A volunteer group that started on Tuesday has already attracted nearly 27,000 members willing to clean up looted shopping malls, donate money, and transport food. “I didn’t expect this small act of kindness to reach so many people. I am proud and overwhelmed,” says RebuildSA Facebook group founder Emelda Masango. Masango, from Soweto, Johannesburg, started […]

Following President Ramaphosa’s announcement that South Africa will remain on an adjusted LEVEL 4 lockdown for at least the next two weeks, Comair has announced it will extend the suspension of scheduled kulula.com and British Airways (operated by Comair) flights until 31 August 2021. Comair initially temporarily suspended its flights from 5 July 2021 due to […]

South Africa detected 11 182 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, while 220 more people succumbed to the illness. The country now has 2 206 781 laboratory-confirmed infections and 64 509 deaths, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said. Of the latest cases, 50% of were recorded in Gauteng (5 614), 11% in the Western Cape (1 225), 9% […]

Looting and protests from the weekend continued in Alexandra, Johannesburg, on Monday. Reports initially linked the protests to calls for the release from prison of former President Jacob Zuma. Spaza shop owner Sayabo Wodimu lost all his stock and some of his equipment. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this. My shop is the […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa tonight – Sunday 11 July 2021 – announced that Adjusted Level 4 will be extended for two weeks. Here is the South African President’s full statement: Two weeks ago I announced a set of additional measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. In deciding to introduce these additional measures, Cabinet followed […]

South African sailors Alex Burger and Benji Daniel have set sail for Tokyo under the expert guidance of their coach, double Olympian Asenathi Jim. Theirs is a uniquely South African story – athletes from vastly different backgrounds united through a common passion behind one goal – Olympic gold. TOKYO 2021 – Sailing for Olympic Gold While […]

South Africa’s vaccine rollout is finally ramping up, as the country grapples with a ferocious Third Wave. Only 1.2 million South Africans have been fully vaccinated so far (in a country with a population of over 58 million), the Health Department revealed today… but with the go-ahead for clinics to remain open on weekend days […]

Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, this week reiterated his call for 10 percent of people in all countries to be vaccinated by September and for that figure to rise to 40 percent by the end of the year. This would position the world on the path to vaccinating 70 percent of […]

A criminal case has been opened after a camera SD card containing photos of the former President Jacob Zuma being admitted at the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal was stolen. The former statesman, 79, was sentenced to 15 months in jail on 29 June for defying an instruction to give evidence at an inquiry into […]

Patients suffering from Covid-19 are allegedly dying from poor treatment while badly-needed ICU beds remain closed at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital since the fire on 16 April, according to the DA. The only sections of the hospital that have reopened are the cancer radiology department, a ward for newborn babies and part of the […]

After 50 matches, across 11 European cities, the UEFA Euro 2020 is coming to an end as Italy and England face off in the finals at Wembley Stadium this Sunday, 11 July, at 21:00 CAT. The final will be live-streamed across Africa on Showmax Pro, courtesy of SuperSport. As anticipated, the month-long tournament has delivered […]

The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) efforts to repatriate corrupt-Gupta family members have received a major shot in the arm after Interpol issued red notices against two implicated brothers, their wives and other associates. The brothers – Atul and Rajesh Gupta– and their respective wives, Chetali and Arti are among those accused of fleecing the Free […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has called on provincial Legislature Speaker, Nontembeko Boyce, to allow a debate on a Matter of Urgent Public Importance in terms of Rule 103. The move follows recent events at former president Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla home following the order that he be incarcerated as a result of contempt […]

Ivermectin has been touted as the wonder drug solution to the Covid-19 crisis. Several trials have suggested it may have some benefit. But the largest trial yet comparing ivermectin to placebo was published on Friday. It found no statistically significant benefit from ivermectin but possible harm from the drug. Yet even this trial is too […]

The City of Cape Town’s Alderman James Vos has welcomed Belgium’s decision to upgrade its post in Cape Town, saying this “shows their commitment to our city and provides a clear path towards stronger relations with a key European partner”. Alderman Vos was recently joined by the newly-appointed Belgian Consul General Mathias Bogaert at an […]

South Africa has recorded 12 513 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed infections to 2 075 409. “This increase represents a 31.6% positivity rate, which is higher than yesterday (30.2%),” the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Monday. The majority of new cases are from Gauteng (60%), followed by the […]

Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, has announced that the price of both grades of petrol will increase on Wednesday. The price of petrol 93 (ULP and LRP) will increase by 29 cents per litre and the price of 95 (ULP and LRP) will increase by 26 cents per litre, while the price […]

Government’s controversial alcohol bans are strongly associated with a large drop in unnatural deaths. This is a finding by University of Cape Town (UCT) and Medical Research Council (MRC) researchers, in a study published on Friday in the South African Medical Journal. Tom Moultrie and his colleagues compared weekly unnatural deaths (murders, vehicle collisions, suicides and accidents) […]

At the start of the Covid-19 lockdown last year, 27-year-old Lindokuhle Msomi was among millions of people who lost their income due to the imposed restrictions. Lindokuhle Msomi from Durban was able to use the R350 Covid-19 grant he received for nine months to support his family and start a fast food stall. Due to […]

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) on Sunday enhanced operational capacity in KwaZulu-Natal amid “flagrant disregard” for COVID-19 Adjusted Alert Level 4 regulations. “This is in response to incidents in which people are seen to be undermining the authority of the State, including the flouting of the Disaster Management Act Regulations,” NatJOINTS spokesperson […]

In Secrets from the Cockpit, Robert Schapiro offers a rare insider’s view on life as an international pilot. Schapiro, who was a pilot for the South African Airlines in the 1980s before flying internationally, describes near misses and emergency landings… but also explains how pilots kept rowdy travellers in check. Enjoy this excerpt from the […]

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has urged taxpayers to carefully consider working from home expenses before submitting claims to the revenue collector. SARS recently published an update on its website in relation to home office expenses. In a statement on Thursday, the revenue collector provided additional clarity for individual taxpayers who may be considering […]

Jacob Zuma today, Friday 2 July, made a last-minute attempt for freedom as Sunday rapidly approaches, by which time he has to hand himself in to Nkandla Police Station to serve a 15-month prison sentence. Don’t miss Carte Blanche this Sunday at 7pm (or Showmax on Tuesday if you’re abroad) as the current affairs show […]

The Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Regional Hospital in Bizana, Eastern Cape is currently the only Covid-19 vaccination site in the Winnie Madikizela Mandela Municipality. Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Regional Hospital in Bizana, Eastern Cape is the only vaccination site in Winnie Madikizela Mandela Municipality. Villagers from Nyavini travel up to 70 kilometres on treacherous roads […]

In a crushing turn of events, professional surfer and Red Bull athlete Jordy Smith has made the difficult decision to pull out of the upcoming Summer Olympic Games at the last minute. The news comes in the wake of a nagging knee injury the Durban-born surfer has been dealing with since the Australian leg of […]