The combined dam level in the metro was below 12% on 7 March. By Mkhuseli Sizani. Dam levels in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality dropped below 12% this week. As a precautionary measure, the municipality has urged residents to boil the water before using it. But many poor households say they can’t afford to, as the price […]

A shocking undercover investigation released today by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International says it has exposed the hypocrisy that the trophy hunting industry uses to promote the killing of imperiled species. Trophy hunts were offered in at least 65 countries with the majority in South Africa, including captive lion […]

Hundreds of workers affiliated with the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) downed tools on Monday across the country over a wage dispute, among other demands. This is despite the Department of Public Service and Administration obtaining a court interdict to prevent the strike on Saturday. On Monday, the department returned to court […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced changes to the National Executive during an address to the nation on Monday evening. In his address at the Union Buildings, the President said that the purpose of the changes is to ensure that the government is properly capacitated and directed to give effect to the commitments made in the State […]

The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness has had to spend millions – R120 929 367,85 to be exact – on fuel for diesel generators from 1 April 2022 to 16 February 2023. And that’s just one province. Gerrit Pretorius – DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Health – said in a statement on Monday: […]

Dawid Kahts, a musician based in Pretoria, South Africa, has written a hilarious job application letter to Eskom that has gone viral on social media. With relentless loadshedding, coffee being laced with cyanide, alleged high-level corruption at the power utility, and the resignation / ousting of former CEO André de Ruyter, Dawid told SAPeople he’s […]

South African agricultural exports were up for the third consecutive year in 2022, reflecting favourable production conditions and higher commodity prices. The export numbers for the full year have not yet been published. I have calculated the annual data for 2022 using quarterly trade export statistics published by Trade Map, a trade statistics portal developed […]

The US dollars hidden inside a couch on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm were never declared to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) upon entering South Africa, it has been revealed today. Despite claims that SARS requirements had been complied with, the revenue service today confirmed that “the record does not exist and/or cannot […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will announce the new National Executive on Monday evening, Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya has announced. Magwenya said this on Sunday during an engagement with media addressing the public discussion, including media coverage, of President Ramaphosa’s schedule and health during the course of this past week. “Having exercised his constitutional prerogative, the President […]

Private game reserves are vital to conservation in South Africa and help attract tourists to the country, but those which weathered the Covid pandemic now face a perfect storm of rising cost pressures… with wildlife conservation facing dire consequences. Joe Cloete, the CEO at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, says the repercussions […]

On 1 March, South Africa’s new minimum hourly wage rate came into force, rising 9.6% from R23.19 to R25.42 per hour. This rise is above consumer price inflation (CPI) of 6.9%. But with food inflation rates of 13.4% in January 2023, which affects poor people disproportionately, labour activists at the Casual Workers’ Advice Office (CWAO) […]

Despite the challenging odds including the devastating floods that ravaged parts of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, young farmer – Ayanda Zulu – has not had to despair but instead has been able to continue to pursue her love for farming, thanks to governmental support. Zulu received funding through the Department of Small Business Development’s Small Enterprise […]

South Africans are encouraged by opposition party, the DA, to bid for “Lottopreneur” and award-winning actress, Therry Pheto’s former house which has gone on auction today. The upmarket home is estimated to sell for R4- to R6-million, with a starting bid of R3-million. According to the advertisement placed for the auction, the “luxurious spacious home” […]

Fatima Davids has been selling sweets, cereals and spices at her stall inside the Belhar Airport Mall for several years. She is among dozens of informal traders in the mall who have been issued notices by management to vacate the premises. They were initially told to leave by 28 February but it was extended to […]

The Western Cape High Court has granted the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) a final interdict against the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (CODETA), preventing it “from obstructing, interfering and stopping the transportation of learners”, and from issuing threats to “service providers, learners and members of the public” in the Western Cape. CODETA was also […]

This morning, the Constitutional Court – in a unanimous judgement – dismissed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s application for direct access to the Constitutional Court to overturn the Section 89 panel’s report on the Phala Phala scandal… writes John Steenhuisen, Leader of the Democratic Alliance. The report had concluded that there exists prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa […]

Acting Director-General of Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Nomonde Mnukwa, says the government has measures in place to ensure that the public purse is protected from corruption and looting during the National State of Disaster-related to the energy crisis. Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, gazetted the regulations for […]

One of the outcomes of the COVID pandemic is that people’s working lives have changed. Working at home and hybrid work have become prevalent, after constantly changing government rules and guidelines. Globally, employees report many pandemic-related challenges – loss of employment, lack of career growth, loss of a sense of belonging with colleagues. Our study […]

Religion shapes some of the most controversial decisions that governments need to make: access to abortion, same-sex marriage, the death penalty and the legal status of sex work. Indeed, it is likely that most voters across the world consider religion to be essential to their lives. Yet research on religion and political parties remains surprisingly […]

Eskom says it expects to implement Stage 4 and 5 load shedding (electricity power cuts) until further notice, as a result of further breakdowns and delays in return to service of some generating units at power stations. Stage 4 began at 4pm today (Tuesday) and will continue until 4pm on Wednesday. Stage 5 loadshedding will […]

Consumers will have to tighten their belts even further after the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) announced price increases across the board for all grades of fuel, illuminating paraffin and gas. The increases announced by the DMRE are as follows: Both 93 and 95 petrol will increase by R1.27 Diesel 0.05% sulphur will […]

“Toxic” levels of E. coli will require national government intervention, say water activists. By Lucas Nowicki Two organisations monitoring E. coli levels in Durban’s rivers have raised the alarm and are calling for a national intervention to fix eThekwini’s sewage infrastructure crisis. Water activists say the polluted rivers and beaches pose a serious risk to businesses […]

The Financial Action Task Force has placed South Africa on a list of countries under increased monitoring, commonly known as the grey list after it failed to address all of the shortcomings of money laundering and the financing of terrorism that the task force identified in its 2019 evaluation of the country. The decision has serious […]

National Hawks Head, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, has commended the Directorate’s Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team for seizing R30 million worth of suspected illicit cigarettes in Limpopo. In a multi-disciplinary sting operation with the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Limpopo, the Hawks, the South African National Defence Force and South African Revenue Services pounced […]

At least six elephants have been gunned down in less than five months in northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). And in January, a tourist viewing boat came under fire by armed gunmen in KZN. Elephant monitor, Suzette Boshoff, was on the boat that day. She says: “They came to Africa for a beautiful African experience, and they […]