A Cape Town mother and her daughter were held hostage by ostriches in the Eastern Cape on Sunday! Amanda Stergianos told SAPeople: “I travelled up to Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape to visit my daughter who is a boarder there. “We decided to stay in accommodation on an estate called Fort Beaufort, 20 minutes from […]

Congratulations to South Africa’s Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky – and Andy Watts – for winning two major awards at the prestigious World Whiskies Awards in London! At a gala dinner at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel on 22 March 2018, Bain’s was awarded 2018 World’s Best Grain Whisky… and the company’s Founder Distiller, Andy Watts, was […]

The head of the Gauteng Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC), Dr Elias Sithole, says the PDMC remains on high alert amid the heavy downpours. Johannesburg and Pretoria experienced heavy rains that resulted in trees falling, homes becoming submerged, cemetry headstones collapsing and a car being ‘swallowed’ by a large sinkhole in front of the dump […]

After two more farm attacks, including one murder, in the past 48 hours in South Africa, DA Limpopo Provincial Leader Jacques Smalle will write to the Provincial Police Commissioner, Luitenant General Nneke Ledwaba, reiterating the opposition party’s repeated call to capacitate rural safety within the South African Police Service (SAPS) with adequate manpower and resources. “This […]

The world has been shattered by the death of the last male northern white rhino, Sudan… but none more so that one of his close companions, Warden James Mwenda. After Sudan’s death earlier this week at Olpejeta Conservancy in Kenya, James wrote a tribute that has been shared thousands of times. “Good bye Sudan, I […]

A “safe space” for homeless people at the Culemborg bridge in the Cape Town city centre should be operational in May 2018, according to JP Smith, Mayco Member for Safety and Security, and Social Services. The space was initially scheduled to open in February but “a temporary land use departure had to be secured” said […]

Once again this Sunday’s episode of Carte Blanche is packed with all the latest hot topics in South Africa. South Africans abroad can watch the show (and many more TV shows and movies) by subscribing to Showmax International, where this episode will be available to stream from Tuesday 27 March 2018. Life After Esidimeni The families of the […]

Check out this lekker new ad in New Zealand that features a ‘mighty South Africa burger’… with an Afrikaans-speaking guy presenting the burger that boasts BBQ sauce and an option for two flame grilled patties. Watch below. The burgers are part of a special Burger King promotion at the moment with customers able to enjoy […]

Travel to South Africa is set to start becoming easier for tourists within a year! The first phase of a new e-visa system will be piloted by 31 March 2019, according to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). The DA, which has campaigned for the introduction of electronic visas to make it easier for tourists […]

Recently, one of my followers asked me about exploring game parks around South Africa, as a woman… writes Annie DuPre-Reynolds. I’m very independent (just ask my husband) and have gone to Pilanesberg, the Kruger and Golden Gate National Parks – to name a few – on my own in the past few years. I’ve also organised trips for girlfriends visiting from […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), Tom Moyane, on suspension with immediate effect. “President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner Tom Moyane of his suspension with immediate effect pending the institution of disciplinary proceedings,” said the Presidency on Monday evening. President Ramaphosa said […]

Every South African should see this multi-award movie! Boasting seven awards from the prestigious Silwerskerm Festival – including Best Feature Film – Johnny Is Nie Dood Nie is a masterpiece of South African cinema. Johnny is nie dood nie is the first feature film from writer/director Christiaan Olwagen, and was hailed by reviewers as ground-breaking and […]

The civil rights organisation AfriForum said today at a media conference in Pretoria that the information which this organisation is currently spreading in the international community on expropriation without compensation and farm murders, is based on facts that confirm that there is a serious threat to property rights and human lives in South Africa. This […]

Here’s this week’s Carte Blanche line-up, available for South Africans in SA on Sunday and for expats from Tuesday on Showmax International. Illegal Land Invasions Illegal land invasions across Gauteng are causing widespread panic, amidst continued political discussions about land expropriation without compensation. President Ramaphosa has made it clear that nobody has the right to illegally […]

Watch Westville Girls’ High School’s Griffin Girls’ instrumental performance of Despacito below. It’s goosebump stuff! The Griffin Girls comprise 11 girls between the ages of 14 and 17. They practice once a week, and last year won Gold at the South African Concert and Marching Band Association (SAMBA) national competition in Pretoria – winning Best […]

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) says it is “regrettable” that the Australian Government did not use the available diplomatic channels to raise concerns or seek clarification on the land redistribution process in South Africa. This follows reports attributed to Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, who said they are exploring how to […]

A man has been filmed riding a shopping trolley at around 60km per hour down a residential road in Durban, South Africa! Local uMgeni Park resident, Terry Lewis, uploaded the video with the title: “60km per hour on a shopping trolley. Only in Africa.” According to his caption on YouTube, Terry filmed the footage just […]

Now that Day Zero has officially been postponed, here is an essay written by Anees Hassan, a Grade 12 learner at SACS High School in Cape Town, called “Life is Beautiful.” Two years ago Anees received the Lead SA Youth of the Month Award (August 2016) for his mentoring work in Transkei. His story – […]

Kegan Skye Nash is 32-years-old, and has an important message for all South Africans. Watch below as he delivers his message – in perfect Xhosa – about the importance of not judging each other by the colour of our skin… and realising that “not one of us has any real family tree that tells us […]

South African drone operator Ruan Kotze has captured this dramatic footage of the Drakensberg escarpment, which stretches for over 1,000 kilometres (around 620 miles) from the Eastern Cape Province in the south to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)… and along the way forms the border between Lesotho and the Eastern Cape, and between Lesotho and KZN. “The Afrikaans […]

South African do-it-yourself Goddess Suzelle-DIY has put together some brilliant tips on how to be a Day Zero “hero”. As Cape Town faces daily 50 litre water restrictions, Suzelle says “I don’t see this as a disaster guys! I actually see this as a creative challenge!” Showing that saving water can be “so much funner”, […]

Eligible South Africans have been urged by government to register to vote and update their addresses on the voters’ roll this weekend. “Government calls upon all eligible South African voters to visit their voting stations this coming weekend,” said Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will on Saturday, 10 and Sunday, 11 […]

On 22 February 2018 the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha, witnessed one of the most severe cases of animal cruelty ever experienced at the organisation – a cat had been set on fire whilst alive, in the street, a hundred metres from the clinic in Cape Town, South Africa. The photo below is distressing. After confronting […]

South African Airways (SAA) and Mango airlines have received qualified opinions according to their audit reports, which were due in September last year, tabled in Parliament today. According to Alf Lees, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Finance, the adverse findings by the Auditor General partly explain why there has been a such a reluctance by SAA […]

This Sunday’s episode of Carte Blanche is packed with all the latest hot topics in South Africa – Listeriosis, the rising EFF party, Cape Town’s Day Zero and Minister Nomvula Mokonyana’s ‘Leaky Legacy’. South Africans abroad can watch the show (and many more) by subscribing to Showmax International, where this episode will be available to stream from Tuesday 13 […]