As you drive into Beaufort West, the largest town in the Great Karoo in South Africa, you’ll pass a sign at the entrance that announces that the dam is only 5% full. And they can’t use that 5%. As the drought which has gripped parts of South Africa has dragged on, the longest in over […]

At least 94 people have now died, and 1,153 have been infected, in the latest alarming outbreak of plague in Madagascar. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has labelled the spread “highly challenging”… although there is some good news – it has fortunately not spread to the Seychelles as had been suspected. WHO said in a […]

Cape Town’s drought and associated water shortage has officially escalated to the level of a disaster. The hope for a natural solution ended with the close of the main rainy season in September, and it is clear that water in the dams supplying the city will not last until the next rains in May-June next […]

South African photojournalist Brent Stirton has scooped the grand title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017 for a photo he captured of a de-horned black rhino, after a poaching kill, in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. The image – Memorial to a Species – was chosen by an international panel of judges as the winning picture from […]

More than 300 people were killed and at least 500 injured on October 14 when a truck bomb exploded in a crowded intersection in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital. The attack is being called the worst in the history of the city, a particularly alarming statistic considering that the capital has regularly been the scene of violent conflict since […]

CAPE TOWN – Just a week after Cape Town International Airport was named Africa’s Leading Airport, there has been a shooting of an alleged gang leader at the Western Cape airport in South Africa. SA Police Service (SAPS) said: “This morning at approximately 5:15 am, a man, approximately 50 years of age, was shot and […]

It was all change on Tuesday in South Africa as President Jacob Zuma announced yet another reshuffle of the National Executive and a new SABC board. In a statement, Zuma announced the following new cabinet appointments: Hlengiwe Mkhize has been appointed as the Minister of Higher Education and Training Ayanda Dlodlo is the Minister of […]

One of South Africa’s most precious biodiversity hotspots – Fernkloof Nature Reserve – is under threat, according to locals… and a petition has been set up as the Overstrand community rallies together to prevent Municipality plans to change the beautiful reserve into a commercial venture. A petition has been set up on Avaaz by Tanya […]

The DA says it is not surprised by President Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle, the “latest move in Zuma’s war against anyone who opposes his project of State Capture”. The obvious target, says the DA, was SACP leader, Dr. Blade Nzimande, who follows Pravin Gordhan, Derek Hanekom, Mcebisi Jonas and others who have “failed to toe […]

The Eiffel Tower in Paris dimmed its lights on Monday night (watch below) to mourn the death of over 300 people in Somalia’s twin bomb explosions on Saturday, the country’s deadliest attack in over a decade. More than 500 people were wounded in the truck bombings in Mogadishu. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility although the […]

There is no one hero in the South African firefighting services. And if there were it would be each one of them. Because it’s together that they succeed. It’s because these special people know how to work as a team that they each work so well. The fires they fight may soar and blaze, but […]

Tributes are pouring in from around South Africa for farmer Mark Fagan who was shot dead after midnight on Friday night, on a farm near Philadelphia, northeast of Melkbosstrand, in the Western Cape. He becomes the 66th South African ‘Farm Murder’ victim in 2017 (see more stats below). Fagan was attempting to protect his family […]

A total of 30kg of cocaine estimated at almost R9 million was seized by South African Revenue Service (SARS) customs officials in two separate incidents at OR Tambo International Airport on Friday. In a statement, SARS said collaboration between customs officials and the South African Police Service led to the arrest of a passenger disembarking […]

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Firefighters in the Western Cape are facing a challenging day ahead to contain and extinguish fires in the region, which continue to blaze into the fourth day since the 12 Apostles Fire began. Photos by Justin Sullivan. Volunteers Wildlife Services (VWS) said it’s going to be a “difficult day” for crews from VWS, Working on […]

Tourists in the Kruger National Park found themselves having to change a tyre with lions in the vicinity, after one of the lions bit their tyre… Apart from the fright the lions gets, the South African family’s conversation is just as entertaining! Watch Lion Bites Tyre in Kruger Park   According to LatestSightings, which uploaded […]

Eish, it’s been a hectic week in South Africa weather-wise – Tornado, Snow, Floods, Fire and Drought: Gauteng: Heavy Storm and Tornado KwaZulu-Natal: Heavy Storm and Floods Eastern Cape and KZN Drakensberg: Heavy Snowfall Western Cape: 30 Degree Heat and Fires Northern Cape: Devastating Drought Continues

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu has declared the province a disaster area after the devastating floods in Durban and surrounding area on 10 October 2017. The declaration of a disaster area paves the way for Provincial Treasury to reprioritise the provincial budget and redirect funds towards the rebuilding of the province. KZN was hit by a […]

The 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa was evacuated yesterday evening as a veld fire – which started on Wednesday in the Camps Bay area – continued burning through its second night last night, as strong winds have fanned the OudeKraal wing in the Western Cape, South Africa. “Crews were battling with gusting winds of up […]

Vicky Govender, from ER24 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in KwaZulu-Natal, has sadly passed away following an accident during the devastating Durban floods on 10 October 2017. ER24 said: “It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the death of our colleague, Vicky Govender. “Vicky, from ER24 Highway (KZN), died during the early hours […]

Due to reported cases of Malaria in Mpumalanga Province recently, in particular Ehlanzeni District Municipality of which the southern part of the Kruger National Park (KNP) falls under, the Kruger Park management has cautioned visitors coming to the Park to take the necessary precautionary measures against Malaria disease. “We would like to advise visitors to […]

Minister of Police, Fikile Mbalula, has condemned in the “strongest terms what happened in Sedibeng” on Tuesday morning, where six police officers were attacked. The Police Minister released a statement late on Wednesday evening after allegations that the police had killed a Nigerian man – named as Ibrahim Badmus – during a raid on the […]

There’s now a backlash against the backlash against the latest Dove advertisement. The first backlash reverberated around the world, including – naturally – in South Africa… with many people outraged that Dove could be so thoughtless as to show a black woman using Dove soap and becoming a white woman. Although the implication was not […]

At least six people died and several properties were damaged during Tuesday’s horrific heavy storm in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The number of fatalities is expected to rise as many people are still missing. Watch Chaos as Heavy Storm Strikes KZN, 10 October 2017 eThekwini Municipality said Wednesday morning: “City officials are cleaning up after #DurbanStorm […]

The brutal attack of a farmer in the Koue Bokkeveld area on Monday night, once again highlights the urgent need for a rural safety plan and specialised rural safety units in the Western Cape of South Africa, according to the Democratic Alliance (DA). The farmer, Wilhelm van der Merwe, was lured to the gate by […]