The African National Congress chief whip in Parliament, Stone Sizani, who has been one of the loudest supporters of President Jacob Zuma in the house, has resigned from his seat and will be posted to Germany as South African ambassador, according to news reports on Wednesday. The ANC said in a statement that Sizani would […]

Mohau Pheko, South Africa’s ambassador to Japan, has said she regrets claiming she had a degree that she didn’t actually have, which came from a dubious university in America that closed after it was found to be selling degrees online. Pheko made the apology last week during an interview with the SABC, although she said that […]

Barclays Bank confirmed on Tuesday that it is leaving Africa – after a long history on the continent – but that it will be a long goodbye. The bank said it will not pack up immediately, but will sell down its 62 percent stake in Barclays Africa over two to three years. Investors seemed satisfied, with profits […]

In a series of tweets on Absa’s official Twitter page today, it reiterated Barclays Africa’s commitment to Africa, and that it continues to be “optimistic about our growth prospects, and to operate in the normal course of business.” In a media release on Absa’s website – following reports in the Financial Times that Barclays plans to announce […]

More than 1.4 million people have sent online emails lobbying the African National Congress members of parliament to support the no-confidence debate against President Jacob Zuma scheduled to be heard on Tuesday. The Democratic Alliance in December asked for the no-confidence debate and it was confirmed in January. It will take place at 2 p.m. South African time on Tuesday. […]

Race relations in South Africa are good, and the “acrimonious” debate that has raged in social media recently is not a reflection of what most South Africans feel, according to the Institute for Race Relations. In a statement on Monday accompanying a newly released study, IRR Policy Fellow Sara Gon said, “The results should fill all […]

A study by the non-profit Good Governance Africa has found that nine out of the 10 top municipalities in South Africa – out of a total of 234 – are in the Western Cape. Nine of the 10 worst are in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The results of the survey could inform the decision of […]

Barclays PLC Chief Executive Jes Staley has decided to shut the bank’s operations in Africa, the Financial Times said on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The bank’s board took the decision last week at a review led by Staley and plans to announce the exit on Tuesday, the FT said. The board has […]

The town of George on Friday became the first in South Africa whose airport will get a lot of its power from solar energy. The launch ceremony of the 750Kw plant on Friday was attended by the Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters and the mayor of George, among others. Skhumbuzo Macozoma, the head of Airport Company South Africa, […]

If the Los Angeles Times has its way, South African-born Margaret Sixel will win the Academy Award tonight for her brilliant editing of the Charlize Theron movie “Mad Max: Fury Road”, Sixel’s first action pic. “Margaret Sixel’s Herculean effort cutting together the massive amount of footage shot by her husband, George Miller, is the favorite,” […]

A flurry of heavily charged words – about maliciously leaked documents, rumours and gossip, reputations being destroyed – has suddenly erupted from the Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan and the office of President Jacob Zuma over an investigation by the Hawks into an apparent “rogue” unit that was operating in the South African Revenue Services several years ago. […]

Appletiser, South Africa’s famous sparkling, apple-flavoured drink that was somehow before its time – fun, bubbly but also healthy – is celebrating its first half century. The now famous drink was “mastered by French-Italian Edmond Lombardi in the Elgin Valley” and “developed with the help of Swiss technology”, according to Appletiser’s website. “The apple aroma taunts your taste-buds, and the […]

The South African businessman and former politician Tokyo Sexwale has withdrawn from the race to become the new president of the international football governing body FIFA, according to news reports on Friday. Sexwale made his announcement only minutes before the first round of voting for a new president of FIFA was to start in Zurich […]

It’s voter registration next weekend, Saturday and Sunday 5-6 March 2016, for South Africans – and a good time to make sure you are still registered in the ward that you live in – for the 2016 local government elections. On Thursday, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba urged all eligible South Africans to register during the dates designated by the […]

A group of South African school students were interviewed by Morning Live’s Leanne Manas following the Post-Budget Breakfast Briefing Thursday to which they had been invited. Their praise for Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan comes at the same time he is said to be in a stand-off with the head of the SA Revenue Service Tom Moyane. Gordhan […]

We are gutted, here in the middle of the country on a university campus I have come to embrace with all its hope and hurt, its great strides and lingering imperfections. An incident on Monday evening in a Varsity Cup rugby match between the Madibaz of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the Shimlas of […]

The British comedian and actor Eddie Izzard has begun an attempt to run 27 marathons in South Africa – or 1,126 kilometres – in 27 days, one for each of the years Nelson Mandela was in jail, and all in aid of Sport Relief. The British non-profit Sport Relief organises events where people run for charity, and […]

In a highly anticipated and greatly watched budget speech that many are hoping will gird the South African economy and save it from a ratings downgrade, finance minister Pravin Gordhan was today even-keeled as he said the country needed to work together to grow, giving a few surprises, although probably not as many as were anticipated. Gordhan stressed […]

The woman accused of kidnapping Zephany Nurse from Groote Schuur 18 years ago – before the child was reunited with her real parents in a bizarre twist of fate – has told a Cape Town court she was “given” the baby, according to news reports. The alleged kidnapper, identified only as a 51-year-old woman from Lavendar Hill, is appearing in the Western […]

The South African minister of defense has accused pilots who left the Air Force of taking planes with them and putting them in museums, which is why there are no planes for today’s pilots to train in. Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula made the accusation in parliament on Tuesday. She was replying to a question about why Air Force pilots were being […]

The new head of the SA Post Office, former businessman Mark Barnes, has asked the government for up to R3.5 billion to help turn around the state-owned enterprise, which has been driven into the ground by years of poor management and service, fraud and skyrocketing debt.   Barnes, the former chairman of financial services company Purple Capital, […]

PRETORIA – Almost as if he was trying to reignite a terrible fire, President Jacob Zuma told a room of journalists on Monday that Des van Rooyen, his short-lived choice for finance minister after he had inexplicably fired Nhlanhla Nene last year, was the best man for the job. The statement could not have been worse […]

Clearly the US ambassador in South Africa has a sense of humour, if his tweets over the past few days are anything to go by, as he has been faced with accusations by the African National Congress that the United States is fomenting regime change in South Africa. Along with a picture of Oprah Winfrey in one of her […]

President Jacob Zuma and the Commander-in-Chief of the South African Armed Forces hosted the fourth annual Armed Forces Day in Port Elizabeth this morning to celebrate and honour members of the South African Defence Force (SANDF) under the theme “A professional and capable defence force for the people of South Africa”. The president said this annual […]

News of Tesla Motors’ entry to South Africa is coming out in dribs and drabs. This week it was announced that the company owned by South African-born billionaire Elon Musk would open its first office in Africa in Cape Town, while five new jobs were  posted on the company’s website. The entry of Tesla to South Africa was […]