Sphamandla Khumalo tragically died in a fire that ripped through Malacca Road informal settlement in Redhill, Durban, in the early hours of Sunday morning. The fire has left about 150 people homeless. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said the fire was being investigated. It started at about 2am according to residents and took about […]

South Africans have been left reeling by a viral video showing a tragic incident near Grabouw, about an hour from Cape Town, in which a couple from Somerset West both lost their lives.They have been named as retired pharmacist Ben Wiid, 61, and his wife Riana, 58, a retired teacher. The video captures the heartbreaking […]

There are times of spectacular policy myopia – and promoting a revision to the Meat Safety Act by the South African government is surely one of these moments. In late February the government proposed adding over 90 local and non-indigenous species to the list of animals regulated under the Meat Safety Act. Prior to this […]

The Western Cape government’s Hospital of Hope, created at the Cape Town International Conference Centre, is the largest COVID-dedicated hospital in Africa. The wards with 862 beds was created in 26 days, with staff working 24 hours a day. The hospital opened on 5 June. WATCH the time-lapse video of how it all came together. […]

While the Eastern Cape is going through a health crisis, unable to deal with the COVID pandemic, the ANC’s “delusional” health MEC has been showing off 100 scooters that won’t be able to handle rural roads, according to the Demoractic Alliance. Instead of focusing on the crisis at hand, said Jane Cowley, DA Eastern Cape […]

The South African government has reiterated its commitment to improve its response to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). This comes after another brutal murder this past weekend, following what President Cyril Ramaphosa had already described as South Africa’s “dark and shameful week”… where the country mourned what appeared to be a spike in violent murders […]

To coincide with the launch of his new book, an exposé of the “despicable” captive-bred lion industry in South Africa, UK businessman, philanthropist and former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, Lord Ashcroft has posted the video below which reveals some shocking truths about SA’s terrible trade. The new book – ‘Unfair Game’ – discloses […]

South African golfing legend Gary Player has won back the rights to his name and likeness in a settlement with a company headed up by his eldest son, Marc. The company – called the Gary Player Group – will also have to pay the 85-year-old golf champion $5-million. The payment is reportedly for royalties due […]

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, […]