The Ramaphosa Village graveyard in Patensie, Eastern Cape, is in a sad state. GroundUp found pigs rooting in the graveyard, headstones knocked over, and graves vandalised. Villagers use the unfenced property as a shortcut. A number of shacks have also gone up on the very edge of the cemetery. A legal dispute lodged by a […]

More than 50 people were killed in southern and eastern parts of South Africa after heavy rains caused flooding and mudslides, authorities said on Wednesday. Rescue workers were digging through collapsed homes and other buildings in coastal areas of KwaZulu-Natal province, where the death toll stood at 51, local officials said. There are also over […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s push to reduce rural poverty and quell growing anger over unequal access to property faces further delays after a member of an advisory panel on the issue on Friday rejected key aspects of the plan. Land ownership is a controversial and emotive issue in South Africa where racial […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s government has had to bring forward the bailout of state power firm Eskom, after it rushed 5 billion rand ($355 million) to the struggling utility earlier this month to avert a default and said more cash could be needed soon. Eskom supplies more than 90 percent of electricity in Africa’s most […]

The year 2019 marks South Africa’s silver jubilee and, as the young democracy marks this milestone, the Department of International Relations (DIRCO) has taken stock of the country’s foreign policy. To assess the country’s foreign policy, the department appointed an 11 member review panel, chaired by former Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad, a year ago. […]

With little faith in their government, Zimbabweans took the rescue effort into their own hands after Cyclone Idai hit the Chimanimani region. Steve Kretzmann reports… The first rains in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai fell on Chimanimani on 12 April, once again isolating the town nearly a month after floods and mudslides left at least […]

Brand South Africa has announced the appointment of Thulisile Manzini as the new Acting Chief Executive Officer, with immediate effect. Manzini is tasked with marketing a positive brand image for South Africa domestically and internationally. Her appointment comes amidst a number of organisational challenges, amongst which is the suspension of Kingsley Makhubela as CEO, who […]

South Africans have had enough of their Ford Fiesta motor vehicles being broken into, so much so that there’s a Facebook group called “My FORD was Broken into…South Africa” that has over 3,800 members… many of whom are tagging Carte Blanche in a bid to get the current affairs show to investigate the problem, as […]

The World Travel Market Africa, which is currently being held in South Africa, is the only travel show of its kind on the African continent, and the City of Cape Town says it is proud to be the host city for the 6th time. Last year upwards of 5 800 industry professionals from over 70 […]

Gambling laws and customs around the globe differ greatly. In the United Kingdom, any form of gambling you can imagine is pretty much available to the average person. In Las Vegas, you can wager as much as you like as often as you wish at one of the city’s many land-based casinos. However, if you […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s rand firmed below the 14.00 threshold on Wednesday for the first time in six weeks as a softer dollar boosted investor appetite for emerging markets. On the bourse, the financial and retail sectors topped the JSE after S&P Global Ratings stable economic outlook, while miner Sibanye-Stillwater took a blow after selling […]

JOHANNESBURG – Soon many more motorists around the world will be driving Nissan vehicles produced in South Africa. The SA arm of Nissan will spend R3 billion ($213 million) equipping its local plant to build the Japanese carmaker’s new Navara model, the unit’s boss said on Wednesday. Capacity at Nissan’s plant in Rosslyn, near Pretoria, […]

Sandton’s skyline in Johannesburg, South Africa, is rapidly changing, with one particular new building standing proud as it’s set to soon become Africa’s tallest building when it’s completed later this year. All photos on this page captured by CHARLES JOHNSTONE – Johannesburg based professional photographer. The Leonardo, which is located in downtown Sandton (known for being […]

A South African court has ruled that Mozambique’s former finance minister Manuel Chang can be extradited to the United States, where he is wanted on charges related to a $2 billion debt scandal, one of Chang’s lawyers said on Monday. The ruling will effectively serve as a recommendation for South Africa’s justice minister, who has […]

JOHANNESBURG – Woolworths Holdings launched a limited edition makeup line in collaboration with Beyonce’s make-up artist Sir John on Thursday, seeking to strengthen its private label brand in its first international collaboration. The South African department chain has invested heavily, like its peers, in its beauty business by partnering luxury international brands such as House […]

Eskom national spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe has resigned from possibly one of the country’s most nightmarish jobs – speaking on behalf of South Africa’s beleaguered power utility. In a tweet confirming his resignation on Friday, Phasiwe posted a picture saying “It is Finished”. He said: “I’d like to thank Eskom for entrusting me with the huge […]

On Saturday the 13th of April, the Mdzananda Animal Clinic will be hosting its third Downward-Facing-Adopt-A-Dog yoga event in Cape Town, South Africa. Yoga lovers and dog lovers alike are invited to join this one of a kind yoga class with homeless dogs. The class will be held under the trees in the beautiful outdoor […]

Extreme weather events, such as Cyclone Idai that has recently devastated Beira, Mozambique, and Hurricane Harvey that hit Houston, USA, in 2017 are the types of climate extremes that cities increasingly have to prepare for. Cities, particularly those with extensive informal settlements in the developing world, are being hit hard by these new climatic realities. […]

BEIRA, Mozambique – Hundreds of thousands of people are in need of food, water and shelter after Cyclone Idai battered Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. And, as of today (Tues), at least 843 people had been reported killed by the storm, the flooding it caused and heavy rains before it hit. View the factbox at the […]

Six years ago a major development was announced in South Africa. Billed as a game changer, it was meant to alter the urban footprint of Johannesburg, Africa’s richest city, forever. The Modderfontein New City project was launched amid much fanfare, expectation and media hype. Zendai, a Chinese developer, bought a 1600-hectare site north-east of Johannesburg […]

Eskom has refuted claims that there have been safety breaches at the Koeberg nuclear power plant in the Western Cape, South Africa. Eskom confirmed that both units at the plant are running safely following allegations made in a video recording where a YouTube vlogger, Willem Petzer, alleges that there have been nuclear safety breaches at […]

A legendary charity swimmer has thrown his rubber cap and goggles in the ring, signing up for a “wild swim” to promote alternatives to heavy minerals mining on South Africa’s pristine Wild Coast. (See GroundUp articles on Xolobeni.) Stan Kozlowski, who has helped collect more than R12 million for conservation and other good causes over […]

CAPE TOWN – The development bank of the BRICS group of emerging economies has approved funding of $790 million for three South African projects, the bank’s president said on Monday. “We plan to end the year with total loan approvals of about $2.3 billion in South Africa,” New Development Bank president Kundapur Vaman Kamath told […]

The world’s leading lion scientists argue that captive predator breeding has no conservation value. Successful reintroduction from captivity into the wild among large felids is extremely rare. Nonetheless, the captive predator breeding industry in South Africa operates on the pretext that reintroduction to the wild is a viable strategy and that it contributes to broader […]

Top executives in at least 24 government-funded agencies were paid more than R3-million in the 2017/18 financial year — more than the salary allocated to Jacob Zuma in his final year as state president. Five of the 24 executives were paid more than R5-million each. Three received packages worth over R7-million. GroundUp used official reports to analyse […]