JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s government has failed to tackle high air pollution levels in an area which is home to coal-fired power stations and refineries, a lawsuit filed by environmental and community groups says. The case – filed in the Pretoria High Court on Friday – claims the government has violated the constitutional right to […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s main opposition party – the Democratic Alliance (DA) – called on Monday for the Public Protector (SA’s corruption watchdog) to release a report into allegations President Cyril Ramaphosa misled parliament over a donation to his 2017 election campaign for the leadership of the ruling ANC. The opposition had complained to the […]

Ratings agency Moody’s said on Monday that it had lowered its forecast for South Africa‘s 2019 economic growth to 1.0% from 1.3% after it said a first-quarter contraction had dented the government’s revenue and policy options. Moody’s is the last of the big three international credit firms to rate South Africa at investment grade. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s efforts to revive […]

The Office of the ANC Chief Whip has confirmed the resignation of former Minister of Sport and Recreation Tokozile Xasa as an ANC Member of Parliament. The Chief Whip, Pemmy Majodina, said in a statement Friday morning that Xasa’s resignation is effective from today, 07 June 2019. Xasa, who was previously Tourism Minister, will be […]

South Africa’s rand fell again early on Friday, reaching a new 2019 low as assurances by the African National Congress (ANC) about the independence of the Reserve Bank did little to ease nerves about economic policy. At 0640 GMT, the rand was 0.63% weaker at 15.0900 per dollar, bringing losses since Monday to nearly 5% […]

The Office of the ANC (African National Congress) Chief Whip has confirmed the resignations of three ANC Members of Parliament…. with no reasons given. In a statement on Thursday evening, the ANC confirmed the resignations of former Minister of Social Development Susan Shabangu, former Minister of State Security Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba and former Minister of Human […]

JOHANNESBURG – A row centring on the South African central bank – the Reserve Bank – exposed deep divisions in the governing ANC party on Wednesday, as a faction loyal to President Cyril Ramaphosa opposed calls from a rival group for the bank to do more to boost employment and growth. The dispute between a […]

South Africa’s economy saw its sharpest contraction in a decade in the first quarter of 2019 as the dreaded power cuts – nicknamed loadshedding locally – hurt key sectors like manufacturing and mining, another sign that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s growth drive is struggling to gain traction. Data on Tuesday showed the economy was 3.2% smaller […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa‘s subdued economic growth could be reignited if the implementation of structural reforms, including at troubled state power utility Eskom, is accelerated, the International Monetary Fund said on Monday. The fund said following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s re-election last month, a focus on policy actions to remove long-standing constraints to growth and accelerate […]

South Africa cannot afford any more mistakes at the World Cup and will need to win almost all their remaining seven games if they hope to qualify for the semi-finals, former all-rounder Jacques Kallis has said. South Africa lost their tournament opener to England by 104 runs before they suffered an upset 21-run defeat against […]

After an outcry, Gauteng Premier David Makhura announced on Friday that Panyaza Lesufi will be reinstated as the MEC of Education in Gauteng. Lesufi was sworn in as MEC for finance and e-government, but many South Africans responded with disapproval yesterday. They saw it as an unnecessary move and called for his reinstatement as MEC […]

Carte Blanche investigates water outages in Ugu KZN, a lion who has skin cancer, how job seekers are being scammed and more this Sunday 2 June 2019, in South Africa; and available to stream from Tues 4 June for South Africans abroad in many countries. Chaos the Lion His name is Chaos, a 16-year-old full-grown, […]

Last Thursday evening Sibusiso Vumase was entertaining guests when he heard a loud knock on his front door. When he opened the door, a group of people carrying crowbars and hammers were standing outside demanding that he immediately evacuate his RDP house and find another place to live. On Friday morning Vumase was folding and […]

PRETORIA – South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has retained Tito Mboweni as finance minister and David Mabuza as deputy president on Wednesday as he appointed a new, smaller cabinet that consists of an equal number of men and women for the first time in SA history. Ramaphosa said the cabinet will have 28 ministers, down […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa‘s deputy president, David Mabuza, will be sworn in as a lawmaker on Tuesday, a week after he requested a postponement to address accusations he had brought the ruling African National Congress (ANC) into disrepute, the party said. Mabuza had met the ANC’s Integrity Commission over the past week, the party said, […]

Still feeling yesterday as I woke up this morning… writes Jennifer Crwys-Williams, from Saturdays With Jenny on KayaFM. Looking down on that field at Loftus Versfeld, at the goodwill, the smiles, the excitement & trying to convey what I was seeing to listeners who couldn’t see except through my eyes. It was a fabulous day. […]

GABORNE – Former Botswana President Ian Khama quit the ruling party on Saturday as a policy feud with his hand-picked successor deepened, threatening to split the party that has ruled the country since independence in 1966. Khama handed power to his then-deputy Mokgweetsi Masisi last year after serving as president of the diamond-rich southern African […]

PRETORIA – Trade unionist-turned-businessman Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in as South Africa’s president on Saturday, vowing to create jobs and tackle deep-rooted corruption that has strangled economic growth. Ramaphosa, who becomes the country’s fourth democratically elected president since the end of apartheid, took the presidential oath before a crowd of about 32,000 people in a […]

There is a lot of misinformation circling in the South African expatriate community about the amended expatriate tax law taking effect on 1 March 2020 and the process of Financial Emigration… writes Melanie Browne. We often have clients approach us where they have been subjected to scaremongering or solicited by “one-man” bands promoting their own […]

Winning the Cricket World Cup is the holy grail for South Africa’s national team. But with every tournament, it’s remained out of reach. What will it take to turn the team’s fortune around? Watch this and more on Carte Blanche this  Sunday 26 May, in South Africa; and available to stream from Tues 28 May […]

As predicted, British Prime Minister Theresa May has announced today – Friday 24 May 2019 – that she will step down as leader of the Conservative party on 7 June, triggering a contest that will bring a new leader to power who is likely to push for a more decisive Brexit divorce deal. In an […]

South Africa’s central bank kept its benchmark repo rate unchanged at 6.75 % on Thursday, saying while the medium-term inflation forecast had moderated, economic growth was set to contract in the first quarter and continue to weaken. “Recent monthly inflation outcomes have remained around the mid-point of the inflation target range, in part due to […]

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng had a massive task today at the House of Parliament – to preside over the swearing-in ceremony of 400 members from 14 political parties, taking their oath to serve in the Sixth Democratic Parliament. But before he began, the Chief Justice did something that has never been done before. He dropped […]

CAPE TOWN – It’s official. South African lawmakers on Wednesday elected Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa as SA’s president in the first sitting of parliament since the ruling African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of parliamentary seats in the election earlier this month. Ramaphosa, who is also the leader of the ANC, was elected unopposed by […]

CAPE TOWN – South Africa’s deputy president, David Mabuza, will not be sworn in as a lawmaker on Wednesday after requesting a postponement to address allegations he brought the ruling African National Congress (ANC) into disrepute, President Cyril Ramaphosa said. Ramaphosa, who is also the leader of the ANC, is due to be elected on […]