Stellenbosch Wine Routes and at least 300 wineries in South Africa, together with Visit Stellenbosch, have thrown their weight behind a legal application asking evidence from the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to explain the reintroduction of a blanket ban on the domestic sale and transportation of alcohol. In an unprecedented show of […]

While action is being taken against officials in her department implicated in cases of corruption, more investigations have to be carried out into the R15 billion in irregular and wasteful expenditure uncovered by the auditor-general, according to Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. Sisulu said today that the department had heeded parliament’s call […]

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, says KwaZulu-Natal appears to be following the same trend of COVID-19 infections, as witnessed in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces. Speaking during a virtual sitting of the National Assembly on Thursday, he said: “This is based on the average daily cases that we have been recording. We […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tonight brief the nation on developments in South Africa’s risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of Coronavirus. (You can watch below.) “The President’s address follows a number of meetings of the Cabinet and the National Coronavirus Command Council,” said the Presidency on Thursday. The President’s address is scheduled to get underway […]

Following a controversial tweet yesterday, in which the South African government announced that the ban on the sale of alcohol and cigarettes would remain in place until the end of Lockdown, the government has clarified that it was “incorrect”. The SA Government said: “This account posted a tweet earlier (yesterday) which said that the ban […]

The South African government has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for $4.2 billion. The money would come from a facility that provides financing to countries facing an urgent balance of payments need, without the need to have a full-fledged program in place. According to the IMF managing director this means that the recipient can […]

NSRI rescue swimmers, more accustomed to saving humans, yesterday saved a frightened dog that had become trapped on a rock about 30 metres off-shore at Harmony Park Resort, between Strand and Gordon’s Bay in South Africa. Thanks to the dog whisperer skills of Kyle Burns, the dog made it safely to shore. Vincent Landman, NSRI […]

On a day in which there didn’t seem to be much to celebrate, a wonderful gentleman in Fish Hoek, South Africa, rescued a duckling from the ocean, to the relief of spectators who broke out in applause. Facebook group Fish Hoek Beach posted the below video to social media describing the incident that could have […]

While the Eastern Cape has been overwhelmed by news of the collapse of its health care system, with hospitals unable to cope with the pandemic while the local government spends money on a questionable scooter programme, the Minister of Health has said it doesn’t need to be put under administration and that all provinces are […]

While President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year said the government was committed to putting properly qualified people in the right jobs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma today defended her earlier remarks that municipalities have to appoint the ‘”right cadres,” or supporters of the ANC. In June the minister of Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs made the statement about […]

While safari and tourism operators hold their own protests, restaurants beg clients to return to empty spaces, and hundreds of thousands of people continue to lose their jobs, the Minister for Tourism says she will send her proposals for recovery of the sector to cabinet …. next month. The multibillion-rand tourism sector, which President Cyril […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it rejects with contempt the SA Government’s “disgraceful tweet” which has advised South Africa that the ban on alcohol and tobacco will remain in place “throughout the lockdown”. This indefinite ban could last weeks or even into 2021, says the DA. “What the government has done today is pull the […]

South Africans have been shocked by a tweet, posted by the South African Government, casually announcing that the sale of cigarettes and alcohol are to remain banned until the end of lockdown. The tweet, posted at lunchtime, says: “The ban on the sale of alcohol and cigarette will remain in place throughout the lockdown period.The […]

South African restaurants around the country are currently holding a peaceful protest, despite warnings from the SA Police Service (SAPS) yesterday that the protest might infringe on Disaster Management Act (DMA) regulation 37(1)(l). The protest (Million Seats in the Streets), planned by the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA), includes owners placing their empty tables […]

The last surviving Rivonia trialist, Andrew Mlangeni, has passed away at the age of 95. Mlangeni, who celebrated his birthday last month, was admitted at 1 Military Hospital following an abdominal complaint on Tuesday. He passed away overnight. President Ramaphosa has since paid tribute to the fallen hero and offered his sincere condolences to the Mlangeni […]

Cape wine producers are warning of a “job massacre” because of the renewed ban on alcohol sales. Wine producers already reeling from previous bans on alcohol warn that the new total ban is the nail in the coffin for them. They doubt that table wine sales contribute much to medical emergencies from alcohol abuse. Workers […]

Residents of the Western Cape, South Africa, have been saddened to hear of two water-related tragedies yesterday. In the first, a surfer collapsed and died in Kommetjie, and in the second a man was fatally run over by a boat trailer in Hout Bay. Dave Smith, NSRI Kommetjie duty coxswain, said the NSRI crew had […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has put global emergency preparedness under sharp scrutiny. It’s also placed national health systems’ capacity to predict and respond to major emergencies under the microscope. Much of the response to the pandemic is focused on testing, case management and control measures such as personal hygiene, quarantine and social distancing. But in most […]

As Cape Town’s homeless population has grown more visible during lockdown, with everything from blankets to plastic bags to tents serving as homes – on the Sea Point Promenade, along highways, in vacant lots – the city says there are safe spaces available for them to get shelter and food as well as partake in […]

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, reeling from years of corruption, has started a recruitment process to employ 3,100 security guards to protect the country’s trains and railways, which have been battered by years of arson of stations and trains as well as rampant cable theft. Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula said that the […]

Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Boitumelo Booi says the COVID-19 Temporary Employers/ Employee Relief Fund, set up to help those who found themselves out of work due to lockdown, will be extended to August. This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa extended the national state of disaster to August as the COVID-19 pandemic spurs national efforts […]

Three people have declined to serve on a government panel. That’s not exactly news. But, given who they are and the panel on to which they were invited, their refusal has exposed major fault lines in South Africa’s treatment of wild animals.   The high-level panel was set up by the Minister of Environmental Affairs, […]

While the number of new COVID-19 cases is stabilising in the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal is expected to join Gauteng as the country’s epicentre, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has warned.   “In the country, Gauteng is still at the top of the rate of infections. KwaZulu-Natal is taking over now,” Mkhize […]

The City of Cape Town’s newly built facility – meant for Covid-19 patients in Makhaza, Khayelitsha – was torched allegedly by people protesting over land on Saturday. Protesters torched the Desmond Tutu Community Hall and a new facility for Covid-19 patients in Makhaza, Khayelitsha, on Saturday. The new facility opened a week ago and damage […]

A vaccine against COVID-19 is urgently needed if we’re to stop the virus spreading and prevent potentially millions of further deaths. We’re now one step closer to that goal. Yesterday, we published early results from our clinical trial of the vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (also known as AZD1222), designed by the University of Oxford and developed […]