South African businessman Johann Rupert is now the wealthiest person in all of Africa. Last week, Forbes Magazine made the announcement after Rupert’s net worth rose to $12 billion (about R218 billion). The mogul now sits above Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote who previously held the title of Richest Person in Africa for 12 consecutive years. […]

Bombela Operating Company which operates the Gautrain has denied that it is scrapping housing allowances for workers as alleged by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA). Last week, NUMSA spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said the company also wants to abolish the housing allowance which enables workers to access housing. GAUTRAIN DENIES SCRAPPING HOUSING ALLOWANCE […]

Since the Covid lockdowns, homeless people have been living outside The Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town’s oldest building, a popular tourist destination and city landmark. Their future is uncertain because of tensions between the City and national government, which owns the land. Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has warned that if the Department of […]

The Department of Social Development continues with its National Anti-Drug Awareness campaign at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Pretoria today. The outreach program across the country is part of the department’s efforts which seek to create safer and healthier communities through coordinated prevention efforts, treatment for substance disorders, and a reduction in the production and […]

The board of the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has approved a reparation process that will lead to apologies and, in some cases, financial reparation, to former staff who were punished or driven out of their jobs for blowing the whistle on corruption. New commissioner of the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), Jodi Scholtz, says the Lottery […]

Somali shopkeepers in Philippi, Cape Town, closed their shops for almost 12 hours on Saturday. They say a new criminal syndicate turned up demanding that they pay a “protection fee” if they wished to continue trading. On Saturday Somali spaza shop owners in Philippi were forced to close up for the day by a new […]

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) says it is outrageous that Bombela Operating Company which operates the Gautrain wants to abolish staff cards that allow workers to travel to and from work using the train for free. NUMSA which was engaging in wage talks has deadlocked with the Gautrain management. The union has also […]

The citizens of Hammanskraal, a small town north of South Africa’s capital, Tshwane, have been dealing with the deaths of 23 residents from cholera since 23 May 2023. Tests to find the source are continuing. The initial assumption by residents and authorities was that poor quality water led to the outbreak. In one week in […]

The taxi strike in QwaQwa in the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality in South Africa, has now entered its fourth day… with an alarking escalation in violence. Tragically, two lives have already been lost, and several others have been injured. The strike has also brought the local economy to a grinding halt. “While we respect everyone’s right […]

It is common knowledge that the cost of air travel in South Africa has increased sharply since 2020. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has put added pressure on the global aviation sector. HIGHER AIRFARES The cost of air travel in South Africa has increased by up to 54% compared to pre-Covid 19 times for […]

South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has declared the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s (DIRCO) controversial contract to build a new multibillion-rand diplomatic headquarters for SA’s diplomats in New York as unlawful. The DA had maintained that certain factions within the ANC deliberately protected senior politicians and officials involved in initiating this “corrupt […]

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has urged investors to continue investing in the country as more needs to be done to change the fortunes of the economy and create enough jobs to absorb new labour market entrants. “More than ever before, the Government and the business sector must work together to fund and invest in projects […]

The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) is expected to host a jobs fair in an effort to address unemployment in the province. The jobs fair will be launched this Friday, 16 June 2023, in centres across the province. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the initiative will not only address joblessness but also strengthen the provincial government’s capacity. […]

Slapped with massive fines in the European Union for violating data protection laws, Meta is fighting on another front in Kenya, where content moderators, responsible for reviewing violent and hateful posts, have sued the social media giant. THREE COMPLAINTS AGAINST META Since May last year, three lawsuits have been filed against Meta and California-based Sama, […]

The City of Tshwane has once again defaulted in payment of its Eskom debt which has now escalated to just under R1,9 billion as at 9 June 2023. This was revealed by Eskom on Wednesday, 14 June. CITY OF TSHWANE ESKOM DEBT ESCALATES According to the power utility, the March 2023 invoice, which was payable on […]

At the edge of an oasis almost engulfed by the dunes, where the rare caravan still passes, is a desert landscape punctured by holes. The salt pans of Kalala, near Bilma in northeastern Niger, were once an essential stop for traders with their swaying lines of camels. Salt digging, carried on from generation to generation, […]

As reported by The South African website, Elon Musk earlier this year surpassed former US President Barack Obama as the most followed account on Twitter. And the South Africa-born 51-year-old billionaire has continued to widen the gap over Obama – and the rest of the world on the popular social media platform. ALSO READ | ‘The Elon Musk Show’: Q&A with […]

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY: WELCOME TO BILLIONAIRE’S PARADISE Did you know that the world has around 3 112 billionaires? But if one were to go city by city, only one US top dog takes the number one spot for the city with the most billionaires in the world. That honour goes to the famous “concrete jungle where dreams […]

Retail giant Woolworths has alerted customers about a fraudulent website which is advertising unbelievable deals. The website in question came to light after a customer noticed that they were having a 70% sale. Thinking it may be too good to be true, the customer tried shopping for infants and realised that this section on the […]

Ten climate activists, dressed in suits and ties, managed to disrupt Standard Bank’s Annual General Meeting on Monday morning. The group were among about 200 people who gathered outside the head office in Rosebank Johannesburg, demanding that Standard Bank stop investing in fossil fuels. Ten climate activists disrupted Standard Bank’s Annual General Meeting on Monday […]

Presidential spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, has batted away suggestions that South Africa may be hit with international sanctions due to its non-aligned stance regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Magwenya was addressing the media at the Union Buildings on Monday. Government has repeatedly described its stance as one supporting the emergence of peace between the two countries through […]

More than four years ago, African countries gave the ceremonial push to a deal to scrap internal trade barriers — a historic scheme that would create a continent-wide single market worth trillions of dollars. But African business leaders say cross-border trade remains entangled in customs duties, administrative hurdles and varying national regulations. Costs and delays […]

Eskom issued a statement on Sunday, saying everything was above board in the procurement of the contract that cost the power utility just shy of R1.7 million a month. ESKOM SAID EVERYTHING WAS ABOVE BOARD WITH THE R500M SECURITY CONTRACT It was awarded to Fidelity Services for three months in 2022. ALSO READ: ‘Resignation of André […]

Investigative journalist outfit AmaBhungane has applied to court to urgently reconsider the “gagging order” curbing its reporting on the Moti Group based on “leaked” documents. AmaBhungane has applied to court to urgently reconsider a “gagging order” curbing its reporting on the Moti Group. It says the order, which was granted “in secret”, is a serious […]

More than a year after reserving judgment in an urgent application, Judge Colleen Collis has finally handed down her ruling. It confirms pharmaceutical giant Bayer’s patent rights. More than a year after pharmaceutical giant Bayer brought an “urgent application” to court, judgment has now been handed down. Pharmaceutical giant Bayer had previously obtained an interdict to stop […]