(Reuters) – A South African court on Friday denied bail to a man charged with crimes including arson over the devastating fire at the national parliament in Cape Town in January, local media reported. Zandile Mafe denied the charges against him. Officials have described the fire, which severely damaged parts of the parliament precinct, as […]

South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday (31 January) to face a long-standing corruption trial regarding a $2 billion government arms deal. Please see update below. Zuma’s lawyers argued that lead state prosecutor, Billy Downer, should be removed from the case, claiming that Downer is biased and his […]

Democratic Alliance (DA) Councillor Cindy Billson has laid criminal charges against ANC councillors for intimidation and assault during a council meeting on Friday 28th January, in which she was struck by a water bottle, suffered verbal abuse, intimidation and “unwanted touching”. In their attempt to destroy any evidence of their “boorish” behaviour, Cllr Billson says a number […]

The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) says it welcomes the Motion of No Confidence against Kannaland’s Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and has pledged to continue its investigation into how a convicted rapist and a convicted fraudster could have possibly been elected to these positions. Convicted rapist Jeffrey Donson, who was convicted of statutory rape in […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa met with the Minister of Tourism, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu, in Cape Town earlier this week, where he says he “admonished her” about her controversial recent article entitled “Hi Mzansi, have we seen justice?”, which was published by IOL on 7 January 2022. The Presidency said in a statement today that Ramaphosa specifically admonished […]

The world, for the most part, is organised on dynastic principles. Part of the rationale of capitalism is that wealth, and all that comes with it, cascades down the generations. Our laws sweep aside impediments to that succession. If your parents are rich, you’re highly unlikely to end up poor… by Gavin Evans, Birkbeck, University […]

Following a furore over the prices for Robben Island Museum’s (RIM’s) newest tour package, the museum issued a statement on Sunday saying “the walking tour is not designed to exclude South Africans, but rather offers an alternative way to experience the rich historic tapestry that maps the journey of South Africa’s liberation struggle.” The new […]

You can watch Carte Blanche on Sunday 16 January in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from 18 January if you’re abroad. Here’s what’s coming up this week on Carte Blanche: MEDICAL A Genetic Mystery   When a geneticist from Cape Town headed to Namaqualand to figure out why so many people were […]

The DA has called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to dismiss Patricia de Lille immediately. The DA asserts that the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure’s “poor attempt at covering up her complicity in the burning down of Parliament, by strenuously trying to stop the release of the independent audit report by BDO and insisting that […]

In a first for the African continent, three maritime-focussed nano-satellites from South Africa are expected to be launched into orbit on Thursday afternoon by SA expat Elon Musk’s Space-X in the USA. The three nanosatellites – the first to be entirely developed on the African continent – will be launched from Cape Canaveral at about […]

Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said on Wednesday evening: “I have noted the comments made by the Acting Chief Justice Zondo and they will be engaged with at an appropriate time in an appropriate platform.” Judge Raymond Zondo held a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon to respond to a scathing opinion piece by Sisulu, attacking the […]

The South African Parliament announced in a statement on Friday that this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) will now be held at the Cape Town City Hall on 10 February 2022. This comes after a fire that started on Sunday engulfed Parliament and was contained after two days. The Presiding Officers, who met […]

The DA has today revealed “damning” new evidence that the ANC cadre deployment committee reserves certain positions on the boards of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) for “party cronies whose CVs appear to be kept in a database separate from other applicants”. “This evidence, contained in meeting minutes of the ANC cadre deployment committee dating from between […]

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Service, Ronald Lamola, has strongly condemned the attack on the Constitutional Court buildings on Wednesday morning. This comes after a 36-year-old suspect allegedly went on a rampage and smashed windows using a hammer at the highest court in the land in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. It was reported that the man […]

No self-respecting theatre critic would dream of reviewing a three-Act play during the interval at the end of the first Act. But that is what one is compelled to do after South Africa’s State Capture Commission released Part 1 of its inquiry report. This is more so because those implicated by its findings will be […]

The first part of the three-part Zondo Commission of Enquiry Report – which was published today – points to systematic corruption during Jacob Zuma’s presidency in South Africa. The State Capture Enquiry was established in 2018 to examine alleged corruption during Zuma’s nine years as President, which began in 2009. It followed former Public Protector […]

A 49-year-old suspect appeared at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning in connection with the devastating fire that engulfed the South African Parliament on Sunday until late last night. The suspect, Zandile Christmas Mafe from Khayelitsha, is facing five charges including housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, two counts of arson, possession […]

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – South African firefighters struggled on Monday to extinguish a new blaze at the complex housing the two chambers of the national parliament in Cape Town, a day after a devastating fire swept through the Parliament buildings. By Wendell Roelf. Police charged a 49-year-old man with arson and other offences including theft […]

The Presiding Officers of Parliament have assured that all efforts will be made to limit any disruption to the business of Parliament following the fire that gutted parts of the precinct on Sunday. In a statement, the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), […]

Following the speedy response to the devastating fire at South Africa’s Parliament in Cape Town today, the country’s (ANC) President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has heaped praise on the DA-led city and province. Ramaphosa said of the response: “It does show that there are certain things that do work, even as we may think that the wheels […]

South Africans can party all night long on New Year’s Eve as the government has scrapped the long-standing midnight to 4am curfew, along with some other regulations, with immediate effect. “National Government has finally heeded our calls and put a complete end to the curfews. This is very welcome news and is long overdue,” said […]

The DA has today called on President Ramaphosa to end the curfew before New Year’s Eve. « Hospitalisation rates are low across the country. Omicron has proved to be far milder than past variants. Meantime, vaccines have proven to be extremely effective at protecting against severe disease and death, so those in the high-risk group […]

Party leaders from across the political spectrum in South Africa today signed the coalition agreement that has established multi-party governments in hung councils across the country. The agreement successfully formed coalition governments in all three Metro Municipalities in Gauteng, and in so doing kept the ANC out of government in these Metros, the parties said […]

The Northern Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, has ruled that former president Jacob Zuma’s medical parole was granted unlawfully. The court further ruled that the period that Zuma was out of jail on medical parole will not be deducted from his 15-month prison sentence. AfriForum, which was an applicant in the case asking […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on scientists from fellow BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – to work alongside South African scientists in further researching the various characteristics of the COVID-19 virus and its mutations. The call for collaboration comes after the detection of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 in South Africa […]