South Africa is joining the global community to observe International Childhood Cancer Day to raise awareness and improve understanding of childhood cancer. International Childhood Cancer Day is observed annually across the world on February 15, with this year’s campaign observed under the #ThroughTheirHands theme, which focuses on paying tribute to the families and caregivers, and […]

Justice Minister Ronald Lamola promised that more will be done to protect whistleblowers who expose corruption. This is a welcome announcement from Lamola, whose former law firm has in the past represented the corruption-ridden National Lotteries Commission against two whistleblowers in its ranks. Sello Qhina and Mzukisi Makhatse were fired for exposing corruption at the NLC. Addressing […]

This is Avuyile Masekwane’s last month as a refuse collector in Mfuleni, Cape Town. Though the work is difficult and demanding, she will be sorry when her 12-month contract ends at the end of February. Twenty-seven-year-old Masekwane works for the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) collecting rubbish, five days a week, from 8:30am to 3:30pm. […]

Five years after a Standard Bank branch manager was fired for “misconduct”, the Johannesburg Labour Appeal Court has ruled that the “unpopular boss” should be reinstated. A fired Standard Bank branch manager must be reinstated, the Johannesburg Labour Appeal Court has ruled. She was an unpopular boss and the staff were “glad to see the […]

Urban green spaces have recently been getting more research attention because of the benefits they offer. Gardens, parks, reserves and trees have been linked to cultural, spiritual and alternative medical solutions. Natural or semi-natural land areas can also deliver ecosystem services like food, stormwater management and climate control. Cities can plan and manage these for […]

The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has introduced stringent new protocols for the allocation of grant funding, including the establishment of a new division to prevent the rampant corruption that has overwhelmed the organisation in recent years. The NLC’s new board has introduced a number of measures to prevent corruption, including establishing a new anti-corruption division. […]

Nearly 80% of medical students who took part in the first South African study of its kind said they had experienced mistreatment by doctors. A recently published study found that medical student mistreatment was highly prevalent at a South African medical school in 2018. Trainee doctors showed signs of high levels of psychological distress and reported the […]

Government has expressed appreciation to the radio industry for its unique role in promoting the identities of South Africans across cultures and languages, as well as fostering peace domestically and internationally. This as South Africa observed World Radio Day, which was celebrated under the theme “Radio and Peace,” on Monday, as 13 February is specifically […]

Government has declared a national state of disaster to enable an intensive, coordinated response to the impact of floods that are affecting Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Northern Cape and North West provinces. The declaration, made in terms of the Disaster Management Act of 2002, was on Monday gazetted by Cooperative Governance […]

Disaster management teams are on high alert across the country amid the continuing heavy rains that have already resulted in damage, says Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. The inclement weather in recent days saw vehicles submerged and swept away, trapped homeowners on roofs and collapsed walls. In a statement, […]

The human immune system is arguably the most complex system in the human body. But scientists have made a lot of progress in understanding how it functions. That’s important for understanding illnesses and how to manage them. For instance, it’s important to understand that an immune response takes several days to fully develop. This knowledge […]

AKA, South Africa’s most recognisable name in hip-hop, was gunned down – with his friend, celebrity chef Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane – outside a restaurant along Durban’s popular night spot Florida Road on 10 February. It’s reported that AKA was killed in a cold-blooded shooting, a recurring theme of gangsta rap culture. The ghastly manner of […]

Eskom’s financial reports from December 2022, read by candlelight as they may have been, paint a picture that may surprise. The embattled utility has been able to bring its debt burden down to about R400-billion, from a peak well over R500-billion in 2020. It has trimmed its other liabilities enough to bring its losses down […]

South Africa has honoured the contribution made by those who have excelled in promoting the interests of the country on an international stage. “DIRCO [Department of International Relations and Cooperation] is honoured to shine a light on South Africans who have distinguished themselves in promoting our national interests, our talents, and values around the world […]

Here’s what’s coming up on Carte Blanche this week. You can watch the show on Sunday 12 February in South Africa on DStv Now OR stream it overseas in most countries on Showmax from Tuesday 14 February if you’re abroad. Loving with Convict(ion) A series of telephone encounters with a kind stranger leads a woman to love. […]

Major cities across the world are being increasingly plagued by severe water shortages. From Bangalore, India to São Paulo, Brazil and even Beijing, China, cities are at risk of drought in the near future. This has been true in South Africa too. Between 2016 and 2018 Cape Town experienced the real possibility of “Day Zero”, […]

This year marks 100 years since radio was introduced in South Africa, through “the first experimental broadcast at the Railway Headquarters in Johannesburg” on 18 December 1923. A century on, up to 94% of South Africans over the age of 15 confirmed in a recent survey that they owned a radio set in one form […]

Each year on February 10, the United Nations commemorates what probably sounds to many like a strange occasion: World Pulses Day. But, as a researcher focused on forgotten and underutilised legumes, I think the initiative is an important step towards food security. Getting people to eat more pulses can ultimately help achieve UN Sustainable Development […]

South Africa’s nascent social housing sector is facing systemic struggles. Rising construction costs, slow release of land, and insufficient grant funding are compromising the sector’s ability to deliver new units at the pace and scale needed. Social housing is the key to moving beyond apartheid urban planning, but it is faced with myriad challenges. GroundUp […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is working on mechanisms to improve protection for those who blow the whistle on corruption. “We are working to capacitate the Witness Protection Unit and will introduce amendments to the Protected Disclosures Act and Witness Protection Act to strengthen protection for whistleblowers,” he said on Thursday. Delivering the State of […]

About 60 people from several civil society groups marched to the Civic Centre in Cape Town on Wednesday. The groups want to “expose law enforcement brutality” and to mark Bulelani Qolani’s litigation bid against the City of Cape Town. Qolani was dragged naked from his home in Khayelitsha by Anti-Land Invasion officers during a lockdown in […]

George, a town of about 200,000 people in the Western Cape, is taking inspiration from Iceland to reduce substance use among young people. An unlikely coalition has been formed, consisting of community and activist organisations, schools, the George Municipality, police, and provincial government departments. George is taking inspiration from Iceland to reduce substance use among […]

About 30 activists and fishers led by the Eastern Cape Environmental Network and Earthlife Africa protested outside TotalEnergies service station in KwaDwesi, Gqeberha on Wednesday. They do not want the government to grant the company a license for the production of oil and gas between Mossel Bay and Cape St Francis. The protest started at […]

Elizabeth Jordaan, an 11-year-old girl from Robertson, Cape Town, is a testament to the human spirit’s resilience and determination. Despite the odds stacked against her since birth, Elizabeth remains an energetic and positive child who is eager to learn and experience life to the fullest. When Elizabeth was just 6 months old, she was diagnosed […]

All eyes will be on President Cyril Ramaphosa this evening as he takes to the podium to outline government’s programme of action through his 2023 State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Cape Town City Hall. UPDATE Thurs 9 Feb, 20h30: President Ramaphosa has announced that load shedding has been declared a national State of Disaster. […]