Due to a loss of 10 generating units at seven power stations at Eskom this past weekend, the power utility is implementing stage 2 load shedding. Eskom implemented loadshedding on Sunday at 5pm and it is expected to end on Tuesday at 10pm. “The failure of three-generation units at Tutuka was due to loss of […]

The DA is calling on Eskom to provide an urgent state-of-the-system update and explain how its loadshedding schedule will be managed to ensure that it does not affect the vaccine rollout process. The latest announcement of loadshedding from Eskom, announced yesterday evening and just minutes before it began at 5pm, was yet another reminder that […]

The Kruger National Park (KNP) today, 17 May 2021 announced their management plans in anticipation of the coming winter fire season which usually takes place between June and October. Fires are a common and natural occurrence in KNP which is found within the Savanna biome (also knows as the Tropical Grasslands), and like the Fynbos […]

SA Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza has called an attack on farmers in South Africa an attack on the country’s food security. A Rural National Safety Plan has long been mooted, but, Carte Blanche asks this weekend, where are the results? With 15 recorded murders on KwaZulu-Natal farms in the last year, farmers are coming together […]

The South African government has welcomed the R3-billion commitment, to transfer the latest technology for producing vaccines and biological therapies to South Africa, announced by SA expat Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong on Wednesday. Dr Soon-Shiong, who is a South African born biotechnology entrepreneur, now based in the United States, made the exciting announcement during a meeting […]

Cabinet has approved the extension of the National State of Disaster on COVID-19 until 15 June 2021. “The extension considers the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of state to mitigate against the impact of the disaster on lives and livelihoods,” a statement released after this week’s Cabinet […]

The Information Regulator of South Africa has after correspondence, written to WhatsApp LLC requesting the company to revise its privacy policy in South Africa to the standard used in the European Union (EU). On 15 May 2021, WhatsApp will require users to accept new terms and conditions for using the app. In a statement released […]

A search is on for the family of a South African World War II war hero, Flying Officer Denis Charles James McKendry, who will be honoured at a War Memorial unveiling ceremony in the UK later this year. Please see UPDATE at bottom of article.  According to Helen Theron, who is researching the crew of […]

When people think of trading, the first associations are currencies and stocks. Both are accessible in South Africa, even from a smartphone. At the moment, FXTM stock trading is increasingly popular. But is it the best path for everyone? Two Popular Markets The foreign exchange is the largest financial market with a stunning daily volume […]

While the number of COVID-19 cases has been steadily increasing, South Africa has not hit the third wave yet. According to the Department of Health, the number of new infections peaked from 8 593 cases between 26 April to 2 May. Between 3 May and 9 May, cases rose to 12 531, constituting a 46% […]

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced voter registration for the October Local Government Elections will be held on the weekend of 17-18 July 2021. In a statement, the Commission said on this weekend all 23 146 voting stations around the country will open from 8am to 5pm to assist new voters to register and existing […]

When talking about Africa’s gaming market specifically, or about its economy in general, two trends are of essential importance. The first is the huge size of the African youth population – there are even indications that it might double over the next several decades. The other important fact is that the mobile phone market is […]

Cape Town, South Africa, doubles for a lawless 1870s San Francisco in the kick-ass martial arts action series Warrior, which now has two seasons available to binge on Showmax. Shot in Cape Town with Moonlighting 100% critics rating for S2, Rotten Tomatoes Nominated for Best Action Series at 2021 Critics Choice Super Awards “The most […]

A 31-year-old mother of twins, who were joined at the head, is over the moon after her babies were separated at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH) in Cape Town, South Africa. “I am overjoyed! I wasn’t expecting to leave here holding my children one in each arm,” said the elated mom, Ntombikayise Tyhalisi. […]

South Africa has recorded 1 778 new COVID-19 cases with the cumulative number of cases identified standing at 1 596 595. In a statement released on Sunday, Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said the number of tests conducted to date is 10 887 709. Of these, 26 098 tests were conducted since the last […]

To hear President Ramaphosa’s 22 April address to the Virtual Leaders’ Summit on Climate Change, you’d think South Africa were going “above and beyond” when it comes to addressing the climate crisis. Not so. SA’s long-awaited draft updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) closed for written public comment on 30 April. The NDC is our country’s pledge to take action […]

Carte Blanche first broadcast the Cooke Report exposé on canned lion hunting in 1997. Two decades later, the captive lion industry has expanded in scope and brutality – cubs are removed from their mothers, hand-reared, petted, then bred for the bullet or their bones. But these practices began to damage Brand SA… By 2019, the […]

A couple of old video compilations of funny old English and Afrikaans South African TV adverts have been going viral on Facebook and WhatsApp. Here are the original comedy videos, uploaded to YouTube by ‘Fast and Curious in RSA’. If you feel like a trip down Memory Lane, these South African television commercials will take […]

Many South Africans have watched DStv telenovela moms for years, and cried with them and learnt from them. Dawn Thandeka King and Kgomotso Christopher are two of these telenovela moms, best known for their years of dedicated service to the television industry and for playing their roles so convincingly that they became surrogate moms to all who watched them. This Mother’s […]

Many South Africans with blood diseases and cancers are dying because they cannot find bone marrow donors. Finding a suitable bone marrow donor is extremely difficult. Hereditary matters in finding a match and donors are usually found within the patient’s population group. But only 30% of donors are people of colour. The South African Bone […]

South African National Parks (SANParks) has signed a ‘momentous’ Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Makahane-Marithenga family – who are believed to be the direct descendants of the royal inhabitants of Thulamela – one of the great ancient Kingdoms of Southern Africa. The agreement was signed last month. Speaking at the sidelines of the signing […]

South Africa’s opposition party, the DA (Democratic Alliance), says it notes the report by News24 that a foundation registered to Deputy President David Mabuza received a “strategic donation” of R30 million from General Electric through Eskom in 2016 when he was still the Mpumalanga premier. “If the ANC is consistent in the application of its own […]

The price of petrol in South Africa is set to come down by nine cents a litre as of Wednesday, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has announced. The price of 95 (ULP and LRP) and 93 (ULP and LRP) will come down by 9 cents a litre. This means that a litre […]

At a time when athletes should be excitedly preparing for the Olympics, South Africa’s Olympic committee – SASCOC (SA Sports’ Confederation and Olympic Committee) – is mired in allegations of sexual abuse and financial mismanagement, and accused of not protecting the very athletes it’s meant to present. Carte Blanche digs deeper this weekend to find […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it is distraught by the senseless murder of Cape Town Metro Police Officer, Constable Mzuvukile Mhlengi, who was off duty and unarmed when he was shot outside his home in Phillipi yesterday. JP Smith – Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security in Cape Town – said he was “truly […]