As South Africa steadily edges to its COVID-19 peak, President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged citizens not to be complacent and adhere to the regulations put in place. South Africa recorded its biggest one-day jump in new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday after another 8,124 people tested positive. “We have all seen images and this is the […]

Described by friends, colleagues and family as a soft soul who got along with everybody, HIV/AIDS activist Nomandla Yako died on Sunday night in Groote Schuur hospital of renal failure as a result of being ill with Covid-19. She was 41. Nomandla Yako and her son were featured on Siyayinqoba in the mid-2000s. Yako lived […]

South Africa’s Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu says the SA government cannot afford to lose money because of neglect, inefficiencies or poor decision making. Makwetu said this when he released the report on the audit outcomes for municipalities for the financial year that ended in March 2019. “The levels of fruitless and wasteful expenditure have also increased. […]

The African National Congress has, controversially, reinstated two of its members who figured prominently in a report exposing the R2 billion fraud committed at VBS Mutual Bank. Eight ringleaders of the fraud were arrested and charged two weeks ago. The decision to reinstate Limpopo provincial deputy chairperson Florence Radzilani and treasurer Danny Msiza was apparently taken […]

As the squandering of money by most municipalities went up yet again – from R25.2 billion to R32 billion – Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu in his latest report of the country’s municipalities singled out the Western Cape and Gauteng for having developed characteristics of good governance. Makwetu said many municipalities were spending money “in ways that […]

South Africa recorded its deadliest 24 hours since the Coronavirus outbreak, after 128 people succumbed to COVID-19 on Tuesday, the Department of Health announced on Wednesday. There have now been over 150,000 Covid-19 cases in SA. The Department urged the elderly and those with co-morbidities to stay home after it was revealed that 10,700 people […]

At least 132 civilian claims have been made against the members of the Gauteng SAPS since the inception of the national lockdown period, according to Gauteng Community Safety MEC Faith Mazibuko. According to Mazibuko, of these 132 claims, 79 claims are being processed, 44 claims are under investigation and only nine claims have been finalised. […]

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has called on the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) leadership to reconsider their decision to incite lawlessness, and place their drivers and passengers on a collision course with law enforcement authorities. This comes after Santaco announced that it has taken a decision to revert to 100% loading capacity in its […]

Saai, an organisation that represents the interests of family farmers, will be in the Western Cape High Court in early August 2020 on behalf of farmers and farmworkers to have the government’s regulations on the banning of legal tobacco sales declared unconstitutional and invalid. The case will be heard together with nine other applicants, headed […]

It’s happened again. In spite of holding all necessary legal documentation from the South African Embassy in China, 23 South Africans have been refused permission to board a connecting flight on Air Asia from Guangzhou in China to Kuala Lumpur, after which they would be repatriated home to SA. Some, who had spent their last […]

Two nurses at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, yesterday shared the heartbreaking reality of their working lives right now, during these Covid-19 times… when a coronavirus cure is still but a dream, and being admitted to ICU is a nightmare for the patients, their family who can’t visit and the medical staff […]

After the arrest of eight of the top officials of VBS Mutual Bank last week for their alleged involvement in the plundering of R2 billion from the bank, the first member of a municipality has been arrested. The acting CFO of the Merafong Municipality west of Johannesburg, Thys Wienekus, was arrested earlier today for his […]

The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in South Africa is increasing exponentially since the relaxation of stringent regulations, as the economy opens for more industries to operate, says the SA government.   South Africa recorded 103 more deaths and 5 688 new positive cases on Wednesday – the country’s single biggest jump since the Coronavirus […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has requested a debate in the National Assembly on the “scourge” of farm attacks and murders across rural South Africa, many of which have been “particularly heinous in nature with brutal torture”. These attacks, they say, are a “national emergency” which must be addressed as a matter of urgency. In a […]

Two female officers and one senior male officer from the Tshwane Metro Police Department have tested positive for COVID-19. The 51-year-old, a senior superintendent and a 37-year-old female constable, tested positive on 17 June 2020 at Number 1 Madiba Street. The building was closed for two days to allow for the disinfection process to take […]

World Animal Protection has issued a statement on Wednesday in response to news of the African Swine Fever outbreak in Nigeria, which is predicted to kill a quarter of all pigs in the world.. Dr Victor Yamo, Farming Campaigns Manager at World Animal Protection says: “We are facing unprecedented times with the outbreak of zoonotic […]

South Africa’s economy is projected to contract by 7.2 percent in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni. “This is the largest contraction in nearly 90 years,” he said tabling the Supplementary Budget Review. Inflation will likely register 3 percent in 2020. “Commodity price increases and a weaker […]

Fees charged by liquidators and business rescue practitioners, and the impact they can have on bottom-line payouts to affected employees, came under the spotlight at Monday’s meeting to consider a business rescue model for Edcon. 22,000 jobs are at stake if the rescue plan for Edcon does not work. Business rescue practitioners propose backdating and […]

A school staff taxi, transporting teachers to work at Masijabule High School near Wartburg, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, was the target of a fatal attack earlier today. According to Elijah Mhlanga, Spokesperson for the Department of Basic Education, the 35-year-old driver of the taxi was killed while three teachers (aged 40 to 53) were critically […]

Ambassador Bridgette Motsepe has hit back at what she calls “baseless allegations” implicating her of money-laundering, as announced by AfriForum on Tuesday morning, 23 June. Motsepe says she rejects the allegations as “preposterous”, and says they were already proved untrue six months ago. She has also appointed an international law firm, led by Cherie Blair, […]

KASANE, Botswana – New research led by Elephants Without Borders reveals that poaching of African elephants for their ivory has not decreased since 2011 in Western, Southern, and Central Africa. As a result, continued efforts to combat poaching will be necessary to save elephant populations. The new study was published June 23rd in Scientific Reports […]

Unemployment in South Africa has unfortunately risen to 30.1% in the first three months of 2020, Statistics South Africa has revealed. The results are contained in the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by Stats SA on Tuesday. They show that employment decreased by 38 000 to 16.4 million in the first quarter of 2020. “The […]

Between 12 and 20 rare roan antelope tragically died last year in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, due to dehydration in the Nwaxitsumbe Roan Breeding Camp, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has revealed. A senior ranger has been dismissed for gross negligence in this regard. The information was given in response to […]

I left South Africa with my young child in October 2019 because of the worsening economy, minority group-killings and daily dangers such as high-jacking, robberies, theft and rape… writes an SA mom, who prefers to remain anonymous. It’s a daunting thing to raise a child under these circumstances… and not knowing with certainty if your […]

South Africa’s COVID-19 infections have surpassed the 100 000 mark after 4 288 new cases were reported on Monday. The positive cases are now sitting at 101 590, while close to 2 000 people have lost their lives. Of the new 61 COVID-19 related deaths reported, 39 are from the Western Cape, 18 from the […]