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 […]

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) […]