Hot on the heels of the Olympic Games in Rio, South Africa’s silver-medallists Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh have both raced to Gold in their respective races today at the 2016 FINA World Cup series in Paris-Chartres! Chad le Clos won the Men’s 200m butterfly for the 19th time! Only two male swimmers […]

South Africa is blossoming beautifully at the moment with endless fields of wild flowers carpeting the landscape from the Northern Cape to the Western Cape… and even city dwellers in Cape Town don’t have to travel far to enjoy the spectacular floral sights… ALAN RUDNICKI captured these stunning photos this morning at Sunset Beach. “It’s a perfect […]

JOHANNESBURG – Judge Thokozile Masipa has refused the State the right to appeal the Oscar Pistorius sentence… which she herself handed down in July, giving the former Olympian a six-year sentence for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013. The State had applied for leave to appeal the sentence – which they felt […]

JOHANNESBURG – Businessman and former trade unionist Sipho Pityana has been praised for his no holds barred speech at the funeral of former Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile yesterday… hailed by some South Africans as the first to “have the backbone” to say what is on the minds of many ANC members. Pityana delivered a bold and brutal indictment on the […]

If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s John Steenhuisen of the Democratic Alliance (DA) taking on the ANC for their poor election results. Watch Video: DA John Steenhuisen Grills ANC on Election Results In typical Steenhuisen fashion he throws out insults wrapped in metaphors – accusing the ANC Chief Whip of having “more spin than on an […]

Triplets born to a gay couple from Pretoria have made medical history in South Africa by being the first recorded triplets to be born with two fathers’ DNA. Theo and Christo Menelaou each fertilised one egg of a surrogate mother. One of those eggs split, creating identical twins, and resulting in the surrogate giving birth […]

South Africa’s rand recovered some losses and bonds bounced off two-month lows after Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan refused to present himself to police over a probe into an alleged ‘spy’ unit at the country’s tax service. David Pollard reports in the video below. South Africa’s had its crises, but this is still massive headline news. […]

PRETORIA – The Rand has reportedly stabilised in the last couple of hours following South African President Jacob Zuma’s announcement that he has “full support and confidence” in Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. The Treasury confirmed earlier this week that specialist police unit, the Hawks, had summoned Gordhan to “present himself” on Thursday. Gordhan responded yesterday, saying the […]

The 2-year-old daughter of a South African family who was washed into the sea in Cornwall in the UK a few days ago has tragically passed away. The Bruynius family of five – from South Africa and living in Surrey in the UK – were holidaying in Newquay last week when they were swept off rocks at South […]

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommended on Wednesday that the world body appoint an eminent person to review any new information uncovered about a 1961 plane crash that killed then U.N. chief Dag Hammarskjold. Hammarskjold – a Swede elected as the world body’s second chief in 1953 – was killed along […]

Eish, it appears that the Brits have not been adequately introduced to the South African braai! In a recent survey in Great Britain, respondents voted Australia the best barbecuing nation… with South Africa only coming 6th! The Glowing Embers ‘Battle of the BBQ’ poll asked Brits which nation BBQs the best, and by a BBQ they meant […]

At least 250 people have died after a massive earthquake – of magnitude 6.2 – struck central Italy in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Many people are still trapped under rubble. The quake hit approximately 76 km south east of the city of Perugia (in Umbria), a region popular with tourists… especially now during the European summer. By […]

South Africa’s DIY Goddess Suzelle is celebrating her 100,000th YouTube subscriber with a party. “Thank you guys, I couldn’t have done it without you,” she said. Apparently a gift from YouTube of a silver play button is in the post. Watch Video: SuzelleDIY – How to Make a Piñata

Opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has reacted to news that the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, has been requested to report to the Hawks at 10h00 on Thursday 25 August 2016… calling it a “major escalation in the ‘SARS Wars’.” David Maynier, Shadow Minister of Finance, said the fact that Gordhan has reportedly been requested […]

The Rand has fallen to its lowest against the dollar since 3 August, after reports surfaced in the Daily Maverick that South Africa’s Finance Minister – Pravin Gordhan – has been summoned by the Hawks to “present” himself on Thursday… which could signal Gordhan’s dismissal from office. With the elite police division circling the Treasury Chief, the Rand […]

You know that feeling when you’re dronkverdriet and your emotions rise as fast as the alcohol went down? But while some people use that moment to declare their undying love for an ex, South Africans living abroad can find themselves declaring their undying love for the country they left behind. South Africa. A former Johannesburg […]

Television viewers in the UK were treated to a brilliant performance by KwaZulu-Natal’s LIV choir on BBC1 yesterday evening… and today hundreds have written on the BBC’s facebook page about how the broadcast gave them goosebumps and inspired them with their ability to make good out of bad circumstances. The amazing 20-strong LIV Choir – who come from […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s athletes have returned to a heroes’ welcome… as they arrive home from their record-breaking Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil – where they scooped more medals than they won in London (2012) and an equal tally of 10 from Antwerp (1920) and Helsinki (1952). Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula was on hand to welcome the […]

Being South Africa, it was inevitable that within nano-seconds of the appointment of the DA’s Herman Mashaba as new Mayor of Joburg City… the jokes and memes would begin on social media. Here are 10 of the best: 1.  So, this just happened in Johannesburg 😅 #JoburgMayor pic.twitter.com/JPtSdvf4cl — Ulrich Janse van Vuuren (@UlrichJvV) August […]

JOHANNESBURG – The Democratic Alliance’s Herman Mashaba has been elected as the new Executive Mayor of Joburg, replacing the ANC’s Parks Tau. On Twitter, DA supporters were already rejoicing before the official announcement, and even Wikipedia confidently updated their entry for the businessman before it was announced: Earlier today the DA’s Vasco da Gama was elected as Speaker (unleashing […]

JOHANNESBURG – A female councillor for the ANC has sadly passed away during the Joburg Council meeting today. The inaugural meeting – in which the Speaker, Mayor and Chief Whip are being elected – was adjourned when the councillor fell ill and collapsed, apparently battling to breath. She was led out of the chambers by medics shortly […]

JOHANNESBURG – Democratic Alliance (DA) Councillor Vasco Da Gama has been elected as Speaker of the Johannesburg Council… and it’s – predictably – launched a wave of tweets: …and cue the sailing and sailor puns. And go!!! #VascoDaGama #JoburgCouncil — Michael 🍏 (@TheMikeAppel) August 22, 2016 Jesus is back and he didn't come back alone. #VascoDaGama https://t.co/xyFiM3LIar […]

JOHANNESBURG – The Joburg Council was forced to adjourn after a scuffle broke out between party agents over the secret ballot and voting process. The IEC has however said it’s satisfied with the process and counting, and has called for proceedings to continue. The scuffle had broken out between the EFF Deputy President and an unknown Councillor. Both had […]

Check out this giraffe being helped out of a swimming pool… somewhere in Africa. It’s not clear exactly when and where this incident took place, but the language (spoken by the humans!) is Afrikaans so it’s probably South Africa. The giraffe was apparently exhausted when it decided to take a dip in the pool… Watch Video: […]

It’s been a huge day for Caster Mokgadi Semenya, winner of not only the 800m Women’s race in Rio last night… but also of the hearts of the people of South Africa. The SA athlete was so popular on social media that “Happy #SemenyaSunday” became one of the highest trending hashtags on Twitter as South Africans around […]