CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Britain will use its international aid budget to boost its own interests while also seeking to deepen trade ties with Africa, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday, countering critics who say aid funds would be better spent at home. May, battling to unite her divided Conservative Party over her plan […]

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Britain supports South Africa’s land reform programme provided it is carried out legally, Prime Minister Theresa May said in Cape Town on Tuesday, adding that she would discuss the issue with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. “The UK has for some time now supported land reform. Land reform that is legal, […]

PRETORIA – South Africa has cancelled plans to add 9,600 megawatts (MW) of nuclear power by 2030 and will instead aim to add more capacity in natural gas, wind and other energy sources, the energy minister announced on Monday. Africa’s only nuclear power has an installed capacity of 1,860 MW but plans under the government […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa has told the U.S. charge d’affaires of its disappointment over Washington’s “failure” to use diplomatic channels after President Donald Trump angered Pretoria with comments on its land policy. Trump said in a late-night tweet two days ago that he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to study South African “land […]

Agri SA announced on Thursday that organised agriculture will soon sign a declaration of intent on land reform in South Africa, which will help government to transform the sector. AgriSA President Dan Kriek said: “We are extending a hand of friendship… here to government, in saying we want to partner with you. We want to […]

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) will today meet with the US Embassy to address the tweet from United States President Donald Trump on land expropriation and crime in South Africa… which the American leader referred to as “farm seizures” and “large scale killing of farmers”. While some people welcomed Trump’s tweet, […]

US President Donald Trump says he has ordered his Secretary of State – Mike Pompeo – to “closely study” the South African government’s land expropriation, as well as the “large scale killing” of farmers. Trump tweeted the news after watching a Fox News report, which was based on the City Press report a few days […]

JOHANNESBURG – Some Nike stores were closed in South Africa on Wednesday after public outcry over a racist comment by a Johannesburg man, Adam Catzavelos, who is reportedly married to a Nike Africa manager. Nike declined to comment on the store closures, and did not respond to media requests sent by SAPeople last night, but […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s headline consumer inflation rose to its highest in ten months in July as the cost of transport and household goods increased, but some analysts said the central bank was unlikely to raise interest rates. The Reserve Bank held its benchmark rate for a fifth meeting in a row in July, […]

Simonstown is one of Cape Town’s oldest spots, retaining all its historical authenticity… writes Sebastian Daniels. As you walk down Simonstown Main Road in the morning, the streets are filled with navy officers running and riding their day into gear. While that sounds like a great way to start the day, I’d rather get a […]

Last night there was a rant by Trevor van Zijl in KwaZulu-Natal – about a piece of meat – that went viral. Thousands of people on SAPeople’s Facebook page loved the post, liked it, shared it and thanked Trevor for the laugh. (Read it below.) However there was a handful of people who complained because […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s state-owned Land Bank said on Monday a plan to allow the state to seize land without compensation could trigger defaults that could cost the government R41-billion ($2.8 billion) if the bank’s rights as a creditor are not protected. Land Bank is a specialist bank providing financial services to the commercial farming […]

According to reports in City Press newspaper, which have been broadcast around the world, the first farm seizures in South Africa may have already begun. The UK’s tabloid Express newspaper ran with an inflammatory headline today saying “South Africa farm seizures BEGIN: Chaos as first expropriation of white-owned farms starts”, while Australia’s News.com.au went with […]

The ANC has responded to reports of Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s comments – made at his 90th birthday celebrations in Durban yesterday – where he allegedly indicated that he wishes his membership of the ANC could finally be renewed before he dies. The ANC said it acknowledges Buthelezi’s participation amongst the founding members of the ANC Youth […]

South African expat and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who lives in the US, has revealed in a highly emotional interview with the New York Times the high price that he’s paid for his business success. In an interview where he reportedly “alternated between laughter and tears”, Musk described the intensity of running his businesses, and […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Members of South Africa’s AMCU mining union are ready to strike for a year if necessary and would bring the platinum belt to a standstill if Impala Platinum carries out plans to cut up to 13,400 jobs, the union’s president said on Thursday. Joseph Mathunjwa, who led a five-month strike in 2014, […]

JOHANNESBURG – The leader of South Africa’s far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema, has introduced a bill to nationalise the central bank, parliament said late on Thursday. The South African Reserve Bank Amendment Bill would “make the state the sole holder of the shares in the bank” and “provide for the appointment of certain board […]

JOHANNESBURG – The chief executive of South Africa’s Transnet and two other senior officials have been told they will be suspended, the chairman of the state-owned logistics utility said on Wednesday, without giving a reason for the possible suspensions… although it follows allegations of corruption worth billions. Popo Molefe told talk radio station 702 that […]

JOHANNESBURG – A bill that would toughen anti-smoking legislation in South Africa has been submitted to parliament for review by lawmakers, a health ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, as a campaign against the proposed changes intensifies. The Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill would restrict smoking in public places, introduce plain packaging, […]

JOHANNESBURG – The chairman of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, Gwede Mantashe, was quoted as saying the state should take without compensation land from those who own more than 12,000 hectares, comments that sent the rand weaker.   More than two decades after the end of apartheid, white people still own most of South […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s Gold Fields said on Tuesday it plans to slash costs at its struggling South Deep mine, including cutting 1,100 jobs, or around 30 percent of its workforce. South Deep, the company’s last South African asset, has faced operational obstacles in a tough geological setting 3 km below the surface. The mine […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s rand plunged to a 2-year low against the dollar in early trade on Monday and government bonds weakened sharply as a renewed rout in the Turkish lira spread to other emerging market currencies. The rand slid more than 10 percent earlier in the day to hit a session low of […]

South African independent business organisation, Sakeliga says it is studying a list leaked to AfriForum of 195 properties identified for expropriation without compensation. Sakeliga says it will in the meantime continue with its PAIA (Promotion of Access to Information Act) application to obtain the list of 139 properties supposedly identified as “expropriation targets” by the […]

Afriforum has today published a list on its website of farms that are apparently identified by the South African government to be expropriated without compensation in the weeks to come. This follows the ruling ANC’s announcement earlier in the week that the party had identified 139 farms for this purpose. The list of farms was […]

Watch Viv Vermaak’s latest Friday F*** Off (which now has its own page!). This week Viv tells MTN just why she’s leaving them – and why she thinks “MTN is like Magnus Malan” – after thousands of rands worth of data miraculously disappeared from her wifi device. You can also read the transcript below of […]