In March three unemployed men from KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage, decided to start growing their own food. As it turned out, a week later the Covid-19 national lockdown started. Siyabulela Booysen, Sakhumzi Mbaduli and Mendo Vece had no experience. They started by collecting empty bottles from friends and family and selling them to get the money they […]

I have to admit, I have never spent more time avoiding “real work” to watch YouTube like I did this week, I bluffed myself that is was “sort of” real work as the content I was consuming was #StateCapture and the #ZondoCommission.   #Netflix may lose a subscriber if this type of content keeps pouring out. […]

Nine people and nine companies have appeared in the Bloemfontein Regional Court in connection with 286 charges that include fraud, money laundering, and corruption by both a public officer and private persons. The money stolen amounted to over R7 million, which the suspects allegedly divided among themselves. The National Prosecuting Authority today named the accused […]

The Zandile Gumede story seems to go from disaster to disaster … for the African National Congress. Today the disgraced former eThekwini mayor was told to take a leave of absence from the KwaZulu-Natal legislature – a job she only got last week – but with her full R1.1 million salary. “Life, it seems, is […]

Gauteng Premier David Makhura has said there will be an investigation into the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old disabled boy in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, during a clash between police and suspected gang members. Rioting broke out in the area today over the shooting. Nathaniel Julius, the victim, reportedly had Down’s Syndrome. Makhura said in a […]

Six men were arrested west of Johannesburg today, after a combined force of PRASA and the police caught them with railway assets worth R5.5 million, as well as equipment used in illegal mining. “This is fuelling suspicion that elements involved in illegal mining, known as the zama-zamas, are now targeting rail infrastructure,” PRASA said in […]

A ruling by the Durban High Court that a Madrassah in Isipingo has to ensure its calls to prayer, or Athans, are not audible in a neighbour’s house across the street has been called bizarre by a legal expert. “The judgment is badly argued and clearly wrong in law as the law requires neighbours to […]

After the government has come under repeated criticism for corruption in the awarding of tenders dealing with the fight against COVID-19, and investigations have been launched to uncover illicit dealings, the National Treasury has released a detailed list of the companies to whom government has given contracts. The Treasury said the register will be regularly […]

West Mathewson, the owner of a lodge in Hoedspruit that was known for his interactions, and conservation work, with lions, died after being mauled by his two white lions today. “Confirmed reports that lodge owner West Mathewson was killed by his two white lions at Treetop Lodge near Hoedspruit this morning,” according to a tweet […]

Tragically, at least four, if not 17, dolphins washed up dead on the shores of Mauritius this morning, and another four ailing dolphins were found stranded. This comes one month after Japanese vessel MV Wakashio ran aground, causing an oil spill although local authorities claim there is no link. Greenpeace has called for an urgent […]

A large black mamba has been rescued from the surf at Addington Beach on Durban’s famous beachfront, a destination which is usually more popular with bathing tourists than venomous snakes! According to SAAMBR, the snake was 2.47 metres long! Metro Search and Rescue reached out to SAAMBR (the South African Association for Marine Biological Research) […]

Joseph Dhafana, a proud ‘Zimbo’ as he refers to himself, moved to South Africa in 2009 with his wife Amelia… writes Swartland Style. Despite many challenges including refugee camps and living in a Methodist Church in Johannesburg whilst awaiting asylum, they finally boarded a train from Johannesburg to Cape Town, and found themselves in Riebeek […]

Four more airports have been given the green light to resume operations, bringing the total to 18 airports which are permitted to operate in South Africa, says Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula. International air travel remains prohibited. The four airports are: Mthatha Airport, Hoedspruit Airport, Phalaborwa Airport and Margate Airport as the new additions. “Air travel is […]

Eight-year-old Clarence Solomons lost his life during a protest over a house demolition, after being hit by a stray bullet. The Elsies River woman whose house was demolished by the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement says she now has to share her mother’s small flat with six other people. She wants the City to […]

Social media users were shocked this week by the emergence of videos on Twitter that show Standerton in a state of chaos, with rubbish strewn across streets. The garbage has apparently been piling up for approximately three months in the Lekwa Municipality, reportedly as a result of a garbage collectors strike. Several local residents said […]

The City of Cape Town’s Anti-Land Invasion Unit (ALIU) will not be allowed to evict people or demolish their structures, whether occupied or unoccupied, without a court order while the country remains in a state of national disaster. Judges Shehnaz Meer and Rosheni Allie in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday afternoon granted an […]

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA had a virtual walk event this weekend that helped them make more than R180,000, R30,000 above their target, enabling them to buy a kit for repairing bone fractures in their furry patients. The #PawFeetLove event was held on Saturday and Sunday. It didn’t matter what distance was walked, the […]

A Johannesburg businessman has been released on bail of R50,000, after being charged with defrauding the city of R7.5 million for undelivered computers. Deon Pillay, the sole director of Esizwe Techology, is accused of taking payment of almost R7.5 million for 570 computers that were never delivered to the city. He is charged by the […]

The Association of Southern African Travel Agents (ASATA) has put out a call for government to give a definite date for the reopening of international travel, so that airlines can plan and the devastated industry can start to recover. “A definite date for international travel would allow sufficient time for airlines to plan the reintroduction […]

Doctors at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town have started using modified snorkel masks to protect themselves when dealing with patients who have tested positive for  COVID-19. “They have been modified with the addition of a breathing filter where the snorkel would usually be,” the hospital said. “Using these full-face modified snorkel masks, the doctors are […]

South Africa’s National Treasury and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) today presented “damning findings” before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure which, according to the Democratic Alliance (DA), suggests that Minister Patricia De Lille was much more involved in the procurement of the Beitbridge “Washing Line” than she has previously admitted. These findings […]

Smooth-drinking wine and hardy indigenous Nguni cattle might seem an unlikely pairing – yet 320-year old Vergelegen Estate in Somerset West is home to one of South Africa’s largest Nguni collections, numbering over 400 prime cattle. The good news is that this renowned estate has welcomed 132 Nguni newborns over the past few weeks – […]

Three suspects, among them two police officers, are today expected to appear before the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court for allegedly defrauding and laundering proceeds from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) COVID-19 relief funds. This comes after the trio, aged between 25 and 39, were arrested in Durban on Monday afternoon by the Germiston Serious […]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged countries to desist from the nationalisation of COVID-19 vaccines and has requested that they join a vaccine pact. The call from WHO comes as countries across the world race to find a vaccine for COVID-19. Following a letter to all member states requesting them to join the vaccine […]

Soccer star Lucas Radebe along with other South African celebrities like Francois Pienaar and Karen Zoid are inviting South Africans abroad to join them to raise funds for South Africa’s COVID-19 Solidarity Fund this weekend, which is a Bank Holiday weekend in the UK. South Africans across the globe can join the well known personalities […]