fed for 100 hours – the Gauteng businessman who called himself Shoni did not make it. These are some of the chilling findings contained in the 202-page report of […]

Qatar Airways has signed an interline agreement with Fly Mango, further expanding its presence in South Africa as the largest international carrier to operate from the region, it has announced. The agreement provides Qatar Airways’ passengers with eight additional connections via Johannesburg and Cape Town; and will see Qatar Airways operating 26 weekly flights from […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa says poor countries desperately need COVID-19 vaccines as much as other nations that have already started vaccinating their citizens, and – without holding any punches, has asked wealthy nations that have ordered or hoarded excess vaccines to please release them. “We are all not safe if some countries are vaccinating […]

Over 4 000 Temporary Disability Grant reapplications have been assessed in KwaZulu-Natal, since the process commenced this year. The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) in KwaZulu-Natal said more beneficiaries are heeding the call to visit the offices to reapply for Temporary Disability and Care Dependency Grants in the province. The reapplication process, which commenced […]

The Dutch government has become the latest country to impose a flight ban on all flights to the Netherlands with passengers from South Africa, the UK and various countries in South America due to continued Covid-19 safety concerns, following more contagious variants being found in SA, England and Brazil. The ban will be effective from […]

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 […]

The Cape High Court in South Africa has set four provisional liquidators the task of tracking down assets that can still be found after the mammoth Mirror Trading International (MTI) shut down in December. The shut down came about after numerous investors were unable to withdraw their money. Smoke and Mirror Trading International (MTI) Marketed […]

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and MEC for Social Development Sharna Fernandez have called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in the crisis at SASSA involving lapsed disability grants. The Western Cape Premier and the MEC for Social Development have called on the President to intervene in the crisis at SASSA involving lapsed disability grants. […]

The African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) has confirmed the acquisition of provisional 270 million vaccine doses for African countries, with at least 50 million being available for the crucial period of April to June 2021. The 10-member AVATT, which was established by African Union Chair, President Cyril Ramaphosa in August, on Thursday confirmed this […]

Minister of Small Business Development, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says she is “appalled” at the “misinformation peddled” by the Democratic Alliance (DA) about the expenditure of the small business COVID-19 relief funds. The DA recently issued a statement claiming the Department of Small Business Development has only allocated 8% of the funds meant as COVID-19 relief for […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has made four senior appointments in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). “These appointments are essential for the efficient functioning and rebuilding of the NPA as part of the fight against serious crime, including sexual and gender-based crimes and corruption, and as a contribution to deepening the capability of the state,” the Presidency […]

South Africa’s Information Regulator met Facebook South Africa on Wednesday to discuss the social media company’s revised WhatsApp privacy policy. WhatsApp’s new private policy sparked a global outcry – with SA expat billionaire (and richest man in the world) Elon Musk suggesting a change to Signal – after the Facebook-owned messaging app alerted its 2 […]

Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister, Thoko Didiza, says she is greatly saddened to learn about Professor Mohammad Karaan’s passing. Karaan was a former Dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University (SU) and a champion of agriculture and rural development. The department has described the Professor as a giant in South Africa’s […]

AfriForum has instructed its legal team to consider possible legal action after the banning in South Africa of the use of controversial Ivermectin that was developed for human consumption as treatment against COVID-19. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) banned the medication which is currently only available in South Africa as a livestock […]

As Eskom announced its plan this morning to implement Stage 2 loadshedding for the next few days – from noon today, Thursday 14 January, until 23h00 on Sunday (17 Jan), a collective ‘ARGH’ could almost be heard around the country from a nation of usually good-humoured, mainly optimistic folk, who are simply fatigued with Covid […]

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 […]

The Gauteng Provincial Government is gearing up for the worst-case scenario as the second wave of COVID-19 infections rears its ugly head in the province. Addressing the media on Tuesday, Premier David Makhura said Gauteng is now the second most affected province in the country in terms of active Coronavirus cases after KwaZulu-Natal. The province […]

The minstrel museum may finally be opening in Cape Town seven years after the National Lotteries Commission awarded a multimillion-rand grant to establish the facility. The new Cape Town Museum and Restaurant awning only recently replaced one for the Pensyl Sporting Club. Photo: Raymond Joseph The “Carnival Heritage Museum” to celebrate Cape Town’s rich minstrel […]

Yes, there’s a ‘family meeting’ in South Africa tonight! President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on developments in SA’s Covid-19 response at 20h00 this evening, Monday 11 January 2021. South Africans have been waiting and wondering when the President would next address the nation, following meetings in recent days of the National Coronavirus Command […]

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has called on the public to disregard conspiracy theories linking the deployment of Fifth-Generation (5G) technologies and infrastructure to the spread of the novel Coronavirus. In a statement issued on Monday, the authority said this narrative should be ignored as it was aimed at bringing instability and […]

The South African government has expressed sadness at the passing of Dolly Mokgatle, the Executive Director and co-founder of Peotona Group Holdings. An established business leader, Mokgatle held various leadership positions within several of South Africa’s state-owned enterprises and the private sector. She was recognised for her notable contributions towards the empowerment of women. “This […]

South African comedian Trevor Noah has reportedly bought a fabulous mansion in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, for a whopping $27.5-million. (In dollars to rands, that’s over R420-million!) The LA home boasts its own private gym, six bedrooms, a private home theatre, and an infinity pool with sweeping views of the city, Santa Monica mountains and the […]

Healthcare workers will be first in line for inoculation after South Africa secured 1.5 million doses of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine which will be rolled out this month. According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, the country will receive one million doses of the vaccine in January, while the rest of the batch will arrive […]

With many businesses expected to reopen on Monday following the festive season break, the Department of Employment and Labour has called for the observation of health and safety measures that will not expose employees to COVID-19. In a statement, the department’s Director-General (DG), Thobile Lamati, said it is crucial that industries, businesses and entities, both […]

Since it was announced today, Thursday 7 Jan 2021, that South African expat Elon Musk has become the richest person in the world – overtaking Amazon’s Jeff Bezos with a personal fortune of $188.5-billion, the Tesla and SpaceX tycoon’s response has been classic! When Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley tweeted a few hours ago: “@elonmusk […]