Take advantage of this awesome offer to keep the entertainment running for the next three months.   Whether you’re looking for HBO series, Mzansi favourites or action movies, streaming service Showmax has a unique combination of hit African content, first and exclusive international series, the best kids’ shows, and live news and sport, all with […]

Could Australia’s Flake ‘n Chips be causing the demise of South Africa’s Great White Shark? In an investigative exposé on Sunday evening, Carte Blanche reveals that when the popularity of the Australian fast food “flake” – which is in fact shark – decimated that country’s local shark population, suppliers turned their sights on the fishing […]

Parliament has resumed its business with immediate effect, starting virtual meetings and cancelling the upcoming leave period for MPs, the presiding officers have announced. Parliament was suspended last month as a precautionary measure to curb COVID-19. Briefing the media on Thursday, National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise and National Council of Provinces Chairperson Amos Masondo said […]

Some townships and informal settlements are quiet, the streets empty as people observe the rules of the lockdown. In others, life goes on just as it always did. GroundUp’s reporters describe the areas they know. Hanover Park, Cape Town In areas like Hanover Park, where people live in cramped spaces and there is nothing but […]

With this week’s arrest of the Gupta brothers in Dubai, it’s worth watching ‘How to Steal A Country’ – a fascinating and shocking documentary, by an Emmy award-winning filmmaker, on the rise and fall of the Gupta family and how they managed to ‘steal’ South Africa. (Updated 8 June 2022) As hard as it is […]

Any person or small business in the tourism sector, regardless of their skin colour, can apply for financial relief from the Tourism Relief Fund, says Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane. The minister said this following Afriforum’s announcement that it had served the department with court papers calling for the review of the Tourism Relief Fund. There […]

Cape Town has become the biggest city in South Africa to offer commercial and private property owners rates relief if they can prove that their income has been negatively affected by the Coronavirus crisis. In a statement today the leader of the Democratic Alliance John Steenhuisen congratulated Cape Town “for offering much needed property rates […]

The city of Zhuhai – known as the ‘Chinese Riviera’ – has become the second city in mainland China to ban the consumption of dog and cat meat, and of wildlife, in what campaigners at animal charity Humane Society International (HSI) hope will be the start of a domino effect of progressive legislation across China […]

The Department of Home Affairs has outlined temporary measures that have been put in place to address immigration matters during the lockdown period. The temporary measures were introduced after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a National State of Disaster on 15 March and subsequently a national lockdown from 27 March, extended until the end of April […]

Johnny Clegg’s family say they are “deeply moved” by the Stormers’ performance of the late singer’s ‘The Crossing’. In a statement posted by Johnny’s son Jesse, the musician’s family said: “We are deeply moved by The Stormers adopting The Crossing as their official team song. “Their heart and passion shines through in their performance and […]

This week, Carte Blanche investigates how South Africa is ramping up the Covid-19 testing in the face of rising cases of Coronavirus in the country… and how face masks are becoming the new normal. You can watch the show on Sunday 12 April in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most […]

The earth’s oceans are under grave threat, writes Kira Erwin. Scientists in many fields have pointed to the large-scale negative shifts brought about by human-made pollutants, mining and overfishing. How people now choose to behave, make collective decisions and build solidarity around the health of oceans has an impact not just on our own species […]

A Bloemfontein mother’s open letter to the SA president, Cyril Ramaphosa, is striking a chord with South Africans around the nation. Writing in Afrikaans, Cathy de Lange, a blogger and owner of Meringue Mama, says she knows the chance of the president reading her letter is very slim, but that the message was heavy on […]

Being stuck at home inevitably means more time in front of the TV or scrolling on your phone. While it’s great to finally binge those series you missed or want to watch again from the beginning (15 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, anyone?) and be entertained by a brilliant action movie like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, […]

Amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, over 240 leading animal welfare and conservation organisations from around the world have this week called on the World Health Organisation (WHO) to publicly confirm the link between live wildlife markets and the serious threats to human health; and to also recommend that governments worldwide permanently ban live wildlife markets […]

Whether you’re working remotely, home-schooling, or just binge-watching an old favourite to pass the time, you’re probably putting in maximum time with your devices. Chances are that you’re reading this article on a phone or tablet right now! When was the last time you gave the screen a good wipe?  Disinfecting surfaces is one of […]

South African-based Blood Lions and the Humane Society International are two of the 241 conservation bodies around the world that have appealed to the World Health Organisation to publicly confirm the serious threat of live wildlife markets to human health, as evidenced by the Coronavirus pandemic. In a joint interview this week, some of them […]

Never a dull moment during lockdown, says the Bloemfontein SPCA, who bravely rescued a monkey during dangerous windy conditions from the top of a 50-metre high tower in an informal settlement where the wind was blowing, and the angry crowd was throwing rocks at the animal… and later at the SPCA rescuers. When the SPCA […]

There are many ways to spend your lockdown or quarantine time – and maybe even put that excess toilet paper you’ve collected to some use (except you’ll have to roll it up again!). An avowed fan of “domino or chain reactions,” Kaplamino, has posted a YouTube video of an intricate way he figured out to […]

The spread of the coronavirus has forced millions all over the world to retreat to base and abandon outdoor exercise and gym sessions. If they own a big house and garden, it’s manageable, but many live in shacks, cramped houses or tiny high-rise flats. How can they avoid going to seed during lockdown? Gavin Evans […]

Lwazi Sithole has lived on the streets of Durban for over eight years, but since the national lockdown to disrupt the spread of Covid-19, the 28-year-old has moved to the Denis Hurley Centre, and has started to rethink his life… writes Nokulunga Majola. “I had forgotten what life is like off the streets. Here at the […]

South African musician and expat Johan de Cock is currently presenting an online piano concert via YouTube in the UK. Watch below… “I’ll be playing some works by Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin and Gershwin. If you fancy some beautiful, relaxing classical music, please join us. “The great thing about an online concert is that you don’t […]

This Sunday, Carte Blanche investigates how hundreds of desperate South Africans stuck abroad on almost every continent are dealing with this crisis. You can watch the show on Sunday 5 April in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries abroad from Tues 7 April on Showmax International. C O V […]

A South African Police-led operation has ended the occupation by refugees of the Central Methodist Church on Greenmarket Square, writes James Stent for GroundUp. A large contingent of police officers broke down both entrances to the Central Methodist Church on Thursday afternoon, before entering the church as a group. The police appeared to meet very […]

American singer Chris Mann’s brilliant Adele parody of Hello – his version being “Hello (from the Inside)” – has now been viewed by OVER 6 million people on YouTube since he posted it on 26 March. The reason it’s been so popular worldwide is that everyone can relate! The song begins: “Hello, it’s me, I’m […]