Every year, the world produces about 300 million tonnes of plastic. Somewhere between 5 million and 12 million tonnes of it finds its way into the oceans, according to a 2015 study by Jenna Jambeck and colleagues. But only a tiny fraction of that is estimated to be floating at sea – around 200,000 to […]

South Africans in SA and around the world are called on to support (and enjoy!) the ‘Lockdown Legends online event, an initiative that’s raising funds for the South African music industry by members of the industry. Due to the devastating impact of Covid-19, artists and music industry professionals have been denied any source of income. […]

This Sunday Carte Blanche investigates allegations of historical abuse at a prestigious all-boys public school in Gauteng, and how the deadly coronavirus has left hundreds of restaurants across South Africa on their knees; plus former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba talks about his political journey. You can watch the show on Sunday 7 June in South […]

An urgent intervention and investigation of a Durban quarantine facility is being sought by both the DA and AfriForum to resolve what the opposition party calls an “untenable situation”. About 160 to 200 South Africans are currently being quarantined in Durban hotel, Coastlands… which they claim is dirty and unsafe, and where they are allegedly […]

A plea has gone up for donations to help bring back to health a jackal that was close to death’s door after being held in a Bloemfontein petting zoo. “It is those two big pleading eyes that kept me up at night. Pleading for escape, pleading for relief of unimaginable pain, pleading for help!” said […]

South Africa’s government is proud that its response to Covid-19 relies on science. It might be prouder if it was also guided by knowledge of how society works. When South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown began on 27 March, opposition from some quarters was inevitable. What was not expected was that the most vehement resistance would be […]

Wondering what to stream on these long nights in? Try these new series, movies and documentaries from Showmax. There are Hollywood highlights, some British gems and top local fare to keep you warm inside.   International Series Motherland: Fort Salem S1 Fantasy drama Motherland: Fort Salem is set in an alternate America where witches ended […]

“We want to love the police, but they don’t want to love or respect us”, “Black Lives Matter” and ”Refugee Lives Matter” read some of the placards laid on the ground outside Parliament in Cape Town on Wednesday. Small groups of people trickled past to place flowers and banners in a show of solidarity against […]

An execution in Cape Town, South Africa, at 10am on Saturday morning has made news headlines internationally after the incident was caught live on CCTV. The 30-second clip – which is being studied by police in South Africa – shows the gunning down of a gang member known as “Aggies”, who police say belonged to […]

In six months’ time the world’s gaze will be trained on what is gearing up to be a contentious and hotly contested presidential election in the US. Irrespective of who emerges victorious between the incumbent President Donald Trump and the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, South Africa needs to start thinking about what it stands to […]

With British newspapers calling it ‘The Crate Escape’, thieves in South Africa managed to tunnel into a Joburg bottle store and steal about R300,000 worth of alcohol, during the Lockdown. The incredible theft was only discovered a few days ago when the manageress entered the closed premises to start preparing for the liquor store to […]

Although liquor sales are allowed from today, the two-month ban on the sale of alcohol, combined with a ban on exports, has had a devastating impact on the wine industry. According to figures released by Vinpro last week, about 80 wineries and 350 producers have gone out of business, and 18,000 workers have lost their […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated Pretoria-born global technology pioneer Elon Musk for his company SpaceX’s historic first commercial flight into space, saying he has made South Africa proud. Powered by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft carried NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley into space on Saturday, en route to docking […]

It has been 9 weeks since the ban on the purchase of alcohol was announced in South Africa as part of Lockdown regulations. Filmmaker and photographer Martin de Kock from MDKafrica was on the scene Monday morning to capture these photos of the long queues of South Africans as bottle stores re-opened for the first […]

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has apologised ‘wholeheartedly’ for the inconvenience following the reopening of schools being postponed to 8 June 2020. On Sunday, the Minister announced a delay to the reopening of schools by a week, following a series of consultations, and the meeting of the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) on Saturday to […]

The Drakensberg Boys Chamber Choir have released a beautiful a cappella version of the classic ‘Smile’, by Charlie Chaplin, arranged by Ben Bram. This is the second song which was produced in its entirety during South Africa’s national lockdown with the boys at their homes. The Drakensberg  Boys Choir said: “We thought this song perfectly […]

There is intense pressure on the South African government to lift the lockdown and open the economy. Sustainably lifting out of the lockdown is critical. But there is no roadmap. The stakes are high and there are no right answers, just ones that juggle uncertain probabilities. Diminishing growth over the past decade has weakened industry […]

Thousands of South Africans arrested for minor infringements of lockdown rules, and forced to pay admission of guilt fines (to stay out of jail), have now earned themselves criminal records. According to current affairs show, Carte Blanche, these people were going about lawful essential tasks of buying food, prepaid electricity and fetching their children. They […]

Paul* carries a small satchel on his back. You wouldn’t know that inside is a carton of cigarettes and sachets of whisky. He will sell them to informal miners in Payneville, Springs, and sometimes in Benoni. “Miners buy all the sachets; no questions asked. Sometimes l can go back into town [Springs] to buy stock […]

The Democratic Alliance has rejected as a sham the South African National Defence Force’s decision to exonerate the soldiers allegedly involved in the death of an Alexandra resident, Collins Khosa. It was reported yesterday that an internal SANDF probe exonerated the soldiers, although a police investigation is continuing. In papers before the North Gauteng High […]

The whole country will move to level 3 lockdown from 1 June, including areas identified as hotspots, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. Mkhize clarified this after confusion was created when an old slide was presented stating hotspots would remain at level 4 and was also making rounds on social media. However, if these areas […]

South Africa is currently one of the world’s largest carbon emitters. And it’s increasingly being viewed as a pariah that isn’t contributing as much as it could to the international fight against global warming and climate change. With a lot of other countries now moving away from fossil fuel-based electricity, there’s considerable pressure for South […]

Schools across the country are in the process of finalising preparations to receive Grade 7 and 12 learners when schools reopen on 1 June. Some teacher unions, however, have threatened their members might not return yet because the schools are not COVID-prepared. There are over 400,000 teachers in the country’s 25,000 public schools, teaching 12.9 […]

After an 18-year battle with the South African government to honor an agreement it made in 2002, Limpopo farmer David Rakgase, who is 80, finally owns his Nooitgedacht farm for the original price he offered. After the High Court ruled against the government and in favour of Rakgase in September 2019, the government has honoured […]

As the continent marks the 57th Africa Day, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa – as African Union Chair – will lead the continent’s celebrations, which include a special virtual broadcast and the Africa Day Solidarity Concert for the COVID-19 Response Fund. Africa Day is celebrated on 25 May 2020 and marks the establishment of […]