At least two people in South Africa were able to cast multiple votes on Wednesday as seen in the video below, and several others have reported that the ‘indelible’ ink was easy to rub off; and that the process used to check ID books was not vigorous enough to flag someone who tried to use […]

After casting his vote in Soweto this morning, Democratic Alliance (DA) Leader Mmusi Maimane said: “Fear says to us let’s stick with what we know, hope says lets bring change…” The African National Congress (ANC) faces its toughest electoral test on Wednesday as it seeks to reverse a slide in support from voters frustrated by […]

“How can I cast my vote when I’m still sharing stream water with dogs and cows?” asks Zwelihle Zimu. He is one of the residents of Sweetwaters in Ebaleni in Pietermaritzburg who fetch water from a nearby stream. There are no communal taps and the water tanker comes only once a week, says Zimu. “We […]

Cape Town’s The Kiffness (aka David Scott) has posted a video about Mmusi Maimane that’s gone viral in South Africa… even reaching the desk of the Democratic Alliance (DA) leader himself. An excited Scott said: “GUYS! MMU$I MAIMANE WATCHED THE VIDEO ???” Maimane said: “Love your work. Indeed an honest government that focuses on economic […]

JOHANNESBURG – It’s three days before elections in South Africa and the major parties have been making promises to voters this weekend. While South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) vows it will kick-start the economy and deal with corruption, and the DA promises to lead coalitions in South Africa and tackle racism, the Economic […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) will kick-start the economy and deal with corruption, it vowed on Sunday, three days before elections at which its overwhelming majority faces its sternest test since the party rose to power. Though the ANC has won each parliamentary election since the transition from apartheid in 1994, […]

Here’s what’s coming up on Carte Blanche tonight, Sunday 05 May, in South Africa, and available to stream from Tues 07 May for South Africans abroad in many countries. Tasmin Pepper and the First All-Woman Racing Series With a global audience of 1,7 billion people, Formula 1 is one of the most popular motor sports […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), although heading for defeat in May 8 national elections, pledged to forge coalitions with smaller parties to break the dominance of the ruling ANC, especially at the local level. South Africans vote for a sixth time since the end of apartheid in 1994, and […]

South Africa, as the old tourism slogan used to boast, is a world in one country: a land made remarkable by the diversity of its people, its cultures, its landscapes, its fauna and flora… writes Gus Silber. But away from the glossy brochures, the ad campaigns, the YouTube influencer videos, the truth is a little […]

It would be surprising if race played no part in South African elections. The country’s colonial and apartheid past ranked alongside America’s Deep South as among the most racist social orders in the world. If religious polarisation is also considered, South Africa often compared with Northern Ireland and the Israel-Palestine conflict. The slogan “rainbow nation” […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) appears headed for victory in next month’s election, as President Cyril Ramaphosa seeks to strike a reforming tone, with three opinion polls showing support ranging between 51 and 61 percent. The three pollsters, which used different methodologies and turnout assumptions for the May 8 parliamentary vote, […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africans voting for a new national parliament on May 8 will have 48 parties to choose from – more than at any election since the end of white minority rule in 1994. Many more political parties are contesting elections for nine provincial legislatures to be held on the same day. The African […]

It’s pleasing that the latest World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters without Borders rates the state of press freedom in South Africa as “satisfactory”. Satisfactory is the second best category after “good”. South Africa is on par in the “satisfactory” category with countries like Australia, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, the UK, Austria and Uruguay. […]

The Nelson Mandela Foundation and Afriforum are opposing each other in the Johannesburg Equality Court. The Nelson Mandela Foundation is asking the Equality Court in Johannesburg to declare the display of the old South African flag hate speech and harassment under the Equality Act. The case is likely to set the boundaries between constitutionally-protected free […]

Photos and stories have poured in from SAPeople members around the world who voted overseas in the SA elections on Freedom Day, 27 April 2019. Here we’ve selected just four messages that reveal the heart and passion of South African expats worldwide, still inextricably linked to their beloved homeland… Sonja VanNiekerk DeBeer, Venezuela – “The […]

Charles Back had an unusual response to a farm attack that almost killed him. Unusual because he refused to let it start a race-based furore. Unusual because of his calm in the wake of such trauma… writes Elana van der Watt. Then again, much of what Back does as an owner of the Fairview powerhouse […]

South African expats around the world showed how deep their passion for South Africa is by braving inclement weather (including Storm Hannah in the UK), enduring long overnight treks and some spending a fortune they can barely afford… to make their way to one of the 121 foreign missions to cast their vote in the […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has (finally) ended the tenure in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of advocates Nomgcobo Jiba and Lawrence Mrwebi, as recommended by the Mokgoro Enquiry into the fitness of the two officials to hold office. The President took this action on Thursday, 25 April 2019 after studying the findings and recommendations of the […]

South African expats will tomorrow head to the country’s high commissions, embassies and consulates-general around the world to cast their votes in the national and provincial elections. The date, 27 April, coincides with exactly 25 years to the day South Africans first voted in the first democratic elections in 1994. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), […]

Tanzania on Tuesday denied blocking the publication of a critical International Monetary Fund report that accuses President John Magufuli’s government of undermining economic growth with “unpredictable and interventionist” policies. In the leaked report, seen by Reuters last week and which the IMF said was not made public after Tanzanian authorities did not consent to its […]

The Ramaphosa Village graveyard in Patensie, Eastern Cape, is in a sad state. GroundUp found pigs rooting in the graveyard, headstones knocked over, and graves vandalised. Villagers use the unfenced property as a shortcut. A number of shacks have also gone up on the very edge of the cemetery. A legal dispute lodged by a […]

Poor people in South Africa often feel that the only way they can be heard is to protest. The past few days have shown that not even this gets them a hearing. Protests in the townships and shack settlements where most poor people live in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Cape Town are in the news. These […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s push to reduce rural poverty and quell growing anger over unequal access to property faces further delays after a member of an advisory panel on the issue on Friday rejected key aspects of the plan. Land ownership is a controversial and emotive issue in South Africa where racial […]

The year 2019 marks South Africa’s silver jubilee and, as the young democracy marks this milestone, the Department of International Relations (DIRCO) has taken stock of the country’s foreign policy. To assess the country’s foreign policy, the department appointed an 11 member review panel, chaired by former Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad, a year ago. […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa faces escalating unrest if the governing African National Congress (ANC) party retains power in next month’s election and fails to introduce major reforms, Mmusi Maimane – leader of the country’s biggest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) – said on Thursday. In the most hotly contested election since the end of […]