African countries running up debt they won’t be able to pay back – including to China – should not expect to be bailed out by western-sponsored debt relief, the United States’ top Africa diplomat warned. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank began the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative in 1996 to help the […]

Francois van Coke bared his rebel heart for a goosebump performance together with South Africa’s famous Drakensberg Boys Choir on The Voice South Africa. For the boys, it was extra special to meet the man whose songs they sometimes sing! The Voice SA described the incredible performance as “the juxtaposition of (Francois’) gritty and emotional […]

South Africa’s cricket players expressed bitter disappointment and even embarrassment after their elimination from the World Cup was ensured by their loss to Pakistan at Lord’s on Sunday but they said they would learn lessons and return stronger. The Proteas’ chances of progressing in the tournament evaporated after they logged their fifth loss in seven […]

More than half a thousand vultures, almost all of them endangered species, died from feeding on the poisoned carcasses of three poached elephants in central Botswana, it was reported last week, in what was one of the biggest wildlife poisoning incidents of its kind since 2013. Among the 537 vultures found dead at the site […]

On Saturday Lizzy Mathiso woke up to find the crèche she owns and runs in Lwandle in shambles. Two classrooms which cater for 54 children were destroyed. She was one of many people living in Cape Town’s informal settlements to have their shacks destroyed or damaged and to find themselves without electricity after a severe […]

South Africa can take inspiration from Sri Lanka’s upset win over hosts England and string together victories to keep their slim World Cup hopes alive, batsman Aiden Markram said on the eve of Sunday’s clash with Pakistan. Sri Lanka’s 20-run victory over the favourites opened up the battle for the semi-final places, giving themselves as […]

ROME – The world is nowhere near to achieving a global goal to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030 because of a lack of accountability and responsibility by decision-makers, Nelson Mandela’s widow warned on Saturday. Graca Machel told ministers, ambassadors and representatives from 194 nations at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in […]

As predicted, a cold front swept into Cape Town and the Western Cape, South Africa, on Friday, bringing gale force winds, high seas, heavy rain and even snow over the weekend. https://www.facebook.com/snowreportsa/posts/2095228513937825?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCsoYUG32kTCr45LBeIHD5EZWoMq8k2T7mWH_HF58EcmE1ge7Ph3qjju8DSj1XoILfsYFP7D6NLJH67WyENSJIUstbxgVhhB-6_R0BJZcwp0XwCXhujudQBQLmTE3ndIJKbWC-D7Oj21HfQ-wXlqx4zxlEq_v3ncHqrGoTyUAvGo4CY8iBZGN7sLLNUHwUk37lPyr58BtuGET9BNdGkArf5rXHrN_etHi8tBVSEtjEc5FXEj9f566QXiBfU-zGB4KKQNb68avMS-zacb1UfjsZxnMuKq66dpCgRhaxPjFYw2PY8jnSmQ9u63BYG8fg2Q7Opj1TlvDIcvyYTKzq5HfT5fg&__tn__=-R Some areas suffered power outages and road closures (including Franschhoek Pass where a  rock-fall damaged vehicles and left the road totally blocked). The […]

Here’s the line-up of hot topics that the Carte Blanche team tackle this Sunday 23 June – watch here if you’re in SA and available to stream from Tues 25 June on Showmax International for South Africans abroad in many countries: The War Underground A young couple is found gunned down on the side of […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African pay-television firm MultiChoice Group is planning to lay off more than 2,000 workers in South Africa in a shake-up of its customer care service, the company said on Friday. MultiChoice, which competes with Netflix in online streaming via Showmax, said in a statement it is launching a consultation process to cut […]

A South Africa without lions is unimaginable – an iconic species of the Big Five. But we could face a world without these magnificent African ambassadors… as the breeding of lions for commercial purposes continues to flourish, warns Four Paws, one of the largest welfare organisation in South Africa, fighting for the protection of our […]

An awesome South African doctor – Dr Ryan Coetzee – is bringing smiles to children in hospital in Northern Ireland, and to social media users around the world as a video capturing him singing as he goes about his work has gone viral. UTV Northern Ireland said: “Dr Ryan is the Singing Doctor and the […]

Hollywood star Tom Hanks popped in to visit a very special young South African patient in a London hospital this week. Six-year-old Alexandra Taljard, who is being treated at the Evelina Children’s Hospital for a rare kidney disease, got a wonderful surprise when the ‘Toy Story’ star visited her bedside and not only entertained her, […]

South Africa’s Reserve Bank will probably cut interest rates next month or in September to boost the country’s economy, a Reuters poll found on Friday. A median forecast from 24 economists, polled this week, suggests the economy will grow 0.6% this year, slower than last year’s 0.8% and weaker than the 1.1% predicted in a […]

How did you feel about #Sona, and how is it possibly not the top story? #ZindziMandela’s comments on Twitter made more impact than #Sona2019.  #Zindzi started a heated discussion surrounding land just before the Presidential event and Twitter rose to her defence while others were furious at her commentary (which included insults like calling white […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s rand weakened against the dollar in early trade on Friday, as markets digested President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address (SONA) which some analysts said lacked detail on how he plans to fix the ailing economy. At 0640 GMT, the rand traded at 14.3800 per dollar, 0.2% weaker than its […]

We gather here at the start of the 6th Democratic Parliament, 106 years to the day after the Natives Land Act – one of the most devastating acts of dispossession, pain and humiliation – came into force. We recall the words of Sol Plaatje on that tragic event, when he said: “Awakening on Friday morning, […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans on Thursday night to dream of a better South Africa and to each take part and contribute to making the dream a reality… rather than standing on the sidelines and criticising (which is kind of what EFF leader Julius Malema did afterwards, referring to the President’s dreams as nothing […]

In a speech delivered at a time of great economic difficulty, President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced seven priorities that he believes will fast track South Africa’s path to prosperity. Delivering his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament on Thursday evening, the President said the time for idle talk was now over – […]

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a weather warning for the Western Cape as an intense cold front is predicted to hit South Arica on Friday afternoon, resulting in adverse weather conditions in the Western Cape – including gale force winds, some flooding and snow. SAWS says strong westerly to north-westerly winds (40 […]

What began as a plea from a single mom for a R10 prepaid electricity voucher has turned into one of the brightest stories to come out of South Africa this year. Single mom, Thabisa Xhelithole (33), seldom uses Twitter… but in desperation she bravely tweeted a message on Sunday asking for help. The Khayelitsha mother […]

The ANC in the Western Cape has called on the DA to immediately suspend Memory Booysen – Mayor of the Garden Route District Municipality – for accepting an all-expenses paid trip to Indonesia. According to reports, Booysen visited Indonesia with the parent company of a German firm that has been given a controversial 50-year lease […]

Five African commercial banks – including Standard Bank and Absa – have partnered in a $375 million financing deal to build a new diamond mining vessel for a subsidiary of Anglo American’s diamond unit De Beers. Nedbank Namibia, RMB Namibia, Standard Bank, ABSA and Bank Windhoek agreed to provide 80% of the funding for the […]

Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC have been returned to power. But what agenda will he set for the months and years ahead? Watch The State of the Nation address wherever you are on DStv Now. The State of the Nation Address (SoNA) is typically one of the highlights of the political calendar. In February this […]

Almost 40 plant species have gone extinct in the Western Cape since 1900, making it one of the hot spots for plant extinction on the planet. A new study, published in journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, found that across the world about 600 trees, flowers, and fruit-bearing plants have died out since 1900, a rate […]