The minstrel museum may finally be opening in Cape Town seven years after the National Lotteries Commission awarded a multimillion-rand grant to establish the facility. The new Cape Town Museum and Restaurant awning only recently replaced one for the Pensyl Sporting Club. Photo: Raymond Joseph The “Carnival Heritage Museum” to celebrate Cape Town’s rich minstrel […]

A magical floral fireworks video has been going viral on WhatsApp in South Africa, and around the world, as the planet ushers in 2021… filled with hope and appreciation for the beauty in nature. The video begins with the message ‘Happy New Year / Naturally’ and ends with ‘2021’. In between it features amazing footage […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has pointed out that in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement this evening, in which he has returned South Africa to Lockdown Level 3, the President has “still neglected to speak with clarity and certainty” on the acquisition and provision of the coronavirus vaccine. ”We understand that the resurgence in Covid-19 cases is […]

Cape Town City and Bafana Bafana midfielder Thabo Nodada takes a long view of professional and personal success, even if that means making difficult decisions and putting hard graft before glitz. His isn’t a typical football story, nor is his approach to money that of the stereotypical big-spending soccer star. At school he was a […]

Forests are good for the planet: they purify the air and moderate the climate. They are abundant in resources, providing habitat, food, shelter and a rich biodiversity of plant and animal life. So it’s a worry that forests located near major cities are exposed to metals commonly found in atmospheric pollution. Metal contamination is one […]

Three African Painted Dogs in KwaZulu-Natal have been successfully collared to assist with their conservation. Monitoring the endangered species is essential – with only about 550 African Painted Dogs left in South Africa, every individual counts, writes Janelle Barnard… An afternoon of darting and collaring African Painted Dogs on Somkhanda Community Game Reserve almost became […]

Only a massive global rollout of an effective vaccine can end the Covid-19 pandemic in the short term. The vaccine is being rolled out in the United Kingdom and United States. It’s expected to become available in Europe imminently. This is where things stand in South Africa. The Department of Health is playing its cards […]

In a special Carte Blanche broadcast, South Africa’s top current affairs show takes Christmas to the next level with celebrated musician Belinda Davids as she helps the show unwrap some of the great developments to have emanated out of a year of global upheaval and suffering. With Davids’ characteristic four octave vocal range, Carte Blanche […]

Cape Town residents have taken to social media to praise the body corporate of a well-known housing complex in Kensington for hiring unemployed people from a nearby informal settlement to do their renovations. The Kensington Place Body Corporate plans to unveil the newly renovated complex on Saturday, 19 December. This is the first time in […]

For ten years, giant puppets in the shape of animals, insects and futuristic robots have performed and danced down the streets of Barrydale. The annual puppet parade, started in 2010 by the Handspring Puppet Trust, aims to bring together the residents of this small Klein Karoo town which was divided by apartheid. But this year, […]

The directors of a mystery non-profit company which has received more than R7-million in Lottery funding have refused to say what the company does. Venalor is a non-profit company which has received more than R7 million from the Lottery. But neither the company nor the National Lotteries Commission will say what the company does or […]

As the Western Cape saw another 91 patients enter hospital in the past 24 hours, the local government is pleading with citizens to refrain from attending large private functions and parties which can so easily become superspreader events. On Wednesday evening, Premier Alan Winde reminded residents that their action can help protect the health system […]

Despite rumours, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala says no formal decision has been taken around the possible closure of the South African province’s fabulous and famous beaches over the festive season. “At this stage there is no decision the provincial government has taken or contemplating to take with regards to the closure of beaches. This may […]

Sediment from coffer dams built by diamond mining companies on the West Coast is smothering the seabed and damaging the inshore reef systems, perhaps permanently, diamond divers have warned. Diamond divers have warned of damage to the seabed and inshore reef systems from “coffer dams” on the West Coast. Coffer dams are temporary sea walls […]

The UK has become the first country to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for widespread use. The government has ordered 40 million doses and the first batch of 800,000 doses is expected to be shipped from Belgium – where the vaccine is being made – in the next couple of days. It will be enough to […]

At least 24 shacks were gutted, leaving about 33 families homeless when a fire ripped through Qolweni informal settlement in Plettenberg Bay on Monday. No injuries were reported. Twenty-four shacks burnt down, leaving 33 families destitute in Qolweni informal settlement in Plettenberg Bay on Monday. The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed. […]

“I will not be next”, “We’re done being afraid” and “Femicide is the real pandemic” were some of the many banners on display on Saturday morning during a protest against gender based violence (GBV) outside Parliament in Cape Town. “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” chanted some of the protesters […]

Despite overwhelming worldwide opposition, including a parliamentary resolution to close down the captive lion breeding industry, SA’s government is ignoring red flags that the industry is damaging the country’s reputation and deliberating a 2020 annual trade quota for the export of lion bones… writes Melissa Reitz. The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) said in […]

Aardvarks are notoriously elusive, nocturnal mammals. They generally hide in their underground burrows during the day and emerge at night to feed exclusively on ants and termites. Aardvarks are widespread throughout most habitats of Africa south of the Sahara, except deserts. But their actual numbers are not known because they’re so elusive. Aardvarks top the […]

Three vaccine breakthroughs have sparked hope that the end of the Covid-19 pandemic is close. But vaccinating tens of millions of South Africans is going to be difficult. It would require a massive logistical effort in 2021 for life to return to the way it was before Covid-19. We now have effective Covid vaccines from […]

There are an estimated 14,357 homeless people living on the streets of Cape Town, and more than R744 million a year is spent on homelessness. These findings were made in a study, “The Cost of Homelessness in Cape Town”, conducted by the NGO U-turn, with help from Khulisa Streetscapes and MES. A study on the cost of homelessness in […]

Meter taxi drivers downloaded Bolt apps and requested a ride as clients, said Bongani Lucky*, a Bolt driver in the Vaal Triangle in Gauteng. “When you get to the pickup point it’s not the client but the meter taxi drivers… I was lucky because they listened to me but usually they just beat you and […]

In a ground-breaking judgment on parenthood, the Gauteng High Court in South Africa has ruled that the grandmother, not the father, of a child should benefit from the estate of a child that she looked after. The Gauteng High Court has ruled that a grandmother who looked after a child should benefit from the child’s […]

The interim results of an Africa-wide study of hospitalised Covid-19 patients shows that the continent is facing far higher mortality rates in intensive care units than other parts of the world, and that the higher death rates are best explained by scarce resources. Covid-19 has produced huge volumes of data in a short period of time, but […]

South Africans and Australians are emerging from winter and, where possible, enjoying trips to beaches and public pools. Beach-side picnics, braais and get-togethers are back on the cards for many of us. While daily COVID-19 case numbers have been looking promising in most places lately, we are still very much in a pandemic; your spring […]