Ministers, MECs and mayors should stay out of the administration of public services and let public servants do their work, and appointments should be made on qualifications not political considerations, according to a letter by President Cyril Ramaphosa to mark the start tomorrow of Public Service Month. “The civil service must be seen as a […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday expressed his condolences to the family and friends of retired South African National Defence Force Surgeon-General, Lieutenant-General Vejay Ramlakan, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 62. The former Surgeon-General contributed to the liberation of all South Africans as one of the founding members of the United Democratic Front […]

On the 6th of July I started a fundraiser for a desperately poor community in Allemansdrift B in Mpumalanga, South Africa, after engaging in a long messenger chat with a former charity worker called Kelly about this community and the work she and Lydia (a community resident and village elder) were trying to do… writes […]

This weekend Herman Mashaba launched his new party, Action South Africa. He has drawn several disaffected ANC and DA members like Makhozi Khosa and Funzi Ngobeni. (One probably shouldn’t mention Vytjie Mentor, who gave shaky testimony at the Zondo Commission and has lots of question marks about her past, which she brings with her into […]

Former elite athlete Nick Bester has been hospitalised after being badly beaten up by attackers, while he was training on Sunday. Update: Nick Bester thanks police for arresting suspects who attacked him in Magaliesberg area. Bester – a former Comrades champion (who won in 1991) – is one of South Africa’s top sportsman. He was […]

Famous for his photographs during the apartheid era, especially at the legendary Drum magazine, and then travelling around the world, Jürgen Schadeberg passed away yesterday. “Jurgen Schadeberg 18th March 1931 – 29th August 2020 R.I.P. A full life filled with photos and memories,” his wife Claudia posted on LinkedIn. He was reportedly living in Spain. […]

A KwaZulu-Natal couple, Glen and Vida Rafferty, were tragically shot dead on Saturday night on their Normandien farm, near Newcastle, as they entered their home after visiting friends. Speaking from the scene of the crime on Sunday, Glen’s nephew Roland Collyer told the SABC that it did not appear to be a robbery. Firearms were […]

While signs of spring are appearing visibly in the West Coast National Park and Franschhoek (see the photos below of flowers and snow), the mountains above the town and in Stellenbosch are even snowier than the freak snowy conditions on Table Mountain today. Everyone is being told to bundle up. Temperatures in Sutherland are reported […]

Capetonians awoke to an extremely chilly day today… although nobody quite expected it to snow, what with the start of Spring being just days away for South Africa. UPDATE: Photos of snow on Table Mountain, Sunday 30 Aug. But Table Mountain Aerial Cableway has confirmed it truly snowed this morning on Cape Town’s famous mountain. […]

A North West woman and her children have survived a “traumatic attack” on a farm in Broederstroom. This is the fourth farm attack in just two days  in the Hartbeespoort area in the North West. The news comes today – Saturday 29 August – as protests are being held at the Union Buildings to raise […]

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 […]