Tanzania’s health minister said earlier this month that the country has no plans to procure COVID-19 vaccines. Moina Spooner, an editor with The Conversation Africa, asked Catherine Kyobutungi, African Population and Health Research Center, to explain Tanzania’s COVID-19 response and why it’s problematic. Why has the decision been taken not to vaccinate? Tanzania has had […]

De Mist station in Uitenhage, which was waist-high in weeds, has been cleaned — but not by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). After GroundUp published pictures of the filthy station, members of the political party Freedom Front Plus cleaned it up. Volunteers from political party Freedom Front Plus have cleaned up the […]

Showmax just dropped the trailer for Tali’s Baby Diary, the long-awaited sequel to Tali’s Wedding Diary. Watch the video at the bottom of this page. Tali’s Baby Diary has just released its trailer Sequel to the first ever Showmax Original, which broke viewing records and won multiple SAFTAs Julia Anastasopoulos (SuzelleDIY) is back as Tali: […]

DJ Fresh and Euphonik have announced in a statement on Monday evening that the allegations against them have been dropped. The joint statement reads: We are pleased to state that, after considering all of the evidence collected while investigating the claim made by Ms Madikizela against us, the Chief Prosecutor has dismissed the allegations on […]

There’s a cute cat video that’s been going viral on Facebook and YouTube in South Africa and around the world, with some misinformation. The video shows two cats – a grey cat and a black cat – walking with their tails entwined through the snow. It’s so heartwarming it’s attracted over 11-million views on TikTok, […]

South Africa’s Constitutional Court has declared the law which governs the communication surveillance activities of the country’s intelligence community unconstitutional. The case was based on evidence that the state spied on investigative journalist Sam Sole, of amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism, while he was communicating with a source in the National Prosecuting Authority. The judgment […]

Harry (36) and Meghan (39), the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have announced that they are expecting their second child. Their happy news came on Valentine’s Day, 14 February 2021… exactly 37 years after Princess Diana announced she was pregnant with her second baby, who turned out to be Prince Harry. The news was delivered […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for charges to be brought against former President Jacob Zuma as he has refused to appear before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture this week. Zuma previously announced through his legal team that he intended to ignore the summons of the Commission, and the judgement of the Constitutional […]

The South African Government may be depriving some towns of the efficient municipal services they deserve, but despite potholes popping up across the nation, they can’t dent SA citizens’ sense of pride and community. There’s a growing initiative in South Africa for the residents of some towns to rally together and fix their own town. […]

It was the last day of school of 2020. For months my colleagues and I had been taking measures to prevent getting ill with Covid. But on this day in December, all our efforts to keep the school safe went out the window. And, while I cannot prove it, I believe a deadly price was […]

Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has appealed to travelers to ensure that they have all the requisite travel documents, including valid COVID-19 tests, when they present themselves to officials at the country’s borders. “Truck drivers should adhere to laws, regulations and agreements in place in the border area. This will go a long way […]

South Africa continues to see fewer COVID-19 cases, with deaths showing signs of slowing down, with only 78 reported in the last 24 hours. This brings the death toll to 47 899, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said on Sunday. Of the latest fatalities, 37 are from Gauteng, 15 from Western Cape, 10 from Free […]

The South African government halted the roll-out of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine this week following a study led by Wits vaccinologist Shabir Madhi, which found that it did not protect against mild to moderate Covid-19 in a local trial on account of the variant of the virus, 501Y.V2, that is dominant here. A pre-print of […]

A study published on Friday, led by authors from the South African National Blood Service, shows that a large percentage of the population has likely already been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and that there are striking differences in prevalence between blacks and whites. Over seven days between 7 and 25 January, 4,858 blood donors were tested […]

A family from Hoedspruit have captured the amazing moment that a Kruger National Park river, in South Africa, went from being a dried-up river bed to a raging torrent. Watch the video below. Rulene Stephens told SAPeople: “It was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience! I’ve seen many rivers come down, but nothing like this.” The incident […]

We have all heard that Ivermectin is cheap and effective, but is it safe? Watch Carte Blanche on Sunday to find out more. Presenter Masa Kekana says: “Does Ivermectin work against COVID-19? That’s the big question. It’s said to be cheap, effective and, if taken in the right dosages, safe. But SA scientists say they […]

Visitors to the 2021 International Public Art Festival (IPAF), taking place in Cape Town right now, have been blown away by the spectacular street art displayed on some of the buildings in Cape Town’s oldest suburb, Salt River. Candice Chemaly captured these stunning photos of Africa’s largest street art festival. With Covid-19 safety measures in place, […]

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Animal Defenders International (ADI) has released a different kind of love story – between two lions called Tarzan and Tanya. The lions, now living at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS) in South Africa, spent seven years in a Guatemalan circus, in a small, barren cage the size of a queen-size bed. […]

Civilian residents at the Marievale military base say police ignore their complaints of torture and assault carried out by soldiers and that the police rarely help them when the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) contravenes court orders. Civilian residents at Marievale base say soldiers beat and tortured them on Sunday before demolishing their homes. […]

SA Rugby has announced the kick-off of the 2021 season with a number of preparation fixtures for eight provincial teams as national planning focuses on entry to the international Rainbow Cup and the Springboks’ forthcoming Test season, starting with the series against the British & Irish Lions. The series of encounters have been specifically designed […]

My Octopus Teacher, the breathtaking documentary filmed in South Africa, has been shortlisted for the Oscars 2021 Best Documentary Feature category. This will come as little surprise to South Africans who have been mesmerised by the magnificent underwater footage and touching story which explores the relationship between Craig Foster and an octopus that he befriended […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the country’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) tonight, 11 February 2021. Below is the full transcript of the President’s speech: On this day, 31 years ago, President Nelson Mandela walked out of the gates of Victor Verster prison a free person, a living embodiment of the resilience and […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape will appeal to the South African Police Service (SAPS) to urgently consider engaging with private laboratories to assist with the backlog in DNA testing that threatens to delay justice in the Brand farm murder case. Retired couple – Daniel (Danie) Brand, 82, his wife Hybrecht (Breggie), 73 […]

The Augrabies Falls in the Augrabies National Park near Kakamas in the Northern Cape at the weekend were in full flood. John Yeld captured the spectacular sight. Published originally on GroundUp / © 2021 GroundUp

Generous South Africans have clubbed in to make a terminally ill young boy’s dream come true – to own a Playstation 5. And it’s just in time for his 12th birthday on 9 March. Shaunie Pretorius, from Benoni, was sadly diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, and terminal type of brain cancer called Brainstem Glioma, in […]