President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the support of United States President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris for a temporary and targeted waiver of intellectual property protections that apply to COVID-19 vaccines. The United States government on Wednesday said that the COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis that calls for extraordinary measures. The United […]

We South Africans may be super proud of the ‘Faf speedo’, which Faf de Klerk made famous during the Rugby World Cup, but it turns out not everyone in the world understands it! A young South African, proudly posing in his Faf speedo in a park in Croatia, was fined on Sunday for “public indecency”! Whilst […]

(Reuters) – It is a scene that exudes sadness: a child perhaps 2-1/2 or 3 years old buried in a shallow grave under the sheltered overhang of a cave, head resting on a pillow and the upper part of the body carefully wrapped in a shroud. Scientists said on Wednesday they have found the oldest-known […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African private sector activity expanded at its strongest rate in nine years in April, as buoyant customer demand pushed new orders higher and business confidence and employment rose, a survey showed on Wednesday. “April PMI (Purchasing Managers’ Index) data signified a sharp acceleration in the economic recovery from COVID-19 across South […]

South African National Parks (SANParks) has signed a ‘momentous’ Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Makahane-Marithenga family – who are believed to be the direct descendants of the royal inhabitants of Thulamela – one of the great ancient Kingdoms of Southern Africa. The agreement was signed last month. Speaking at the sidelines of the signing […]

The hero driver under attack in South Africa, who emerged cool, calm and collected, after his vehicle was attacked with a hail of bullets, is becoming a worldwide hit, with the video footage showing his heroism going viral globally and his name splashed across the pages of international media from the New York Post to […]

The price of petrol in South Africa is set to come down by nine cents a litre as of Wednesday, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has announced. The price of 95 (ULP and LRP) and 93 (ULP and LRP) will come down by 9 cents a litre. This means that a litre […]

South Africa’s men’s 4x100m sprinters raced to victory in an incredible nail-biting finish, crossing the line just one-hundredth of a second ahead of Brazil. In fact, watch below, as even the commentators are surprised when SA overtook to win in that last second! It was so close that from where they were sitting the commentators […]

It’s great news for wildlife as Minister Barbara Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) today announced crucial and long-awaited steps towards changing the status quo of the commercial captive lion breeding industry in South Africa. Speaking at a stakeholder’s feedback meeting in Pretoria, Minister Creecy said that South Africa will […]

It snowed big-time at Afriski Mountain Resort today! This morning, the resort in Lesotho welcomed its first major snowfall for the winter season. The snow started at 2am and continued for a few hours covering the landscape around the resort with approximately 10cm of snow. All photos by Martin Schultz from Afriski… In good news […]

Prince William and Kate Middleton have celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary by posting behind-the-scenes video footage of their happy family enjoying the kinds of things most families enjoy – strolls on the beach, climbing a tree in the park, and toasting marshmallows in a fire. It’s an unprecedented look at their private life. Kate Middleton […]

Professor Salim Abdool Karim has been appointed to the newly formed World Health Organisation (WHO) Science Council. Prof Abdool Karim presided over South Africa’s Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on COVID-19 before he stepped down in March. Under his leadership, MAC positioned South Africa as one of the leading nations in the emergency response to the […]

A new School of Climate Studies will be officially launched at Stellenbosch University in June 2021. Higher Education Minister Dr Blade Nzimande says with the new academic school focusing on climate change, this will hopefully enable SA’s academics and students to build a well-rounded body of scientific knowledge and skills to not only understand the […]

Twenty-five-year-old Buhle Sithela is bringing movies to children in Harare, Khayelitsha in Cape Town. By Ashraf Hendricks and Mary-Anne Gontsana. With his love of movies and experience from working at a drive-in cinema, 25-year-old Buhle Sithela has opened his own cinema in Harare, Khayelitsha. Catering to children of all ages, Sithela guarantees a safe space […]

New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio this morning announced that NYC will fully reopen on 1 July 2021. Speaking on MSNBC, the mayor said: “Our plan is to fully reopen on July 1. We are ready for stores to open, for businesses to open, offices, theaters, FULL strength.” This means New York will be […]

LONDON (Reuters) – The rand has emerged as an unlikely winner among emerging market currencies since the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, despite South Africa’s unfortunately high levels of debt and unemployment. U.S. sanctions have rumbled Russian bond markets, Turkish assets have been hit by monetary policy concerns and other big developing countries such as […]

South Africans will be able to enjoy several of the Oscar-award winning movies on DStv this year. In fact Judas and the Black Messiah – for which Daniel Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor – will be available to rent for DStv subscribers on BoxOffice from Thursday, 29 April. While Covid-19 did dampen the movie-making industry last […]

Google has today – Tuesday 27 April 2021 – published one of its famous doodles to celebrate South Africa’s Freedom Day. This year the search engine giant has selected the country’s national flower – the King Protea. “On this day in 1994, South Africa held its first post-apartheid elections, which granted citizens—regardless of their race—an […]

It was a fabulous Friday (23 April) for Big Bay Events in Hout Bay, South Africa, as a super pod of dolphins swam spectacularly and swiftly into view. With South Africa’s magnificent ocean grabbing some of the Oscar spotlight last night, thanks to My Octopus Teacher’s Academy Award win, here’s even more reason to celebrate […]

South Africa’s President and the country’s Arts and Culture Minister, along with thousands of other South Africans have welcomed the big SA win at the Oscars last night – Best Documentary Feature Academy Award for ‘My Octopus Teacher’. Here’s just some of the praise heaped on the spectacular underwater film: President Cyril Ramaphosa: Congratulations once […]

On Letsoala street, just metres away from where the 1976 Soweto Uprising took place, is the only weightlifting club in Soweto. Operating out of the front yard of defending SA Weightlifting Champion Khati Mabuya’s mother’s house, Lifting Dreams Soweto offers free weightlifting training for children aged nine to 17. Mabuya started the club in 2019 with his […]

In recent years Constitution Hill has steadily become a home for arts and culture in Joburg. In addition to its excellent museums, what was once a prison and a colonial fort is now the venue for the annual Afropunk and Bashu Uhuru music festivals, where global stars have beamed music and light into what was […]

My Octopus Teacher has WON the Oscar! A huge win for South Africa’s tiny octopus. Whoop whoop! The mesmerising underwater doc, which was filmed in the Cape Peninsula waters, emerged as the winner of the Best Documentary Feature category at the 93rd Academy Awards last night. The film charts the special relationship a man develops […]

As Elon Musk’s SpaceX sent more astronauts into orbit this week, his family have rallied to congratulate him for the historic achievement – using a ‘recycled capsule and rocket’. As Endeavour arrived at the Space Station today, SpaceX confirmed the safe docking and said “second time at the space station for this Dragon”. NASA said […]

Smuts Hall university residence has saluted some of the unsung heroes at the University of Cape Town who went “beyond the call of duty” and put their own lives at risk during the horrific fire that swept across Table Mountain last week. A video by Siya Ntuntwana captures their heroics (watch below). Naming the heroes, […]