Although average Western Cape dam levels are better this year than last (and a lot better than some drought-ridden parts of the Eastern and Northern Cape), residents are requested to please continue being careful with their water usage as the forthcoming rainfall is predicted to be less than usual. SAPeople contributor Stan Sanetra captured this […]

K9 hero dog, Hulk, who is a valuable member of an anti-poaching unit in South Africa, has – with emergency treatment – survived a frightening attack by a swarm of bees, in which he was stung 450 times. Hulk is one of the brave dogs on Pit-Track’s anti-rhino poaching frontline. Pit-Track, which operates on anti-poaching […]

Eskom announced in a statement on Saturday morning that there will be no loadshedding today in South Africa, thanks to its hardworking teams who put in a hard slog overnight. It said however that owing to the “constrained and vulnerable system”, there is a risk of loadshedding (power cuts) on Saturday evening and Sunday. “Thanks […]

Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has officially declared the Northern Cape a disaster area in light of the drought that has crippled the province for the past number of years. She announced that R200 million will be directed in funding to the area to address the crisis. This comes just a day after Democratic […]

South Africa’s Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has expressed her gratitude for the expertise and professionalism of the crew that crash landed in distress yesterday in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), ensuring that no lives were lost. The Minister said in a statement Friday morning, that the crew managed to ensure […]

South African power utility Eskom confirmed Friday morning that Stage 1 load-shedding will be implemented from 06h00 until 23:00 today, 10 January 2020. In a statement on Friday, Eskom said as a result of some generating units returning to service, it was able to stop Stage 2 loadshedding at 06h00 this morning, at which point […]

South Africans in the Karoo region were singing in the rain on Wednesday as they finally received a huge downpour of summer rain, after about five years of devastating drought. In some areas there was flooding… but gratitude was the only emotion most residents felt. There was jubilation in the Northern Cape as rivers were […]

South African teen sensation Kholo Montsi has broken into the Top 12 of the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Junior rankings! Tennis South Africa announced the news on Wednesday evening, saying: “‪What a moment for ?? Kholo Montsi! ?‬” The 17-year-old has been seen court-side in Brisbane, Australia, this week where he was part of Team […]

Congratulations to Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis who has been named the African Women’s Coach of the Year again. Ellis has proved herself again to be a coach extraordinaire! In January 2019 the formidable South African coach was named the CAF Women’s National Team Coach of the Year 2018, and during 2018 Ellis made […]

A young 22-year-old hunter is being hailed a hero for risking his own life to save nine koalas injured by the relentless fires ravaging Mallacoota in East Gippsland on the New South Wales coast of Australia. Patrick Johnson who is more accustomed to hunting animals than rescuing them, said all those he has rescued so […]

Around 480 million animals are estimated to have been killed in New South Wales (NSW) alone since the start of  bushfires which have turned parts of Australia into apocalyptic scenes with landmark buildings, schools and homes burnt to the ground, cars gutted and thousands huddled on beaches beneath blood red skies. The fires began in […]

Just like Noah’s Ark, except that was for a flood not a fire, local residents of Mallacoota in Australia have been allowed to evacuate aboard an army vessel with their pets. The first 1,000 or so people were evacuated today in an unprecedented mass relocation in Australia. Darren Chester, MP of the affected area Gippsland, […]

A Turkish Airline’s Airbus, Flight TK45, from Cape Town, South Africa, to Istanbul, Turkey, was declared an emergency at 19h45 on Thursday evening after its landing gear would not retract. According to an aviation guru who was tracking the flight, the Airbus A330-343 did patterns around Cape Town, burning fuel, before the decision was made […]

It’s “bedlam” in parts of Australia as fires continue to rage and officials expect conditions to worsen on Saturday. Mass evacuations are currently underway, and 17 people are already unaccounted for. On the New South Wales (NSW) South Coast, tens of thousands of tourists have been ordered to leave the area before it’s too late […]

New Year revellers sending Chinese lanterns into the sky to celebrate the New Year are suspected to be to blame for the fire at a zoo in Western Germany which killed more than 30 animals. German police say the lanterns may have triggered the fire which killed orangutans, gorillas, a chimpanzee, monkeys, bats and birds […]

New Year’s Eve celebrations in Johannesburg, South Africa, turned to tragedy last night after a shocking drive-by shooting in Melville left three dead and at least five injured. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has launched a manhunt for the suspects who were driving a black BMW SUV. The (unknown number of) suspects drove past […]

The man who was teased for proposing in KFC married his bride in a dream wedding yesterday, with South Africans everywhere watching the live streaming of the romantic event. Hector Mkansi’s wedding proposal to Nonhlanhla Soldaat went viral when a fellow customer at KFC caught it on video in November. And within 24 hours SA […]

About 6,500 people are taking shelter on beaches along the coast in Victoria as fires continue to rage, according to ABC News’ latest figure at 08h30 SA time. The worst hit coastal town on Tuesday morning was Mallacoota where about 4,000 people – several with lifejackets – were ready to flee into the ocean. Fortunately […]

Young South Africans in their 20s are known for travelling the world, teaching English in foreign countries… but the opportunity to experience another culture in this way is not restricted to youngsters only. In the ‘Traveling Teacher Show’ video below, South African expat David Lederle – originally from Plettenberg Bay – shares some of his […]

An American horse lover, Maggie Knox, was “absolutely blown away” by the response she got after posting a question about reindeer nutrition on a veterinarian page on Facebook, just before Christmas. She posted the question for vets only on behalf of her children… and vets everywhere responded, including one in South Africa who was super […]

“Picasso the Hadeda is back in the wild!” says CROW, the Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife. Picasso became the most famous Hadeda in South Africa in October when he was rescued after being covered in paint… CROW said its Hillcrest depot, Bruce Wilson (an earth angel according to many!) from Sanctuary Project, helped in the […]

A Port Elizabeth-based charity director, Harrison Dax Nash, has been named alongside Elton John, Olivia Newton John and more than 1,000 others on the Queen’s New Year Honours List. Harrison is charity director at Maranatha Care Children (UK Charity) and Programme manager of Maranatha Streetworkers Trust, South Africa… an NPO that takes care of South […]

South Africa’s Police Minister, General Bheki Cele, will this morning at 08h00 be attending the funeral of a five-year-old boy whose life has tragically been cut short this Christmas by a stray bullet in the Cape Flats, Western Cape. The little boy – Valentino Christiano Grootetjie – was struck in the head by a stray […]

Hollywood stars Michael Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones appear to be enjoying a fabulous Christmas holiday in Africa with their teenage children this year. Douglas (75) has been posting photos and video on his Instagram account showing the delighted family in various southern African countries. The couple, who married in November 2000, are with their […]

It has been confirmed that well known South African cyclist (and Laureus Sports award nominee) Nicholas Dlamini has sustained a broken arm after being stopped by SANParks officials in the Silvermine section of Table Mountain National Park on Friday morning. South Africans and potential tourists around the world were horrified on Friday when a video […]