Every few years, it is devastating to watch the same tragedy: a weather cycle that brings debilitating drought and hunger to East Africa, threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya. By Chris Funk, University of California Santa Barbara. The weather cycle responsible for these episodes is a climate-change-enhanced […]

Following South Africa’s awesome 31-29 victory over the All Blacks on the Gold Coast, Australia, over the weekend, the Springboks have regained their status as the world’s best team – ranked number one by World Rugby! World Rugby said: “New Zealand’s two-week reign at the top of the World Rugby Men’s Rankings is over after […]

Facebook is back!!! Although many features aren’t working properly yet. Earlier on Monday, Facebook, FB messenger, WhatsApp (the messaging app) and Instagram – which are all owned by Facebook – crashed around the world, and were down in several regions worldwide, including South Africa for at least SIX HOURS. (See the memes at the bottom […]

The explosive Pandora Papers that has rocked the world in the past 24 hours, includes a whopping 56,493 links to South Africa, according to an exclusive expose on Carte Blanche last night. African Leaders’ named in Pandora Papers In total, nearly 50 African politicians and public officials from 18 countries on the continent were found to […]

Thirty captive lions on a private breeding farm in the Free State, South Africa, have had to be euthanised after the farm owner apparently left them suffering for days after wildfires had ravaged the area. Details issued by the Bloemfontein SPCA of the scene they discovered in the Glen/Brandfort district are harrowing and heartbreaking. Unable […]

One of the world’s most spectacular marine migrations is the KwaZulu-Natal sardine run. The so-called “greatest shoal on Earth” takes place during the southern hemisphere’s winter. It involves the movement of tens to hundreds of millions of sardines from the warm-temperate waters of South Africa’s south coast to the subtropical waters of the east coast, […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Travellers from South Africa will soon be able to enter the UK without having to pay the exorbitant £2,000 for 10 days in hotel quarantine! British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will open up South Africa and some other countries for hotel quarantine-free travel later this week, The Sunday Telegraph reported, saying that […]

Desperation to win the election hit a low on Friday, 1 October 2021, when a DA councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay was held up at gunpoint while erecting DA posters in New Brighton. The criminals were allegedly linked to the ANC, according to the DA’s Eastern Cape Provincial Chairperson, Andrew Whitfield. The incident was witnessed […]

Why would more than 600 journalists from 117 countries collaborate on a global investigation of jaw-dropping scope? Find out tonight as Carte Blanche previews what is set to be the largest journalistic collaboration in the world to date – the Pandora Papers! With millions of leaked documents, Carte Blanche joins a global investigation into the […]

South Africa’s Springboks were finally rewarded for all their effort and sacrifice in a 17-week odyssey since the start of the international season, by deservedly coming out on top, 31-29 (halftime 14-20), over New Zealand in a nail-biting Rugby Championship classic on the Gold Coast, Australia. DON’T MISS UPDATE 4 OCT: Springboks Reclaim Number One […]

Meet Dolly, the sheep with a prosthetic leg in South Africa, and her friends. According to a Fallen Angels Farm co-ordinator Karen Hoffman, her foot was caught in a snare and part of her leg had to be amputated. Karen says Dolly’s got “more friends than any sheep I know”… WATCH Dolly the sheep’s new […]

South African dancer Motsi Mabuse was told she would never make it in Germany because of her skin colour… but with her dazzling international success, she has proved the critics wrong! As a judge on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Motsi (40) is a household name in not only Germany, but the UK – where she replaced […]

A piece of controversial artwork by the late boxing legend, Muhammad Ali, depicting South Africa, is part of a prestigious Bonhams auction taking place in New York on Tuesday 5 October. The original painting (felt pen on paper) – titled ‘Let My People Go’ – includes a “white man whipping a black man”, and was […]

A 51-year-old farmer in the Free State, South Africa, was murdered on Wednesday night, 29 September, on a farm he and his family had long dreamed of living on and were reportedly due to move to in October. The murdered man – Petrus Steyn – farmed near Heidelberg according to Pretoria FM, but was planning […]

Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has extended the validity period of legally issued visas or asylum permits, which expired during the lockdown period, to 31 December 2021. In a statement on Thursday, Home Affairs announced that the Minister has also approved the resumption of Identity Document (ID) and passport applications. Directions communicating these amendments, […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday night announced that the Department of Health will soon roll out the vaccine certificate as proof that residents have been vaccinated against COVID-19. He also revealed that he has discussed South Africa’s ongoing inclusion on the dreaded Red List with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In a televised address to […]

Following meetings of the National Coronavirus Command Council and the President’s Coordinating Council, the SA Cabinet has – to the joy of many South Africans – moved the country from Adjusted Alert Level 2 to Adjusted Alert Level 1 from midnight tonight (Thurs/Fri). President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the news during a ‘family meeting’ on Thursday […]

Itumeleng Phiri started a recycling business on the site, then a food garden. By Masego Mafata…   A mother of four in Tembisa started a recycling project and food garden on a field previously used as an illegal dump site near her house. The project started as a way for Itumeleng Phiri to provide for […]

A heartwarming video, filmed in South Africa, is going viral on social media… showing an injured (and smart) little penguin hopping onto a couple’s kayak to seek help. At first the couple think the endangered African Penguin is just “the friendliest penguin ever”… until they realise that one of its flippers appears to be injured, […]

Team South Africa has already bagged its first medal of the ICF World Marathon Championships on the Arges River in Romania. As racing began on Thursday morning with the Junior Girls K1, SA teenager Saskia Hockly finished third in the opening event, earning a bronze medal for her country. The 17-year-old Durban schoolgirl is a […]

US-based South African expat Trevor Noah has donated R8-million to a project back home, in response to pressing issues surrounding impoverished communities throughout South Africa. The donation was made on behalf of The Trevor Noah Foundation and in partnership with YouthBuild South Africa (YBSA). One of the issues the funds will address is the shortage […]

Poker is a very popular hobby in South Africa. Early Dutch settlers banned all games of chance in 1673, and in 1965 further legislation was passed further restricting gambling, though exempting horse racing. It was not until 1996 that gambling became legal, and regulated, in the most developed country in Africa. Since then, resort-style casinos […]

Want to know about vaccine rollouts in Africa? Click on a country here and find out… by Catherine Kyobutungi, African Population and Health Research Center There has been a lot of focus on COVID-19 vaccine inequalities between high-income and low- and middle-income countries. For instance, it is estimated that up to 70% of all vaccines […]

Residents in Gauteng are being urged to remember to get their second Covid-19 jab! It turns out that more than a MILLION people in the South African province have not returned to receive the second dose of their Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine! Speaking at a pop-up vaccine site in the West Rand on Wednesday, Gauteng Premier […]

Sensei Mandla Nkonde uses some of the money he makes from recycling to keep the karate academy afloat… By Masego Mafata. A reclaimer from Soweto in Johannesburg runs a karate academy for children in his community. Though members pay a small fee, many of his students cannot afford the fee or costs to participate in […]