DA Leader Mmusi Maimane and Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste Services Xanthea Limberg, visited the Strandfontein desalination plant on Friday, and confirmed they expect the plant to be online as early as March 2018. Maimane called it “great news” and said the plant will produce seven million litres of potable water […]

A series of tweets posted today by Western Cape paediatrician Alastair McAlpine have gone viral, trending in places as far away as Glasgow in the United Kingdom. The tweets reveal what children with terminal illnesses most appreciate and love about being alive… The Meaning of Life According to Kids – tweeted by Dr Alastair McAlpine […]

Check out this version of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’, performed by a cockatoo, which has been going viral since last year and has attracted over 8 million views with no end in sight! As someone explained, part of the joy in watching the bird, believed to be an Indonesian cockatoo species, is recognising so many […]

If you look up right now, wherever you are, there’s a beautiful bright super-moon orbiting our planet. Today – 31 January 2018 – we’re blessed with a rare lunar occasion… the sight of a full moon, a total lunar eclipse (not visible from South Africa unfortunately), a blue moon and a super-moon all at the […]

In the face of panic that schools will be forced to shut in the event of Day Zero, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille has today reassured parents and principals that the provincial government will continue supplying water to schools in the drought-stricken province… although that means increased security will be necessary as the threat of […]

2018: A Better year – yes or no? writes Steuart Pennington. 18 Reasons why the answer is “YES” “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one” – Voltaire. In breezing through the Sunday papers, notably the Sunday Times and City Press I was struck by Mavuso Msimang’s question “is the clean-up in […]

A beautiful, yet sad, video filmed on Clifton Beach in Cape Town shows the impact that the longest ever drought in recorded history is having on all those who live in the Western Cape region of South Africa. A desperately thirsty bird drinks from the hand of local Cape Town resident Joel Graham. Joel posted […]

The Federal Executive of the Democratic Alliance (DA) has authorised the DA caucus in the City of Cape Town to lodge a motion of no confidence in Mayor Patricia de Lille… citing various reasons, including that upgrades to her home were irregular, that she actively withheld drought crisis information and that the Party has “lost […]

The South African Broadcasting Corporate (SABC) has officially appointed MTN Executive, Chris Maroleng as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the broadcaster.  Maroleng will be replacing Hlaudi Motsweneng who was expelled last year.    Maroleng’s appointment will be effective from tomorrow, February 1. “I accept the position at the SABC with deep humility, and […]

Thanks to the water saving efforts of many Cape Town residents, Day Zero has now been pushed back four days to 16 April 2018. Mmusi Maimane, whose own family has cut down to 40 litres per day, said: “Pushing back Day Zero by 4 days may not seem like a lot. But actually it is […]

SASCOC have named a powerful team to represent the rainbow nation at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia between 4-15 April. Team South Africa athletes will do battle across 16 codes, including para-sports athletics, lawn bowls, swimming, table tennis and powerlifting. Sporting codes with South African participation are the following: athletics, badminton, bowls, […]

Tourists are still being encouraged to visit Cape Town, despite Day Zero looming (when taps will be turned off on 12 April 2018) and international headlines about South Africa’s Mother City running out of water. (Please see Tourists FAQ about the water crisis in Cape Town below.) Jayne Dickson, a British tourist, said she is […]

US President Donald Trump says he does not want elephants being “killed and stuffed and brought back” to the United States. Speaking in an interview with Piers Morgan, filmed in Switzerland, and aired on ITV on Sunday night, the President appeared to confirm that the ban on importing African elephant body parts – which had […]

An overjoyed Ladysmith Black Mambozo announced their Grammy Award on Twitter with capitals: “WE WON THE GRAMMY AWARD FOR BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM!! SHAKA ZULU REVISITED. Our 5th Grammy Award. Such an honor. Thank U Grammy Awards. Thank U fans and friends. Thank U South Africa!!” The South African band was performing on stage in […]

During the early hours of Jan. 31, there will be a full moon, a total lunar eclipse, a blue moon and a supermoon – all at the same time! None of these things is really all that unusual by itself. What is rare is that they’re happening all together on one day. (Update: See photos […]

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer – whose mother is a South African expat – has won the Australian Open… becoming the first male tennis player to win 20 Grand Slams! Thirty-six year old Federer beat 29-year-old Croatian Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. The Australian Open tweeted: “Back to back. 20 Grand Slams. Six Australian Open […]

It doesn’t matter where in the world a South African is, or how long they’ve been away, most South African expats feel a deep connection with SA forever… and there’s nothing that takes an expat back home faster than traditional SA treats. So when it comes to special occasions like Christmas and Easter, many South […]

South Africa’s Blitzboks blasted past arch-rivals England 33-12 to book their place in the HSBC Sydney Sevens quarter-finals in Australia on Saturday. After an easy tournament-opener victory against Papua New Guinea (50-0), coach Neil Powell’s men sailed past Spain, 38-0 in their first match of day two… Rosko Specman snatching two tries. Their second Pool […]

A comedy sketch filmed a decade ago is still causing laughs tens years later! It features a couple of passive-aggressive South African air stewardesses on a flight to Johannesburg. During the flight the rude South African airline hostesses deal with a hijacker, a vegetarian and a woman they believe is scared of flying. The video […]

Here are the latest hot topics due for broadcast on Carte Blanche this Sunday, and available for South Africans living abroad from Tuesday – 30th January 2018, if they’re a subscriber of Showmax International. Life Esidimeni Hearings Continued Former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu was finally in the hot seat at the Life Esidimeni Arbitration hearings […]

The folk in the Karoo, South Africa, are happily sitting on their porches this afternoon, listening to the rain as it soaks the soil and replenishes their souls… Stormy conditions were expected over most of the country on Friday, with some severe thunderstorm warnings issued for parts of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. WATCH […]

A South African architecture firm has created one of the most exquisite new homes on the French Riviera. The luxury residence – in St Tropez – is billed as a “modern  interpretation of Côte d’Azur living”. The prestigious project, in one of the world’s most sought-after destinations for the rich and famous, landed in the […]

Legendary South African musician Johnny Clegg has proudly shared his new music video today, directed by a very special person. “I am so happy to share with you my brand new music video for “King Of Time” which was directed by my son, Jaron Clegg!” he said on social media. Watch Johnny Clegg: King Of […]

The Drakensberg Boys Choir School has paid tribute to “the late great” South African musician, Hugh Masekela, who passed away earlier this week – at the age of 78 – after a long battle with prostate cancer. During the video – performing ‘Stimela’ (Coal Train) – a young boy can be heard saying: “Dear Mr […]

We can’t blame foreigners for believing wild animals roam our streets when… um, wild animals do roam our streets! Here’s a hippo crossing the road in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa earlier today. Traffic came to a standstill to allow the hippo to wander across the road. NSRI (National Sea Rescue Institute) said “some days our rescue […]