Three African Painted Dogs in KwaZulu-Natal have been successfully collared to assist with their conservation. Monitoring the endangered species is essential – with only about 550 African Painted Dogs left in South Africa, every individual counts, writes Janelle Barnard… An afternoon of darting and collaring African Painted Dogs on Somkhanda Community Game Reserve almost became […]

In a special Carte Blanche broadcast, South Africa’s top current affairs show takes Christmas to the next level with celebrated musician Belinda Davids as she helps the show unwrap some of the great developments to have emanated out of a year of global upheaval and suffering. With Davids’ characteristic four octave vocal range, Carte Blanche […]

Epidemiologist and Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 in South Africa, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, has been awarded the 2020 John Maddox Prize. Prof Karim was named joint winner with Dr Anthony Fauci from the US. President Cyril Ramaphosa was one of the first to congratulate Prof Karim, saying: “It is an honour […]

Cape Town residents have taken to social media to praise the body corporate of a well-known housing complex in Kensington for hiring unemployed people from a nearby informal settlement to do their renovations. The Kensington Place Body Corporate plans to unveil the newly renovated complex on Saturday, 19 December. This is the first time in […]

A team of mercenaries plunge into a rural part of Africa, rescuing a hostage from ruthless terrorists. They make quick work of the bad guys until their extraction helicopter is shot down during the firefight. The team treks to a nearby site to await rescue, but stumbles across something much worse: a rogue lion with […]

The latest weekly report by the Department of Water and Sanitation shows that dam levels in the Eastern Cape are sitting at 51% after the recent torrential rains. “With more rains expected in the run-up to Christmas, it is likely that the levels may soon soar to 55% and beyond,” the department said on Wednesday. […]

A solar-powered computer lab in the Overberg town of Barrydale has opened up new opportunities for learners and students who have little or no access to the internet. The lab was set up in November by Net vir Pret, in partnership with the University of Cape Town’s Students’ Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO) and […]

KLM has announced that its planned flights will now go ahead, following the South African authorities issuing an update to regulations yesterday, 15 December. Last week KLM had announced a reduction in its flights between Amsterdam and South Africa due to new SA regulations which changed the entry requirements for airline crew travelling into the […]

Andrea Bocelli and his 8-year-old daughter Virginia have performed an exquisite version of Leonard Cohen‘s Hallelujah. The hauntingly beautiful rendition was recorded over the weekend in Italy, as Bocelli lifts spirits again just as he did with his record-breaking special Easter concert in Milan. The weekend concert – ‘Believe in Christmas’ – took place on […]

For ten years, giant puppets in the shape of animals, insects and futuristic robots have performed and danced down the streets of Barrydale. The annual puppet parade, started in 2010 by the Handspring Puppet Trust, aims to bring together the residents of this small Klein Karoo town which was divided by apartheid. But this year, […]

It’s December and time to celebrate with gifts, love and family, however you unite to share your joy this season. But what can you give the whole family that’s delicious yet won’t stretch your waistband, educational without giving anyone the back-to-school jitters, that’ll take you all over the world without even the slightest risk, and […]

Prof Jean Greyling and his team from Computing Sciences at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth has received the Vice Chancellor’s Excellence Award, in the category “Engagement Project”. This follows on the Innovation Excellence Award also from the Vice Chancellor in 2019. Prof Greyling is very passionate about introducing learners to software development as a […]

JOHANNESBURG – DStv has added global streaming service Amazon Prime Video to its recently launched DStv Explora Ultra decoder. DStv customers with a Prime Video membership can now access the entertainment service, ranging from movies and TV series, including Amazon Originals with a click of a button on the Explora Ultra. Prime Video joins an […]

From lockdown trends to local hits, here’s what South Africans have been binge-watching this year… Lockdown trends on Showmax At the start of the national COVID lockdown in March, South Africans were suddenly confined to their homes, which had a dramatic impact on viewers choosing to stream entertainment on Showmax. Here are some interesting insights […]

If you’ve never heard of this beautiful South African Christmas carol, turn it up, sit back and let the music and lyrics wash over you. It’s called ‘Come, Colours Rise’ and was composed by Grant McLachlan with lyrics by Frank Barry. It will leave you with a lump in your throat as big as Africa. […]

Rogue, the new action movie from Showmax, not only showcases the butt-kicking skills of action hero Megan Fox as Samantha O’Hara, but also those of some of South Africa’s top talent who fight alongside her in this exciting new film. Meet the South Africans… 1. Greg Kriek – Mike Barasa Greg may be a Cape […]

Last night, as the Gauteng skies lit up with bold bolts of lightning, fans of Christo Smith’s photography hoped that he was out there capturing the incredible scene. When he posted his final composite image, they were not disappointed! Christo Smith Photography has become synonymous with South Africa’s iconic Highveld thunderstorms. Christo – who is […]

Starfish launched their annual ‘Dinner of Hope’ drive for the festive season, on 1 December (World AIDS Day), and are now inviting anyone anywhere in the world to join in and host a fun dinner with friends and, at the same time, help vulnerable children in South Africa. As Starfish says, these kids are even more vulnerable […]

South Africans can breathe a sigh of relief as the planned loadshedding today, Sunday 13 December, has been cancelled. Eskom said in a statement on Sunday morning that it was pleased to announce that the emergency generation reserves had sufficiently recovered overnight and subsequently no loadshedding would be required. “Eskom thanks the people for their […]

Well-known South African actors and filmmakers Anel and James Alexander will be hosting a beautiful benefit show, all the way from their home in Hollywood! Local and international artists like Rubber Duc, Nathan Smith, Ziya, Christiaan Baartman, Sincerely Anne, Petronel Baard, Brad + Nicole (from the USA) and Stefan Jansen have given up their time, […]

A black rhino in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, that was struggling to walk, with a giant splinter stuck in his foot, has had the obstruction removed thanks to the awesome work of world-famous wildlife vet Dr William Fowlds and his great team. According to Buffalo Kloof Private Game Reserve, the black rhino was spotted […]

This week Carte Blanche meets a 100-year-old survivor of another global pandemic – the Spanish Flu – which swept across the globe in 1918. You can watch the show on Sunday 13  December in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from Tues 15  December if you’re abroad. STORIES OF […]

It’s an early Christmas for Eskom which has struck a deal with service provider ABB to recoup over R1.56-billion which had been irregularly paid by the power utility to the Zurich-based industrial giant. According to the SA government news service “ABB was fingered in suspicious payments relating to contracts awarded in 2015 involving the control […]

It’s been a tumultuous year filled with uncertainty, social distancing, lockdowns and travel restrictions with South Africans finding ways to escape, travel and connect with the real world. And What We Watched 2020 – this year’s South Africa viewing trends on Netflix – reflects those high and lows. This year, South Africans more than doubled […]

A Pretoria resident has reached out for help in finding a law firm in South Africa that would love to be part of a young student’s amazing story of hope and faith. And judging by the thousands of South Africans who have liked, shared and commented on the post, this good news story is about […]