The driver of the 12-ton truck which ploughed at high speed into 10 vehicles at midday on Wednesday in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has appeared in court in South Africa, and been remanded in custody until 19 June for a bail hearing. The horrific and fatal crash into cars and pedestrians at an open-air market in Jozini, […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on all South Africans to end the culture of silence around gender-based violence and report perpetrators to the South African Police Service (SAPS). This comes as the body of a young woman was found dumped under a tree in Dobsonville, Soweto on Friday. Since South Africa entered coronavirus alert level […]

Chad le Clos is recovering well from two necessary surgeries, which came in a window of opportunity due to the Covid-19 lockdown and postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. The 28-year-old swimming superstar is still expected to be out of action for between three and five more weeks. ‘I’ve been having abdominal pain for as long […]

Dune Coetzee, one of the rising stars of South African swimming, has decided to continue her career in the United States after next year’s Tokyo Olympics. The 18-year-old has not lost a butterfly race in South Africa for three years but she knows she needs to get even faster if she is to reach her […]

Four alleged poachers have been arrested in Uganda for the tragic death of a rare Silverback mountain gorilla, known as Rafiki. They claim it was self-defence. Rafiki belonged to the famous Nkuringo Gorilla group in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. At the time of his death the group had 17 members – one Silverback, three Blackbacks, […]

With the Cold Front that hit parts of South Africa this week, and the SA Weather Service warning of big swells… locals made their way to what has become a legendary spot for viewing big waves – Kalk Bay Harbour in the Western Cape. But one spectator got more than he bargained for, when mammoth […]

Over the past seven days, COVID-19 cases in Gauteng have doubled, with hospital admissions increasing and 20 more deaths, according to Premier David Makhura. “Gauteng has entered a new period in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is gaining momentum. We must face this reality head-on and mobilise all resources and energy to […]

This Sunday Carte Blanche investigates a mystery that took place at a guest house on a farm in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, near to Kareedouw. You can watch the show on Sunday 14 June in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from Tues 16  June if you’re abroad. […]

The city has been hit by hail, lightning, thunder and heavy rain since Wednesday, report Ashraf Hendricks, Buziwe Nocuze and Lucas Nowicki of GroundUp. Cape Town is being treated to hail, thunder, lightning and pouring rain. Walkways and roads across the Cape Flats have turned into pools. In Qandu Qandu, informal settlement in Khayelitsha some […]

South African legal history will be made in the Cape High Court on Tuesday where the first part of novel litigation involving a R14.25m defamation suit by mining interests against activists has been set down for hearing. The defendants argue that it is a ‘SLAPP’ suit. SLAPP is an acronym for Strategic Litigation Against Public […]

On 15 March 2020, the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, declared a national state of disaster and 11 days later, an intense lockdown ensued! This breathtaking drone video – ‘PERSPECTIVE’ by Timothy Hay and Simon Mulholland – captures a never-to-be-seen again, empty, picturesque and pristine KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). WATCH VIDEO Perspective – KZN Lockdown “Covid-19 […]

For anyone who’s been lucky enough to visit Dalebrook Tidal Pool in Kalk Bay, South Africa, recently – they would have witnessed the breathtaking – almost spiritual – scene of stone sculptures rising stoically against the backdrop of  the beautiful Western Cape skyline. There are at least 50 of them, created with love by a […]

China has outlawed the use of pangolin scales in traditional medicine and upgraded pangolins to the same first-tier protection status as pandas, in a significant move that will hopefully protect the seriously endangered species. The delisting of pangolins from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacopoeia was reported by China’s Health Times newspaper, according to The […]

The Kiffness has become famous in South Africa during Lockdown for keeping the nation’s citizens entertained – and in stitches – with his parody songs… like the new national anthem he produced to make fun of tobacco laws! But this parody of the Beatles’ hit ‘Hey Jude’ is different. Watch to the end and you […]

The Independent Electoral Commission has welcomed today’s judgment by the Constitutional Court declaring parts of the Electoral Act unconstitutional, notably regarding the law that only candidates of political parties can contest national and provincial elections. The court ruled, “The Electoral Act is unconstitutional to the extent that it requires adult citizens to be elected to […]

South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation says the torching of water tanks in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, is a “major setback” in efforts to provide water to desperate communities in need. The department is placing water tankers and tanks in communities around the country, including at schools, under Water Minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s direction. […]

As predicted by the South African Weather Service (SAWS), parts of South Africa have been hit by an intense cold front yesterday and today (Wed and Thurs 10-11 June 2020). Many Capetonians awoke to a scene that looked like snow… but was in fact bucket-loads of hail. Whilst in other parts of the Western Cape, […]

According to the South African Airlines (SAA) website, repatriation tickets from Washington, USA to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg have increased in price by 133.3% from roughly R15 000 to R35 000 in under a week! A shocked volunteer, helping South Africans stranded in the US to get back home, contacted SAPeople on Wednesday […]

South African Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has condemned the killing of eight people by an alleged drunk driver in Jozini, KwaZulu Natal. Eight people lost their lives and 27 others were injured, after the driver of a truck carrying a load of sugarcane, lost control of the vehicle. The truck hit two buses, one minibus […]

Cecil Afrika has ended his celebrated 12-year Sevens career and unless called upon, South Africa’s highest point-scorer will not wear the national colours again after a mutual agreement between the player and Sevens management. The 32-year-old’s national contract will run its course at the end of July and with no international matches or tournaments scheduled […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) reiterates its call for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and other government regulatory authorities to facilitate flights in and out of the country… writes Ghaleb Cachalia – DA Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises. South Africans grappling with the challenges of repatriation back home from abroad and the need […]

It is a sunny Tuesday afternoon. Farida Ryklief stands in front of a huge big pot of soup and a crate of bread on a table outside a kitchen in Delft, Cape Town. She is serving beetroot soup blended with soya, macaroni and mixed vegetables. She moves her hands in and out of the soup […]

Swedish investigators today announced they are closing the investigation into the 1986 assassination of the country’s late Prime Minister Olof Palme (59)… whose death some had suspected was linked to South Africa. Palme was an outspoken critic of South Africa’s then apartheid system – he advocated sanctions against SA and funded the then banned African […]

British comedian Michael McIntyre (the same guy who said South Africans have the funniest accent!) has produced a video that’s pure gold… and that most people around the world will relate to, whether you’re a comedian or not. In the video he visits a fortune teller in 2019 who predicts what he’ll be up to […]

As the number of COVID-19 infection cases in South Africa continues to rise, with the national death toll now at 1080, President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the families of COVID-19 victims, who have succumbed to the virus. “Each one of these deaths is a tragedy. Each one represents a unique life: a […]