Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille says the South African government has so far spent R17-million to procure quarantine sites. Responding to a question when Ministers in the Economic Cluster fielded oral questions in the National Assembly, De Lille said there was a need to find a bigger balance between finding private and […]

World Animal Protection has issued a statement on Wednesday in response to news of the African Swine Fever outbreak in Nigeria, which is predicted to kill a quarter of all pigs in the world.. Dr Victor Yamo, Farming Campaigns Manager at World Animal Protection says: “We are facing unprecedented times with the outbreak of zoonotic […]

The government will need to borrow $7 billion from international finance institutions as one of the measures to cover the budget hole brought about by South Africa’s response to COVID-19, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said today during his supplementary budget. “Debt is our weakness. We have accumulated far too much debt. This downturn will add […]

South Africa’s economy is projected to contract by 7.2 percent in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni. “This is the largest contraction in nearly 90 years,” he said tabling the Supplementary Budget Review. Inflation will likely register 3 percent in 2020. “Commodity price increases and a weaker […]

National Treasury has set aside R21.5 billion for COVID‐19‐related healthcare spending for health and frontline services, it was announced by the Finance Minister Tito Mboweni when he delivered the Supplementary Budget on Wednesday. The budget was necessitated by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that government would spend R500 billion to support the economy’s resuscitation following the […]

Fees charged by liquidators and business rescue practitioners, and the impact they can have on bottom-line payouts to affected employees, came under the spotlight at Monday’s meeting to consider a business rescue model for Edcon. 22,000 jobs are at stake if the rescue plan for Edcon does not work. Business rescue practitioners propose backdating and […]

A school staff taxi, transporting teachers to work at Masijabule High School near Wartburg, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, was the target of a fatal attack earlier today. According to Elijah Mhlanga, Spokesperson for the Department of Basic Education, the 35-year-old driver of the taxi was killed while three teachers (aged 40 to 53) were critically […]

Ambassador Bridgette Motsepe has hit back at what she calls “baseless allegations” implicating her of money-laundering, as announced by AfriForum on Tuesday morning, 23 June. Motsepe says she rejects the allegations as “preposterous”, and says they were already proved untrue six months ago. She has also appointed an international law firm, led by Cherie Blair, […]

The leaking of official documents at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa showed there was a “fight-back campaign” by highly placed officials unhappy about the cleaning up of corruption and maladministration at the state-owned enterprise, says administrator Bongisizwe Mpondo. Mpondo has directed the acting head of PRASA Security, Brigadier General Tebogo Rakau, to investigate […]

KASANE, Botswana – New research led by Elephants Without Borders reveals that poaching of African elephants for their ivory has not decreased since 2011 in Western, Southern, and Central Africa. As a result, continued efforts to combat poaching will be necessary to save elephant populations. The new study was published June 23rd in Scientific Reports […]

It’s goodbye to bad hair days as salons and many other personal beauty services are now free to operate, although under strict conditions, after almost three months of lockdown. These include hairdressing, barbering, nail and toe treatment, facial treatment and make-up, body massage, tattooing and body piercing. The Minister of Small Business Development, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, […]

Unemployment in South Africa has unfortunately risen to 30.1% in the first three months of 2020, Statistics South Africa has revealed. The results are contained in the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by Stats SA on Tuesday. They show that employment decreased by 38 000 to 16.4 million in the first quarter of 2020. “The […]

The first participants in South Africa’s first clinical trial for a vaccine against COVID-19 will be vaccinated this week. The first clinical trial in South Africa and on the continent for a COVID-19 vaccine was announced on Tuesday during a virtual press conference hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits). Wits University is […]

Between 12 and 20 rare roan antelope tragically died last year in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, due to dehydration in the Nwaxitsumbe Roan Breeding Camp, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has revealed. A senior ranger has been dismissed for gross negligence in this regard. The information was given in response to […]

AfriForum today announced that its Private Prosecution Unit, under the leadership of Adv. Gerrie Nel, has officially been appointed by the Botswana government to represent this government in a high-profile money-laundering and fraud case, in which businesswoman Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe is implicated. Motsepe-Radebe is the sister-in-law of President Cyril Ramaphosa and wife of Jeff Radebe. (Read […]

South Africa’s COVID-19 infections have surpassed the 100 000 mark after 4 288 new cases were reported on Monday. The positive cases are now sitting at 101 590, while close to 2 000 people have lost their lives. Of the new 61 COVID-19 related deaths reported, 39 are from the Western Cape, 18 from the […]

The big medical aid heist? To replace my current lenses will cost R6,000 – of which #Bankmed will ONLY pay R1,500 – thus leaving me to pay R4,500 out of MY own pocket… writes Gauteng publicist and regular SAPeople contributor Georg Knoke. Some background: I’m on one of the highest levels of medical aid cover, […]

Before signing two copyright bills into law, President Cyril Ramaphosa has referred them back to the National Assembly because of reservations on the constitutionality of the legislation passed by Parliament. The Democratic Alliance welcomed the move, saying the Copyright Amendment Bill and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill, which also deal with “fair use” of artists’ […]

A growing insurgency in the northern parts of Mozambique has caught the attention of conflict analysts and observers worldwide. There is now even a possibility that the South African National Defence Force might become involved in the most northern Cabo Delgado province, with a view to ending the deadly violence and litany of atrocities, abductions and destruction of […]

The Department of Public Enterprises has said it will oppose an application by SA Airlink to place South African Airways under provisional liquidation and finds the legal action “disturbing.” It was reported earlier today in Business Day that the private airline wanted to interdict a creditors meeting set for Thursday, and instead have the company […]

South Africa recorded 4 621 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections to 97 302. Meanwhile, there are 53 additional fatalities of which 27 are from Western Cape, 17 from Eastern Cape, eight are from Gauteng and one from KwaZulu-Natal, bringing the death toll to 1 930. On Saturday, South Africa reached […]

At a time he was meant to be celebrating his 26th birthday, Brandon* found himself with a bad cough and a tight chest that at times made speaking or breathing, a struggle. (*not his real name) It was just over two weeks after South Africa had gone into lockdown, when Brandon first started experiencing a […]

Slowly but surely the lockdown measures are being relaxed. It was inevitable; living under stay-at-home conditions was unsustainable. But make no mistake, it’s far from normal in our hospitals. A month ago we reported that Groote Schuur was on the brink, as Covid-19 cases escalated. At that point the hospital was running seven wards with […]

Most of the South Africans stuck in Panama, who issued an urgent plea on 8 June for help in getting home to SA, have made it back just in time, and are happily ensconced in quarantine… thanks in large part to the incredible support of embassy staff in Panama and Mexico, who went above and […]

Two suspects have been arrested in the killing of a young couple who were stranded on a Benoni road after running out of fuel in May 2019. The murdered couple were Johanco Fleischman, 19, and Jessica (Jess) Kuhn, 21. Kuhn was found shot in the bakkie and Fleischman, who had several gunshot wounds, was found […]