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 […]

There were mixed fortunes for South Africa’s two singles representatives at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday. Lloyd Harris won his match, while Kevin Anderson bowed out at the first hurdle. Harris fought back from a set down to win his 1st round singles match at the Australian Open, earlier this morning (SA time). […]

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 […]

Lights in South Africa will be out from 10pm tonight until 5am on Wednesday as Eskom continues to experience system constraints. According to power utility, the load shedding stage 2 is necessary to preserve and replenish the emergency generation reserves and to maximise the capacity available during the daytime hours. “The power generation system is […]

Springbok wing JP Pietersen recently called time on an illustrious playing career which saw him making 70 Test appearances for the Springboks and winning a coveted gold medal at the Rugby World Cup in 2007, a year after making his international debut. It was therefore not surprising when a string of tributes poured in from […]

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille’s husband has passed away. The Minister’s husband, Edwin de Lille, passed away on Sunday following a long illness. “The news has come as a great shock to all of us who never saw Minister De Lille’s strength and commitment to her work wavering during this time of […]

Four local teenagers from Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, have been commended by the NSRI for their combined efforts in helping to save the life of another teenager who had been swept out to sea by rip currents. The NSRI named the four heroines as: Abbygail Janse van Rensburg, twins Karla and […]

Pick n Pay is today launching a fantastic new recycled shopping bag to raise funds for the ‘Save our Beach Huts’ initiative, a project aimed at restoring the iconic 36 beach huts in Muizenberg and St James which have fallen into disrepair. The huts, which are strongly rooted in Cape Town’s heritage, are featured frequently […]

In a promising sign that a corner has been turned, South Africa has recorded its lowest number of new coronavirus infections in a 24-hour period, since November 2020. The number of new cases – 1 379 – represents a 9% positivity rate as positive cases continue to decrease. There have now been 1 477 511 […]

The Department of Water and Sanitation has assured the South African public that the country’s large dams are not likely to collapse as a result of the heavy rainfall that is predicted to continue until mid-February. The Department’s Director in the Dam Safety Regulation Unit, Wally Ramokopa, said more than 5 000 registered dams in […]

Gauteng residents were rejoicing on Monday evening, as the Vaal Dam reached 100% capacity. Less than two months ago, in December, the dam had been struggling and was less than 25% full! South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) confirmed: “The Vaal Dam has reached 100% at 17:00 this afternoon (8 February 2021). Meanwhile, […]

A 22-year-old female suspect was arrested on Sunday for allegedly killing her boyfriend at Groenfontein Farm near Smithfield in the Free State, South Africa. Apparently an argument had broken out while they were drinking alcohol in their room on the farm at around 11h00. The suspect allegedly took a knife from the cupboard drawer and […]

A dedicated anti-poaching ranger – who was out on rhino patrol with his dog – was tragically mauled to death on Sunday morning, after being ambushed by a rogue lion in Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa. Respected Kobus Marais, 46, – described as a “wildlife warrior” by his distraught colleagues – fell victim to […]

An amazing initiative is making a difference in South Africa where there’s a huge need to learn coding without requiring computers, which so few have. Over 16,000 of the 25,000 schools in the country do not have computer labs, and consequently, the workshops are focusing on “CODING UNPLUGGED”, referring to the fact that coding can […]

Every morning, a group of about 20 women gather on the Msunduzi Riverbank in Ehhashini location, outside Pietermaritzburg. Here they make bricks from mud and grass to earn a living. A group of women, mostly widows, in Pietermartizburg started a brick-making project in 2006. They make bricks for local residents out of mud and grass. […]

Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has increased its Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) ownership to a revised 20% target, with a significant worker ownership component. “This updated agreement will result in employees increasing their current holding of around 5% in CCBSA to an approximate 15% shareholding in CCBSA,” CCBSA Managing Director Velaphi Ratshefola said. Coca-Cola […]

South Africa has put a temporary halt to the rollout of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines, after it was found that the vaccine may not have the same efficacy (or effectiveness) against the mutated COVID-19 501Y.V2 variant, which is predominant in South Africa (and has been blamed for the sharp spike in Coronavirus cases during the […]

Oscar Pistorius will be eligible for parole over a year earlier than expected because of an oversight that was made when judgment was delivered. The news has naturally upset murder victim Reeva Steenkamp’s family, who described the timing of the decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to amend the Paralympian’s prison term as […]

Incredible scenes have been witnessed in South Africa over the weekend, as parts of the country are still being battered by the heavy rains set off by ex-Tropical Cyclone Eloise. Roads disappeared in Mpumalanga (see video below), and in the Northern Cape, Premier Dr Zamani Saul helped the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) distribute […]

The DA has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thandi Modise, requesting a full investigation into exactly how and who paid for an “extravagant” trip by Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) Julius Malema and others to the home of former South African President Jacob Zuma in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday. The insinuation is that […]

What’s going on in Senekal is amazing! Just months ago, the small Free State town was the scene of racial violence and chaos. Hijacked by political leaders with agendas, the nation held its breath, fearing that civil war may break out. But the people of Senekal refused to sit back and watch. They got together […]

Dozens of learners come running when Phakamisani Primary School principal Xola Faku calls through a loudhailer, telling them their lunch has arrived. It is midday on Wednesday in the informal settlement of Qolweni, in Bitou, and for many learners at the school this is the only meal they have during the day. Phakamisani Primary School […]

Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has suspended the Tourism Equity Fund’s (TEF) activities until discussions have taken place with AfriForum and Solidarity. This decision comes after the two institutions sent an urgent letter to the Minister about the fund, which intends to only offer financing to black-owned tourism businesses. In the Minister’s reply, she announced that […]

The Western Cape province will officially begin its COVID-19 vaccine rollout programme by no later than Monday 15 February, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde announced in a statement. “We anticipate delivery of the Western Cape’s share of South Africa’s first batch of vaccines at our Cape Medical Depot within the next 5 to 10 days […]