PRETORIA – The office of President Jacob Zuma said on Friday that letters of reprimand had been sent to one cabinet minister and two former ministers, following the Constitutional Court ruling over the contested security upgrades at Nkandla. The presidency said that the court on 31 March ordered Zuma to comply with the remedial action taken against him by […]

CAPE TOWN – Dene Smuts, the well-known former editor of Fair Lady magazine and a member of parliament for the Democratic Party, has died suddenly. The Democratic Alliance said it was with sadness that it noted the passing of Smuts, who served in parliament for 25 years, from 1989 to 2014, where she made history […]

JOHANNESBURG – Steinhoff has increased its stake in Darty to 20.4 percent, it said on Friday, a day after a frantic bidding war with French rival Fnac for Europe’s third-largest electric goods retailer. Five new offers in less than 24 hours lifted Darty shares by more than 23 percent on Thursday to their highest since […]

NAIROBI – Kenya Airways has announced this week that will connect Cape Town to the Victoria Falls and Nairobi. The flight, which will run each way three times a week starting in July, will fly to the Kenyan capital via Livingtone, Zambia, gateway to the Victoria Falls. It is Kenya Airways’ second destination in South Africa, after […]

A company that says it brings space into your home (or your laptop) has released footage from the heavens of Cape Town, the Pyramids of Giza and Dubai. The company Urthecast took the ultra high definition footage from an Iris camera attached to the International Space Station, according to news reports. Look closely and you can see cars […]

The wildly successful singer Prince died on Thursday, at age 57, according to news reports quoting his spokesperson. A massive outpouring of condolences and grief overwhelmed social media. Prince had many hits including “Purple Rain”, “Kiss”, “Diamonds and Pearls” and “When Doves Cry”. No cause of death was immediately given, although questions were raised earlier this month […]

No, that’s not actually the South African stand at the Chelsea Flower Show. It’s a miniature, which was unveiled to the public on Thursday in preparation for the coveted event taking place in London on May 24-28. (UPDATE 24 May 2016: South Africa has won gold at the Chelsea Flower Show.) Launched at Kirstenbosch, the events manager […]

Charlize Theron has been named one of Time’s Most Influential People of 2016 for her contribution towards AIDS awareness, while South Africa-based anthropologist Lee Berger was also on the list. In a tribute written by Blake Mycoskie, founder of the philanthropically oriented Toms Shoes, he wrote: “A lot of celebrities know how to raise awareness. Charlize Theron […]

LONDON – SABMiller sold 4 percent more lager in its most recent quarter than a year earlier as momentum improved in the second half of its financial year. The brewer of Miller Lite, Castle Lager and other beers said its revenue rose 7 percent in the quarter ended March 31, with sales volume up 4 […]

Well, Starbucks’ first store in sub-Saharan Africa opened in Johannesburg on Thursday morning, and such was the anticipation that people were lining up from about midnight on Wednesday, according to news reports. The opening in Rosebank made news in a few places around the world. “South Africa’s first Starbucks opens to long queues,” said Reuters. “Starbucks […]

The successful US coffee shop chain Starbucks opens its first store in South Africa on Thursday, and then another before the end of the month, both in Johannesburg. But possibly the most South African coffee doesn’t seem to be on the menu (besides moerkoffie, that is). The two stores, in Rosebank and the soon-to-open Mall of […]

GRAHAMSTOWN – Women at Rhodes University on Tuesday led a protest against sexual violence on the campus by taking their tops off and baring their breasts. Earlier in the day women had formed a human chain after going to residences in search of alleged rapists. A list of names had been published on Sunday and was put […]

Tuk-tuks are coming to Cape Town! The city said on Tuesday that if all goes according to plan, there will be 80 tuk-tuks to start off with in eight areas of the city for travelling distances of three kilometres or less. It is hoped that they will be on the roads by September, in time […]

If you’re in London, try get to the new Circa Gallery by the weekend to see the brilliant opening show full of South African artists that are increasingly drawing world attention. The successful Circa Gallery of Johannesburg, started in 2009 as a sister gallery to esteemed Everard Read, opened in March with an exhibition full […]

South Africa and Brazil. We share the good (great beaches, fab climate) and the bad (flagging economies, falling exchange rates, possible junk status, a government often charged with corruption, and a president threatened with impeachment). But that’s where it ends – or it did this weekend, when the lower house in Brazil’s congress voted to impeach President […]

JOHANNESBURG – Former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene, who was sacked by President Jacob Zuma in December, sending the local markets into a spiral and the rand crashing, has been appointed to the board of the privately owned investment manager Allan Gray. The firm, which was started in 1973 by Allan Gray and is known for its […]

Brock O’Hurn is known to countless people on Instagram as the tall, handsome guy with the long hair who has made the man bun famous. But turns out that the six-foot-seven-inch Californian is smitten with Africa, and has just finished his first trip to Kenya. The 24-year-old, who has almost two million followers on Instagram […]

South African scientists have discovered an unexpected alignment in the rotating axes of supermassive black holes in different galaxies millions of light years apart. Prof Andrew Russ Taylor and PhD graduate student Preshanth Jagannathan, both of the Department of Astronomy at University of Cape Town, published their discovery in the Monthly Notice Letters of the […]

At least 11 people died in a bus crash in the Free State as it was making its way from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg, according to a statement on Sunday by Arrive Alive. The passengers were apparently volunteers returning from the African National Congress manifesto launch in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. “ER24 paramedics, along with various other […]

As the African National Congress launched its manifesto for the local government election at a much ballyhooed event at Port Elizabeth’s stadium on Saturday, much of the conversation on social media was about the less-than-stellar turnout (either due to the hot weather or a cold reception from disenchanted voters) and President Jacob Zuma’s dance moves. The Nelson Mandela […]

No sooner was it reported that whoever shot a movie or ad with a lion wandering around Braamfontein earlier this week – he was quickly christened Braam – had not got permission to do it, a video was “leaked” of another Braam wandering the streets. Only this one was a human dressed up as a lion. […]

JOHANNESBURG – A march for political change organised by the Democratic Alliance has started on Friday morning in Johannesburg, with thousands of people dressed in blue heading for the Constitutional Court. The #MarchForChange was joined by DA leaders Mmusi Maimane and Patricia DeLille, among others. The DA said in a statement on Wednesday that it had […]

This week the ANC Women’s League not only stood behind President Jacob Zuma, but said that Public Protector Thuli Madonsela was too popular to be in her position. This isn’t the first time the ANCWL has come out with some strange remarks – and been criticised for them. Then yesterday, Thursday, the league president, Social Development […]