South African broadcaster, author and political analyst Eusebius McKaiser passed away suddenly on 30 May 2023 at the age of 45. News of his death reverberated through media channels. Tributes bore witness to the impact of his voice and the enduring significance of radio as the medium through which many first encountered his outspoken, insightful […]

The Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill currently being considered by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Mineral Resources and Energy is fatally flawed and should be rejected by South Africans. The bill will create a separation of the regulation of the upstream petroleum industry from the regulation of the mining industry, with the former regulated by […]

As a child, Vanessa Solomons would listen to the birds tweeting outside her window in the morning. Lying on her bed in Manenberg, she would whistle with them. Today she is one of the many buskers working along the Kalk Bay main road. She plays guitar, and whistles the melodies of popular “old school” songs, […]

The Department of Health has alerted the public of the increased circulation of influenza, also known as “flu”, around the country since the beginning of May 2023. The department was notified by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) about the rising cases. In a statement on Saturday, the department said the cases have been […]

Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will today host World Environment Day (WED) 2023 in Cape Town. The WED 2023 will be commemorated under the theme: “Beat Plastic Pollution” with a strong focus on eliminating all forms of waste/pollution, particularly plastic. In a statement on […]

In a concerted effort to curb the spread of the Cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, Judith Tshabalala, joined a team of bikers led by the South African Female Riders Forum, to hand over 1.5 million litres of water to the affected communities. Tshabalala with hundreds of bikers, mostly females, who came […]

Southern white rhinos are widely known as a conservation success story. Their population grew from fewer than 100 individuals in the 1920s to 20,000 in 2012, mostly in South Africa. This success was partially due to the inclusion of the private sector, which started in the 1960s when white rhinos were moved from their last […]

Rolling blackouts are costing South Africa dearly. The electricity crisis is a barrier to growth, destroys investor confidence and handicaps almost every economic activity. It has raised input costs for producers and retailers and has triggered a new round of inflation and interest rate increases. Any solution will obviously incur costs because it will require […]

AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism says it is under “legal assault” and has been “gagged” by a court order, granted in chambers and without prior notice. AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism has been effectively stopped from reporting on Johannesburg businessman Zunaid Moti by an interim interdict. The Moti Group claims the documents AmaBhungane is basing […]

Any which way you slice it, South Africa’s homicide statistics are extremely grim. Over 27,000 people were murdered from April 2022 to March 2023, probably the highest recorded number in a single year to date. Nearly the same number of people were murdered in 1994, at the height of the low-intensity civil war in Gauteng […]

Eskom says it expects to implement various stages of load shedding over the weekend with a chance of a power cut-free Sunday afternoon. This as the power utility said it expects to return several generating units to service over the coming days. The load-shedding schedule for this weekend is as follows: Friday: Stage 4 throughout […]

The search for great-tasting artisan cheese and healthy, non-processed food is growing in South Africa and Mahlatse Mailula (32) is among local food manufacturers who are meeting the demand. Artisan cheese is made primarily by hand, it includes the traditional methods of cheesemaking. Based in Seshego in Limpopo, Mailula is the founder and owner of […]

When a state-leased family farm lay fallow after its subsistence farmer patriarch passed on, the entrepreneurial spirit of his daughter-in-law kicked in, and she worked hard to revive it. Today, the initiative is thriving, even earning accolades from the country’s head of state. The director of Kevinot Farming,  Nonopa Tenza, was among a group of […]

Many benefits come from regularly exercising, including stronger muscles, lower risk of disease and improved mental health. But a recent study suggests that exercise may have another unexpected benefit: it might make us more tolerant to pain. The study, published in the journal PLOS One, found people who regularly exercised had a higher pain tolerance […]

There was something elemental about the ferocity of Tina Turner’s stage strut and the grit in her voice. Her death last week, aged 83, was met with an outpouring of tributes celebrating her musical prowess. But as we mourn her passing, it’s worth noting that Tina was also a model survivor of intimate partner violence. […]

Residents living in the N2 Gateway social housing project flats in Langa have turned dumpsites on empty land into three thriving vegetable gardens. Spinach, cabbages, kale, potatoes, onions, turnips, beetroot, pepper, peas, tomatoes, butternut, carrots, brinjal, sweet potatoes are grown as well as parsley, rosemary lavender, and fennel. The first resident to start a garden, in 2019, […]

The City of Johannesburg spent R15.6-million on the Lehae taxi rank in south Johannesburg. But the taxi rank, and its stalls for informal traders and guard house, have been wrecked by vandals. The toilets and urinals have been smashed, the lights are broken, zinc roofing has been stolen, and the shelters built for traders badly […]

Following the intervention of AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit (PPU), after nearly a decade of heartless deception and false promises to hopeful adoptive parents, alleged adoption scammer Letitia van den Berg finally got her day in court. She is also facing 39 counts of human trafficking and charges of fraud and theft. What started as a […]

Turmeric has been used by humans for more than 4,000 years. As well as cooking and cosmetics, it’s been a staple of the traditional medicine practice of Ayurveda, used to treat a variety of conditions from arthritis to wind. Even today turmeric remains a popular health supplement. There are plenty of articles and social media […]

Krugersdorp, South Africa – Cindy Duplessis (42), a  resident of Krugersdorp, along with a group of friends, has launched a heartwarming crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to help Roelien Homan, a beloved member of the community, purchase new hearing aids. Roelien, a well-known property professional with a deep passion for animals, lost her hearing after battling […]

The Constitutional Court, in a unanimous judgment, has ruled that the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act is unconstitutional because Parliament “overwhelmingly failed in facilitating public participation”. Parliament failed to ensure public participation before passing the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act, says the Constitutional Court. The Court has given Parliament 24 months to re-enact the legislation […]

Families in Vosho informal settlement in Khayelitsha say sand being moved by a sand mining project nearby is making their homes uninhabitable. A sand mining company operating in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, has suspended operations after shack dwellers complained their homes are filled with sand and have become inhabitable. The company was granted a permit by […]

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan says the sale of shares in South African Airways (SAA) was aimed at ensuring that the State-owned airline is saved and does not undergo liquidation. Gordhan was addressing Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on Tuesday. A Strategic Equity Partnership with Takatso Consortium is expected to pave the way […]

South Africans are among the heaviest drinkers in the world. The country has the highest per capita rate of alcohol consumption in Africa. Excessive drinking is especially widespread in the Western Cape. Research estimates that per capita alcohol consumption in the province is between 30% and 40% higher than the national consumption. Alcohol use contributes […]

South Africa has experienced many challenges in relation to migration and xenophobia. We are marking Africa Day by bringing together a diversity of women who live in Cape Town to speak about their commonalities as African women and to share their experiences. This is how the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), Tusimame Wanawake, and […]