A German international “trouble shooter”, whose work usually involves James Bond-type situations, has been hailed a hero after saving the lives of three swimmers in less than a year, on the same South African beach. Former police officer Bjorn Birr von Bismarck, 49, has risked his own life on each occasion to rescue the stricken […]

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Qatar Airways continues to be the leading global carrier connecting South Africa by operating one of the largest and most reliable networks in the region. Having become the largest international carrier during the early stages of the pandemic, the airline has applied its knowledge of global passenger flows and booking trends […]

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, says the SA government has offered the African Union (AU) the AstraZeneca vaccine doses that South Africa procured from the Serum Institute in India. This comes amid reports that South Africa had asked the Serum Institute to take back the one million doses that arrived earlier this month after a […]

The first delivery of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in South Africa. The vaccine, which has been approved by the South African Health Products Authority, arrived at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Gauteng on Tuesday night. According to the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), the consignment is being moved to […]

The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, has congratulated South African filmmakers for the short film “Address Unknown” which has been selected to participate in the 2021 Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) taking place in Los Angeles in the United States. This is America’s largest and most prestigious black film festival. It was […]

De Mist station in Uitenhage, which was waist-high in weeds, has been cleaned — but not by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). After GroundUp published pictures of the filthy station, members of the political party Freedom Front Plus cleaned it up. Volunteers from political party Freedom Front Plus have cleaned up the […]

Showmax just dropped the trailer for Tali’s Baby Diary, the long-awaited sequel to Tali’s Wedding Diary. Watch the video at the bottom of this page. Tali’s Baby Diary has just released its trailer Sequel to the first ever Showmax Original, which broke viewing records and won multiple SAFTAs Julia Anastasopoulos (SuzelleDIY) is back as Tali: […]

There’s a cute cat video that’s been going viral on Facebook and YouTube in South Africa and around the world, with some misinformation. The video shows two cats – a grey cat and a black cat – walking with their tails entwined through the snow. It’s so heartwarming it’s attracted over 11-million views on TikTok, […]

South Africa’s Constitutional Court has declared the law which governs the communication surveillance activities of the country’s intelligence community unconstitutional. The case was based on evidence that the state spied on investigative journalist Sam Sole, of amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism, while he was communicating with a source in the National Prosecuting Authority. The judgment […]

Harry (36) and Meghan (39), the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have announced that they are expecting their second child. Their happy news came on Valentine’s Day, 14 February 2021… exactly 37 years after Princess Diana announced she was pregnant with her second baby, who turned out to be Prince Harry. The news was delivered […]

The South African Government may be depriving some towns of the efficient municipal services they deserve, but despite potholes popping up across the nation, they can’t dent SA citizens’ sense of pride and community. There’s a growing initiative in South Africa for the residents of some towns to rally together and fix their own town. […]

Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has appealed to travelers to ensure that they have all the requisite travel documents, including valid COVID-19 tests, when they present themselves to officials at the country’s borders. “Truck drivers should adhere to laws, regulations and agreements in place in the border area. This will go a long way […]

South Africa continues to see fewer COVID-19 cases, with deaths showing signs of slowing down, with only 78 reported in the last 24 hours. This brings the death toll to 47 899, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said on Sunday. Of the latest fatalities, 37 are from Gauteng, 15 from Western Cape, 10 from Free […]

A family from Hoedspruit have captured the amazing moment that a Kruger National Park river, in South Africa, went from being a dried-up river bed to a raging torrent. Watch the video below. Rulene Stephens told SAPeople: “It was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience! I’ve seen many rivers come down, but nothing like this.” The incident […]

Visitors to the 2021 International Public Art Festival (IPAF), taking place in Cape Town right now, have been blown away by the spectacular street art displayed on some of the buildings in Cape Town’s oldest suburb, Salt River. Candice Chemaly captured these stunning photos of Africa’s largest street art festival. With Covid-19 safety measures in place, […]

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Animal Defenders International (ADI) has released a different kind of love story – between two lions called Tarzan and Tanya. The lions, now living at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS) in South Africa, spent seven years in a Guatemalan circus, in a small, barren cage the size of a queen-size bed. […]

SA Rugby has announced the kick-off of the 2021 season with a number of preparation fixtures for eight provincial teams as national planning focuses on entry to the international Rainbow Cup and the Springboks’ forthcoming Test season, starting with the series against the British & Irish Lions. The series of encounters have been specifically designed […]

My Octopus Teacher, the breathtaking documentary filmed in South Africa, has been shortlisted for the Oscars 2021 Best Documentary Feature category. This will come as little surprise to South Africans who have been mesmerised by the magnificent underwater footage and touching story which explores the relationship between Craig Foster and an octopus that he befriended […]

The Augrabies Falls in the Augrabies National Park near Kakamas in the Northern Cape at the weekend were in full flood. John Yeld captured the spectacular sight. Published originally on GroundUp / © 2021 GroundUp

Generous South Africans have clubbed in to make a terminally ill young boy’s dream come true – to own a Playstation 5. And it’s just in time for his 12th birthday on 9 March. Shaunie Pretorius, from Benoni, was sadly diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, and terminal type of brain cancer called Brainstem Glioma, in […]

South African tennis player Lloyd Harris has torpedoed his way through to the third round in the Australian Open Men’s Singles with a 5-set thriller. This is his first time advancing this far in the competition. In a dramatic three-hour match that saw the points see-saw between each player, Lloyd held on to win against […]

FREE STATE – An exceptional police officer went above and beyond the call of duty to rescue a distressed and depressed pensioner from a flooded river in the Free State, South Africa. Constable Moleko Mabe, from the  Phuthaditjhaba Police Station, risked his life to save hers, despite only having amateur swimming skills. The rescue happened […]

The R14.25m defamation action being brought by Australian mining interests against six South Africans – three environmental lawyers, two community activists and a social worker – suffered a major set-back with an adverse High Court judgment on Tuesday. Western Cape Deputy Judge President Patricia Goliath has ruled that the defamation action brought by Australian mining […]

The South African Government will go ahead with its planned phase one of vaccination, targeting healthcare workers – using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine instead of an AstraZeneca jab. Updating the country on the latest developments, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been proven effective against 501Y.V2, while necessary […]

Remember live music? South Africa’s own Ladysmith Black Mambazo are here to remind us of the healing power of music. Don’t miss their special virtual concert, recorded live from Durban, which will be available to stream from Feb 13 to Feb 20, 2021. You can grab a sneak peek below. The multi-Grammy award-winning band is […]