South African fast food restaurant chain Nando’s has created an advert in tribute to outgoing Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, who serves her last day as PP Friday. Referring to Madonsela’s courage in questioning even the leader of the country, President Jacob Zuma, the advert says “Always the griller. Never the chicken” and “Thuli, your courage […]

The relatively trivial nature of the charges against South Africa’s Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, and the way in which the prosecution has been pursued, leads to the conclusion that this is a trumped up charge. It also suggests that Gordhan is being prosecuted for reasons unrelated to the law and order mandate of the body […]

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane claims that the motive behind the summons – issued by special police unit, the Hawks, to Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan – is because of an impending nuclear deal with a Russian delegation… which is allegedly in the country. In a tweet early Thursday, Maimane said: “We are reliably informed that there is high […]

South Africa’s outgoing Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, has been selected by the Tällberg Foundation to form part of its Global Leaders list for 2016. The Foundation on Wednesday announced Adv. Madonsela among the “five extraordinary women who are responding to leadership challenges of the 21st century”. The Foundation is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit education organisation […]

South Africa made history Wednesday at Newlands stadium, in Cape Town, as the first team in history to inflict a whitewash against Australia in a five-match ODI (One Day International) series! Kangaroos’ captain Steve Smith said: “It’s been a tough series, we’ve been outplayed.” Rilee Rossouw, with his maiden ODI century against Australia, and JP Duminy […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it welcomes the “unusual decision” by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) Wednesday that it would prefer to hear oral arguments in open court in President Jacob Zuma’s application for leave to appeal the decision of the Gauteng North High Court (see Court Order below). The DA said Zuma “must take responsibility… and not […]

President Jacob Zuma has spoken out again in support of South Africa’s Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, although for many South Africans it sounded like empty rhetoric. The President urged the NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) to conduct the matter – of Gordhan being summonsed to appear in court on charges of fraud – with the necessary “dignity […]

EFF leader Julius Malema has called on South Africans to support democracy by taking to the streets of Pretoria on the day that Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan will appear in court on charges of fraud, 02 November 2016. Malema’s call came Tuesday, following the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA’s) announcement that Gordhan and two former colleagues from the SA Revenue Services […]

South Africa’s Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, along with former SARS (SA Revenue Services) officials Ivan Pillay and Oupa Magashula, are being charged with fraud. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the three accused men have been informed of the decision and have been served summonses to appear in court on 02 November 2016. The […]

Congratulations to Athol Williams who has been awarded the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award for the second year running, becoming the first person to win it twice! It’s been an incredible week for Williams in which he not only won this award but also launched his autobiography – Pushing Boulders – AND was selected as one […]

JOHANNESBURG – Photos of a Catholic Priest in Braamfontein, with blood streaming down his face, went viral today on social media. He had been hit by a rubber bullet during #FeesMustFall protests. Police claimed it was a stray bullet. Hylton White, a Faculty Member at Wits University, was there just before it happened… White wrote on Monday […]

Social media users are calling on fellow South Africans to share the following letter, sent by an academic at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) – Dr Kelly Gillespie – to South Africa’s Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan at 6.40pm Monday night… Dear Mr Pravin Gordhan I wonder if you have any sense of what my […]

Here is the full statement from the Presidency: President Jacob Zuma has written to the Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, requesting her to allow him or his legal representative to question other witnesses, determined by the Public Protector, who have appeared before Public Protector. President Zuma was given two days before the meeting that took […]

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma – who has been criticised Monday for being silent while Braamfontein was brought to a standstill by student protests – has had his mind on other things. The #StateCapture probe. This evening, the Presidency announced that Zuma had written to the Public Protector asking her to provide him with witness names and the transcripts of […]

PRETORIA – Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane said Monday that despite “intimidation” from protesting university students, police across the country will continue to do their duties wherever needed, and that South Africa was “far from a state of emergency” regardless of the rolling protests at universities, that have in recent days turned violent… including a […]

Academic studies resumed at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) this morning… but protesting students have continued to disrupt classes. In local reports, four students have so far been arrested Monday morning – see video below. Students are currently being arrested by Barratt lecture venue #UCKAR #FeesMustFall2016 pic.twitter.com/XnexYvTrtO — #ReActivated (@ActivateOnline) October 10, 2016 #Wits students moving […]

PRETORIA – South Africa has received an award in Washington for being named the best country for debt management and sovereign bond issuance in sub-Saharan Africa. “Emerging Markets Newspaper, an affiliate of the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings, named South Africa the best country for debt management/sovereign bond Issuance in sub-Saharan Africa. This comes just after the World […]

KYLE ABBOTT and Tabraiz Shamsi routed Australia with the ball to set the Standard Bank Proteas up for a six-wicket victory over Australia at St. George’s Park today and a 4-0 lead in the five-match Momentum ODI Series. Abbott, Shamsi and Aaron Phangiso all came into the Proteas side for their first matches of the […]

Fezeka Kuzwayo, the woman who accused President Jacob Zuma of rape, sadly passed away in South Africa yesterday. Her family said in a statement Sunday: “It is with our deepest sorrow that the Kuzwayo family announces the passing of our daughter Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo. In our family she was lovingly known as Fezeka, and in […]

Citizens around the world have reacted with compassion to Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s words, on his 85th birthday on Friday, that he is in support of assisted death and would like that option himself. The South African living icon said: “I hope that when the time comes I am treated with compassion, and allowed to pass […]

Springbok coach Allister Coetzee on Saturday said his team were outplayed in defeat by New Zealand in Durban on Saturday. The All Blacks recorded their biggest ever win against the Boks, breaking the 36-point margin in Pretoria back in 2003 with a 57-15 win today (that’s a margin of 42). Coetzee said he was embarrassed by the result as […]

We may not have won the rugby this evening, but Scott Bouverie from KwaZulu-Natal flew the flag for South Africa in Turkey today… where he secured third place in an intense three-day international Extreme Enduro ‘Sea to Sky’ race. Scott beat some of the best riders in the world in Kemer, Turkey, to clinch podium position […]

South African supermodel Candice Swanepoel has given birth to her first child, a baby boy named Anacã. The 27-year-old Victoria’s Secret model, and her Brazilian fiancé Hermann Nicoli, welcomed their son into the world on Friday. The happy news was revealed by her photographer friend Jerome Duran who posted a photo of a naked Candice […]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla./PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) – Hurricane Matthew’s winds diminished on Saturday as it headed towards the Carolinas after killing almost 900 people in Haiti and causing major flooding and widespread power outages in the southeastern United States.   As winds dropped to less than 85 miles per hour (135 kph), making it a Category 1 […]

COCOA VILLAGE, Fla. (Reuters) – Mike Ryan packed his wife, daughter, three grandchildren, two dogs and three cats into a minivan and waved as they drove off on Thursday, leaving him behind to spend the night in his coastal Florida pub. Ryan decided to stay put and guard his business despite warnings from officials from […]