A director of a non-profit company that received an R8.5 million Lottery grant has refused to give details about how the money was spent. At the time her organisation received the grant, she was a member of a National Lotteries Commission (NLC) distribution agency. When asked for comment Nomalanga Tyamzashe, one of the directors of […]

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday night that in line with a European Union decision all Schengen borders will be closed from midday tomorrow, Tuesday 17 March 2020, for 30 days. The President urged all French citizens outside of the EU to call their local French Embassy if they wish to return home. Macron said: […]

Working on Fire has confirmed that the Tafelberg Road Fire in Cape Town, South Africa, which broke out yesterday and caused injury to at least seven firefighters, has been contained. Video footage has reportedly emerged concerning the source of the fire, and a case of arson has been opened with the South African Police Service […]

In the face of the potential pandemic, The Gift of The Givers is issuing a call to action to all South African citizens, private & corporate, individuals and companies, to come together and support the medical staff and facilities on the frontline, who will be treating those affected by the coronavirus. To raise funds to […]

Dear Fellow South African, The world is in the throes of a public health emergency on a scale not witnessed in over a century… writes President Cyril Ramaphosa in his latest letter to SA citizens. The spread of the coronavirus, which causes the disease known as COVID-19, has been alarmingly swift and widescale, and is […]

The number of COVID-19 infections in South Africa has risen to 51, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Sunday. A Wits medical student has also tested positive, according to a private laboratory test which is still to be confirmed by the SA Health Department. The confirmed number has risen by 13 from Saturday’s figure of […]

Pleas for energy bars and drinks have been posted on social media on Sunday night for the firefighting crews currently battling the Tafelberg Road Fire which is “burning fiercely in strong wind conditions”. Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) asked for donations to please be dropped off at SANParks – Table Mountain National Park Newlands Fire Base […]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has today – Sunday 15 March 2020 – declared a National State of Disaster… in order for SA to focus on preventing and reducing the outbreak of the Corona virus. The number of COVID-19 infections in South Africa has risen to 51, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Sunday, rising […]

Almost immediately after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in South Africa, the jokes started. From memes featuring prominent politicians to bad puns, from TikTok video clips to pictures of people posing with silly home-made protective gear, South Africans took to Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook to make fun of the virus. It is not […]

Dear Family and Friends, In the bright light of the moon a pair of owls call to each other across the neighbourhood: Hoo hoo, Whoo hoo. It’s not quite 4.00am but already their dominance of the darkness is being disturbed as Zimbabwe wakes to try and get a head start on the next sixteen hour […]

The number of COVID-19 infections has grown to 38 in South Africa, the Health Minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed on Saturday… an increase of 14 new confirmed cases since Friday’s 24. “In view of the rising numbers, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for an urgent Cabinet meeting to be held on Sunday. This meeting will explore ways […]

The 114 South Africans evacuated by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) from China’s COVID19-hit Wuhan City have touched down in Polokwane, in Limpopo. The group arrived shortly after 10:30am on a South African Airways (SAA) flight. About 20 minutes after landing, the first passenger disembarked the aircraft and was swiftly escorted to one […]

Italians unanimously burst into song in Siena, finding a way to connect with each other… even during isolation and quarantine. But they weren’t the only ones. All over Italy – from the north down to Naples, there were similar scenes filmed this week, of the Europeans joined in unison – singing ballads, singing the national […]

US President Donald Trump officially declared a National Emergency (“two very big words”) on Friday, 13 March 2020, as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus rose above 2,000 in the USA, with the death toll reaching 41. To unleash the full power of the Federal Government in this effort, today I am officially declaring […]

South Africa’s Health Department has confirmed eight new cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of cases to 24. “At this point, I wish to also bring it to your attention that there are more positive results that have come out. “The NICD [National Institute for Communicable Diseases] and NHLS [National Health Laboratory Service] […]

Ntsokolo Konzapi, who is 72, survives by supplementing his pension by collecting and selling discarded plastic containers to recyclers in Port Elizabeth. He scratches through illegal dumping sites around Motherwell, mostly to collect 2-litre containers for cooking oil, milk, water and soft drinks. He packs them into sacks, carrying one on his head and dragging […]

South Africa’s Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has confirmed that the Ranch Resort in Polokwane will host the 122 repatriated South Africans from Wuhan, Hubei Province, in China. On Trip Advisor the resort is rated as ‘Excellent’. “Three sites were identified. Of the three sites that were shortlisted, The Ranch Resort was selected. An agreement has […]

Eskom claims that the water pump at Koeberg nuclear power station which tripped on Tuesday, plunging South Africa into Stage 4 Loadshedding, did so because it became clogged with jellyfish and fish. The bad news is that Stage 4 loadshedding is likely to continue till late into Friday night. The good news is that the […]

Could COVID-19 cause a global economic meltdown? That’s the burning question asked by South African current affairs show Carte Blanche, this Sunday 15 March 2020 at 19:00. You can watch the show on Sunday in SA on DStv Now OR – if you live abroad (in most countries), you can stream it overseas from Tuesday. […]

South Africa on Thursday confirmed its first local transmission of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Free State. UPDATE: The man in the Free State has been tested against and although he initially tested positive has subsequently been found to be negative. According to the Department of Health, a 32-year-old male came into contact with a […]

Hollywood stars Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for the Corona virus, whilst Tom is filming in Australia. Both are doing just fine, says their son Earlier on Thursday, Tom Hanks (63) – who has 7 million followers on Instagram – posted a message saying: Hello, folks. Rita and I are […]

As the issue of repatriation of foreign nationals from China grabs the headlines in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent in the wake of the spread of COVID-19, there are some important lessons that can still be drawn from events 102 years ago in 1918 when an earlier epidemic, of so-called Spanish flu, arrived […]

WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Wednesday evening, 11 March 2020, that as the number of cases of COVID-19 (novel Coronavirus) have increased by 13 times in the past fortnight, the situation is now officially a pandemic. “In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of COVID-19 cases, the […]

Fiumicino International Airport in Rome, Italy – known as ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ Airport – is usually one of the busiest airports in Europe with an estimated 43 million passengers passing through the airport in 2018. But today – Wednesday 11 March 2020 – parts of the airport looked like a ghost town. As Italians go […]

South Africa’s popular Ndlovu Youth Choir – who shot to fame internationally when they made it through to the finals of America’s Got Talent last year – have posted a video with tips on avoiding getting the novel Coronavirus. The choir said on social media: ” There are already many dangerous myths and misunderstandings about the […]