When great white sharks disappeared from two well-known congregation areas on South Africa’s coast recently, the possible reasons were hotly debated…. writes Alison Kock, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. The appearance of a pair of shark-eating killer whales in the area was one. Another was the decline in numbers of smaller shark species that […]

Patricia de Lille has tested positive for Covid-19. In a tweet an hour ago (around 10am on Sunday), Patricia said: “Good Morning. I have tested positive for Covid-19. I took the test on Friday after showing some symptoms.” Lille said that as per South Africa’s COVID-10 regulations, she immediately self-quarantined. “I also informed those who […]

Frans Steyn and Morné Steyn are in line to experience the rare honour of facing the British & Irish Lions for a second time after being named in a dynamic Springbok squad featuring several Rugby World Cup winners and exciting uncapped players for the Castle Lager Lions Series and Georgia internationals. Mark Alexander, President of […]

The arrival in London of a new Serpentine Pavilion is a design diary highlight every year… by Matthew Barac, London Metropolitan University. Each commission sees a new temporary garden building – a pavilion – created by a selected international architect. It is organised by the Serpentine Galleries in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, regularly attracting over […]

It’s been three and a half years since the epic crash of retailing giant Steinhoff – the biggest corporate scandal in South Africa’s history… which wiped more than R200 billion off the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The company has admitted unlawful conduct, yet there have been no charges and no prosecutions. Currently, Steinhoff faces about 90 […]

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – For the Khoi and San – South Africa’s first inhabitants – a verdant patch of land in Cape Town embodies victory and tragedy… writes Wendell Roelf. The two communities drove back cattle-raiding Portuguese soldiers there in 1510. But, a century and a half later, it was where Dutch settlers launched a […]

A radio DJ from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, has bravely shared her heartbreaking – and heartwarming – real-life story that is inspiring South Africans across the nation. Angel’s life may have sadly begun in a cardboard box… but now she’s dreaming of becoming Miss South Africa, and vibrantly showing others how to think outside the box. Fikile […]

The war on poachers in South Africa appears to have taken a sharp turn in the right direction… with successful convictions during May, as well as several arrests. Just in the past week, the South African National Parks (SANParks) has arrested another four poaching suspects. SANParks announced today (5 June 2021) that well executed operations […]

Passengers on the inaugural United Airlines flight from New York to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, received a warm welcome on Friday 4 June 2021. The flight left Newark International Airport on Thursday, where the Consul General of South Africa in New York, Dr Motumisi Tawana, spoke at the launch. In South Africa, Tourism […]

South Africa’s COVID-19 cases continue to rise, with 5 361 new infections reported on Thursday. The additional cases are from the sample of the 43 776 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, which represents a 12.2 positivity rate. Meanwhile, Health Minster Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, also announced that 54 more people succumbed to the […]

The Kiffness – Alugalug Cat has been a surprise hit worldwide! The song – in which South African musician David Scott harmonises with a wailing cat – has clocked up 1.3-million views on YouTube… and inspired several covers of the track by musicians abroad. Today, he’s uploaded a new video… showcasing some of their talents. […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Researchers in South Africa are working on a potentially new method to deter rhino poachers and smugglers by using radioactive markers to make smuggled horns detectable at global ports of entry and less desirable to buyers. The new radioactive study is a collaboration between the University of Witwatersrand and a global team […]

The Rhino Conservation Awards celebrates its 10th anniversary, an initiative that has dedicated the last decade to recognising individuals and organisations who have worked tirelessly to conserve and protect our wild spaces. And it’s time for nominations for this year’s heroes. (See details at bottom of article.) The awards highlight outstanding efforts by those who […]

Two more poachers, caught on South African soil, were sentenced on Thursday (3 June) after they killed an elephant in November 2018 in the Skukuza National Park. The two men – both from Mozambique – were sentenced at Malamulele Regional Court to eight years imprisonment. Enock Sibanda (31) and Eckson Shirinda (28) both pleaded not […]

A lone driver in South Africa got the fright of his life when an elephant charged and attacked his vehicle on Tuesday, 1 June 2021, as he was driving through the Klaserie Nature Reserve in the Limpopo Province. The video went viral, showing the elephant appearing behind trees on the side of the road… while […]

Four people, including former Transnet Board member Izbal Sharma, appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court today, on charges of procurement fraud involving R24 million, paid by the Free State Department of Agriculture (FSDoA) to Nulane Investment 204, a company owned and controlled by Sharma… that diverted funds to the Gupta family. The National Prosecuting Authority […]

Eskom Group Chief Executive (GCE) André de Ruyter has been cleared of allegations of racism by an independent inquiry. The inquiry, led by Advocate Ishmael Semenya, was established by the Eskom Board to probe a series of allegations made by Eskom’s former Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), Solly Tshitangano, against De Ruyter. The allegations included the […]

Petra Diamonds has announced the final sales process for a rare and exceptional blue diamond. The 39.34 carat Type IIb blue diamond was recovered at the famous Cullinan Diamond Mine in South Africa on 1 April 2021. If you have a few hundred million rands and are keen to purchase (or at least see the […]

The South African academic and economics community is still coming to terms with the passing of Professor Vishnu Padayachee, Distinguished Professor of Development Economics at the University of the Witwatersrand… writes Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand. I first met Vishnu Padayachee when he walked into my Economics 101 class in 1983 at South Africa’s […]

South African Brad Binder – who won the 2020 MotoGP Rookie of the Year award – says he is “super, super happy” to have signed a new contract that will see him remain part of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team for the next three years and take him to 10 Grand Prix seasons […]

Following an announcement made by the Dutch Government, the flight ban from South Africa to the Netherlands has been lifted with immediate effect… although that doesn’t mean South African passport holders can fly to The Netherlands just yet, unless they’re in transit. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines confirmed in a statement today that – in addition […]

South Africa has topped the one million COVID-19 vaccination mark, as the country works around the clock to speed up its inoculation rollout plan. According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, the country has vaccinated 479 768 people under the Sisonke Programme, while at least 565 336 elderly people have received their first shot of […]

Battle over the future of the River Club has become extremely nasty… By Steve Kretzmann. UCT Professor Leslie London has been a leading voice opposing the R4.5-billion River Club development which will include Amazon’s new African headquarters. An email purportedly from the First Nations Collective calls him a racist white colonial. The university has come […]

Chaos erupted again on Tuesday afternoon at the Pan African Parliament, as the gathered politicians in Midrand, Gauteng, attempt to elect new leadership. The main bone of contention is that the southern caucus is calling for a rotational leadership… which the caucuses from East and West Africa heavily oppose. The election process had to be […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a new naming system for the coronavirus that uses Greek letters to refer to the different variants. For the variants of concern, B117 (the UK or Kent variant) will now be known as alpha, B1351 (South Africa) will be beta, P1 (Brazil) is gamma and B16172 (India) delta… […]