JOHANNESBURG – Researchers and city officials are racing to understand the extent of a beetle infestation damaging trees across South Africa that, if left unaddressed, could have a ripple effect on the climate, air quality and ecosystems. The Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB), indigenous to Southeast Asia, is a tiny beetle that drills holes into […]

ArcelorMittal’s South Africa unit said on Monday it would close its steel operations at Saldanha Works in the south of the country because it could no longer compete in export markets. The company, majority-owned by ArcelorMittal, announced in September that it could close some operations as part of a review aimed at strengthening long-term sustainability amid cheap imports, rising costs […]

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi thanked South Africans from all walks of life for coming out in their hundreds of thousands to congratulate the Boks on winning the Rugby World Cup in the last week. The Springboks arrived home from Japan on Tuesday and visited Pretoria, Johannesburg, Soweto, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town […]

Good news for foreign travellers (and for South African Tourism) as Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has signed a waiver that allows foreign children to enter the country without carrying additional supporting documents such as birth certificates and consent letters. The waiver has been applicable since 8 November 2019 – after the Minister’s signature. […]

Zimbabwe is planning an enforced mass migration of wildlife away from a park in the country’s south, where thousands of animals are at risk of death due to drought-induced starvation. At least 200 elephants have already died at two other parks due to lack of food and water, along with scores of buffalo and antelope, Zimbabwe Parks […]

South African lender Absa said on Monday its representative office in New York should be operational by the end of the year, after it received the necessary regulatory approvals. The office is aimed at enabling Absa to better serve clients, including international corporations and institutions, that invest or work in Africa. The bank has already opened a representative office […]

There was heartbreak and disappointment amongst residents in northern Port Elizabeth yesterday as they excitedly waited for the Springbok Victory Bus, cheering and singing in anticipation… but the bus never arrived. Crowds and a waiting flight meant the Boks had to cut short their PE itinerary. At one point, still waiting and hoping, a video […]

Dominant breaststroke swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker won the South African Sportswoman of Year award as well as the South African Sports Star of the Year award in Durban. This year Schoenmaker won a silver medal in the 200m breaststroke during the World Championships in Korea. It was the first time that a local swimmer medalled at […]

South Africa loose-forward Francois Louw – affectionately known as ‘Flo’ – confirmed his retirement from an outstanding career in international rugby on Sunday, the second of the Springboks’ World Cup-winning side to call time on their careers in the green and gold. Louw (34), who came off the replacement bench for captain Siya Kolisi in […]

The GolfRSA Proteas continued South Africa’s success story on the international golfing stage (and with SA sport in general at the moment!) with a superb performance in the highly-rated Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship in Texas. Martin Vorster from Southern Cape, Western Province’s Sam Simpson and Gauteng pair Zethu Myeki and Symone Henriques combined for […]

Australian firefighters have spent Sunday trying to contain bushfires as authorities warn that widespread fire danger on Tuesday will stretch their ability to protect people. Three have already perished since Friday. South Africans in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland are bracing themselves for worse conditions, as several fires rage across the Aussie states during […]

South African swimmer Chad le Clos scooped another Gold at the FINA Swimming World Cup (SWC) in Doha, Qatar, on Friday. While we were all celebrating Le Clos’ 144th world cup gold for the 100m Men’s Fly on Thursday evening, he swam his way to another victory, this time in the 200m Men’s Fly… taking […]

AUSTRALIA – Three people have died, four are missing and at least 150 homes have been destroyed as bushfires rage across eastern Australia, authorities said on Saturday. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) confirmed two people had been killed by a fire near Glen Innes, more than 550 km (340 miles) north […]

This week Carte Blanche tracks The Return of our Champions; investigates how much plastic we are ingesting and more! Watch on Sunday 10 Oct on DStv Now if you’re in South Africa, and stream it from Tues 12 on Showmax International in most other countries.  EMPOWERING > ENLIGHTENING The Return of the Champions First in 1995, […]

South African supermodel Candice Swanepoel, who lives in the United States, says – like so many SA expats – that she carries Africa with her every day. And with her latest swimwear range – featuring animal-print bikinis – it’s clear she’s wearing Africa too! Yesterday’s photo on Instagram – where she has 13.7 million followers […]

A prominent Pinetown-based business woman was rescued in Witbank on Thursday evening, 07 November 2019, after she was kidnapped and held for about 162 days. The woman – Sandra Moonsamy – was kidnapped in Pinetown on 31 May 2019 when her Range Rover was forced off the road by three other vehicles. She was found […]

It’s been a fantastic week for South Africa making world headlines for fabulous reasons! First it was for winning the Rugby World Cup. And now it’s for the nation being swept up in the romance of a couple at KFC. With South Africans united warmly in a spirit of pride and joy following the RWC […]

There were some amazing scenes today in Durban as crowds filled the streets to proudly celebrate the Springboks bringing World Cup Rugby’s coveted Web Ellis Trophy home after winning the RWC in Japan. SAPeople contributor Carol Malley stood on a pillar outside Durban’s City Hall to capture the awesome photos and video on this page […]

South Africa’s rand was weaker early on Friday after Eskom’s nationwide loadshedding (electricity blackouts) spooked investors and reignited worries about the economy. At 0645 GMT the rand was down 0.23% at 14.7700 per dollar, compared with the previous session’s best of 14.6630. Power firm Eskom implemented stage 2 power cuts, or load shedding, shaving off […]

South Africa’s sports stars are shining worldwide, with the latest win coming from swimmer Chad le Clos who won Gold in the 100m Butterfly race on Thursday evening in Doha, Qatar during the final leg of the FINA Swimming World Cup (SWC). An elated Le Clos, who wasn’t expecting the win, tweeted afterwards: “Gold tonight […]

The boys are back in town… and on the bus!!! The 2019 Rugby World Cup champions, the Springboks, have kicked off their RWC Trophy Tour, hitting the streets of Pretoria on Thursday morning to meet their supporters and show off the Webb Ellis Cup (aka Bill). Proceedings began with Captain Siya Kolisi presenting President Cyril […]

Heavy rains and floods have killed more than 50 people and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes across East Africa as researchers warn warming oceans are causing unpredictable weather patterns in the region. South Sudan declared a national emergency last week after 420,000 people fled from the floods, the United Nations said. […]

CAPE TOWN – Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok legend Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira has announced his retirement from international rugby. The 34-year-old veteran of 117 Tests confirmed his decision after a monumental performance in his final match, Saturday’s emphatic, 32-12, victory over England in the Rugby World Cup final in Yokohama, Japan. In a trademark scrumming performance […]

Sasha-Lee Laurel Olivier, voted one of the most beautiful women in the country at the Miss South Africa competition, is going to represent South Africa at the Miss World pageant… and she’ll be there on a mission to use the world famous platform to bring solace to survivors of sexual assault. Sasha-Lee herself was sexually […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa secured about R200 billion ($13.5 billion) of investment pledges, mainly from domestic companies, on Wednesday as part of his drive to boost flagging economic growth. Ramaphosa announced the investments during his opening speech at a forum aimed at drawing direct investment into the economy. “The new investments over […]