South Africa’s economy grew by 3.1% in the fourth quarter of 2017 ending the year on a strong footing, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) announced on Tuesday. At a media briefing in Tshwane, Stats SA’s Deputy Director-General: Economic Statistics Joe de Beer announced that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the fourth quarter grew by 3.1% […]

In this week’s episode of Carte Blanche, Showmax international subscribers can discover more about the latest hot topics in South Africa, available to stream from Tuesday – 6th March 2018. Estina Dairy Farm 3 For years, the Estina Dairy farm project, which was intended for the benefit of local Free State farmers, has been at […]

South Africa’s newly reappointed Finance Minister, Nhlanhla Nene made his first public appearance on Monday, as a speaker at the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) conference in Pretoria. “So I told them that the long and short of it was that I’ve been on sabbatical,” he joked. Nene said: “We are at a point […]

South Africans of all political leanings and colours have come out against Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) Leader Julius Malema’s latest apparent racist rant. At a time when the country is urgently seeking unity, relieved to be rid of the allegedly corrupt Jacob Zuma years and revived under the promising new leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa; […]

For weeks two opposing conspiracy theories about Cape Town’s drought have been circulating. One appears to have traction in the Muslim community, and the other in the Jewish community. In the past few days they’ve entered the mainstream, one receiving support from an ANC politician and the other from the Wall Street Journal. News24 reported […]

Following a complaint by the DA, the Public Protector has found Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown guilty of misleading Parliament, when she failed to disclose if there had been any contracts of engagement between Eskom and Gupta-linked, Trillian. The report has now given President Cyril Ramaphosa 14 days to take action against the Minister after it found […]

In this week’s episode, Showmax international subscribers will find out from the Carte Blanche team about the most important development of last week: the end of Zuma’s presidency. Country on the verge of change It’s been a tumultuous week of anxiety and insecurity as South Africans waited for developments in the political arena, which culminated […]

Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba’s Budget Speech has seen him make “difficult decisions” to address a revenue shortfall and to fund free higher education; including a 1% increase in value-added tax which hasn’t been adjusted since 1993. An increase in VAT, fuel levy and a higher estate duty tax are just some of the things South […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the most important people are ordinary South Africans, who are faced with socio-economic challenges ranging from poverty to diseases. The President said ever since he delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week, many have given him an indication of a sense of patriotism with the message, “Send me”. […]

Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba will this week table the 2018 Budget in Parliament. The much anticipated budget will be tabled in the National Assembly on Wednesday. Appointed to head National Treasury following former President Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle in March 2017, Minister Gigaba is set to deliver the budget in a tough economic environment. It […]

Messages of congratulations have poured in from Heads of State across the world for South Africa’s newly-elected President Cyril Ramaphosa. “President Cyril Ramaphosa received messages of congratulations from a number of Heads of State and Government during a round of telephone calls on Sunday 18 February 2018. President Ramaphosa took the calls at his official […]

Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa – forgive me, President Ramaphosa – is self-evidently a private and reserved human being. Since his decision to contest the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC), he has been the subject of an endless series of “think-pieces”, more or less informed including by this author, as well as a year or […]

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) officially released the statistics for the unemployment rate in SA during the fourth quarter in 2017. The statistics, released on Tuesday, show the rate has dropped down to 26.7%.  Stats SA says that 5.9 million people are unemployed but actively looking for jobs. The unemployment rate for females remain higher than […]

The office of the Registrar of Banks received official notification on Monday from the Gupta-linked Bank of Baroda of its exit from South Africa. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has confirmed that the bank of Baroda is officially closing down its operations and will no longer operate in South Africa at the end of […]

SpaceX has now launched the most powerful spacecraft since the Apollo era – the Falcon Heavy rocket – setting the bar for future space launches. The most important thing about this reusable spacecraft is that it can carry a payload equivalent to sending five double-decker London buses into space – which will be invaluable for […]

Former acting National Police Commissioner, Khomotso Phahlane, appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes court Thursday morning, to face alleged corruption and money-laundering charges. Phahlane and his wife, Beauty, handed themselves over to the authorities. Phahlane has been facing allegations of corruption and has been under investigation by the police watchdog, Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). […]

Pule Mabe has been appointed as the new Spokesperson of the South African ruling party, the African National Congress. The ANC confirmed in a statement that the appointment is effective as of today, 6 February 2018. The ANC said: “Comrade Mabe was deployed as a member of Parliament following the General Elections of 2014, a […]

The long-awaited Land Audit Report reportedly reveals that Black South Africans only directly own 1.2 % of the rural land in the country, and 7% of formally registered property in towns and cities. Opposition party, the DA, said it welcomes newspaper reports of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform’s Land Audit Report, which […]

Multichoice announced on Wednesday that it will not renew its contract with the 24-hour News Channel ANN7, when the contract expires on 20 August 2018. The decision has been met with mixed feelings – with some concerned for what this means to media freedom, and others welcoming the end of “dishonest journalism”. Following an internal […]

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane has written to ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his capacity as Leader of Government Business, requesting an urgent meeting to discuss how they can best work together to tackle the immediate drought crisis in the City of Cape Town, and to defeat Day Zero. Maimane said in a press statement […]

The North Gauteng High Court has ruled that the reappointment of the former Eskom Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Brian Molefe, was unlawful and has been set aside. The court found that Molefe’s claim of early retirement was contrived and therefore invalid. Molefe was also found to not be entitled to a pension pay out […]

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, as head of Team SA at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, has assured potential investors that South Africa is politically stable and open for business. “The South African delegation to the World Economic Forum 2018 (WEF) in Davos Switzerland, has been assuring partner governments, investors and finance institutions […]

“We cannot give up because we have children that depend on us.” In front of one of the biggest social housing developments in Amalinda, East London, women wait from as early as 6am, sitting on upturned buckets and crates, hoping they will be offered a job. It is common to see men waiting on the […]

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will this week join various discussion platforms at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland with an aim to develop a response to new strategies towards transforming governance in various parts of the world. The World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters is scheduled to take place between 23 and […]

The South African Government today announced a number of seismic measures to strengthen governance at Eskom (and release the company from Capture!), including the appointment of new board members and stabilising management at the energy parastatal. Eskom executives facing allegations of serious corruption are out – including Matshela Koko and Anoj Singh! There was no […]