South Africa has experienced many challenges in relation to migration and xenophobia. We are marking Africa Day by bringing together a diversity of women who live in Cape Town to speak about their commonalities as African women and to share their experiences. This is how the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), Tusimame Wanawake, and […]

NGO’s seek an order that requires Government to fully implement its plan relating to racism and xenophobia. The Socio-Economic Rights Institute has taken Operation Dudula and various government departments to court over xenophobic attacks, illegal evictions and racist speech. The NGO will be representing a number of organisations, Abahlali Basemjondolo, Inner City Federation, South African […]

Multitalented South African filmmaker Firdoze Bulbulia known for A Small Town Called Descent (2010) and Cry of Love (2016) is in Cannes for a screening of her new film Homeland: A Song for Refugees, and a talk on the burgeoning African animation industry. As a producer, screenwriter and educator Firdoze shared her insights during a […]

Social scientists have shown how freedom in South Africa has lost its meaning for many in the country. Despondency about democracy is on the rise as the promise of prosperity under a caring government continues to ring hollow for many, thanks to poor governance, corruption and incompetence. Nicky Falkof is a media studies professor who […]

The conditions for about 500 refugees living at a camp in Bellville Paint City, Cape Town appear to be getting worse. The conditions for about 500 refugees living at a camp in Bellville Paint City, Cape Town appear to be getting worse. But many people there still refuse to move away, claiming that the United […]

About 25 refugees who had accepted reintegration into Cape Town communities have changed their minds and returned to the Wingfield campsite where they were housed. There are now about 168 people in the camp, and no sign of an answer to their demands. About 25 refugees who had returned to communities in Cape Town from […]

Constitution Hill’s Old Fort came alive on Saturday as dozens of young people living in Johannesburg’s inner city took to the stage to showcase their talent in the Uzwano Festival. Many of the performers attend weekly after-school programmes at Lefika La Phodiso Community Art Counselling Centre and the Windybrow Arts Centre. They performed original songs, […]

Here’s what’s coming up on Carte Blanche this weekend. You can watch the show on Sunday 16 October in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from 18 October if you’re abroad. Mammabearsteffs Behind the decks her grey hair is backlit by laser lights. She whoops at the crowd and […]

Die Antwoord is a South African band that uses hip-hop music to create a style it calls “zef”. Since it first appeared in 2009, Die Antwoord has been criticised for cultural appropriation (using cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative way). It’s accused of copying the lyrics and styles of Cape Town artists […]

A political storm has erupted in South Africa after a video went viral showing the health minister for the Limpopo province – which borders Zimbabwe – berating a Zimbabwean woman who was seeking healthcare. Responses have been divided. Some have called for Phophi Ramathuba to step down on the grounds that verbally abusing a patient […]

With over 80 suspects in the horrific Krugersdorp Gang Rape case expected to appear in court this morning, Monday 1 August, more police have been deployed to maintain the peace as various groups of protestors have gathered outside the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court. The suspects – many of them illegal immigrants – face charges of contravention […]

Shopkeepers pulled down their metal shutters and foreign staff stayed out of sight as hundreds marched through Hillbrow in Johannesburg, demanding that migrants leave and that their jobs go to South Africans. The march through dilapidated Hillbrow, where many African migrants live, was organised by Operation Dudula, a vigilante group whose activities have raised fears […]

The United Nations Secretary General is “shocked by the numerous reports of racism, harassment and discrimination that people of different races have been subjected to” as they flee Ukraine, according to the UN SG’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. Dujarric said they have seen reports of “basically outright racism” as these people have tried to leave Ukraine, “as […]

Operation Dudula – a Soweto-born movement consisting of SA citizens reportedly targeting foreign traders and alleged criminals – is spreading the call to #PutSouthAfricansFirst. Meanwhile, politicians also point to foreigners as the cause of the country’s hardships. Tonight Carte Blanche investigates with “mind blowing” insights. You can watch the show on Sunday 20 February in […]

Former President Jacob Zuma’s son, Duduzane Zuma, has spoken out against the violent protests in South Africa – which were sparked by his father’s imprisonment – and called on ALL South Africans to unite and work together for a lasting solution. Duduzane does not have a social media account, but in a video uploaded by […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a new naming system for the coronavirus that uses Greek letters to refer to the different variants. For the variants of concern, B117 (the UK or Kent variant) will now be known as alpha, B1351 (South Africa) will be beta, P1 (Brazil) is gamma and B16172 (India) delta… […]

Many South Africans have taken to social media, using the hashtags #SArejectsXiaomeiHavard and #NoChineseInSAPaliarment (deliberately spelt incorrectly) to express their outrage and resistance to the deployment of Xiaomei Zhang Havard, in Parliament to replace Minister Jackson Mthembu, who passed away last week from Covid-19. Popular SA Twitter user Tumelo Warona said in a tweet that […]

Civil rights organisation AfriForum and trade union Solidarity have announced they will lay a criminal charge at the Lyttelton police station in Centurion, Gauteng, against Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), tomorrow morning (Wed 25 November 2020). The charge follows after Malema’s recent remarks and threats against the South African Police Service […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa says there is no place for religious intolerance in South Africa. Responding to an oral question in the National Assembly on Thursday, regarding rumours that extremist groups, alleged to be adherents of Islam, were on the rise in certain parts of South Africa – sentiments which have been seen to be Islamophobic, […]

The South African Government has expressed concern at the vandalising and torching of Clicks stores across the country, saying it goes against the spirit of peace and respect for human rights. In a statement on Monday, government said it noted the public outrage following the Clicks advertisement, where black hair is portrayed as “dry and […]

A video filmed in the UK has gone viral on Twitter, showing a man with what appears to be a towel wrapped around his waist, on a construction site, yelling at a white-skinned South African (something he mentions) who is not in view. It appears that the South African may have been the foreman on […]

On Monday (7 June), members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria (as well as at consulates in Johannesburg and Cape Town), in condemnation of the killing of George Floyd… whose death in the US has kindled global protest and debate about justice, prejudice and police brutality. Demonstrators branded […]

Almost immediately after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in South Africa, the jokes started. From memes featuring prominent politicians to bad puns, from TikTok video clips to pictures of people posing with silly home-made protective gear, South Africans took to Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook to make fun of the virus. It is not […]

On Sunday morning over a hundred law enforcement officers took part in an operation on Greenmarket Square to remove the belongings of the refugees who are living outside the Central Methodist Mission, and usher them away from the area. This was an attempt by the City of Cape Town to end a nearly six-month long […]

Small informal retailers are a ubiquitous feature of any developing country’s urban landscape. Known as spaza shops in South Africa, they are an important, even vital, component in the townships. Numbering over 100,000 across the nation, they make critical contributions to local food security, self-employment and community cohesion. In the last decade, the sector has […]