I moved overseas to Germany in 2014, but like approximately 820,000 other SA ex-pats, my family still live in South Africa writes Anelia Heese. In order to stay in touch, we had to become experts in the nuances of digital communication. On a video call in my kitchen, I will ask my tannie how to […]

The Kruger National Park has reported heavy rains overnight, with the Sabie River “flowing strongly”. KNP issued a warning alert that “Crocodile Bridge gate closed due to rivers overflowing”, but informed visitors that the Punda – Shingwedzi tar road is now accessible again. The area is feeling the effects of ex Tropical Cyclone Eloise, which […]

With South Africa gearing to receive its first consignment of COVID-19 vaccines, President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that government’s mass vaccination campaign strategy would reach all corners of the country, prioritising those most in need. The President emphasised the commitment in the latest edition of his weekly newsletter on Monday. The President said that in […]

The South African National Parks (SANParks) has begun evacuating and closing camps, as it warns that the situation with Tropical Cyclone Eloise approaching is creating flood conditions in the Kruger National Park, despite the cyclone being downgraded to a tropical depression. The heavy rains and powerful winds of up to 130km/hour have already caused devastation […]

Between 3 May 2020 and 16 January 2021, the number of excess deaths in South Africa was more than 106,000. This is the estimate of the latest weekly Medical Research Council mortality report. These excess deaths are, either directly or indirectly, due to the Covid-19 epidemic. Some of those deaths may be because people with […]

Sir Elton John is reported to be “deeply upset” after the boss of his flagship project to care for teenagers struck down with HIV in South Africa died suddenly from Covid-19. The international superstar had befriended leading HIV scientist and tireless fundraiser Dr Arthi Ramkissoon after she wrote to him, begging for help to rebuild […]

Late last year the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA) led by the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) identified a rapidly spreading new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The new variant, called 501Y.V2, raises critical questions – including whether current vaccines and treatments will still be effective. With […]

A video has captured the incredible moment a dog was swept to certain death down the steep side of an overflowing KwaZulu-Natal dam, in raging floodwaters… until a brave human hero came to his rescue, risking his own life to save the dog. Watch below (get ready to hold your breath!). The dog, named Scamp, […]

There is a clamour by some people for ivermectin to be approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to treat Covid-19. An article published a couple of week ago in the South African Medical Journal (SAMJ) titled Ivermectin for COVID-19: Promising but not yet conclusive, written by six Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch […]

The fatalities on South African roads during the 2020 festive season declined by seven percent when compared to the previous period… with one of the main differences this year being a time when South Africans were under lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. Over a third of these fatal accidents occurred during curfew hours, […]

A doctor in the Eastern Cape has developed a relatively simple device that could save the lives of many! The local doctor from Frere Provincial Hospital will be featured on Carte Blanche this Sunday. Presenter Derek Watts says: “While South Africa focuses primarily on the vaccine rollout, another vital element – oxygen – is somewhat […]

A Save Our Seas Foundation shark researcher has captured an incredible photo of a crocodile catching a shark in the recently opened St Lucia Estuary in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. The picture, taken by Ryan Daly, is captioned: “When a predator becomes prey”. Save Our Seas told SAPeople “the image has been extremely well […]

Disaster teams in the Kruger National Park, and external role players, have been put on high alert as Tropical Storm Eloise approaches. The South African Weather Services (SAWS) has warned that various parts of the Kruger, particularly in the far north, will be affected by major rainfall and strong winds over the coming weekend, specifically […]

I wrote this on my personal Facebook page a few days ago, and from the responses realised that other South African ex-pats might be also affected by, or experiencing, this dynamic and so thought to share it writes Sandy Jonker Geyer. Last Tuesday COVID-19 took a much-loved member of our family. Buyiswa Zibi, a beautiful […]

Knowledge Nyamutowera came to Cape Town from Zimbabwe almost three years ago. He has been walking dogs at Paw Pets in Sea Point for over a year and a half now. “I’m just doing this for a living,” he says. Nyamutowera works from 8am to 5pm on weekdays and two Saturdays a month from 9:30am […]

Jackson Mthembu’s death on Thursday, from Covid, has left South Africans reeling with an outpouring of tributes for a man who was deeply loved, and known for his sense of fun, loud laughter, and desire to always put people at ease. The Minister’s final tweets on 12 January show the humble man he was, and […]

The young doctor who died in the Netcare helicopter crash in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, yesterday, had earlier been called to help save Minister Jackson Mthembu’s life. The Minister in the Presidency succumbed to Covid-19 on Thursday. Hours later the cardiac anaesthetist, who tried to save him, perished in the Netcare helicopter tragedy near Bergville, on […]

A Netcare helicopter tragically crashed on Thursday afternoon near Bergville in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, killing all five on board including crew and healthcare workers who were heralded as “healthcare heroes” by Netcare’s devastated CEO. It was only nine hours ago that Netcare911 had tweeted a photo of one of  their specialised helicopter ambulances saying […]

Bridgerton fans will be delighted to hear that Bridgerton Season 2 has officially been confirmed. The Netflix show, which features British-Zimbabwean Regé-Jean Page (30), was a surprise hit this Christmas season with many Locked-Down viewers bingeing all eight episodes of the first season in one or two days! The announcement has been made by none […]

It is with huge sadness that we share the news of the Covid-related death of Jackson Mthembu, yet another high profile South African taken by the coronavirus pandemic. Just ten days ago, on 11 January, the popular SA spokesperson revealed that he had tested positive for Covid-19, saying: “Today I visited the Military hospital in […]

Two weeks after the storming of the US Capitol by the followers of his predecessor, in the middle of an out-of-control pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans, Joe Biden — the 46th president of the US — tried to contain the blaze in his inaugural address. Politics doesn’t have to be a raging […]

South Africa logged over 12 000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time this week, after recording fewer than 10 000 infections a day in the past few days. Update Thursday afternoon: Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu has sadly died from Covid. According to the latest data, the total number of COVID-19 cases identified […]

Two doctors have written a scathing letter in the South African Medical Journal, criticising the United Kingdom for hiring a disproportionate number of health workers from foreign countries. Professor Johannes Fagan from the University of Cape Town and Professor Mahmood Bhutta from the Royal Sussex County Hospital wrote: “The UK already has one of the […]

The government’s failure to be transparent with its Covid-19 vaccine implementation plan could see Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma face court soon. AfriForum and Solidarity are preparing court papers against the minister, they announced in a joint-statement on Thursday. According to AfriForum, Dlamini-Zuma failed to respond to a letter of demand that was issued to her by […]

The Dutch government has become the latest country to impose a flight ban on all flights to the Netherlands with passengers from South Africa, the UK and various countries in South America due to continued Covid-19 safety concerns, following more contagious variants being found in SA, England and Brazil. The ban will be effective from […]