Refuoe Mokuoane lives in an informal settlement but spends his days collecting waste in Johannesburg’s wealthiest suburbs, Sandton and other surrounding suburbs. Asked what that’s like, he told GroundUp: “We are dreaming of living like that one day”. Mokuoane, 39, is from Lesotho. He and Douglas Mali, 47, from the Eastern Cape, are among the […]

My Octopus Teacher has WON the Oscar! A huge win for South Africa’s tiny octopus. Whoop whoop! The mesmerising underwater doc, which was filmed in the Cape Peninsula waters, emerged as the winner of the Best Documentary Feature category at the 93rd Academy Awards last night. The film charts the special relationship a man develops […]

As Elon Musk’s SpaceX sent more astronauts into orbit this week, his family have rallied to congratulate him for the historic achievement – using a ‘recycled capsule and rocket’. As Endeavour arrived at the Space Station today, SpaceX confirmed the safe docking and said “second time at the space station for this Dragon”. NASA said […]

Smuts Hall university residence has saluted some of the unsung heroes at the University of Cape Town who went “beyond the call of duty” and put their own lives at risk during the horrific fire that swept across Table Mountain last week. A video by Siya Ntuntwana captures their heroics (watch below). Naming the heroes, […]

SA Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s decision to invoke his ministerial powers and strip Cricket SA of national recognition is a “devastating blow” to South African cricket, says DA Shadow Minister of Sport, Tsepo Mhlongo. “This decision will be devastating for South African cricket as the future of the game in our country now hangs in […]

A woman who was the victim of a gang rape almost 40 years ago, is seeking to change the law of prescription in civil matters, in order to sue those she says are responsible. In South Africa civil claims for sexual offences must be brought within three years unless the victim can show they were […]

It’s a tuk-tuk (a three-wheeled motor vehicle), but it is also a mobile library. On Thursday, the VUSA Academy Programme launched its mobile library initiative in Langa. Lungile Moferi drives the library slowly around the streets of Langa, and makes his first stop at an early childhood development centre called Dalukhanyo Pre-School. He is greeted […]

Lightning tonight struck the Satara Rest Camp in South Africa’s famous Kruger National Park, setting fire to a cottage chalet and burning it to the ground. Fortunately nobody was injured, although one or more guests’ vital chronic medication was destroyed and they have had to immediately leave the park. The South African National Parks (SANParks) […]

South Africa is literally drowning in potholes. This year’s summer of heatwaves and rain poured the perfect cocktail, cracking up the country’s tar roads. SA’s Pothole Pandemic Dodging dongas has become the new normal rendering trips to work, school, or hospital treacherous and often deadly. A social media call-out for viewer testimonies yielded over 400 […]

In a year when we’re all holding thumbs that My Octopus Teacher wins an Oscar, we’ve got good news for South Africans on where you can watch the 93rd Academy Awards live. Where can you watch the Academy Awards / Oscars in South Africa? You can be a part of one of the world’s most […]

A well known farmer in the Karkloof area, near Howick, in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Midlands has died after being stabbed during a farm attack in the early hours of this morning. Trevor Murphy unfortunately succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital. According to security reports, three armed suspects gained entry to his premises […]

Brilliant South African author Deon Meyer has received France’s top cultural award – the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters) – at a ceremony in Stellenbosch. Meyer, whose Afrikaans books are translated into French and numerous other languages, received the award on Tuesday, 20 April 2021. It […]

South Africa’s beloved former Public Protector Thulisile (Thuli) Madonsela, has had the French knighthood officially bestowed upon her in a beautiful ceremony in Stellenbosch this week. Writing on Twitter, Madonsela said she was “immensely overwhelmed with gratitude”. Prof Madonsela was appointed as Knight of the Legion of Honour by France’s President Emmanual Macron in November […]

The Snail and the Whale, directed by Max Lang and South Africa’s Daniel Snaddon, has won the Annie Award in Los Angeles for Best Special Production, which recognises excellence in animation. Animated in Cape Town by Triggerfish and produced by Magic Light Pictures, The Snail and the Whale (which is currently streaming on Showmax across most […]

African National Congress (ANC) veteran and businessman Tokyo Sexwale addresses the media, about his claims that billions (or trillions) of rand have been stolen from the WSB (White Spiritual Boy) Heritage Fund after being deposited at the central bank. The SA government refuted Tokyo’s claims. Watch video below. The National Treasury and South African Reserve […]

The SA Cabinet has welcomed the recommendation by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority to lift the suspension of the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) Sisonke Vaccination Programme. The suspension in SA followed the suspension of the J&J vaccination rollout programme in the USA after six people, who received the J&J vaccine, developed a rare type […]

After reaching out to schools across South Africa with his coding project, Prof Jean Greyling from Nelson Mandela University has grave concerns regarding the new Coding and Robotics Curricula in the country. Prof Greyling has consequently written this open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa… Dear President Ramaphosa I am inspired and emboldened to write you […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has tonight, Wednesday 21 April, announced 27 October 2021 as the date on which local government elections will take place. In a statement on the Presidency, it said this will be the sixth time under South Africa’s democratic dispensation that voters will elect leadership and public representatives at metropolitan, district and local […]

As of this week, Showmax mobile subscribers across Africa will pay on average 20% less for access to the full Showmax catalogue on a single mobile device. Showmax reduces cost for its mobile-only entertainment plan while all other prices remain unchanged. Speaking about the price change, Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice Group CEO for Connected Video, says: […]

A 15-hectare piece of land on Cape Town’s Liesbeek River has been identified as the location where Amazon will have its headquarters in Africa, and will include numerous names and landmarks dedicated to the Khoisan people. The announcement earlier this week that Amazon would be centering its Africa operations in Cape Town was followed up […]

Second-year student Elizabeth Pretorius was busy preparing for a Sociology tutorial on Sunday morning at her student residence, Graça Machel Hall, when the fire broke out which was to tear through the University of Cape Town campus and spread across the mountain. “It was a normal Sunday morning. I made plans to go out for […]

The devastating fire that ran its course across the side of Table Mountain in Cape Town this week has put the spotlight back on the management of an iconic range that’s home to some of the most biodiverse vegetation in the world. And what should – and could – have been done to reduce the […]

The National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) have dismissed as a scam, reports of trillions of Rands donor funds going missing – after apparently being deposited at the central bank. The allegations were made by businessman and politician Tokyo Sexwale during an interview he had with eNCA on Sunday evening. During the […]

South African National Parks (SANParks) has expressed its gratitude and praise for the bravery and dedication of, amongst others, the firefighters, volunteers, City of Cape Town (CoCT) Fire, and Rescue Services and the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) rangers in their efforts to contain the fire that caused massive destruction after it started on Sunday, […]

A piece of real estate on planet Mars has been named after a Namibian man, Jakob (Japie) van Zyl, who studied at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, obtaining an honours degree in electronic engineering in 1979. Van Zyl was the leader of the team that created Ingenuity Mars Helicopter which yesterday made history – becoming  […]