The novel Coronavirus continues to spread rapidly amid the second wave of infections, with the country recording another 9 131 confirmed cases in the last 24 hours. This is after South Africa topped the 10 000 mark of new cases on Wednesday — for the first time since August. Meanwhile, 184 people succumbed to the respiratory […]

Epidemiologist and Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 in South Africa, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, has been awarded the 2020 John Maddox Prize. Prof Karim was named joint winner with Dr Anthony Fauci from the US. President Cyril Ramaphosa was one of the first to congratulate Prof Karim, saying: “It is an honour […]

The Democratic Alliance has not only welcomed the judgement against the tobacco ban imposed in South Africa during Lockdown, but has called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire the person behind the ban, COGTA Minister Dlamini-Zuma. Yesterday three judges of the Western Cape Division of the High Court found that Regulation 45 of the Disaster Management […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed sadness at the recent death of South Africa’s ambassador to Senegal, Lenin Magigwane Shope. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Presidency said ambassador Shope passed away at his official residence in Dakar, Senegal, earlier last week. President Ramaphosa offered his sincere condolences to Shope’s mother, Ma Gertude Shope, a […]

John Steenhuisen – Leader of the Democratic Alliance – has urged South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to suspend corruption-accused Secretary-General, Ace Magashule, at the NEC meeting this weekend… or expose his promised words that ANC members charged with corruption need to step aside, as hollow. Three months ago, when the Covid-19 procurement scandal was exposed, […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has questioned Judge Desai’s independence following the circulation of images on social media, during the past week, which appear to depict the Western Cape High Court Bench member in what is alleged to be an ANC meeting. According to the Constitution, the responsibilities and confines of SA’s Judiciary state: “The Courts […]

South Africa is today – 1 December 2020 – assuming the rotating monthly presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). “This will be South Africa’s second Presidency during its two-year (2019-2020) elected term on the council. December will also be South Africa’s final month on the council during its current term,” said the Department […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is calling on the Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi to ensure that 41,156 Grades 1 and 8 learners that have not yet been placed for the 2021 academic year are placed before 10 December 2020. According to Lesufi, the department has received 220 000 online applications for Grades […]

The South African Government has condemned the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist, Dr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (59), on Friday, 27 November 2020. Dr Fakhrizadeh was travelling in a vehicle when he was shot and killed in an ambush in northern Iran. According to the New York Times, both US and Israeli intelligence long believed that Fakhrizadeh […]

There are an estimated 14,357 homeless people living on the streets of Cape Town, and more than R744 million a year is spent on homelessness. These findings were made in a study, “The Cost of Homelessness in Cape Town”, conducted by the NGO U-turn, with help from Khulisa Streetscapes and MES. A study on the cost of homelessness in […]

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 […]

Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the head of the inquiry into allegations that the South African state was “captured” and repurposed to benefit private interests during former president Jacob Zuma’s tenure (May 2009 to February 2018), has dismissed Zuma’s application for his recusal. The former president, who stands accused of having facilitated grand corruption, had […]

The disturbing phenomenon of farm murders in South Africa needs to be stopped, says the DA Abroad. The recent spate of farm attacks saw 5 farmers murdered in a space of 5 weeks in the Free State alone. Beyond this there are many incidents of attacks across the country, as the rural security situation appears […]

Western Cape musician and entertainer David Scott, aka The Kiffness, has posted a video exploring the parallels between Germany’s Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and the EFF’s Julius Malema in their rise to power. “Is it fair to compare Malema to Hitler?” The Kiffness tweeted, after the Democratic Alliance (DA) tweeted last Monday (9 Nov): “The […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa tonight extended the National State of Disaster to 15 December 2020, and announced a Resurgence Plan with interventions to curb the further spread of Covid-19 infections, expressing concern at the lax behaviour of some South Africans as the pandemic continues to grip the country and world. His announcement unleashed an […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) said it is saddened by the recent untimely death of Prince Lethukuthula Zulu, the eldest child of Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu and Queen Sibongile MaDlamini. “The DA extends its sincere condolences to His Majesty and to the entire Zulu Royal household at this extremely difficult time, […]

Two senior Hawks officers and a former colleague are expected to appear in court soon after they were this morning arrested for alleged fraud and corruption relating to promotional appointments in the agency. Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale in a statement said: “The Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation members in their quest to rid the organisation of […]

After months of battling the COVID-19 pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country is now transitioning from relief to recovery. Writing in this week’s edition of his newsletter, the President said when the National State of Disaster was declared in March, the immediate priority was to contain the spread of the virus and provide emergency […]

While some South Africans have taken offence to a video clip that’s been going viral for months, showing an impassioned young Joe Biden in 1986 pleading for support for South Africans suffering under apartheid, most have welcomed the video as a sign of Biden’s pro-equality stance and his genuine care for the wellbeing of not […]

The Green Scorpions have ordered the City of Cape Town to sort out pollution in the Milnerton Lagoon, following continued failures at the Potsdam Waste Water Treatment Works. The Green Scorpions have ordered the City of Cape Town to sort out the pollution of Milnerton Lagoon. This follows two earlier warnings. The City has appealed […]

There’s welcome news for South Africans as both grades of petrol are set to decrease by 27 cents a litre from Wednesday. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy on Tuesday said fuel prices for November 2020 will be adjusted as follows: Petrol (both 93 ULP and LRP) will decrease by 27c per litre; Petrol […]

The American public may not find out who wins the presidential election on Nov. 3 or Nov. 4 or even Nov. 5. But, at some point, we will learn whether Republican Donald Trump is elected to a second term or if Democrat Joe Biden will be the next president. For the winner of the election, […]

Below is the acceptance speech, delivered in Durban, by newly-elected Federal Leader of the Democratic Alliance, John Steenhuisen. (Video at the bottom.) Fellow South Africans, I cannot think of a more fitting place from which to speak with you today than this beautiful City of eThekwini. Twenty-one years ago, I made my way up the […]

As predicted John Steenhuisen has been elected new Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the official opposition party in South Africa. The Leadership Elections took place at the DA’s elective Federal Congress 2020 whereby voting for candidates was undertaken using the online OpaVote platform (which, according to the DA, worked extremely well and was compliant […]

As the world holds its breath, Carte Blanche viewers will find out on Sunday how a Trump second term or Biden presidency could affect South Africa. You can watch the show on Sunday 1 November in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from Tues 3 November if you’re abroad. […]