South African power utility Eskom confirmed Friday morning that Stage 1 load-shedding will be implemented from 06h00 until 23:00 today, 10 January 2020. In a statement on Friday, Eskom said as a result of some generating units returning to service, it was able to stop Stage 2 loadshedding at 06h00 this morning, at which point […]

Tourism Minister Mamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has congratulated South African Airways (SAA) for being named as one of the top-performing airlines globally for on-time performance (OTP) by travel data and analytics company, Cirium. The International Airlines Transport Association’s benchmark of OTP is that an airline is on-time when it arrived within 15 minutes of the scheduled time […]

South Africa’s prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme has achieved remarkable successes in recent years. It has improved the health and life expectancy for pregnant women living with HIV, and it has reduced the risk of transmission of the virus to their offspring. HIV can be transmitted during pregnancy, at the time of delivery, and through […]

The Class of 2019 matriculants are expected to be glued to their television screens tonight as Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announces the national results of the 2019 National Senior Certificate matric exams. The Independent Examinations Board (IEB) announced the private schools’ matric results at midnight last night. The Basic Education Department will release the […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his condolences to the family of esteemed business leader Dr Richard Maponya, following his passing in the early hours of Monday. Widely respected as the doyen of black business, Dr Maponya passed away in Johannesburg just a few days after his 99th birthday. “We have lost a pioneer, a trailblazer and a […]

Eskom will not be implementing load shedding on Monday, despite a constrained and vulnerable system. “There is sufficient water at the pumped storage schemes and we have managed to conserve diesel at our open cycle gas turbine generators and continue to work to replenish the diesel levels,” Eskom said. These emergency reserves will supplement the […]

South African Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has condemned the torching of 24 Shosholoza Meyl coaches in Bloemfontein at the weekend. Mbalula said the arson attack is a pure act of criminality and will be dealt with as swiftly and as harshly as possible. The damage is estimated at R90 million. According to the Ministry of […]

The festive holiday season came to an abrupt end on Saturday for South Africans… who were plunged back into darkness by Eskom’s power cuts. The state power utility – which did its best to keep the lights on for Christmas and New Year – announced on Sunday morning that loadshedding Stage 2 would continue today […]

Sixteen lions at a lodge in Rustenburg, South Africa, have been killed by poachers. The faces and paws of eight of the adults were hacked off, most probably to sell their teeth and claws to be used in ‘black magic’ potions or ‘muti‘. Distraught Gert Blom, 51, who owns Predators Rock Bush Lodge in North […]

Carte Blanche covers a Rolex murder, Sperm Donor Siblings, DNA database disasters plus more, on Sunday 5 January – on DStv Now if you’re in South Africa, and available to stream from Tues 7 January on Showmax International in most other countries.  Mammoth Families – the Stories of Sperm Donor Siblings How would you feel if […]

The Department of Home Affairs has extended its working hours in anticipation of an increase in demand for services. “The Department of Home Affairs is extending operating hours to 7pm from 02 January to 10 January 2020 to meet the anticipated increase in demand for our services during the period before the schools reopen. The […]

A fire at Tokelo High School in Evaton – which was deliberately caused by “mindless thugs” – has led to the destruction of learner material worth an estimated R4 million, said the Gauteng Education Department. Four information and communications technology (ICT) classrooms on the first floor of a block of eight classes burnt down in Thursday’s […]

Despite a constrained and vulnerable system, Eskom is not expecting to implement load shedding on Friday, the power utility said today. “There is no load shedding expected today, as a result of a drop in demand during the holiday period and a return of some generating units to service. Eskom will continue to use emergency […]

Mark Oppenheimer – an advocate at the Johannesburg Bar – has urged South Africans to make their voices heard regarding the SA government’s proposed amendment to the Bill of Rights. In a video which is going viral, Oppenheimer says “I’m talking to you today, not as a lawyer but as a concerned citizen…” (Watch the […]

A Turkish Airline’s Airbus, Flight TK45, from Cape Town, South Africa, to Istanbul, Turkey, was declared an emergency at 19h45 on Thursday evening after its landing gear would not retract. According to an aviation guru who was tracking the flight, the Airbus A330-343 did patterns around Cape Town, burning fuel, before the decision was made […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has shared the following New Year’s message with South Africans: As the 25th year of our democracy draws to a close, we look back on a year that has been filled with both highs and lows, a year in which we measured great progress, but also encountered several setbacks. In May millions […]

The South African government says it is working to alleviate the impact of the ongoing drought in pockets of the country. In a statement, the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation said it is working with the affected provinces, municipalities, other national departments as well as the private sector. A number of initiatives are […]

With hours to go until New Year’s Eve celebrations get underway, the South African Police Service (SAPS) is urging the SA public to use firecrackers responsibly and has shared some essential safety tips. Fireworks must be used “cautiously and in compliance with regulations to avoid injuries,” said North West police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone. The […]

Cash strapped South African consumers returning from their December holiday break will breathe a sigh of relief at the petrol pumps as the price of petrol is set to come down by between 4 and 14 cents a litre this week. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has announced a drop in the petrol […]

Active citizenry is apparently paying off well in the fight against crime in different areas of Gauteng this festive season. The Gauteng Department of Community Safety on Monday applauded the active role played by community patrollers in the fight against crime in various policing precincts this festive season. “Given the rate of criminal activities around […]

With the New Year inching closer, Eskom on Monday continued its efforts to ensure electricity supply. “There is no load shedding expected today, as a result of a drop in demand during the holiday period and a return of some generating units to service,” said the power utility. In a statement, Eskom continued to ask […]

The “arrogance” of the Gupta family, who have been implicated in ‘state capture’ in South Africa, “has no bounds”, says the Democratic Alliance (DA)… as the family has applied to have their South Africans passports renewed while living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Guptas fled South Africa in February 2018 as evidence of their […]

In this time of peace and goodwill the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has let the nation down as criminals were able to stroll into the Littleton Military Base, and walk off with at least 19 R4 automatic rifles, manufactured for extreme warfare, says Kobus Marais – DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans. […]

South Africa has seen a 30% reduction in road fatalities since the start of the festive season, says Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula. Although that is definitely a step in the right direction, it still means 589 people tragically died on South African roads between 1 and 22 December 2019. The Minister credited increased law enforcement […]

The South African government has put in place contingency plans to mitigate against the impact of inclement weather conditions during the summer period, according to Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. “We have entered a period that is prone to various disasters and it is important for the country to have contingency plans in place to mitigate […]