South Africa has the highest rates of childhood obesity in the world, with an alarming figure of 13%. The global average stands at 6%. One of the main causes of South Africa’s rate is the rapid growth of the country’s commercial food industry. This has led to increased consumption of cheap, easily accessible and ultra-processed […]

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s last male Sumatran rhinoceros has died, an official said on Monday, dashing efforts to save the critically endangered species in the country. The rhino, named Tam, was about 30 years old and lived at a wildlife reserve in Sabah state on Borneo island since his capture in 2008, Christina Liew, state […]

The murder of a young couple whose Toyota Hilux had broken down on Sunday morning near Benoni in South Africa has shocked the country, and made news across the world. UPDATE: Benoni murder suspects arrested. It came less than 24 hours after South Africa celebrated a new dawn and new surge of hope with the […]

Seven Zimbabwean teenagers have been living under a big tree near Shoprite in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo in South Africa, for almost a year, scavenging for food from a nearby skip. The boys, aged 15 to 19, sleep under the tree on one torn mattress, sharing two blankets. They wake up at 6am and pack their […]

There have been four farm attacks reported in six days in the Western Cape of South Africa, specifically in the Boland, according to AfriForum. The civil rights organisation AfriForum says it is aware of four farm attacks – in the Paarl, Stellenbosch and De Doorns areas – that were reported between 18 and 24 May […]

An African Grey Parrot that swears in Afrikaans is going viral on social media, as its owner tries to tell it “no man Marco (or Narco), don’t be so rude!” The source of the video is unknown. The footage was sent to The Dirty Mexican Martinez by Capetonian Calvin Davey, who says it was sent […]

Tributes have poured in for artist Annette Kennealy, a well known activist against farm attacks, who was herself brutally murdered on a farm in South Africa this week. The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Limpopo have reportedly arrested a 40-year-old man in connection with the murder. Kennealy’s body was found at the farm Welgevonden, […]

Popular Cape Town Labour Court Judge Anton Steenkamp tragically passed away on Monday 20 May after being bitten by a black mamba snake while on holiday with his wife Catherine in Zambia. South Africa’s Chief Justice issued a statement passing on condolences to the 57-year-old Judge’s family – Catherine and his two children Stewart and Marion, […]

Police in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, have warned Uber and Taxify taxis to be on high alert when operating in areas surrounding KwaMashu in Durban. In a statement, police said the alert was in the wake of a number of robberies reported over the weekend, where criminals pretend to be clients wanting transport from certain spots […]

Ford’s expert witness John David Loud (an American engineer) today testified in the Western Cape High Court in the judicial inquest into the death of Reshall Jimmy. According to Loud, there could have been numerous causes for the fire in the Ford Kuga in which Jimmy burned to death in 2015. Loud’s testimony will continue […]

CAIRO – Egyptian security forces have killed 12 suspected Islamist militants in Cairo, the Interior Ministry said on Monday, a day after an explosion targeting a tourist bus – carrying South African passengers – injured at least 12 of those on board. A rudimentary device containing nails and pieces of metal detonated on the perimeter […]

CAIRO – South Africans are believed to have been in an explosion targeting a tourist bus which injured at least 12 people (perhaps 17, according to some reports) near a new museum being built close to the Giza pyramids in Egypt on Sunday, two security sources said. According to Reuters, the sources said that most […]

Amid the high crime rate, loss of job security, and political uncertainty, South Africans are leaving the country in significant numbers looking for greener pastures. On tonight’s episode of Carte Blanche (available for expats to stream from Tuesday), presenter Derek Watts looks at the rising number of skilled and educated South Africans – from medical […]

Hollywood movie star and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proved what a good – and strong – guy he is with his cool and calm reaction to being unexpectedly drop-kicked in the back while he is in South Africa. The incident occurred on Saturday at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, where Arnold is […]

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille has again embroiled herself in a racial twitter storm in the past 24 hours, with her hashtag #BlackPrivilege trending on South Africa’s Twitter feeds all day. According to some, her comments were incredibly racist… but in the view of others her comments were taken out of context and she had […]

Farmworkers have been left traumatised following a brutal attack this week on a farmer and his wife near Bonnievale in the Western Cape, South Africa, which left the 55-year-old farmer dead. Tool Wessels and his wife Liezel were tortured at their farm Kapteinsdrif on Monday night by four men who escaped with weapons. One of […]

Grumpy Cat, an internet celebrity for her permanent frown, died “in the arms of her mommy, Tabatha” this week, leaving behind countless online jokes about how we all feel at our worst moments, her family said on Friday. She was 7. Despite care from top professionals, Grumpy died on Tuesday from complications after a recent […]

The joy of conquering the world’s highest mountain has been marred by tragedy for South Africa’s Saray Khumalo, as two members of her Mount Everest climbing team have sadly died on the mountain in the past 24 hours. Saray, an executive at a top financial institution in Johannesburg, made it to the summit – 8,848 […]

A South African citizen has tragically died in a small plane crash in Dubai, along with three Britons. According to a statement from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, the small plane crashed south of Dubai airport killing the pilot, co-pilot and two passengers. The accident which happened at around 19h30 local time caused the airport, […]

Pilanesberg National Park has made the heartbreaking announcement that an abandoned rhino calf they rescued has sadly passed away on Tuesday morning. The little rhino became a viral sensation after it was found by a ranger on Sunday, Mother’s Day in South Africa, and survived through the night. Pilanesberg supporters raised money and their hopes […]

PRETORIA – South Africa’s unemployment rate inched up to 27.6% in the first quarter, official data showed on Tuesday, underscoring the scale of the economic challenge faced by President Cyril Ramaphosa after his ANC party won re-election. Ramaphosa is trying to revive the South African economy after a decade of slow growth and rising joblessness. […]

HARARA – Zimbabwe has started rolling power cuts lasting up to eight hours that will also hit mines, a schedule from the state power utility showed on Monday, after reduced output at both the largest hydro plant and ageing coal-fired generators. The power cuts will add to mounting public anger against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government […]

Two French soldiers were killed in an overnight operation to rescue four hostages in the Sahel region of Africa, the French Élysée Palace said on Friday. According to a Reuters report, the hostages are now all safe. They include a US woman, a South Korean citizen and two Frenchmen. The French tourists had been kidnapped […]

South African expat Gareth Flanagan has tragically been told he may never walk again, after he broke his neck diving into shallow water during a 10-day holiday back home to scatter his brother Conor’s ashes. The 21-year-old chef (who moved to Australia with his family when he was still at school) had already been in […]

The IEC has confirmed that 20 suspects have been arrested in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on charges of ‘double voting’ in the SA National Elections. The IEC said that 17 people succeeded in voting twice in Danhouser. The other two, who failed before achieving their goal of voting twice, were arrested in Port Shepstone and Hluhluwe […]