A team of Special Envoys has been dispatched by President Cyril Ramaphosa to several African countries to deliver a message of reassurance in light of the recent attacks on foreign nationals. “The Special Envoys will deliver a message from President Ramaphosa regarding the incidents of violence that recently erupted in some parts of South Africa […]

As if marathons weren’t hard enough already, today in South Africa, an accountant, an entrepreneur and a boxing executive were among 20 friends running the Cape Town Marathon – with saplings strapped to their backs. The group are promoting the planting of native trees amid a nationwide push to replace invasive species with indigenous one […]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was booed by the crowd gathered today for the funeral of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. The Master of Ceremony was forced to intervene to appeal to the crowd to give Ramaphosa a chance to speak. Their reaction follows the wave of deadly riots and xenophobic attacks in South Africa […]

The Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources, Bavelile Hlongwa, who had recently been appointed, was killed with four others in a car accident on Friday night on the N1 near Polokwane, according to a statement from The Presidency. Hlongwa, who was 38, had been appointed on 30 May. In his statement today, President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed […]

HARARE – Foreign leaders, including South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, supporters and ordinary citizens gathered at a national stadium on Saturday to bid farewell to Zimbabwe’s founder Robert Mugabe, after a week of disputes over his burial that have threatened to undermine President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe […]

Travel trends across the world are seeing travellers shying away from the overcrowded sights, rather looking for unique experiences in their destinations. But avoiding the crush of tourists doesn’t mean you should skip visiting some of South Africa’s most well-loved cities. And to celebrate Heritage Day this month – you could even stand a chance […]

Gautrain, the speed train running between Johannesburg, O.R. Tambo and Pretoria, has been banned from the advertising authority of South Africa from using a series of ads that, in an effort to attract more commuters, contend that travelling with its trains could save you up to 11 days a year. “What could you do with […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s economic growth is unlikely to reach the treasury’s target of 1.5% in 2019 because conditions have changed and the country is facing increasing headwinds, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said on Friday. This week ratings agency Moody’s, the last of the top three credit firms to rate South Africa’s debt at investment […]

Instead of attending the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York later this month, President Cyril Ramaphosa will stay in South Africa to focus on the burning issues that have beset the country in the past weeks, including gender-based violence, the restoration of law and order and the worsening economy, according to […]

Four suspects involved in a farm attack in Coligny on Tuesday night were swiftly arrested by the South African Police Service (SAPS), thanks to a joint brave and committed effort by the local community police forum (CPF) – made up of farmers and residents – and SAPS. A local resident, who was involved in the […]

Tanzania has flown in nine black rhinos to its Serengeti national park from South Africa as part of efforts to restore its population of the critically endangered species. Rampant poaching during the 1960s and 1970s in the Serengeti, famed for its sweeping planes and Africa’s most spectacular wildebeest migration, devastated the population of rare east African black […]

CAPE TOWN – Olympic 800 metres champion Caster Semenya will be officially awarded her gold medal from the 2011 World Athletics Championships at this year’s edition in Doha, but will not be there to receive it. Semenya was elevated to the gold medal position two years ago when Russian athlete Mariya Savinova, who sped past […]

The number of murders, rapes and armed robberies in South Africa went up in the past year, according to the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele. “Women issues, murder and the fear factor – those crimes that make South Africans live in fear – like house robbery, house burglary. Those are the things we need to […]

South African Police Minister Bheki Cele says police intelligence is working around the clock to prevent more attacks and looting in parts of Gauteng which have been hit by violence against foreign nationals. In a Parliamentary debate on incidents of violence and criminality in parts of Gauteng, Cele said blanket statements about police intelligence being […]

LONDON – Two female penguins are set to raise the first “gender neutral” chick, a London aquarium said on Wednesday, the latest same-sex penguin parents to take a furry baby under their wings. Rocky and Marama, who have been together for six breeding seasons, have adopted a four-month-old Gentoo chick that will be classified as […]

An international team of astronomers using South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope has discovered enormous balloon-like structures that tower hundreds of light-years above and below the centre of our galaxy, it was announced today in a media release. With some joking that now we’ve discovered the Milky Way was an Aero all along, the astronomers have explained […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has honoured the late rugby hero, Chester Mornay Williams, with a declaration of a Special Provincial Official Funeral Category 2. The 49-year-old veteran of the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the first player of colour to represent the Springboks since the 1980s – passed away from a sudden heart attack on Friday, […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African business confidence fell to its lowest level in 34 years in August, as a sharp drop in export volumes and a weaker currency aggravated already tough economic conditions, a survey showed on Wednesday. The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s monthly business confidence index (BCI) fell to 89.1 in August […]

Tanzania has seized ivory tusks equivalent to killing at least 117 elephants, its tourism minister said, part of its drive to stamp out organised criminal networks involved in years of industrial-scale poaching. The elephant population in Tanzania, famed for its wildlife reserves, shrank from 110,000 in 2009 to barely 43,000 in 2014, according to a 2015 census, […]

This 52-minute SuperSport documentary honours the life and career of Springbok and Western Province winger Chester Williams, who first won South African fans’ hearts when he scored four tries against Samoa in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. (Watch trailer below or full doc here.) If you are in South Africa, you can stream Supersport’s all-day […]

Kelly Malan thought her baby was going to choke to death last Monday, and as she desperately tried to flag down a car in the busy Sandown peak traffic in Cape Town, South Africa… there was one good guy, a knight in a shining bakkie, who not only pulled over to help, but took her […]

‘Knuckle City’ is this year’s South African entry for the highly coveted best International Feature Film award (previously known as the Foreign Language Film award) for the 2020 Academy Awards. Six South African film submissions were received for the 2020 Oscars consideration. They were: Flatland, Racheltjie De Beer, Poppie Nongena, Back of the Moon, Knuckle […]

Mobs have attacked foreign-owned businesses on the streets of at least three South African cities in recent days. This has caused outrage across Africa. There have even been retaliatory attacks. The South African government, under pressure to protect her large international migrant community, quickly defused the attacks. Such attacks are not new. For more than […]

The South African Broadcasting Corporation has suspended three employees and given notice to a freelancer for their alleged involvement in an act of sabotage by airing the wrong address by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 5 September in an attempt to discredit him and the SABC, the broadcaster has said. “The SABC now has strong prima […]

In a new global livability survey by the Economist of 140 cities around the world, three each in South African expat hotspots Australia and Canada make the top 10 most livable cities, while five in Africa – including Harare – make the 10 least livable. The most livable city for the second year in a […]