The spotlight will be firmly on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as he runs the gauntlet of delivering the annual state of the nation address on behalf of the governing party, African National Congress (ANC), and his government on Thursday. This year’s speech is light-years removed from the promise of a new beginning he offered […]

Have you ever been unlawfully detained? A staggering number of people in South Africa have, and they’ve instituted civil claims totalling billions of rands against the police for  Unlawful Arrest and Detention. On this week’s episode of Carte Blanche, the current affairs show investigates: what are the reasons behind this disturbing trend? And what to […]

An arrest warrant has been issued for the former president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma. The warrant was issued by the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday after Zuma failed to appear for his long-awaited trial for alleged corruption and money-laundering. Senior state prosecutor Advocate Billy Downer had requested the warrant earlier on Tuesday, saying Zuma’s […]

Thirty years ago, on 2 February 1990, a speech was delivered by then President FW de Klerk that marked the beginning of a radically new political landscape for South Africa. In his opening address to parliament, De Klerk unbanned the exiled liberation movements, notably the African National Congress (ANC), Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) and South African […]

With violent incidents taking place across South Africa and crime stats resembling those of a war-torn country, in this week’s episode of Carte Blanche the team examines personal safety and questions whether the State should limit a citizen’s right to own firearms. Tonight’s episode (Sunday 2 February) is available on DStv Now if you’re in South […]

Eskom CEO, Andre de Ruyter, today warned South Africans of more “intensive loadshedding” to come as the power utility battles to come to grips with the country’s energy crisis. But there is a plan and light at the end of the tunnel! Eskom will be changing its maintenance philosophy and will “enter into a long-term […]

Parliament announced, on Thursday, that it has extended the deadline for public comment to 29 February on the land expropriation with compensation proposal, apparently bending to pressure after numerous submissions were blocked by parliamentary IT servers for “unacceptable content”. The extension comes after several people attempting to make submissions to the designated parliamentary email address […]

The deepening of economic growth and the predicament of the country’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) – like Eskom and SAA – are expected to be taking centre stage at the Cabinet Lekgotla being held by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria this week. Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu outlined the government’s […]

What are South Africans to make of the murmurs that its governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), plans to recall Cyril Ramaphosa as president of the republic at its next National General Council in June? That’s where the party will meet to review if government has implemented its policies. Apparently the motivation for the […]

CNN News Anchor and Business Editor Richard Quest didn’t hold back in sharing his views on the current state of South Africa with Radio 702’s Bruce Whitfield on The Money Show. With South Africa sending a ‘lite’ team to the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davis, Switzerland, this year; Quest theorised that the reasons for […]

The City of Cape Town is “subsidising the wealthy elite” by planning to extend the lease on the Rondebosch golf course for another ten years at a very low rental fee, says activist group Ndifuna Ukwazi. The City announced on Monday that it is seeking approval from the council to extend the lease. The golf course was […]

Since late last year, South Africans have, once again, been subjected to power cuts by the power utility, Eskom. The need for what’s called load-shedding – planned power outages – led to the recent resignation of Eskom’s chairperson and a flurry of concern about the current and future reliability of electricity supply. It has also […]

The tragic death of a young eight-year-old girl – Modisa Mbhele – in QwaQwa has led to violent protests in the eastern Free State town, and the arrest of over 30 people. Modisa’s death is being blamed on the water crisis in the area. She tragically drowned while collecting water from the river in Mandela […]

Today is the deadline for South Africans to make submissions on Eskom’s proposed tariff hikes for the period of 2019-2022; and South Africans are being urged to exercise their right to make their voices heard before it’s too late… by submitting their objections to the tariff hike to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa will not attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London this year, as he has more “pressing domestic priorities” to take care of. The annual meeting in Davos takes place from 21 to 24 January 2020, while the UK-Africa Summit will take place […]

South African Deputy President David Mabuza is in Juba, South Sudan, for meetings on the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan, aimed at ensuring peace in the region going forwards. The main aim of the visit is to find a consensus from the different parties on the issue of the number […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it is “horrified and outraged” at the shooting of one of its Members of Parliament, Cameron Mackenzie MP, in an attempted robbery at Dainfern Ridge Estate in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, on Tuesday night. MacKenzie was wounded and rushed to hospital. “This attack has proved yet again, that no one […]

South Africa’s prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme has achieved remarkable successes in recent years. It has improved the health and life expectancy for pregnant women living with HIV, and it has reduced the risk of transmission of the virus to their offspring. HIV can be transmitted during pregnancy, at the time of delivery, and through […]

The Class of 2019 matriculants are expected to be glued to their television screens tonight as Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announces the national results of the 2019 National Senior Certificate matric exams. The Independent Examinations Board (IEB) announced the private schools’ matric results at midnight last night. The Basic Education Department will release the […]

Carte Blanche covers a Rolex murder, Sperm Donor Siblings, DNA database disasters plus more, on Sunday 5 January – on DStv Now if you’re in South Africa, and available to stream from Tues 7 January on Showmax International in most other countries.  Mammoth Families – the Stories of Sperm Donor Siblings How would you feel if […]

Mark Oppenheimer – an advocate at the Johannesburg Bar – has urged South Africans to make their voices heard regarding the SA government’s proposed amendment to the Bill of Rights. In a video which is going viral, Oppenheimer says “I’m talking to you today, not as a lawyer but as a concerned citizen…” (Watch the […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has shared the following New Year’s message with South Africans: As the 25th year of our democracy draws to a close, we look back on a year that has been filled with both highs and lows, a year in which we measured great progress, but also encountered several setbacks. In May millions […]

With hours to go until New Year’s Eve celebrations get underway, the South African Police Service (SAPS) is urging the SA public to use firecrackers responsibly and has shared some essential safety tips. Fireworks must be used “cautiously and in compliance with regulations to avoid injuries,” said North West police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone. The […]

Cash strapped South African consumers returning from their December holiday break will breathe a sigh of relief at the petrol pumps as the price of petrol is set to come down by between 4 and 14 cents a litre this week. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has announced a drop in the petrol […]

The “arrogance” of the Gupta family, who have been implicated in ‘state capture’ in South Africa, “has no bounds”, says the Democratic Alliance (DA)… as the family has applied to have their South Africans passports renewed while living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Guptas fled South Africa in February 2018 as evidence of their […]