An analysis of financial inclusion in South Africa shows that affordability limits poor households’ access to formal financial services. In our study, which looked at people’s use of financial goods and services between 2008 and 2015, we found that there was a general increase in use. But this was severely skewed to households with higher […]

On their ninth wedding anniversary, Monaco’s Prince Albert II and his South African expat wife, Princess Charlène, have shared a few special family portraits on their social media channels. On the day of their anniversary – Thursday 2 July – they shared a gorgeous photo taken at the Royal Palace with their children, Prince Hereditary […]

South Africa recorded its highest number of COVID-19 cases in one day, as 8 735 people tested positive, bringing the national total to 168 061. In addition to the new cases, 95 more deaths were recorded on Thursday. Of the 95 COVID-19 related deaths, 12 are from the Eastern Cape, 38 from Gauteng, 16 from KwaZulu-Natal and […]

This week, South Africa’s current affairs show Carte Blanche investigates how the outbreak of the deadly and highly contagious Parvovirus has led to the death now of around 100 puppies at a K9 police dog breeding facility in Gauteng. Killing Canines: The Parvovirus From vomiting to diarrhoea, the canine parvovirus (CPV) is a highly contagious […]

The Ministry of Environmental Resources, Conservation and Tourism in Botswana has issued a press release about the recent mysterious deaths of elephants in the areas around Seronga. Since March 2020, National Park Rescue reports 356 elephant deaths of which the Botswana government said 275 elephant carcasses have been verified. Investigations into the unexplained deaths of […]

As South Africa steadily edges to its COVID-19 peak, President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged citizens not to be complacent and adhere to the regulations put in place. South Africa recorded its biggest one-day jump in new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday after another 8,124 people tested positive. “We have all seen images and this is the […]

July has swooped in with some incredible movies, series and documentaries guaranteed to keep you entertained through the long winter days. From super-hot international movies like Jordan Peele’s creeper Us and Regina Hall’s fun hit Little, to series like the anticipated legal drama Perry Mason and WWII thriller Das Boot, Showmax’s July lineup is designed […]

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, has issued a stern warning to those in South Africa who have invaded – or plan to invade properties – to desist from the unlawful acts. “The department has noticed incidents in which people illegally occupy places of land, buildings and houses. Recent cases have been reported […]

Three Critically Endangered African White-Backed Vultures have been successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild by Wildlife ACT, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and Raptor Rescue; through the Zululand Vulture Project. (See video at bottom of page.) The release last week, following fantastic collaborative efforts, came after a spate of poisoning incidences ravaged Zululand last year. […]

Crowned “a new kind of global pop star” by The New York Times, award-winning South African rap disruptor Sho Madjozi has officially signed to Epic Records, it was announced today. She joins the label’s esteemed roster as the only South African act in North America. Epic Records’ Chairman and CEO Sylvia Rhone said, “African artists are enjoying an unprecedented […]

KLM has announced two more flights in July that South Africans in Europe can catch if they would like to be repatriated home to SA. KLM said today that on the flights from Amsterdam, it is able to bring South African nationals and permanent residents back home.   If you would like to be booked […]

The Kiffness has produced yet another parody offering insight into the world we are currently living in – The Gallows… a parody of Lady Gaga’s mega-hit ‘Shallow’. This time he’s joined by his wife (who usually plays an entertaining background role). The Kiffness – aka Dave Scott – says that the “views expressed in this […]

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, and the number of diseases associated with it, seems to be increasing worldwide. Africa is known to have a huge burden of disease, but little is known about the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. In our recent paper, we reviewed and analysed all published studies that assessed the vitamin […]

The adjustments to the 2020 budget partly cushion the initial blow of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s lockdown. But the relief is only temporary and measures to contain the growth in debt will bite hard in years to come. Some cried wolf about austerity budgets in South Africa after the global financial crisis in […]

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has called on the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) leadership to reconsider their decision to incite lawlessness, and place their drivers and passengers on a collision course with law enforcement authorities. This comes after Santaco announced that it has taken a decision to revert to 100% loading capacity in its […]

Government has welcomed two high court judgments dismissing challenges related to the Disaster Management Act and its regulations. On 26 June, the Western Cape High Court dismissed an application that sought to challenge the constitutionality of the National Coronavirus Command Council as a subcommittee of Cabinet. In a separate case, the Gauteng High Court dismissed […]

It’s one of the most controversial poaching prevention measures, but dehorning rhinos to reduce their value for poachers, is a method that some conservationists believe simply must be employed. So when South Africa went into lockdown, two small expert teams in the Pilanesberg National Park in the North West, which has suffered several rhino poaching […]

Saai, an organisation that represents the interests of family farmers, will be in the Western Cape High Court in early August 2020 on behalf of farmers and farmworkers to have the government’s regulations on the banning of legal tobacco sales declared unconstitutional and invalid. The case will be heard together with nine other applicants, headed […]

Cinemas, restaurants, theatres and casinos can start operating again, albeit under strict conditions, after having closed for three months in the COVID-19 enforced lockdown. Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, on Thursday signed and gazetted an amendment to the regulations for the advanced COVID-19 alert level 3 lockdown. Restaurants have […]

After the arrest of eight of the top officials of VBS Mutual Bank last week for their alleged involvement in the plundering of R2 billion from the bank, the first member of a municipality has been arrested. The acting CFO of the Merafong Municipality west of Johannesburg, Thys Wienekus, was arrested earlier today for his […]

If you’re in South Africa, give yourself a dose of good-old feel-good series on the DStv Now app. All these series are in their first season on DStv and are building up to boxsets on Catch Up, so you don’t need to worry about episodes expiring before you get to them. Climb under the covers […]

The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in South Africa is increasing exponentially since the relaxation of stringent regulations, as the economy opens for more industries to operate, says the SA government.   South Africa recorded 103 more deaths and 5 688 new positive cases on Wednesday – the country’s single biggest jump since the Coronavirus […]

Fees charged by liquidators and business rescue practitioners, and the impact they can have on bottom-line payouts to affected employees, came under the spotlight at Monday’s meeting to consider a business rescue model for Edcon. 22,000 jobs are at stake if the rescue plan for Edcon does not work. Business rescue practitioners propose backdating and […]

A school staff taxi, transporting teachers to work at Masijabule High School near Wartburg, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, was the target of a fatal attack earlier today. According to Elijah Mhlanga, Spokesperson for the Department of Basic Education, the 35-year-old driver of the taxi was killed while three teachers (aged 40 to 53) were critically […]

Winter temperatures are starting to settle in Cape Town and the pets of Khayelitsha township are feeling its effect. The team at the Mdzananda Animal Clinic have created an easy way for the public to help the pets of Khayelitsha stay warm. Members of the public are encouraged to take part in the fifth annual Wagging […]