Last week, when food shortages seemed inevitable in the aftermath of the looting, Durban mom, Hannalie’s anxiety quickly escalated to panic. She has a four-month-old baby and her tin of baby formula was about to run out. What on earth could she do if she was unable to buy more? How would her baby survive? […]

“I can’t remember when last I felt warm. It has been really cold of late and most of the time l lie awake at night staring at the sky,” says Hennie Dippenaar, who is homeless and sleeps under a tree on Ermelo Road, Strubenvale, in Springs, Gauteng. “My frozen feet are my worst enemy. Nothing […]

Ten suspects were on Monday remanded in custody for their alleged role in the recent unrest in greater Durban. The suspects, who appeared before the Verulam Magistrate’s Court, face charges ranging from murder, attempted murder, malicious damage to property, possession of stolen goods, as well as unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. Spokesperson for the […]

South African surfer Bianca Buitendag is loving the role of being underdog at the Tokyo Olympics, where she has cruised into the quarter-finals. Under the radar, she has come to town without a care in the world, armed with a ready smile, and an attitude that has had her punch a deep hole in the […]

You can watch Carte Blanche on Sunday 25 July in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from Tues 27 July on Showmax International. This is what’s coming up this week: Vigilantes Amid the Violence As Durban emerges from the smoke and ashes of looting and unrest, deep-seated divisions – […]

A total of 19 records were smashed over the last 24 hours in South Africa as parts of the country experienced their lowest minimum or maximum temperature in recorded history. Today – Friday 23 July – Kimberley recorded -9.9 degrees celcius, Warmbad -5.6 and Johannesburg -7, all breaking minimum temperature records in their areas that […]

If you sign up for Showmax Pro before 31 August 2021, you’ll receive two months of access for the price of one.  After more than a year’s wait, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 kicks off today – 23 July – until 8 August. And whilst the Tokyo 2020 event will be unlike any other Olympic […]

Time Magazine has featured KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in South Africa as one of the World’s Greatest Places 2021. SA’s famous Kruger National Park also makes the list of 100 ‘extraordinary destinations to explore’. While it’s fantastic that KZN is finally being globally recognised for being so “eye-poppingly beautiful” with its “surfable beaches and world-heritage-class parklands”, the […]

This follows an announcement by Acting Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, that the death toll related to the unrest has risen to 337 in the two provinces. Briefing media in Pretoria on Thursday, Ntshavheni said the revision of the death toll, which stood at 276 on Wednesday, comes after people who were injured subsequently […]

Negotiations between rival taxi bodies in Western Cape have reached a deadlock yet again this week. Western Cape Transport MEC Daylin Mitchell and national transport minister Fikile Mbalula have been mediating peace talks between rival taxi bosses. Both CATA and CODETA claim ownership of the route between Paarl and Bellville. Since the start of this […]

The Department of Correctional Services granted former President Jacob Zuma permission to attend the funeral of his late younger brother today. In a statement, the department said a sentenced offender who was granted permission to leave a correctional centre remained a sentenced offender even while temporarily outside. “The permission granted to Mr Zuma is for […]

Brand new African crime-drama thriller Reyka, which was shot on location in KwaZulu Natal and Johannesburg, has received rave reviews internationally. It stars a host of brilliant South African actors, as well as acclaimed British actor Iain Glen from Game of Thrones. The captivating eight-episode TV series – which starts on Sunday 25 July – […]

Charges against a man accused of starting the Cape Town fire in April were withdrawn by the State in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday… writes Marecia Damons. Frederick Mhangazo, 35, was arrested in the vicinity of Devil’s Peak on Sunday 18 April, hours after a devastating blaze had spread across Table Mountain. He first appeared in […]

A South African teacher in Vietnam, Dale Benson (39), was earlier this month given the devastating news that he has Stage 4 colon cancer and that, without chemo in Vietnam, he would probably only live a month. His heartbroken mother, Inge, contacted SAPeople. Her friend set up a fundraiser on BackABuddy. And today, we are […]

With the recent chaos specifically in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces, and the media focus on these areas pertaining to the violent riots and looting, it is easy to get wrapped up in some tunnel vision, focusing exclusively on these events… writes Free State University’s Prof Petrus. The danger of this, of course, is that […]

Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says six individuals, who have been identified as alleged instigators of the violent riots that flared up in parts of the country, have been arrested and some have already appeared in court. Briefing journalists in Pretoria on Monday, Ntshavheni said efforts to restore economic activity have commenced and […]

In the first-ever virtual event of its kind on the continent, a youth driven marine group called Youth4MPAs in partnership with WILDOCEANS, and supported by World Surf League PURE, The Pew Charitable Trusts and Oceans5 has launched an African Youth Summit focusing on unifying youth across Africa, engaging with global marine experts and amplifying their […]

“You’ve seen the worst, now see the best. We are a united nation,” is the message of a video that’s going viral in South Africa. It shows a worship group, and shopping centre staff and customers uniting to sing church songs, and SA’s national anthem. The joyous incident took place at the Glen Shopping Mall […]

It all started with Byron Batteson’s TANKS coding app in 2017, aimed at introducing learners to coding concepts without computers… writes Prof Jean Greyling, Associate Professor at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Now it’s an UNPLUGGED CODING movement inspiring teachers and learners across the country … from city to remotest village (including the late Nelson […]

Tonight’s episode of Carte Blanche is packed with must-watch items – from the violent protests of the past week to the impact of the Delta variant, an uplifting story of hope with another South African medical breakthrough… and the plight of KZN’s vervet monkeys. You can watch the show on Sunday 18 July in South […]

The following letter, by M&C Saatchi Abel Group founder Mike Abel, has been going viral the last few days. As we pointed out to Mike, at SAPeople we have been flooded with only wonderful, supportive messages from expats wanting to generously reach out and help those back home. Thank you to all of you. This letter is […]

Groups of residents in some parts of Brakpan have vowed to protect immigrant-owned shops. At a spaza shop in Langaville extension 4 belonging to Sharif Ahmed, originally from Bangladesh, there were long queues throughout the day on Wednesday. It is the only shop in the area left unstripped, thanks to a brave widow and a […]

Three South African match officials have been named on the 2021 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series panels for the men’s and women’s competitions, World Rugby has announced. Specific tournaments allocations will be done at a later stage but Morné Ferreira and AJ Jacobs will form part of the action during the 2021 men’s series to […]

Civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng has resulted in some people calling for a state of emergency to be declared under the State of Emergency Act. Here we explain what it is and how it is declared. Under the State of Emergency Act the government invokes temporary emergency powers meant to restore peace and public […]

The Durban warehouse belonging to FoodForward SA was ransacked on Tuesday, prompting the organisation to close all its branches in five cities, leaving some 675,000 people without the food it supplies. More than 125,000 vulnerable people depend on the food sourced from the Durban warehouse, according to FoodForward SA’s fund development manager, Deidre Adams. She said looters […]