Although there IS a lot of mail at Johannesburg’s International Mail Centre, it is NOT as bad as it looks, according to the South African Post Office (SAPO)… and it should all be cleared by the end of November. For a start, the photos currently being spread on social media are old, probably taken during […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba has (finally) resigned, the Presidency said on Tuesday. His resignation following calls from opposition parties to stand down in recent weeks over a High Court ruling which found he lied under oath. Gigaba, who was finance minister between March 2017 and February 2018, has denied any […]

BEIJING – China has postponed the lifting of a ban on the trade of rhino horn and tiger parts for medicine and other uses, the government said on Monday, after a storm of protest from conservation groups over a plan to water down the decades-old prohibition. In October, the State Council issued a circular replacing […]

LOS ANGELES – Stan Lee, who dreamed up Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Panther and a cavalcade of other Marvel Comics superheroes that became mythic figures in pop culture with soaring success at the movie box office, died at the age of 95, his daughter said on Monday. As a writer and editor, Lee […]

International media appear to be taking an increased interest in farm attack victims in South Africa, facilitated largely by self-proclaimed civil rights organisation AfriForum. Apart from the well publicised reports in Australian and US media, others are now following suit. Last week AfriForum accompanied French radio station, Radio France Internationale (RFI), to an interview with […]

The Kevin Richardson Foundation has raised more than R2.7 million in its #LandforLions campaign, breaking the record for the most money ever raised for a single campaign on a South African rewards platform. The campaign by the non-profit organisation was run on crowdfunding website, Thundafund.com, to secure the Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary and ensure a safe […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s cash-strapped power utility Eskom said on Monday the risk of nation-wide electricity outages had increased significantly due to a sharp fall in coal stockpiles at five of its power stations. “The risk of load-shedding is there and it’s rising,” said Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe. “In total, we have 11 coal-fired power […]

As countries around the world marked 100 years today since the end of the First World War, a South African granddaughter – Seonaid Davidson Beningfield, from KwaZulu-Natal – recalls stories of her grandfather’s bravery (of which he, like so many soldiers of that time, never spoke)… My grandfather, William Henry Boyne Davidson, was 17 years old when he […]

A manhunt has been launched in Welkom, Free State, in South Africa this weekend after the fatal shooting of a 54-year-old man in his vehicle in the parking lot of a shopping complex. Shai Mikia Mophapi was shot late Saturday afternoon – at approximately 17h30 – in the parking area of the Commando Supermarket complex […]

The travel time between Maputo and Kosi Bay has just been DRASTICALLY reduced… from six hours to 90 minutes! Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi today officially opened the new road that connects Maputo and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. It includes a 3km twin-tower suspension bridge – Ponte Maputo-Catembe or Maputo-Catembe Bridge – that extends 680 m […]

The 16th Penguin Festival was held this morning at Seaforth Beach in Simon’s Town… where Nigel Riley captured the ‘waddle to freedom’ of 21 rehabilitated African penguins as they were released back into the wild ocean. The liberation was made even more special for one penguin that had been at a Sanctuary for a whole […]

PARADISE, California, USA – Five people died in Northern California when flames engulfed their vehicles as they attempted to flee Paradise, a mountain town north of Sacramento mostly destroyed by one of three wildfires raging across the state, US authorities said on Friday. Nearly 500 miles to the south, a second blaze forced the evacuation […]

In the world of smartphones, China has Huawei, Korea has Samsung, while the United States of America has Apple. And soon South Africa will have Mara! Long-time dark horse Africa is now taking centre stage with the announcement of the Mara phone project that is touted to take the smartphone business by storm. Developed by […]

We’re used to seeing touching pictures of police in Cape Town stopping the traffic to allow ducklings to cross the road. But this morning, there is outrage in South Africa as one careless driver – perhaps in too much of a rush to notice – ran over two ducklings while passersby frantically tried to get […]

DAR ES SALAAM – Tanzania released two staff members of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Thursday, a day after they were detained and their passports seized, the South African Foreign Ministry said. Tanzanian Immigration Department spokesman Ali Mtanda said Angela Quintal and Muthoki Mumo were arrested for violating the terms of […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s Discovery Ltd said on Thursday it will issue about 10.9 million new shares to qualifying investors in order to raise R1.85 billion ($132 million) to help fund an acquisition of a stake and assets in soon to be launched Discovery bank. Discovery, which offers health, life and car insurance, was granted […]

Jason Rohde, a former property mogul, has been found guilty of the murder of his wife Susan by the Western Cape High Court on Thursday. Rohde’s defence argued that his wife took her own life after a physical fight about his extramarital affair with a colleague. Throughout his trial, Rohde said that Susan killed herself […]

South African Airways (SAA) has been named the African Long-Haul Airline winner in the prestigious Business Traveller Africa magazine awards. The awards, which were launched in 2012, are targeted at the South African business travel trade and the broader business travel community. SAA clinched the top award last week, as its future has been hotly […]

GABORONE – Around 400 buffaloes drowned after stampeding into the Chobe River along the border between Botswana and Namibia, possibly while running away from lions, the tourism ministry said. The Chobe River flows along the northeastern border of the Chobe National Park, known for the large breeding herds of elephants, giraffe, sable and African buffalo, […]

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Zweli Mkhize has extended condolences to the family and colleagues of the firefighter killed when the truck in which they were travelling overturned and rolled down a pass. The incident happened in Mitchell’s Pass near Worcester as the team was returning from fighting fires. “It is with deep […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s anti-corruption watchdog, the Public Protector, said on Thursday that it was investigating Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, a close ally of President Cyril Ramaphosa, for allegedly abusing his powers during his time as finance minister. The watchdog said it was looking into allegations that Gordhan wrongly approved an early retirement package […]

South African journalist Angela Quintal and her Kenyan colleague Muthoki Mumo, who were mysteriously detained by law enforcement officials at their hotel in Tanzania last night, have been released. “South African journalist Angela Quintal and colleague are back in their hotel. They are safe and are now with the High Commissioner of South Africa, Thami […]

Well known South African journalist and former newspaper editor, Angela Quintal, posted a cry for help on Facebook on Wednesday evening, saying: “SOS we are being taken away for interrogation in Dar. We don’t know why. Taken away from Southern Sun Hotel.” (Update: South African journalist released in Tanzania) Quintal, who is normally based in […]

Trevor Noah’s mom, Patricia, isn’t into fame. As Trevor told an audience member of ‘The Daily Show’ this week: “She has no interest in television or any of these things that I do. She just loves the fact that I can pay the rent, and she loves me for who I am.” But Patricia Noah […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa will hold parliamentary elections sometime between May 7 and August 5 next year, the Electoral Commission (IEC) chairperson announced on Wednesday… increasing the likelihood that the vote will be in May, which is President Cyril Ramaphosa’s preference. A voter registration weekend will be held in January. The commission briefed the media […]