An international team of astronomers using South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope has discovered enormous balloon-like structures that tower hundreds of light-years above and below the centre of our galaxy, it was announced today in a media release. With some joking that now we’ve discovered the Milky Way was an Aero all along, the astronomers have explained […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African business confidence fell to its lowest level in 34 years in August, as a sharp drop in export volumes and a weaker currency aggravated already tough economic conditions, a survey showed on Wednesday. The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s monthly business confidence index (BCI) fell to 89.1 in August […]

Mobs have attacked foreign-owned businesses on the streets of at least three South African cities in recent days. This has caused outrage across Africa. There have even been retaliatory attacks. The South African government, under pressure to protect her large international migrant community, quickly defused the attacks. Such attacks are not new. For more than […]

In a new global livability survey by the Economist of 140 cities around the world, three each in South African expat hotspots Australia and Canada make the top 10 most livable cities, while five in Africa – including Harare – make the 10 least livable. The most livable city for the second year in a […]

With several violent and tragic incidents occurring around South Africa recently, it’s a welcome relief to see there’s one corner of the country where the people are uniting to make things better… voluntarily. Where the locals are creating more than just a better, prettier town. They’re building pride and hope. Karoospace.co.za writer and local Karoo […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s Denel named a new chief financial officer (CFO) on Monday – Carmen Le Grange – as the struggling state-owned defence firm seeks to improve corporate governance and return to profitability. A cornerstone of the country’s once-mighty defence industry, Denel recorded a 1.76 billion rand ($119 million) loss – its first in […]

PERTH, Australia – Anyone Googling the word “hazenile” will almost immediately come across an April 1, 2019, story on Smart Energy International about a “miracle new mineral” from South Africa, but with bold red letters across the story stating “This was an April Fool’s joke.” Clearly, South Africa’s Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy didn’t […]

A book whose author has refused a R600 000 000 bribe is a book that comes highly recommended. But be warned. The book, After Dawn: Hope after State Capture, is devoid of all autobiography, except one page mentioning Mcebisi Jonas’s feeling of loss when being offered that bribe. The book contains no biographical details. They […]

Three restaurants in Cape Town, South Africa, have started a brilliant campaign of inviting anyone feeling unsafe to come into their restaurants to seek shelter and feel safe, without any pressure to order anything. The warm and welcoming initiative was announced on Wednesday by The Raptor Room who wrote their post with a “sore heart”. […]

CAPE TOWN – South African business leaders on Wednesday urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to push through reforms faster to lift the economy and curb investment outflows, as executives and policymakers gathered for a continental economic summit. Frustration is building in South Africa. Ramaphosa has promised sweeping reforms, but growth remains below 1% a year and […]

South African chef Mario Barnard said he was “grossed out” and did not entirely enjoy eating grilled scorpions and crunchy insects mixed with garlic and spices on a trip to Thailand four years ago. But the experience inspired Barnard to start experimenting with insect-based meals and in July he opened a pop-up restaurant in Cape […]

There’s a growing trend for young South Africans to work aboard luxury super yachts, earning dollars and seeing the world! But how easy is it to get a job? Here’s one young South African’s firsthand account of her experience looking for work in Antibes… Saffas in Yachting I left South Africa for Antibes in the […]

PRETORIA – South African GDP grew more than expected in the second quarter thanks to a recovery in mining and manufacturing, official data showed on Tuesday, in a boost to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s efforts to revive a troubled economy. Growth in the three months to June was 3.1%, after a revised contraction of 3.1% in […]

The retail price of petrol in South Africa will rise by 0.7% from Sept. 4, while the price of wholesale diesel will increase by 1.8 percent, the energy department said on Monday. The price of petrol will rise by 11 cents to 16.03 rand ($1.05) per litre in the commercial hub of Gauteng province, while diesel will also […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s rand firmed against the U.S. dollar in late trade on Friday, as hopes for a rapprochement on trade between Beijing and Washington calmed investors’ nerves. The currency had suffered through much of August, sliding nearly 6% on fears of a downgrade to junk by Moody’s, and concerns about the trade dispute […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African state arms firm Denel said on Friday it had received a R1.8 billion ($118.13 million) bailout and that government would consider its request for a further R1-billion cash injection in budget planning for 2020/21. Denel, which has been struggling to emerge from a financial crisis, added in a statement it would […]

CAPE TOWN – The South African government may be forced to inject more money into state power firm Eskom by the end of March next year, should the struggling utility fail to meet its borrowing plan, a National Treasury presentation to parliament said on Wednesday. Treasury has already earmarked 59 billion rand ($3.9 billion) to […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will today participate in a Japan-South Africa Business Forum at the Nissan Global Headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. This engagement by the President forms part of his working visit to Japan, where he arrived on Tuesday to participate in the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development. President Ramaphosa will use the business […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africans could start withholding their tax payments due to years of corruption which might force the country to seek an international bailout, the chief of the revenue service said on Monday. South Africa has seen revenue collection fall sharply since 2015 due to weak economic growth and maladministration, leading President Cyril Ramaphosa […]

DAR ES SALAAM/JOHANNESBURG – South African authorities impounded an Airbus 220-300 aircraft, leased by Tanzania’s national flag carrier, following a court application by a retired farmer who is owed compensation by the Tanzanian government, the farmer’s lawyer said. The plane had been scheduled to fly from the Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, […]

South African business coach and serial entrepreneur Andrew William Smith posted a video last Saturday posing the question which he says is on everyone’s lips lately: Is it time to leave South Africa? His 14-minute video has gained momentum during the week, attracting over 138,000 views. Yesterday Smith revealed that in the past few days […]

JOHANNESBURG – The legal separation of South African state power firm Eskom into three business units could take four years in total, the company said in an internal presentation seen by Reuters. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa promised to split Eskom into different units for generation, transmission and distribution earlier this year, as part of […]

A restaurant in South Africa’s Khayelitsha township in Cape Town – 4Roomed The Restaurant – and Le Wine Chambre in Johanneburg have been named as two of the world’s best restaurants of 2019. The list was compiled for the first time ever in a partnership between two prestigious global magazines – Food & Wine and […]

South Africa’s proposed switch to universal health coverage – known as the National Health Insurance (NHI) program – will be managed in a fiscally responsible way, a senior presidential aide told Reuters, forecasting the landmark reform would cost the state $2.2 billion per year by 2025/26. Meanwhile President Cyril Ramaphosa stressed in the National Assembly […]

The South African Finance Ministry has warned the public against a scam doing the rounds, in which claims are made that Deputy Minister David Masondo will offer people funding for their business. The scammers are on various platforms purporting to be the Deputy Minister. “The Deputy Minister of Finance would like to alert the public […]