South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has, on the recommendation of the National Assembly, appointed Advocate Busisiwe Joyce Mkhwebane as the new Public Protector for a period of seven years, with effect from 15 October 2016. The President – who recently had to pay back some of the costs of his Nkandla homestead upgrades thanks to a […]

DAVID MILLER and Andile Phehlukwayo both played the innings of their lives to get the Standard Bank Proteas across the line for a four-wicket win over Australia, with four balls to spare, at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead on Wednesday evening… to clinch the Momentum ODI Series by a 3-0 margin with two matches still to be played. […]

Sixteen-year-old Taahirah Zungu from Mafikeng in the North West Province in South Africa, was crowned as Miss Teen Universe 2016 in Turkey with World League of Beauty & Fashion. Taahirah was crowned at a ceremony in Bodrum. She also walked away with the titles of Miss Sympathy, Photomodel of the Universe and Best Talent in the Teen […]

A dog called Giant, who works on the ‘frontline’ of the war against poachers in Africa, has become one of the first four-legged anti-poaching team-mates to sky-dive! There’s Arrow too. South Africa’s canine team are making headlines with a BBC documentary that’s been viewed over 4 million times in 4 days. These dogs’ sky-diving skills are necessary […]

The 2016 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) has been released today. It is the 10th release by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, and reveals overall significant improvement in governance over the past ten years across Africa, with unfortunately deterioration in Safety and Rule of Law holding progress back. Sadly South Africa is one of those that has deteriorated […]

The Dutch have responded to the crazy Japanese viral song ‘PPAP (Pen Pinapple Apple Pen)’ with lyrics that are even better (particularly if you’re South African and speak Afrikaans). The Dutch version is called PKKP – Pannen-Koeken-Koeken-Pan. Watch below! The Japanese song, first uploaded in August, has already clocked up over 60 million views… heading […]

It’s the debate that keeps giving. Here are just three of the many takes on the first 2016 debate between American Presidential candidates Donald Trump (Republican) and Hillary Clinton (Democrat): 1. With Afrikaans Accents Ja nee! This video was uploaded by Afrikaans4Dummies: “When Donald Trump, the bombastic billionaire reality TV host we all know and […]

Although South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has called for unity in addressing the current university fees crisis in South Africa, which has seen student protests raging on campuses around the country, his words appear to have distanced students even further… with many on Twitter calling his speech a “fail” and “empty”, displaying “no leadership”. Speaking […]

Thanks in part to the proliferation of fake South African passports and South Africans who perhaps arrive in New Zealand and never leave, New Zealand has become the latest country to make it a little more difficult for South Africans to visit their friends and family living in the country. As of 21 November this year […]

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson referred to the continent of Africa as “country” while delivering a speech on his first three months as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.  Speaking at the Conservative Party conference, Johnson said: “For all its difficulties, life expectancy in Africa has risen astonishingly as that country has entered the global […]

Conservationists have reacted with shock, outrage and bitter disappointment as it was announced in South Africa on Sunday evening that the CITES Committee has approved the ongoing trade in lion bone, setting “quotas” for the selling of bones of captive lions. Consumption of lion bone in Asia has increased over the past few years as […]

FAF DU PLESSIS led another splendid batting display with his sixth century, helping the Standard Bank Proteas to a massive 142-run win over Australia and a 2-0 lead in their Momentum One-Day International (ODI) series after the second match at Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Sunday. The stand-in South Africa captain batted through a hand injury […]

Hermanus Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) has been blown away by the response from South Africans to one of their posts about a young guy called Sipho who has made it his job to save every single sick dog he possibly can in his area. On Thursday the welfare society posted this message: “About 8 months ago, […]

A beautiful poem from freelance writer, poet and author Cyndi Barker, originally from Zimbabwe… now living in the United Kingdom:   I wanted to grow old in Africa With the sun warming my decrepit bones And my great grandchildren running through my grapevine The heat of the sun turning their skins bronze While they played in […]

A “frightening hailstorm” hit parts of KwaZulu-Natal this weekend. JANINE BOUVERIE captured these photos in Harding… The storm swept through shredding banana palms and defoliating trees. In nearby Nkomazi the storm reportedly caused one fatality, as well as at least R40-million worth of damage to Shongwe Hospital.

Springbok coach Allister Coetzee said the Springboks 18-10 win over the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, was an important boost to the team’s confidence for the remainder of the season. “It was an important win, not only for our confidence, but also self-belief,” said Coetzee. “I am a very happy man and […]

South African football player Jason Johannison, who moved to Australia when he was eight, has won one of his new country’s most prestigious sporting awards – the Norm Smith Medal! The AFL (Australian Football League) called his team’s win a “fairytale” that “stretched all the way to Johannesburg” because of Johannisen’s medal win. AFL.com.au described the 23-year-old […]

Late Friday night (30th October), lion conservationists were left feeling angry and frustrated at the fate of the once mighty and proud African Lion, when news broke that Lions may NOT be listed as a CITES Appendix I Endangered Species (a listing which would further safeguard lions from extinction). To decide the fate of the […]

QUINTON DE KOCK struck the second highest ever score by a South African as the Standard Bank Proteas scored a crushing six-wicket victory over Australia in the first Momentum One-Day International (ODI) played at SuperSport Park on Friday. The young opener blasted 178 from 113 deliveries, clubbing 11 sixes and 16 fours along the way, […]

Congratulations to Capetonian photographer Micky Wiswedel whose awesome photo of athlete Jamie Smith won the Wings Category in the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2016, announced this week in the USA. The South African photographer headed over to Chicago for the Awards this week, telling friends as he left that he was “pretty damn stoked” to be […]

Visitors to South Africa’s famous Kruger National Park have been delighted to discover a friendly entrepreneur serving hot beverages whilst they wait in the long queue at Phabeni gate, early in the morning, to enter the park. Rudo Van Heerden, from Gauteng, and his family snapped these shots of the coffee vendor, whose name is Patrick. Rudo […]

A young Capetonian’s generosity of spirit has helped a grieving South African expat through one of the most heartbreaking moments of anyone’s life. Durbanite and photographer Paul Maartens – who has been living in Melbourne for the past 14 years (with regular trips back to SA) – recently flew to South Africa for a fortnight… to farewell his […]

LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – SABMiller <SAB.L> shareholders overwhelmingly backed the brewer’s $100 billion-plus takeover by Anheuser-Busch InBev <ABI.BR> on Wednesday, clearing the last big hurdle for one of the largest corporate mergers in history. The combined group will sell more than a quarter of all beers sold worldwide and be the fifth largest consumer goods company. […]

Congratulations to 16-year-old South African teenager, Kiara Nirghin, who has won the Grand Prize at Google’s Science Fair for her innovation – Fighting Drought with Fruit – which could hold the solution to the country’s water woes… using just orange and avocado peels! The Awards were held at Google’s Headquarters in California yesterday. Kiara beat 15 […]

Nationwide scenes of violence and protests on university campuses have continued today in South Africa, with several witnesses reporting “police brutality” at Rhodes University, where rubber bullets were fired and 10 students were arrested at the Law Faculty. One social media user said: “I’m heart broken and speechless. Why are we shooting at children?” Another said: […]