‘Little Amal’, the giant refugee puppet that was created by a South African company, strolled into Times Square in New York on Friday. The 3.66-metre tall (12 foot) puppet represents a 10-year-old Syrian refugee searching for her mom who disappeared after she went in search of food. Little Amal is in New York to visit […]

Activists protest at Mini Blue Train to highlight PRASA’s failures. By Ashraf Hendricks As Metrorail’s service in Cape Town has deteriorated, one train has consistently run on time and safely for over 60 years: the Mini Blue Train in Mouille Point. On Wednesday, about 30 protesters from activist groups #UniteBehind held a protest at this […]

Global superstar John Legend has given a nod of approval to South African musician Mthandazo Gatya’s duet of his hit ‘Nervous’, publicly liking the video on TikTok, and retweeting it on Monday on Twitter. And Gatya’s dreams could be coming true with a Black Coffee collaboration! Gatya – who had a hit during Lockdown with […]

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has today – Tues 20 Sep – informed the Glencoe Magistrates Court that it will not continue with the prosecution of Dundee farmer, Garth Simpson. The 68-year-old farmer was charged with murder after an incident in September 2021 in which he was attacked by three men on his farm, according […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa says resolving the energy crisis is critical to ensure that the economic and investment potential of the country is realised. His comments come after South Africa was plunged into Stage 6 load shedding for the second time this year, prompting the President’s urgent return to the country during an international trip. Households […]

WINDSOR, Sept 19 (Reuters) – Queen Elizabeth’s black pony Emma watched the monarch’s funeral procession pass by in the grounds of Windsor Castle, where she was held on a lead by a groomsman. The queen’s two corgis, Sandy and Muick, were also brought out for the arrival of the coffin at the castle, where Queen […]

On 15 September we (Ground Up) reported that Zimbabweans trying to leave South Africa were being turned back at Beitbridge border, apparently by the new Border Management Authority guards in Musina, Limpopo. As a result, people we spoke to were confused and eventually crossed the border through unofficial routes that can be dangerous. Despite attempts […]

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 19 (Reuters) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will miss the United Nations General Assembly this week, instead returning home from Britain to address a national power crisis, his spokesman told local media including television channel eNCA. State-owned power utility Eskom moved to “Stage 6” electricity outages on Sunday for only the third […]

WINDSOR, England (Reuters) -Queen Elizabeth’s coffin arrived at Windsor Castle, her final resting place, on Monday after a day of matchless pageantry that drew world leaders to her funeral and hundreds of thousands of well-wishers wanting to say farewell to a revered monarch. By Michael Holden, Kate Holton and Alistair Smout. People lined the route […]

The South African National Parks (SANParks) has paid tribute to a former director of the Kruger National Park, Dr Salomon Jouberg (affectionately known as Doc Solly), who passed away suddenly on Wednesday 14 September at the age of 81. SANParks said: “It is with great sadness that we learnt of the sudden death of Dr […]

Eskom CEO, Andre de Ruyter, says the power utility is working hard to bring back failing generation units and restore stability to the grid. His pledge comes after multiple trips, breakdowns and delays in return to service at generation units caused the implementation of Stage 6 load shedding over the weekend. De Ruyter said teams […]

Speaking from the UK where he is attending Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deep sadness at the death of 19 learners and two adults in a collision between a bakkie and a truck near Pongola in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Friday. The learners were being transported on a bakkie when their […]

Watch the State Funeral Service for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Northern Ireland at Westminster Abbey, London, below. South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is attending the funeral of the UK’s longest reigning monarch which starts at Westminster Abbey before then moving to Windsor Castle for an intimate service, followed by a private […]

Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, has called on communities to remain on high alert after the South African Weather Services (SAWS) at the weekend issued a level 6 warning for disruptive storms in the province. The Office of the Premier said in a statement that municipalities that are to be impacted have been notified. These […]

Reuters – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, accompanied by SA’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, joined other world leaders to pay his respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday (September 18) as her body lies in state in London’s Westminster Hall in the UK. President Ramaphosa paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth, on the eve […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will be cutting short his overseas trip to return home to South Africa to deal with the Eskom crisis which has plunged SA into Loadshedding (pre-planned power cuts) Stage 6. In a media briefing this morning, Eskom admitted that the powerlessness could get even worse, with unplanned blackouts that would take South […]

Hard work and sacrifice have paid off for several learners from Soshanguve Technical High School of automotive specialisation. They designed and built a one-of-a-kind solar powered train locomotive. By Chris Gilili. Several Gauteng learners from Soshanguve Technical High School have built a one-of-a-kind solar powered train. Considering the country’s energy crisis and rising fuel costs, […]

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber praised his team’s fighting spirit to grind their way to a crucial 36-20 victory against Argentina at Estadio Libertadores De América in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship on Saturday, which allowed them to match New Zealand on 14 log points going into the final round next weekend. The Springboks held a […]

Just after 4am last night, South Africans were plunged into Stage 6 loadshedding. This came after the tripping of a generation unit each at Kusile and Kriel power stations, Eskom said in a tweet on its Twitter page. The power utility – which at this stage appears to not have much power – appealed again […]

Five generating units broke down on Friday night and Saturday morning, leading to Eskom “regretfully” announcing it would implement Stage 5 loadshedding from 10am on Saturday until 5am on Monday. SUNDAY UPDATE: It just got worse. Eskom has implemented Stage 6 loadshedding in SA.  The power utility said the loadshedding (power cuts) were necessitated by […]

A truck driver has reportedly been arrested after 21 people, including 19 children, were tragically killed in a horror crash between the truck and a bakkie. The devastating incident took place on the N2 between Pongola and Itshelejuba in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. Video footage shows a bakkie, which was transporting the primary school children, […]

The Springboks recorded a bonus-point 36-20 win (halftime 22-6) over Argentina in a typical game of two halves, holding out against a strong fightback from the hosts to finish with two crucial tries to grab the full house of log points in Buenos Aires on Saturday. The Boks looked good in the first half of […]

SA Rugby has issued a statement, on Saturday evening, responding to “unsubstantiated allegations” of failed tests for recreational drugs by Springbok players. The rumours are circulating among members of the media. “Disappointingly, these allegations have already appeared online despite the absence of any evidence to support them,” said the statement. SA Rugby says it has […]

On Thursday, well known outdoor apparel brand Patagonia announced: “Hey, friends, we just gave our company to planet Earth. OK, it’s more nuanced than that, but we’re closed today to celebrate this new plan to save our one and only home.” Yvon Chouinard, the billionaire founder of the company said he’s giving Patagonia to a […]

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi said his team had to break out of the blocks with intensity from the get-go in their Castle Lager Rugby Championship clash against Argentina at Estadio Libertadores De América in Buenos Aires in their penultimate match of the competition on Saturday. The Springboks need to win the match and preferably with […]