This is a question I have asked myself many times… writes Dr Louise de Waal, Campaign Manager of Blood Lions. Petting a predator is incongruous and unnatural, so why this obsession with petting wild animals in captivity? Why do we believe it is acceptable to put our own needs well above the animal’s requirements? Is […]

Eskom has announced that no load shedding is expected on Monday and the possibility of power cuts during the week is also low. “We are utilising emergency generation reserves to supplement power, as we had more unplanned breakdowns [on Saturday],” Eskom said on Sunday. Eskom said additional generation units would return to service on Sunday. […]

The petrol price will again come down by between 19 and 54 cents a litre this week. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has announced a 19 cent decrease in the price of 93 (ULP and LRP) and 95 (ULP and LRP) as of Wednesday. Meanwhile, both grades of diesel (0.05% Sulphur) and diesel (0.005% […]

World record holder and Olympic champion Wayde van Niekerk continued his comeback from an injury-enforced layoff when winning the 400m title at the Free State Championships under difficult conditions in Bloemfontein on Saturday. In cold, wet and windy conditions, Van Niekerk floated out the blocks and coasted around the track to secure a convincing victory […]

The Dusi Canoe Marathon pre-race favourites, Andy Birkett and Khumbulani Nzimande, took the men’s honours while Cana Peek and Christie Mackenzie won the ladies stage despite a few incidents on Thursday. Euro Steel’s Birkett and Nzimande played their cards close to their chests during the first half of the stage and while the Cape crew […]

For two months late last year, the deadly antibiotic resistant CRE (Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae), ravaged the maternity ward of Tembisa Hospital in Gauteng killing 10 babies. But this wasn’t the first time that a number of infants have died in the same period inside a public health facility in South Africa. Carte Blanche investigates the hospitals […]

Five men stood in court today accused of the brutal execution of Heila Kilian in April 2018 on a homestead just outside Stilbaai (Still Bay) in the Western Cape, South Africa. Witness Shaun Vorster described the terror and torture of the night’s events. The crime – almost two years ago – was so horrific it […]

The prohibition of waste pickers from accessing the Coastal Park Landfill Site near Muizenberg saw an initial confrontation with security guards on Tuesday 18 February escalate to a group of about 100 people fighting to get in at about 7pm – sunset – last Wednesday 19 February. Reinforcements were called in the next day and […]

The Basic Education Department (DBE) has suspended with immediate effect the serving of canned pilchards as part of the national school nutrition menu across all schools in the country. The decision follows a recent order by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications that all formal wholesalers, retailers and informal traders remove and stop selling the […]

On Friday 28 February 2020, Capetonian marathon swimmer, musician and mother-of-three Carina Bruwer will attempt to swim approximately 20km to cross Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth, in support of Muzukidz, an organisation that offers underprivileged children the opportunity to learn the violin. If successful, Carina will be the first woman and the second person […]

A Spar franchisee in South Africa has been ordered to pay millions of rands to workers for unlawful deductions on earnings, as well as non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage (NMW), said the Department of Employment and Labour.   On Monday, the department welcomed the outcome of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) […]

A raft of tax increases and curtailing the public sector wage bill are just some of the interventions anticipated to be announced by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni when he delivers the 2020 Budget. Amid South Africa’s precarious economic state, economists, in anticipation of the Budget, say Mboweni has the unenviable task of extricating the country […]

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has handed over 249 Shova Kalula bicycles to learners from six schools in De Aar in the Northern Cape, South Africa. The bicycles were distributed on Monday through the Department of Transport’s initiative, Shova Kalula bicycle programme, aimed at assisting learners who walk more than three kilometres — but less than […]

The Department of Employment and Labour says the new rate for the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for each ordinary hour worked will now be R20.76. In terms of a notice published in the Government Gazette and signed by Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, the new rate will be applicable on 1 March 2020. The […]

About 150 protesters marched to Parliament on Monday to mark the first day of the two-day Real Jobs Summit, part of the Cry of the Xcluded campaign over unemployment. On Sunday participants in the campaign staged a performance of a play at the V&A Waterfront amphitheatre about unemployment, climate change and domestic violence. The play was […]

Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement (ABM) marched in support of land expropriation without compensation and amending the Constitution on Monday. Protesters handed over a submission, in the form of a memorandum, on the Amendment to Section 25 of the Constitution. Deadline for public comment is Friday. About 1,000 supporters marched from King Bhekuzulu Park to Durban City […]

While there has been no case of Coronavirus reported in South Africa, people who develop symptoms of respiratory illness during or after travel to countries where the outbreak is known to be circulating, have been advised to seek early medical care. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Monday said it continues to monitor […]

A happy hippo cruising in to a garage on Sunday evening in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has put a smile on locals’ faces. On Monday a video of the hippo’s casual stroll through a busy Engen Garage in St Lucia was shared on social media amongst South Africans everywhere. The OK Express at Engen St Lucia […]

A 59-year-old German tourist is alive and well today thanks to two unidentified Good Samaritans who rescued him after he was swept out to sea by rip currents at Herolds Bay in the Western Cape, South Africa, on Friday. The Good Samaritans were a surfer and body boarder who apparently used their boards as flotation […]

A Sedgefield couple are on a mission to help street children transition from vandalism and petty crime, to attending school and gaining an education to become positive contributors to society. We all know that the authorities and Education Department should be doing this… but until they do, South Africans can’t afford to waste time complaining […]

With everything stacked against him, there’s a little elephant in South Africa who’s survival is putting smiles in all our hearts and making news around the world. This Sunday Carte Blanche meets the wildlife heroes in South Africa who are saving a rare albino baby elephant who was severely injured by a poaching snare. You […]

Owing to unplanned breakdowns, Eskom will continue to implement rotational load shedding going into the weekend. In a statement on Friday, the power utility said unplanned breakdowns have increased the shortage in generation capacity. “Eskom will continue implementing Stage 2 rotational load shedding until Sunday at 6am owing to unplanned breakdowns that have increased the […]

South African expats watching the new winter series of the UK’s popular Love Island have been in hysterics over some of the things happening on the show… since it’s filmed in Cape Town, and as expats they have an insider’s knowledge! Juliet Searle from Irene in Pretoria, who is now living in West Sussex, penned […]

Echoes of apartheid-style exploitation of workers have resurfaced in recent years in South Africa. Debates around these malpractices were given fresh impetus four years ago with the release of a documentary, Bitter Grapes. Produced by Danish journalist Tom Heinemann, it featured workers from South Africa’s winelands. Bitter Grapes cast light on wide-ranging exploitation. Hardships included […]

David Scott from The Kiffness has penned an open letter to Woolworths after the South African multi-national retail chain announced its decision this week to stop playing copyright-protected music in their nationwide stores, in favour of royalty free soundtracks. According to SAMPRA, this effectively means South African music will no longer be played and promoted […]