Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Thembi Siweya, and BrandSA leadership today welcomed the newly crowned Miss South Africa, Shudufhadzo Musida, as BrandSA Ambassador. BrandSA says this role will make her part of a collective of ambassadors, who raise the South African flag as they articulate the country identity to build a positive reputation and global […]

Three men have been arrested for the brutal fatal stabbing of a young Durban businessman on Saturday morning, and more than R85,000 was found on one of the suspects. The police said in a statement on Monday that Tongaat officers and a private security company had worked tirelessly to trace the suspects, who at 5.45 […]

South Africa now has 726 823 COVID-19 cases after 1 371 patients were confirmed to have contracted the virus on Sunday. Meanwhile, 135 people succumbed to the disease which brings the death toll to 19 411. Of the latest fatalities, 107 are from Gauteng, 22 from the Eastern Cape, four from the Western Cape and two the […]

South African diplomats abroad, though many of them are good at doing their job, are constantly seeing their efforts undermined by colleagues who are alleged criminals and cadres making exorbitant demands who never think about doing the job they were put there to do, as repeated and urgent queries by South Africans in different countries […]

Below is the acceptance speech, delivered in Durban, by newly-elected Federal Leader of the Democratic Alliance, John Steenhuisen. (Video at the bottom.) Fellow South Africans, I cannot think of a more fitting place from which to speak with you today than this beautiful City of eThekwini. Twenty-one years ago, I made my way up the […]

As predicted John Steenhuisen has been elected new Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the official opposition party in South Africa. The Leadership Elections took place at the DA’s elective Federal Congress 2020 whereby voting for candidates was undertaken using the online OpaVote platform (which, according to the DA, worked extremely well and was compliant […]

The unprecedented virtual Democratic Alliance congress to plot its path forward and choose its new party and federal leaders began yesterday across South Africa, with more than 2000 delegates participating, and has been commended from various quarters for its professionalism. “A big kudos to the @Our_DA social media, comms, technical & support teams for pulling […]

Nowhere does storms quite like Gauteng, and nobody captures them quite like Christo Smith! Check out this incredible picture that Christo produced on Saturday night, 31 October 2020, as bolts of lightning lit up the South African sky. As Christo says, it was “quite a storm”! He was photographing an event in Krugersdorp when he […]

The City of Cape Town says Disaster Management staff and volunteers are assisting residents to evacuate in Bridle, Molteno and Glencoe Roads, Oranjezicht as fire continues to rage in strong winds on Table Mountain, South Africa, tonight. The fire, above Deer Park Drive – #DeerParkFire – was first spotted late on Saturday afternoon, with witnesses […]

Tanzanians voted in their general election on October 28 in a poll that pitted popular opposition chief Tundu Lissu against incumbent John Magufuli. As the results were announced, Dan Paget explains why incumbent John Magufuli was declared the winner, and what his second term will mean for democracy in the East African nation. How do […]

This year’s full moon shining bright on Halloween really is a once-in-a-blue-moon blue moon! And Western Cape photographer Nigel Riley managed to perfectly time his capture of the rare treat, photographing the moon as it passed the iconic Kalk Bay lighthouse. Tonight’s full moon is called a ‘blue moon’ because it is the second full […]

The South African National Parks (SANParks) has confirmed that there is currently a fire blazing behind Deer Park on Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain in South Africa. SANParks said in a post on Facebook that Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) has responded to the #DeerParkFire. SANParks TMNP said on Saturday evening that “strong winds” caused […]

As the world holds its breath, Carte Blanche viewers will find out on Sunday how a Trump second term or Biden presidency could affect South Africa. You can watch the show on Sunday 1 November in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from Tues 3 November if you’re abroad. […]

A rich cross-section of academics, businesspeople and people connected to the travel industry have been chosen by the minister of tourism to help her draw up a new policy framework to guide the industry into the future. The tourism policy framework for South Africa was last updated in 1996! Some of the better-known names on […]

The Malawian pastor Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, who were arrested last week in connection with allegations of fraud totalling R102 million, will spend a second weekend in jail pending a bail hearing next week. The National Prosecuting Authority said this in a short statement today. Also locked up are their co-accused. Earlier this week […]

After eight months of uncertainty created by the African National Congress’s “unlawful” battle to take control of Tshwane, the city is back under the control of the Democratic Alliance, who today elected as mayor Randall Williams. Three days ago the Supreme Court ruled that the DA could retake control of Tshwane and remove the “unlawful” […]

Former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste has been fined R161 million plus interest by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority for insider trading in 2017. In a statement issued on Friday, the authority said the breaches were in relation to provisions that prohibit an insider from disclosing inside information and/or encouraging or discouraging another person to deal […]

Here’s a video we all need to see right now… The Flame, a special song celebrating the human spirit. One of South Africa’s favourite cricketers, former Protea’s captain AB de Villiers, and one of the country’s favourite singers, Karen Zoid, have teamed up again (remember De Villiers and Zoi sang together on her show in […]

Over the last year, the Western Cape Government has committed itself to ensuring that all of the citizens of this province, no matter where they live, would have access to appropriate Covid-19 treatment, should they require it. It was important to me, from the outset, that every person has access to life-saving healthcare… writes Western […]

The author of ‘Brutal School Ties’, a heartbreaking account of sexual assault that occurred at Parktown Boys High School, has stepped up to put a stop to shocking body-shaming comments from social media bullies after the Miss South Africa event on Saturday evening. The poisonous jibes were aimed at former Miss South Africa 2019 Sasha-Lee […]

A second discovery of gas condensate by Total off Mossel Bay has been hailed as a “game changer” by the minister of mineral resources and energy Gwede Mantashe. Total said in a statement from Paris yesterday that it had made a significant gas condensate discovery on the Luiperd prospect, in the Outeniqua Basin, 175 kilometers […]

Vandalism, theft and arson at Cape Town’s parks and recreation facilities over the last year have destroyed R17 million worth of property meant for local communities. The worst was the Desmond Tutu Recreation Centre, whose burning cost R6 million. “It is especially the vulnerable groups in communities, our children and senior citizens, that are affected […]

A first-of-its kind NPO Mental Health Support Programme and 24-hour toll-free Helpline to offer mental health care and support to all NPO’s has been launched in South Africa. Called NPOwer, this initiative sees Tshikululu Social Investments partnering with SADAG (South African Depression and Anxiety Group) to provide psychological first aid to NPO leaders, staff and […]

EFF Leader Juliua Malema and EFF Spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi are currently being prosecuted in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court for the alleged assault of a South African Police Service (SAPS) colonel in 2018. It is alleged that Malema and Ndlozi assaulted a policeman – SAPS Colonel Johannes Venter – at the funeral of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The […]

Across the world, immunologists who retooled their labs to join the fight against SARS-CoV-2 are furiously trying to explain why some people get so sick while others recover unscathed. The pace is dizzying, but some clear trends have emerged. One area of focus has been the production of antibodies – powerful proteins capable of disabling […]