It snowed big-time at Afriski Mountain Resort today! This morning, the resort in Lesotho welcomed its first major snowfall for the winter season. The snow started at 2am and continued for a few hours covering the landscape around the resort with approximately 10cm of snow. All photos by Martin Schultz from Afriski… In good news […]

MADAGASCAR (Reuters) – Families have resorted to eating locusts and leaves in southern Madagascar where famine is looming, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday. Following a devastating five year drought, and strong sandstorms this year, harvests have been ruined and the people are starving in a way the UN senior director of […]

DAKAR (Reuters) – Rory Young, co-founder and president of Chengeta Wildlife, was tragically killed in an ambush during an anti-poaching patrol in Burkina Faso this week. Two Spanish journalists, who were making a documentary about Rory’s exemplary efforts to protect wildlife, were also killed. Rory’s charity trained anti-poaching rangers in Africa. Born in Zambia, Rory […]

The Zulu Queen, Her Majesty Queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, who stepped in just over a month ago as the interim Regent of the Zulu nation following the death of her husband, King Goodwill Zwelithini ka Bhekuzulu, has herself died. She was 65-years-old. On Thursday night, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party […]

Prince William and Kate Middleton have celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary by posting behind-the-scenes video footage of their happy family enjoying the kinds of things most families enjoy – strolls on the beach, climbing a tree in the park, and toasting marshmallows in a fire. It’s an unprecedented look at their private life. Kate Middleton […]

Professor Salim Abdool Karim has been appointed to the newly formed World Health Organisation (WHO) Science Council. Prof Abdool Karim presided over South Africa’s Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on COVID-19 before he stepped down in March. Under his leadership, MAC positioned South Africa as one of the leading nations in the emergency response to the […]

Twenty-five-year-old Buhle Sithela is bringing movies to children in Harare, Khayelitsha in Cape Town. By Ashraf Hendricks and Mary-Anne Gontsana. With his love of movies and experience from working at a drive-in cinema, 25-year-old Buhle Sithela has opened his own cinema in Harare, Khayelitsha. Catering to children of all ages, Sithela guarantees a safe space […]

New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio this morning announced that NYC will fully reopen on 1 July 2021. Speaking on MSNBC, the mayor said: “Our plan is to fully reopen on July 1. We are ready for stores to open, for businesses to open, offices, theaters, FULL strength.” This means New York will be […]

LONDON (Reuters) – The rand has emerged as an unlikely winner among emerging market currencies since the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, despite South Africa’s unfortunately high levels of debt and unemployment. U.S. sanctions have rumbled Russian bond markets, Turkish assets have been hit by monetary policy concerns and other big developing countries such as […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday the governing party “could and should” have done more to prevent corruption under his predecessor Jacob Zuma, in highly anticipated testimony to the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and corruption. Ramaphosa, Zuma’s former deputy, was appearing in his capacity as current leader […]

Although the country’s dam levels have begun dropping slightly as the country approaches the dry winter season in inland provinces, they are comparatively 15% higher compared to the same period last year. The Department of Water and Sanitation announced this morning that figures in their weekly report suggest that dam levels in general have risen […]

South African National Parks (SANParks) scientists have provided an ‘alert’ saying there appears to be a “rapid build-up of a potential harmful Algal Bloom in the lower Olifants River”. The build-up is taking place at a section where the river flows through a deep gorge with a large Nile crocodile population, before it enters the […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has learned with deep sadness of the passing of financial expert and former Algerian Minister of Finance, Abderrahmane Benkhalfa. During President Ramaphosa’s year-long term as Chairperson of the African Union (AU), the President appointed Benkhalfa as one of five AU COVID-19 Special Envoys to mobilise international financial and other support for the […]

The North Gauteng High Court on Monday granted an interdict to AfriForum and Solidarity that prevents the payment of any fees from the Department of Tourism’s equity fund. The two organisations had launched an urgent application to the court after the Minister of Tourism announced that the department’s fund for the recovery of the tourism […]

Google has today – Tuesday 27 April 2021 – published one of its famous doodles to celebrate South Africa’s Freedom Day. This year the search engine giant has selected the country’s national flower – the King Protea. “On this day in 1994, South Africa held its first post-apartheid elections, which granted citizens—regardless of their race—an […]

It was a fabulous Friday (23 April) for Big Bay Events in Hout Bay, South Africa, as a super pod of dolphins swam spectacularly and swiftly into view. With South Africa’s magnificent ocean grabbing some of the Oscar spotlight last night, thanks to My Octopus Teacher’s Academy Award win, here’s even more reason to celebrate […]

South Africa’s President and the country’s Arts and Culture Minister, along with thousands of other South Africans have welcomed the big SA win at the Oscars last night – Best Documentary Feature Academy Award for ‘My Octopus Teacher’. Here’s just some of the praise heaped on the spectacular underwater film: President Cyril Ramaphosa: Congratulations once […]

The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga province say they have launched a “frantic manhunt” after the “heartless” and “sad incident” in which a mother and son were murdered on Saturday, during a robbery on a farm outside Nelspruit. Fifty-six-year-old Anna-Marie Botha and her 34-year-old son Ruan Britz (named as Rohn Britz by SAPS) […]

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the arrest of Michael Lomas by the United Kingdom authorities in connection with Eskom’s R745 million Kusile power station corruption case. The businessman’s arrest in London earlier this month brings to five the number of people arrested in relation to the alleged crimes. He was granted a R1.7-million […]

Refuoe Mokuoane lives in an informal settlement but spends his days collecting waste in Johannesburg’s wealthiest suburbs, Sandton and other surrounding suburbs. Asked what that’s like, he told GroundUp: “We are dreaming of living like that one day”. Mokuoane, 39, is from Lesotho. He and Douglas Mali, 47, from the Eastern Cape, are among the […]

As Elon Musk’s SpaceX sent more astronauts into orbit this week, his family have rallied to congratulate him for the historic achievement – using a ‘recycled capsule and rocket’. As Endeavour arrived at the Space Station today, SpaceX confirmed the safe docking and said “second time at the space station for this Dragon”. NASA said […]

Smuts Hall university residence has saluted some of the unsung heroes at the University of Cape Town who went “beyond the call of duty” and put their own lives at risk during the horrific fire that swept across Table Mountain last week. A video by Siya Ntuntwana captures their heroics (watch below). Naming the heroes, […]

SA Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s decision to invoke his ministerial powers and strip Cricket SA of national recognition is a “devastating blow” to South African cricket, says DA Shadow Minister of Sport, Tsepo Mhlongo. “This decision will be devastating for South African cricket as the future of the game in our country now hangs in […]

A woman who was the victim of a gang rape almost 40 years ago, is seeking to change the law of prescription in civil matters, in order to sue those she says are responsible. In South Africa civil claims for sexual offences must be brought within three years unless the victim can show they were […]

It’s a tuk-tuk (a three-wheeled motor vehicle), but it is also a mobile library. On Thursday, the VUSA Academy Programme launched its mobile library initiative in Langa. Lungile Moferi drives the library slowly around the streets of Langa, and makes his first stop at an early childhood development centre called Dalukhanyo Pre-School. He is greeted […]