JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene apologised on Friday for visiting the home of the Gupta brothers – friends of scandal-plagued former leader Jacob Zuma – as pressure mounts on one of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s key allies. Nene has become an increasingly divisive figure after testimony he gave at an inquiry into […]

This week’s episode of Carte Blanche investigates some of the hottest current topics in South Africa – fuel hikes, awaiting trial prisoners, police brutality on the East Rand and the next viable source of nutrition… Gourmet Insects! The show is available to South Africans abroad from Tuesday 09th October 2018 – if you subscribe to […]

South African Airways (SAA) has appointed Deon Fredericks as its new interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Fredericks’ appointment was announced by South Africa’s national carrier on Thursday. His appointment is effective from 15 October and he is on secondment from Telkom for a 12-month period. “We welcome the appointment of Fredericks to ensure that SAA’s […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a package of reforms on Thursday which he said would create 275,000 more jobs a year, in a bid to bring down sky-high unemployment and improve his own track record on the economy. Ramaphosa said the measures unveiled today included agreements by top public and private firms […]

JOHANNESBURG – Saudi Arabia is in talks with South Africa’s major arms manufacturers and is considering taking an equity stake in the struggling state-owned defence firm Denel, the head of the Saudi state defence company told Reuters. Saudi Arabian Military Industries’ (SAMI) chief executive Andreas Schwer said he expected to conclude the first partnership deals […]

Cape Town has been voted the top opportunity city in Africa by the World Bank. The bank made its announcement in its “Doing Business in South Africa” report. According to Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille, Cape Town’s high ranking for providing electricity elevates it to the top 25 % of worldwide city economies. Apparently […]

The EFF’s Julius Malema should appear and give evidence under oath before the Zondo Commission, says DA (Democratic Alliance) Shadow Minister of Finance, David Maynier. Maynier was reacting to the Economic Freedom Fighter leader’s allegations that Minister of Finance, Nhlanhla Nene played a role in state capture in South Africa. Maynier said Malema has “conducted […]

A South African widow, whose husband was murdered on their farm in 2016, has posted a public video message to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the people of the USA following Ramaphosa’s statement to Bloomberg last week in New York that there are no farm killings in South Africa. In the video Mariandra Heunis recalls the […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene said on Wednesday he was fired by former president Jacob Zuma for refusing to approve contracts that would financially benefit the Gupta family, friends of Zuma accused of corruption. Nene, who was giving testimony at a judicial inquiry into influence-peddling, said the main reason he was […]

Makhanda is now the official new name for Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, following the name change first announced in the Government Gazette by Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa in June. The gazetting, which is a legal requirement, served to publicise the decision for objections or comments to be made. Apparently […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene is due to give evidence on Wednesday at an inquiry into state capture, testimony that could reveal new details about the role of former president Jacob Zuma and his friends, the Guptas. Nene is a pivotal figure in a probe into the three Indian-born Gupta brothers, who […]

One of Gauteng’s most famous roads – the William Nicol Drive – is to be named after Winne Madikizela-Mandela, who passed away earlier this year. Ismail Vadi, Gauteng’s Transport MEC, announced that up to 10 roads in Gauteng will be renamed. (October is Transport Month in South Africa.) Speaking to Jacaranda FM, Vadi said historically […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African energy regulator NERSA on Tuesday gave power utility Eskom the go-head to recover R32.69 billion ($2.25 billion) of costs incurred over the past three years through higher tariffs over a four-year period from 2019 to 2023. Eskom had been hoping to recover the costs in three years. Cash-strapped Eskom, which is […]

Hot 91.9 DJ Sasha Martinengo has been dismissed, with immediate effect, after referring to Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) leader Julius Malema as a monkey. The EFF said, in a media statement on Tuesday afternoon, that it welcomes Martinengo’s dismissal after his racist remarks. “Unlike many who accept apologies of the racists, this station refused to […]

ACCRA – Melania Trump arrived in Ghana on Tuesday, choosing for her first extended international trip alone to visit Africa, a continent her husband has referred to somewhat derisively! The U.S. first lady touched down at mid-morning in Ghana’s capital, Accra, where she was greeted by the country’s first lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, and a young […]

South African Police Minister Bheki Cele has tasked Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole with investigating alleged corruption and misconduct at the Sophiatown Police Station, which services the violence ridden Johannesburg suburb of Westbury. Residents in the area, not far from Auckland Park, have described the last few days as being “scary” and like a “war zone”. […]

The leader of the ACDP (African Christian Democratic Party), Kenneth Meshoe, has called on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to apologise to the SA farming community for his “no killings” statement made during an interview with Bloomberg whilst attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week. Rev Meshoe called Ramaphosa’s statement “a national […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s land reforms will include issuing title deeds to small-scale farmers living on tribal lands, a senior ruling party official said on Friday, in comments likely to rile powerful traditional chiefs. The remarks by Ronald Lamola, a member of the African National Congress’ (ANC) top governing body and one of the party’s […]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has concluded his working visit to New York, and says he is “fully satisfied”. The president was in the United States to participate at the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly. In an interview (watch below), Ramaphosa described the “tour” as “qualitatively so good” with “real good team […]

President Cyril Rampahosa has reassured delegates at a business seminar, on the side of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, that “there’s no land grab in South Africa”. (Watch below.) Speaking to Bloomberg during his trip to the US, the South African president also said that President Donald Trump’s tweet about the country’s […]

A life-size statue of Nelson Mandela has been unveiled at the United Nation’s (UN’s) headquarters in New York, USA. The statue of South Africa’s founding father is intended to immortalise Madiba’s values and serve as a reminder forever of everything SA’s exceptional statesman stood for. South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa – who is in New […]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced, with profound sadness, the passing of Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa. Minister Molewa passed away at a Pretoria hospital today, after a short illness. “I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Minister Edna Molewa as well as to her colleagues in Cabinet and across all […]

PRETORIA (Reuters) – South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a multi-billion-dollar stimulus programme on Friday, earmarking funds for job creation and infrastructure development as he seeks to make good on a pledge to revive the country’s ailing economy. Speaking a day after the central bank disappointed some in his ruling African National Congress (ANC) party […]

PRETORIA – South Africa’s central bank left its benchmark repo rate on hold at 6.5 percent on Thursday, in a tight call, with the bank’s governor striking a more hawkish note than at the last rate meeting in July. The rate decision by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) was closely watched after emerging market […]

JOHANNESBURG – A South African man was arrested and will be charged in court for posting a video on social media in which he hurled racial abuse at President Cyril Ramaphosa, police said on Thursday. It was the latest such incident to cause a public outcry in South Africa and shows the racial tensions that […]