JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s popular Standard Bank will cut around 1,200 jobs and close 91 branches as part of efforts to digitise its retail and business bank, it said on Thursday. South Africa’s lenders, like others around the world, have been shuttering branches and trimming their headcount in an attempt to cut costs and adapt […]

Recently a number of school boards and police services issued statements advising parents of an alleged cyberbullying threat called the Momo challenge. It’s unclear how many videos actually exist of the creepy-looking mask apparently telling children to harm themselves, or to what extent they have circulated, among children or elsewhere. While some experts suggest anxious […]

The Ad Hoc Committee – set up to amend Section 25 of the Constitution — has adopted a report on its work into a possible amendment to the Constitution in order for the State to expropriate land without compensation, in the public interest. Committee chairperson Thoko Didiza said in the report, the committee recommended to […]

CAPE TOWN – South Africa’s rising debt trajectory will make it difficult to weather a significant global economic downturn, the Reserve Bank deputy governor said, adding it would take at least a decade to bring the debt-to-GDP ratio down to the 30 to 40 percent range. Deputy governor Kuben Naidoo also said on Wednesday that […]

Rooibos is already popular in Europe and now it’s becoming a big deal in Japan – one of the largest tea-drinking nations in the world – with exports of our indigenous tea hitting record highs in 2018. More than 2 000 tons were shipped to Japan‘s shores last year – the largest consignment since Rooibos […]

South African Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has on Tuesday announced that the National Treasury has decided to offer the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) urgent interim financial relief. The announcement was made in Parliament’s communications committee. “We just needed assurance that by the end of the month, there’ll be a relief. In terms of how […]

South Africa and the World Bank have signed an agreement that will boost the local business environment while also helping to enhance foreign direct investment into the country. Signed on Monday in Johannesburg, the Advisory Services Agreement was signed between the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) and the World Bank Group. The partnership is […]

Eskom has warned South Africans that there is a high risk of load shedding today. “There is a high risk of rotational load shedding today, but it will only be implemented if absolutely necessary. This is as a result of a shortage of capacity due to the loss of generating units at our power stations,” […]

On Carte Blanche this evening (Sunday 10 March) in South Africa, and available to stream from Tues 12 March for South Africans abroad. Please note this is a 90-minute extended broadcast. (14-day Free Trial): The Future From the Fourth Industrial Revolution to the human brain connecting directly to machines and the Cloud with instant access to […]

Many new mothers worldwide – including Capetonian mom Ferzanah Essack – express anxiety and guilt about leaving their babies to return to work, and some worry their nations’ maternity policies reflect societies that value productivity over raising children. Ferzanah was one of the mothers interviewed by Reuters for today’s International Women’s Day (8 March). Moms from the United […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa today enlisted one of South Africa’s biggest exports – Trevor Noah, host of US TV show, The Daily Show – to help drive investment in South Africa. (Watch videos below.) Ramaphosa also revealed that he’s “trying to get Elon Musk as well to come and build a factory” (which shows how useful […]

AfriForum says it has appointed five experts and a senior advocate to compile reports in order to send a submission that disputes the recent Centurion land claim to the Land Claims Commission. The self-proclaimed civil rights organisation says it wants to prevent claimants from receiving any monetary compensation for this “baseless claim”. The claim – […]

PRETORIA – South Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) soared by 1.4% in the fourth quarter of 2018, Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) announced on Tuesday. The country’s economy expanded at the end of last year with the help of growth in agriculture and manufacturing, data showed on Tuesday. This is a fantastic boost for President Cyril […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa has appointed 11 industry experts to investigate failures at power company Eskom’s ageing coal-fired stations and other breakdowns that have caused the worst electricity shortages in a decade, the government said on Monday. Problems at Eskom include a R420 billion debt pile, massive corruption scandals, and the latest round of national […]

South African consumers are in for a shock at the pumps as the price of petrol is set to increase by 74 cents a litre from Wednesday. The Department of Energy on Monday announced fuel hikes of 74 cents a litre for both grades of petrol 93 (ULP and LRP) and 95 (ULP and LRP). In […]

Olympic 400-metres champion Wayde van Niekerk is unsure whether he will defend his title at the World Athletics Championships in Doha in September, instead of setting his sights on retaining the gold medal he won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Van Niekerk, also the 400m world record holder, has been sidelined for almost 18 […]

Government is set to launch a ground-breaking initiative that seeks to mobilize all South Africans to become more environmentally conscious. Dubbed the Good Green Deeds Campaign, it hopes to galvanize individuals in the private sector, labour, NGO’s, interfaith formations and society at large to clean South Africa. The campaign, which will be led by the […]

Soweto is the home of the first ever – multimedia centre for children with dyslexia in South Africa. The 22-seater multimedia centre, based at the Tlhokomelo Special School in Meadowlands, will close the gap between traditional teaching methods and children with learning styles that don’t fall within the parameters of these methods. Dyslexia, which affects […]

Wiesenhof’s National Beverage Specialist Khulekani “Khule” Mpala Khule who came from Zimbabwe with a family, and pretty much nothing in his pocket is now a top barista, winning awards for his exceptional coffee creations! He won top technical honours at the Speciality Coffee Association of Southern Africa’s National Coffee Competition last weekend, being awarded the […]

There is an increased risk of loadshedding from 2pm to 10pm today, says Eskom. “Eskom regrets that there is an increased risk of Stage 1 rotational loadshedding from 2pm until 10pm today as a result of a shortage of generating capacity. “The loadshedding risk remains high for today and tomorrow, and will continue over the […]

Cabinet has called on all eligible South Africans, especially young first-time voters, to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming national and provincial elections. Citizens have been called on to have a say in the future of the country. “In South Africa, the right to vote is a culmination of years of struggle for […]

‘Cape of Storms photographer’,Gale McAll passionately blends photography and art. She has a deep love for the sea and for stormy weather which radiates from her work. A bio on her website, Gale McAll Photography, describes Gale as someone who is “a master at capturing the souls of people in their environments [and that] her […]

The City of Cape Town – and southwest Africa more generally – experienced its worst drought on record between 2015 and 2018. With fresh rains as well as careful water management, the city has now emerged from this environmental and economic emergency. The final consequences of the drought might never be known for certain. This […]

The Film and Publication Board (FPB) has urged parents to be vigilant and closely monitor their children’s online activities, especially games downloaded on various App stores or from other online sources. The board in a statement said it has been alerted of a mobile game called “Momo Challenge”, which it describes as a form of […]

Foreign workers in South Africa with expertise deemed vital to the economy are worried that authorities will reduce the number of critical skills eligible for work permits, a move they say could force some of them out of the country as early as April. Immigration lawyers say a shortened list of critical skills circulating among […]