AfriForum obtained a court order today, with the consent of the South African Health Products Regulations Authority (SAHPRA), which will enable doctors to start ivermectin treatment concurrently with the submission of an article 21 application, in cases where the doctor deems urgent access to ivermectin as crucial for a patient. According to the Medicines and […]

Lawyers acting on behalf of the Democratic Alliance (DA) have this weekend submitted to the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture an extensive list of questions to be posed to South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa. DA Leader John Steenhuisen said in a statement on Tuesday: “As ANC president, Cyril Ramaphosa needs to […]

kulula.com has launched a domestic sale in the romantic month of February to promote the love for local travel this year. Making sure ‘love is in the air’, the ‘sale at first sight’ promotion offers special fares until Thursday (4 Feb) – from as low as R354. The airline says: “With 347 800 seats on […]

The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa, FEDHASA, has welcomed tonight’s Presidential address that confirmed shorter curfew hours and the lifting of the outright ban on alcohol sales, bringing great relief to a hospitality sector which has borne the brunt of heightened restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID. “We are thrilled with tonight’s […]

South Africans are tonight toasting President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that although the country will remain on Level 3 Alert, several restrictions are being eased. Alcohol sales and restaurant consumption is again allowed. Beaches and parks are open once more. Here are more details on the revisions… Alcohol Alcohol sales from retail outlets will be permitted […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation at 20h00 today, Monday 1 February 2021, on developments in relation to the country’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Watch below. Today’s address follows meetings in recent days of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) and Cabinet. Several South Africans are preparing to […]

Air France has confirmed that all flights between Paris and Johannesburg will be maintained and will operate with the schedule seen below. The airline says it has noted the new regulations issued by the French government on 29 January 2021, and can confirm that all flights will continue to operate to South Africa as scheduled. […]

While conservationists have responded with major concern to SANParks’ latest rhino figures which reveal less than 4,000 rhino left in the park, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has painted a different picture, today publishing a glowing report on its fight against rhino poaching. SANParks has kept quiet about its figures in the last […]

Barefoot running legend Zola Budd (54) has shared her experience of suffering from Covid-19, and its impact on her running. Zola said she felt compelled to share her experience in order to inform other runners. Taking to social media, Zola said she and her daughter had both recently been diagnosed with Covid… and fortunately both […]

South Africa has recorded 1 453 761 COVID-19 cases, with 4 525 new cases identified as of Sunday evening. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said that the cumulative total of tests conducted to date is 8 279 200, with 34 076 new tests recorded since the last report on Sunday. “Our recoveries now stand at […]

Award-winning Western Cape photographer Rob Tarr enjoyed an incredibly special photo session with Cape Town (and now South Africa’s) most famous baboon, Kataza, before the animal was packed up and moved across the country to Limpopo. Here are Rob’s thoughts, and amazing photos. Kataza’s ‘Great Trek’ to his new home is featured on Carte Blanche […]

The first shipment of one million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine for South Africa is officially on its way to SA. The South African Government today posted photos of the shipment, from Serum Institute of India (SII), as it left the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, India, on Sunday. The Government posted […]

The ANC Parliamentary Caucus has issued a statement in defence of its deployment of Xiaomei Havard to replace the late Jackson Mthembu in Parliament, after outrage that Havard was not born and raised in SA. The ANC said it noted with “grave concern” the social media storm generated by Xiaomei Havard’s deployment.  Following the death […]

Disinformation, bad science and fake news have spiked to unprecedented levels as the globe has been battered by COVID-19 for over a year. This week Carte Blanche takes some of South Africans’ most frequently asked COVID-19 questions to some of the country’s top scientists. You can watch the show on Sunday 31 January in South […]

Acting KwaZulu-Natal Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Kwazi Mshengu has urged motorists to be extra vigilant on the roads as heavy rains continue to batter parts of the province. The rains are causing extensive damage to bridges and other transport infrastructure. Mshengu said that the department is currently quantifying the extent of the damage […]

Six-year-old Phawu Mandiyase was buried today in Port Elizabeth as the investigations into his death continue. The child died when he was crushed by an abandoned stormwater pipe at the Methodist Church in Govan Mbeki Township in Port Elizabeth last week. The family blames the municipality for Phawu’s death. The stormwater pipes, intended to channel […]

The Namibian government will put 170 wild elephants up for sale today, 29 January, justified by false population statistics and disputed claims of human-elephant conflict. More than 100,000 people have signed a petition condemning the action… writes Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick. See petition here. The Namibian government says it has too many elephants and that […]

The obsessive pressure being put on the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to approve ivermectin is extraordinary and dangerous… writes GroundUp editor Nathan Geffen. There are circumstances when early – or even illegal – access to drugs is justified. In the early 2000s I worked with the TAC to import fluconazole, a life-saving […]

Prince Albert resident Yolande Singery yesterday rescued a Spotted Eagle Owl from the side of the road. While many motorists may not have noticed the owl needed help, animal lover Yolande picked up on its distress. Here’s her story: “Yesterday morning I had the absolute privilege of having an up close and personal account with […]

On Wednesday and Thursday, a heroes’ farewell was given to the five exceptional human beings who died last week, in a Netcare helicopter crash, on their way to save a life. On Wednesday the families of the fallen heroes, as well as colleagues, were transported in a convoy to the scene of the tragedy near […]

The Department of Health has discouraged the use of Ivermectin vaccine for management of COVID-19, until the study on its efficacy and safety is concluded. In a statement on Thursday, department spokesperson Popo Maja said that the National Essential Medicines List Committee (NEMLC) COVID-19 Sub-Committee has carefully considered all available evidence on the treatment or […]

COVID-19 has now killed more than 43 000 people in South Africa after 555 more patients succumbed to the respiratory disease on Thursday. According to the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, 249 fatalities were recorded in KwaZulu-Natal, 150 in the Eastern Cape, 70 in Gauteng, 45 in the Western Cape, 21 in Mpumalanga and 10 in […]

World renowned South African singer Sibongile Khumalo sadly passed away earlier today, at the age of 63. A family spokesperson said Dr Khumalo died from stroke-related complications following a “lengthy period of illness”. Tributes have poured in, led by South African music legend Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse who tweeted: “Gutted my dear dear friend Sibongile – […]

The construction of a multimillion-rand Lottery-funded old age home in a rural Limpopo village has been abandoned. Now thieves are stripping the buildings and stealing material from the site. R26 million was given to a mystery non-profit organisation by the National Lotteries Commission to construct an old-age home in rural Limpopo. The home is half-built […]

Many South Africans have taken to social media, using the hashtags #SArejectsXiaomeiHavard and #NoChineseInSAPaliarment (deliberately spelt incorrectly) to express their outrage and resistance to the deployment of Xiaomei Zhang Havard, in Parliament to replace Minister Jackson Mthembu, who passed away last week from Covid-19. Popular SA Twitter user Tumelo Warona said in a tweet that […]