PRETORIA – The new year has barely begun, and party political squabbles have already started between the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA). The latest squabble is over Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga’s recent trip to the City of Taipei, Taiwan. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) says the visit to […]

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) launched a social media campaign for its supporters… but in a typical ‘plot twist’, the campaign has backfired and been ‘hijacked’ by its detractors. It started with the ANC inviting supporters to tweet what #UnityInAction means to them, referring to the theme of the ANC’s 105th Anniversary which will […]

This video is not for the faint-hearted. An impala in the Kruger National Park was in the process of delivering new life… when a lion spotted her… We may sometimes like to think of our lions as being cuddly creatures with names like Cecil. But in reality, they are of course predators who need to eat […]

Locals and tourists flocked to beaches around South Africa on New Year’s Day, 1 January 2017, to start the year with a fabulous day of family, friends and fun… Tragically, while most did enjoy the day – there were at least six fatal drownings reported in the West and Eastern Cape, including that of a […]

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A gunman opened fire on New Year revellers at a packed nightclub on the shores of Istanbul’s Bosphorus waterway on Sunday killing at least 39 people, including many foreigners, then fled the scene. (Updated 01 January 2017, 14h00 SA time.) Some people jumped into the Bosphorus waters to save themselves after the […]

GAUTENG: South African Police Services (SAPS) are today mourning yet another murder of one of their own. A 35-year old policeman, Sergeant Peter Modiegi Mogotlane, was shot and killed at Winterveld Mohlambe Stand, Mabopane, north of Pretoria at around 20:00 last night. According to statistics released by SAPS in June this year, a police officer is murdered […]

A pregnant South African expat unexpectedly and tragically died on Christmas Eve in Bolton in the UK; and her baby – delivered at just 25 weeks – is now fighting for her life. Phumeza Gogela – who had celebrated her 35th birthday just nine days beforehand – suffered a fatal heart attack.  Her baby – baptised and […]

South African Police Services (SAPS) have intercepted goods being smuggled – in a donkey cart – from Limpopo, South Africa into Zimbabwe. A week ago a bakkie – allegedly being towed by donkeys – was also intercepted by police as the thieves crossed the Limpopo River. The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, again led an […]

The road ahead looks emptier with the announcements today that over 5,000 vehicles have been suspended and over 2,000 impounded during December; and that the first in a series of fuel price hikes is expected in early January 2017. The Automobile Association (AA) said in a press release Thursday that unaudited month-end fuel price data […]

(Reuters) – – Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, who sang and danced her way into the hearts of millions of moviegoers around the world in musicals like “Singin’ in the Rain,” died on Wednesday at age 84, her son said. Reynolds, one of the most enduring and endearing Hollywood actresses, died hours after being rushed to […]

DURBAN – A fire broke out earlier this evening at Durban’s iconic 320 West Street building. According to Arrive Alive, Rescue Care Paramedics as well as the Durban Fire Department and Metro Police are currently on the scene in Durban Central at the location in West Street, now known as Dr Pixley KaSeme Street. Operations Director Garrith Jamieson […]

The news that one of South Africa’s most notorious criminals – Ananias Mathe – has passed away in prison has been met with relief, and even humour, by many in the country. Mathe was a serial rapist, robber and murderer and was serving a life sentence in the Kokstad C Max prison. He died in […]

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Carrie Fisher’s unexpected death on Tuesday did not just leave “Star Wars” fans heartbroken. It thrust movie studio Walt Disney Co into a dilemma over the fate of her iconic character, Princess Leia, as it moves forward with the blockbuster film franchise. Fisher, 60, enjoyed a new round of fame […]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Carrie Fisher, who rose to fame as Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” films and later endured drug addiction before going on to tell her story as a best-selling author, died on Tuesday aged 60, her family said. Fisher, a mental health advocate who spoke about her own struggles with bipolar […]

HERTZOGVILLE – Calls for crime to fall in South Africa were repeated today as news came that a couple was seriously assaulted on their farm in Hertzogville, in the Free State, late on Christmas evening. Some reports claimed that the attacks were solely to “terrorize” the farmers and that nothing was stolen. However, according to OFM News, […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Madonna, Elton John and Paul McCartney paid tribute on Monday to British pop idol George Michael, who has died age 53 after a career of soulful ballads and dance songs that provided a soundtrack to much of the 1980s and 1990s. (Scroll to bottom for stories of George Michael’s incredible generosity and […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Singer George Michael, who became one of the pop idols of the 1980s with Wham! and then forged a career as a successful solo artist with sometimes sexually provocative lyrics, died at his home in England on Sunday. He was 53. In the mid-1980s, Wham! was one of the most successful pop […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – It was strangely muted when George Michael, as part of the British pop duo Wham!, took the stage at the Workers Gymnasium in Beijing in April 1985, recalled one of those who attended that now legendary first Western pop act in Communist China. Around 15,000 concert-goers watched Michael and bandmate Andrew Ridgeley […]

While this Christmas photo of the baby rhinos is so cute, the very fact that we have these photo opportunities with animals that should be being reared in the wild, but who have been orphaned through human greed, is tragic… and no more so than this Christmas week which has seen a massive slaughter of South […]

Former Wham! singer, George Michael, has tragically died on Christmas Day at the age of 53, his publicist announced on Sunday evening. He reportedly died peacefully in his bed from heart failure. (Updated Mon 26 Nov, 10h30 SA time.) His former manager said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved […]

LIMPOPO – According to the South African Police Services (SAPS) facebook page, SAPS thwarted the theft of a bakkie on Friday, which was being smuggled across the Limpopo River. SAPS said the Provincial Commissioner spotted the vehicle being smuggled across the river between South Africa and Zimbabwe while he was in the police helicopter overhead. “The […]

PRETORIA – Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has implored South Africans to drive more carefully, as flagrant scenes of careless and selfish driving have been witnessed around the country.  The minister warned yesterday that public transport operators and motorists that overload and drive unroadworthy cars will have their vehicles impounded if they are found on the roads. Roadblocks and traffic […]

Following the “unfortunate incidents” that occurred in Polokwane on Saturday, 12 November 2016, after the match between Bafana Bafana and Senegal, the South African Football Association (SAFA) has “released” Head Coach Ephraim Shakes Mashaba with immediate effect, SAFA announced Thursday. Mashaba had been placed on suspension after the incident – in which he made strong […]

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has warned taxpayers and corporate organisations to be on the lookout for scams and fraudulent activities over the festive period. “The South African Revenue Service has noted several scams, including the issuing of fake third party appointment (AA88) notices to companies, the unauthorised use of its logo as well […]

MIDRAND – A total of 845 fatalities have already been recorded on South African roads between 1 December and 19 December, says Transport Minister Dipuo Peters. Addressing the media on Tuesday, Minister Peters said the number of fatalities has increased by 17% compared to the same period in the previous year.  This devastating figure comes despite efforts to campaign for […]