The South African government halted the roll-out of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine this week following a study led by Wits vaccinologist Shabir Madhi, which found that it did not protect against mild to moderate Covid-19 in a local trial on account of the variant of the virus, 501Y.V2, that is dominant here. A pre-print of […]

A study published on Friday, led by authors from the South African National Blood Service, shows that a large percentage of the population has likely already been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and that there are striking differences in prevalence between blacks and whites. Over seven days between 7 and 25 January, 4,858 blood donors were tested […]

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 […]

We have all heard that Ivermectin is cheap and effective, but is it safe? Watch Carte Blanche on Sunday to find out more. Presenter Masa Kekana says: “Does Ivermectin work against COVID-19? That’s the big question. It’s said to be cheap, effective and, if taken in the right dosages, safe. But SA scientists say they […]

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. […]

Civilian residents at the Marievale military base say police ignore their complaints of torture and assault carried out by soldiers and that the police rarely help them when the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) contravenes court orders. Civilian residents at Marievale base say soldiers beat and tortured them on Sunday before demolishing their homes. […]

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 […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the country’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) tonight, 11 February 2021. Below is the full transcript of the President’s speech: On this day, 31 years ago, President Nelson Mandela walked out of the gates of Victor Verster prison a free person, a living embodiment of the resilience and […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape will appeal to the South African Police Service (SAPS) to urgently consider engaging with private laboratories to assist with the backlog in DNA testing that threatens to delay justice in the Brand farm murder case. Retired couple – Daniel (Danie) Brand, 82, his wife Hybrecht (Breggie), 73 […]

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 […]

Long-held traditions associated with the State of the Nation Address (SONA) will not be on display tonight as President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the nation at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an impact on everyday life. What has not changed is that the President will still deliver the annual address at 7pm […]

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 […]

The Hilton College and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) community is still reeling after the tragic deaths of popular Hilton College Director of Operations Tony Richter, and his daughter Alice, over the weekend. There has been an outpouring of tributes, including this poignant letter below from a close family friend. The tragic incident apparently happened on the N3 […]

DJ Fresh and Euphonik have announced in a joint statement that they are parting ways with popular South African radio station 947. In mid-January 48-year-old DJ Fresh (Thato Sikwane) and 37-year-old DJ Euphonic (Themba Nkosi) were taken off the air at the music station as they faced rape allegations, dating back to 2011. The South […]

South Africa represents the biggest percentage of hunting outfitter exhibitors at the Dallas Safari Club (DSC) annual convention, according to the Humane Society International (HSI). The DSC, a Texas-based trophy hunting industry organisation, hosts the USA’s biggest industry hunting event, which is being held online this year. Based on research conducted by both the HSI […]

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 […]

Eskom is once again switching off the lights for South Africans, although this time it’s implementing Stage 3 load shedding. It began at 1pm Wednesday afternoon and is scheduled to last until 6am tomorrow. “This load shedding is necessary as the power generation system is still severely constrained due to high generation unit breakdowns during […]

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 […]