Ministers have widely welcomed Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s 2019 Budget, saying he had done well in the largely unstable economic climate. Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Zweli Mkhize said Mboweni had a difficult budget amid rising debt and stunted economic growth. “The Minister has tried everything that can be done. It’s a very […]

Princess Charlene of Monaco has shared a video compilation of photos taken on her children’s first safari trip to Africa. The former South African Olympic swimmer posted the video to her Instagram page early this week, with a simple message: “First African Experience.” Movingly, the soundtrack to the video is Johnny Clegg’s ‘Great Heart’. The […]

South Africa is supposed to be a secular state, but one can perhaps forgive Tito Mboweni, the Minister of Finance, for quoting numerous biblical verses in his 2019 Budget Speech. After all, South Africa’s fiscal situation is enough to make many people hope for divine intervention. The 2019 budget numbers show that the past year […]

South African comedian Trevor Noah has been selected to be one of the presenters at the Academy Awards on Sunday in the USA. The Oscars® production team made the announcement on Wednesday… a great surprise birthday present for Trevor who turns 35 today! The comedian, who grew up in Soweto, is already becoming a household […]

CAPE TOWN – South Africa will bail out state utility Eskom with R69 billion ($4.9 billion) over three years, the centrepiece of a budget on Wednesday that exposed the limited room President Cyril Ramaphosa has to fix the economy ahead of an election in May. Ramaphosa, who is fighting rifts within his own party ahead […]

Showmax is the home of the best proudly South African content. Here are some of our favourite series that are currently streaming. Dwaalster S1 Take a journey down a long, dusty road to Maanhaarsdrif in the Karoo, a small town packed with fascinating characters. A city girl seeks refuge in her hometown and is soon […]

Government’s Infrastructure Fund is set to receive a R100 billion over the next decade as the state steps up its infrastructure programme by partnering with the private sector. “Government is stepping up its infrastructure build programme by partnering with the private sector, development finance institutions and multilateral development banks to create an infrastructure fund,” said […]

In the 2019/20 financial year Government will AGAIN increase excise duties on alcohol and tobacco in an effort to raise much-needed revenue for the national fiscus, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said on Wednesday. According to the National Treasury’s 2019 Budget Review report, the adjustments will lead to an excise burden slightly above the targeted levels. […]

South Africa will inject 23 billion rand ($1.63 billion) a year over the next three years into state power utility Eskom but will NOT take on 100 billion rand of debt as requested by the struggling firm, the national budget showed on Wednesday. The Treasury said the first step in a plan announced by President […]

Tabling a difficult budget that required him to weigh priorities against a need for fiscal consolidation, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni kicked off his speech by saying that by doing things right, the country can return to “plum” times. A part-time farmer himself, Mboweni told the nation on Wednesday afternoon that it is time for the […]

A rescue package for Eskom, South Africa’s most important state firm, is expected to dominate Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s budget speech on Wednesday, with the struggling power utility at risk of collapse without a large bailout. Eskom supplies 90 percent of South Africa’s electricity but is drowning in 420 billion rand ($30 billion) of debt […]

Budding South African designer Thebe Magugu has been crowned the winner of the International Fashion Showcase (IFS) 2019 at London Fashion Week. The judges said Thebe had created a “striking visual impact but with real clarity” and called him “a leader of his generation”. In his winning presentation titled Dawning, Magugu used motifs from Africa’s […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the government has asked traditional leaders to rally behind government to ensure that the five urgent priority tasks that he announced in his State of the Nation Address, are implemented. The President said this when he addressed the official opening of the National House of Traditional Leaders at the Old Assembly […]

South African action thriller, Jagveld, written by acclaimed writer Deon Meyer, is now available for South Africans to easily watch whether in SA or living abroad. Jagveld is now being streamed on Showmax in South Africa, and many countries overseas. The movie won the coveted ‘Best Dramatic Feature Award’ at the 2017 Woods Hole Film Festival […]

Here’s a classroom video, filmed in South Africa, that should go viral – showing a teacher bellowing at one of his learners… but with a twist. Watch below. WATCH South African Teacher Bellows at Learner https://www.facebook.com/RealLiveSA/videos/296041521054553/ One social media user, Charles Madihlaba wrote: “Damn, I love this. This teacher is enjoying his work. At first […]

DAR ES SALAAM – A prominent Chinese businesswoman dubbed the “Ivory Queen” was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Tanzanian court on Tuesday for smuggling the tusks of more than 350 elephants, weighing nearly 2 tonnes, to Asia. Yang Feng Glan had been charged in October 2015 along with two Tanzanian men with […]

A tiny – yet incredibly special – restaurant in South Africa called Wolfgat has just been awarded the title of being the Best Restaurant in the world at the inaugural World Restaurant Awards in Paris. The Wolfgat, which seats just 20 at a sitting, won the coveted award on Monday evening in the French capital… […]

German haute-couture designer Karl Lagerfeld, artistic director at Chanel and an icon of the fashion industry with his extravagant outfits and striking catwalks, has died aged 85. Instantly recognizable in his dark suits, pony-tailed white hair and sunglasses, Lagerfeld was best known for his association with Chanel but delivered collections for LVMH’s Fendi and his […]

With the General Elections fast approaching, International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, has called on Heads of Mission around the world to rally behind the Electoral Commission (IEC) to allow for smooth elections for South Africans living abroad. “I have directed all Heads of Mission and Consular Generals to ensure that the IEC […]

The Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone has signed new investment agreements, which bring the total number of signed investors to eight and investment value to over R3 billion. These investors include international stakeholders from the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with the rest being local companies. All these investors are investing in […]

South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe said on Monday that he would NOT buy any assets which struggling state power firm Eskom puts up for sale, in response to speculation that he was eyeing an Eskom financial subsidiary. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is Motsepe’s brother-in-law, this month unveiled a plan to split Eskom into three units […]

Caster Semenya has said the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) breached confidentiality regulations ahead of her appeal hearing on Monday where she is fighting for her athletics future. The South African 800-metres double Olympic champion is seeking to overturn a new set of IAAF regulations that are aimed at lowering the testosterone levels of […]

Following the conclusion of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) and the debate by Members of Parliament – the focus now turns to the 2019 Budget. On Wednesday, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni is scheduled to deliver the 2019 Budget Speech and introduce the associated Bills during the plenary sitting of the National […]

Four quick thinking Gauteng car guards saved a Johannesburg woman’s car from getting flooded in the heavy rains on Valentine’s Day; and thanks to photos posted on social media by someone who witnessed the kind act, the car guards are being praised for their selflessness. Lauren Nel-Piggott announced on Facebook that the “most incredible thing […]

Technology has made a tremendous difference in the world, in areas as diverse as health and education, and pretty much everything in between. But is technology the weapon that will ultimately eradicate animal poaching and save various species from eradication? It’s not a silver bullet, but it certainly has potential. That’s why Vulcan – a […]