Tissue donation is an essential component in the work that surgeons and healthcare professionals do to improve the quality of life of their patients. Human tissue – including bone, skin, heart valves and corneas – is used in a number of surgical applications. It can save patients with severe burns, repair torn ligaments and tendons, […]

Rodwell Nkomazana’s face was mauled by a hyena near his home, while he was sleeping at a church gathering in Harare, Zimbabwe, in May. The future looked grim, but thanks to the kindness of strangers – from donors and supporters to medical experts in South Africa who’ve worked pro bono – the little boy, who […]

Three rhino poachers were yesterday sentenced to 105 years in prison by the Skukuza Regional Court, for rhino poaching and related offences. The South African National Parks (SANParks) today, 3 September, welcomed the sentencing. The three poachers were arrested in 2017 after killing three rhinos in Marula (southern) section of the Kruger National Park. SANParks […]

Climate activists have mobilised their resistance to the financing of fossil fuels in South Africa by handing over a formal petition to the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), ABSA and Investec. The hand-over by 350Africa.org took place yesterday, 2 September. The petition, signed by over 1000 people, calls on these financial institutions to publicly […]

Nature’s most important ‘clean-up crew’ – vultures – are on the brink of localised extinction in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. After recent vulture nest surveys across the province, conservation organisations Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and Wildlife ACT said they can confirm the localised extinction of breeding White-Headed Vultures; and have found an alarming reduction in nesting […]

South African National Parks (SANParks) today announced an exciting new venture – a brand new national park in the mountains of the Eastern Cape Grasslands that has potential for adventure and cultural tourism all year round. SANParks said in a statement that the new high-altitude national park is being established just south of the Lesotho […]

The South African government says it is not able to accommodate citizens of Afghanistan seeking refuge in the country. The Middle Eastern country has been facing violence and instability, culminating in a mass exodus of Afghan citizens looking for safer regions to live in, with the United Nations Refugee Agency estimating that at least half […]

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says the amended 2021 school calendar will be retained as is. The Council of Education Ministers (CEM) met on Friday to discuss the options. Motshekga reported that: “Three options emerged from the consultations, and these were presented to the CEM for consideration. In the end, CEM agreed that the amended 2021 […]

Louzanne Coetzee produced the performance of her career to win a 1500m Paralympic silver medal, in a race where she left everything out there on the Olympic Stadium track. The 28-year-old was competing in her sixth major championship event since 2013 and was understandably emotional after winning silver in a career-best 4min 40.96sec in the […]

South Africa is expecting to receive at least 2.2 million more Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses today, donated by the USA. Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla announced the news yesterday, saying the doses are being donated via the COVAX facility – an international group lobbying for the equal access to and procurement of vaccines. Phaahla said […]

Here’s what’s coming up on Carte Blanche this week – you can watch the show on Sunday 29 August in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries on Showmax International from Tues 31 August if you’re abroad. INVESTIGATE Drivers’ Licence Jam As the grace period to renew drivers’ licences was […]

The winners of the prestigious Rhino Conservation Awards were officially announced this week during an online event to honour the incredible people and organisations across Africa, who play a vital role in protecting our endangered species, and ensure our natural heritage is safeguarded for future generations. Patron of the Awards, Prince Albert II of Monaco, […]

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla has again urged all South Africans over the age of 18 to get vaccinated against COVID-19… as the country is expected to enter a fourth wave of the virus in November. In an update to the nation on the vaccination rollout, Dr Phaahla said: “We have opened [vaccinations] for everybody above […]

Police have arrested seven suspects in connection with the recent shocking murder of senior Gauteng Department of Health finance official, Babita Deokaran, who was a key whistle-blower in the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) scandal. The swift breakthrough in the case – thanks to information received by the investigating team – was confirmed by National Police […]

On the third day of staying in the Paralympic village bubble “it” finally dawned on me. “It” wasn’t the sheer visual aspect of the 4 000-plus Paralympians with disabilities all in the same environment of towering 17-storey apartments and surrounded by a 4km perimeter fence… writes GARY LEMKE in Tokyo. Admittedly, that is the initial […]

A Cape Town-based diamond jeweller – Shimansky – has dazzled the City of Lights, Las Vegas… scooping a first ever win for a South African jewellery brand at a prestigious international awards show. Shimansky was last night awarded the Best in Gold Award at the international Couture Design Show Awards 2021 in Wynn, Las Vegas. This […]

Tomorrow – Wed August 25 – legendary South African endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh will attempt the toughest swim of his career, 10km across Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord. The UN Patron of Oceans, who is on a mission to fully protect a third of the world’s oceans by 2030, says there is no better place in the […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will travel to Germany tomorrow – Wednesday, 25 August 2021 – to attend a G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) meeting in Berlin on 26 and 27 August. President Ramaphosa has been invited by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel. The G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) was initiated under the G20 German Presidency in 2017 […]

Wheelchair tennis star Kgothatso Montjane (KG) and world record holding track athlete Charl du Toit have represented Team South Africa at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics tonight in Japan, as the country’s flag bearers. It’s a privilege they’ve embraced with excitement and pride. Charl said, in an interview before the event, that being […]

If you’ve ever needed an excuse to have a holiday, here’s the best one – your country needs you right now to go on safari, to spread the love and support all those who work in the South African tourism industry. And there’s never been a better time – with the lack of international visitors […]

The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent tightening of regulations placed on travel and quarantine by various state and national governments due to the latest outbreaks of COVID-19 in Australia and New Zealand has forced a drastic change in the Rugby Champs match schedule, which will now see the remaining four rounds […]

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said it has finalised the investigation of the 32 people who allegedly died after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. “To date, investigations for 32 death cases have been completed and causality assessment concluded, of which 28 were coincidental to vaccination,” SAHPRA explained. According to the drug watchdog, this […]

Law enforcement agencies are on high alert and say they are ready to ensure the safety and security of South Africans, amid threats of a “National Shutdown” on Monday. National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Netshiunda said that law enforcement agencies have, through the NatJOINTS, put measures in place to […]

In another victory for cross-border conservation, a series of successful wildlife translocations saw 27 Zebra and 62 blue wildebeest safely making the 1 250 km journey from Kruger National Park in South Africa to Zinave National Park in Mozambique. These new arrivals are welcome additions to the more than 2 300 reintroduced animals that are […]

Up and down the coast of Cape Town, a growing number of people have taken to the extremely cold water every day throughout winter, extolling the healing magic of cold water swimming. For them, it’s been an unexpected reprieve from the ongoing pandemic, claiming the icy-cold waters helped them fight the loneliness of lockdown, boosted […]