Curfew could be reinstated if hospital beds start running out… By GroundUp Editors   There is no scientific basis for the continued 12am to 4am curfew. It should be ended. The third wave is over and this restriction does not mitigate the Covid pandemic. If Covid hospitalisations start ticking up again, a temporary curfew may […]

In the face of South Africa’s stark inequalities it was clear that many people were likely to fall into even more desperate circumstances once the reality of COVID-19 restrictions set in. Many immediately lost jobs or saw their businesses collapse, and a host of other restrictions led to unprecedented changes in how we lived. By […]

It’s been barely three weeks since South African Airways (SAA) took to the air again (after being grounded for 16 months), and there already seems to be some trouble in paradise. The South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) has been picketing at the airline’s Kempton Park offices. SACCA members are reportedly protesting against alleged unfair […]

Bonang Matheba, arguably South Africa’s most famous  celebrity, has announced on Twitter – where she has over 4.9-million followers – that she has ended her contract with her management company, citing possible criminal conduct. In a series of tweets in the past few days, Bonang said she’d been quiet for too long and there were […]

Ten people have tragically lost their lives in a fatal bus crash on the N3 near Ladysmith in South Africa today, Tuesday 12 October. The bus was apparently on its way to Johannesburg. According to local reports, the bus plunged into the Tugela River near the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) town, and at least 50 passengers sustained […]

Over 10 million adults in South Africa have been fully vaccinated, as of Monday. This comes after 139 899 either received the one dose of the Johnson & Johnson or two-dose Pfizer vaccine. This means there are now 10 059 118 eligible citizens who are fully jabbed, which translates to 25.28% of the country’s adult […]

Takesure Ranjisi worked as a waiter in Gqeberha for three years before he was retrenched in the 2020 lockdown, without any notice and with no payout, he says. He gave up trying to get Unemployment Insurance Fund money as his former employer did not cooperate. Ranjisi decided to set up his own pizza takeaway – […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared November 1 as a public holiday to give all those going to cast their ballots an opportunity to do so. The date is the day of Local Government Elections, where eligible voters will cast their vote for councillors who will represent them at local level. “The President calls on all […]

A protest is planned in Tshwane this morning to demand that Afrikaans be declared an indigenous language of South Africa. A petition will be handed over to the Department of Higher Education. DA Leader John Steenhuisen and DA Shadow Minister of Public Service and Administration, Leon Schreiber, are leading the protest action outside the offices […]

In a heartfelt post on Facebook, two brothers have paid tribute to their father, German tourist Michael Mirschel, who died yesterday – Sunday 9 October – after jumping from a luxury houseboat that had caught fire in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. The brothers – Alex and Mario – wrote in German about the last 48 […]

Irrelevant that the statement was made after hours or that employee was unaware of company’s social media policy… By Tania Broughton. Nhlanhla Christopher Makhoba was dismissed from Clover in 2017 after posting on EyeWitness News’s Facebook site: “Whites mz be all killed”. The Durban Labour Court and the CCMA have upheld the dismissal. The court […]

Two people, including one crew member and a passenger, have sadly died after a fire broke out on a luxury house boat in Jozini, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in South Africa. The passenger is reported to be a tourist from Germany. Another crew member is also missing, according to the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA). SAMSA […]

The sun was shining and spirits were soaring on Sunday – along with kites – as South Africans shed the winter lockdown blues and embraced a fabulous new almost-normal, as big events returned with today’s Dolphin Beach Kite Festival and the famous Cape Town Cycle Tour (see more below). Dolphin Beach Kite Festival Photos by […]

Squid Game is anything but your typical, saccharine, soft-glow Korean television drama. In this biting commentary on life in South Korea today, viewers are presented with a twisting, technicolour story of violence, betrayal and desperation. All of this is set around a series of macabre games in which players literally fight to the death. Despite […]

It’s that time of the year again – when Pretoria transforms into a beautiful purple haze, as the Jacaranda trees burst into bloom, and purple petals carpet the city’s pavements. Yesterday morning, Friday 8 October, as rain fell on Pretoria (one of South Africa’s capital cities), local resident David (Dawie) Jacobs captured these stunning photos of […]

A much loved and loving family pet, Kei, is to receive a Heroism Award for risking his own life to save that of the family that adopted him from the SPCA last year. During a horrific home invasion in Benoni, South Africa, on 3 October, Kei almost lost his life after he bravely attacked an […]

CRADOCK – The organisers of the Fish River Canoe Marathon in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, have sadly confirmed the deaths of two participants during the first stage of the two-day race on Friday. 53-year old Pretoria paddler Axel Marggraf died after falling out of his K3 canoe in Soutpansdrift rapid, while 31 year old […]

You can watch Carte Blanche on Sunday 10 October in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from Tuesday 12 October if you live abroad (in most countries). Here are this week’s must-watch topics: The Mysterious Case of Dead African Penguins Penguins are an endangered species spending most of their […]

South Africans can now download their digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate following the official launch by the Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla. Addressing a media briefing on government’s efforts in the fight against COVID-19 and the national vaccination rollout programme on Friday, the Minister said the certificate could be used for travel and tourism, sport […]

South Africans are to be plunged into loadshedding land for the entire weekend… through to Thursday morning, Eskom has announced. The organisation said that to continue replenishing the emergency power generation reserves in South Africa, and address additional risks, Stage 2 loadshedding will be extended from 21:00 tonight until 05:00 on Thursday. Yesterday, Thursday, South […]

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has urged consumers in South Africa to return 100% Apple juice produced by Pioneer Foods. This includes both LiquiFruit and Ceres 100% apple juice. “Consumers who have these products must not consume them but return them immediately to the point of purchase,” said the NCC in a statement on Friday. […]

South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI/Hawks) has launched an investigation into the construction of the so-called R15 million Lesseyton sports facility in the Enoch Mgijima Municipality in the Eastern Cape… which was exposed this week by former DA Leader Mmusi Maimane. Maimane declared on Monday, when the stadium was launched: “The #TsotsiGame must […]

Over 260,000 more people have died in South Africa since May 2020 than expected. This is according to researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC), who estimate that 85 to 95% of these “excess” deaths are directly from Covid. This is nearly three times as high as the official Covid death toll published by the […]

Wolfgat restaurant in the small fishing village of Paternoster – a two-hour drive from Cape Town – has been named as the 50th Best Restaurant in the World! The fabulous west coast eatery, enjoyed by none other than South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, has also been named as Africa’s Best Restaurant in the latest awards […]

South Africa is finally being removed from the UK’s dreaded Red List! From Monday!!! This means anyone entering the UK from South Africa, who is double-vaccinated, will no longer need to spend £2,000 on mandatory 10-day quarantine in the UK! The news comes as a huge relief for South African expats who haven’t seen their […]