The Mdzananda Animal Clinic based in Khayelitsha was robbed at gunpoint earlier today… when a gang barged through a gate that had been opened to return a large dog to its owner. “We keep our gates closed during lockdown to reduce people coming on site and spreading the Coronavirus. We take pets at the gate […]

A total of 511 healthcare workers in the country have tested positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19), says Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize. Addressing the media in Rustenburg on Wednesday at Job Shimakana Tabane Hospital, the Minister said of those who have tested positive for COVID-19, 149 have recovered, 26 were hospitalised and two have […]

M&C Saatchi Abel Group founder Mike Abel – who wrote an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa in February, post-SONA and pre-Lockdown – has penned another open letter. This one is to Ministers Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (Cogta), Ebrahim Patel (Trade) and Bheki Cele (Police). It is cc’d to President Ramaphosa, Dr Zweli Mkhize (Health) and all South […]

A 23-year-old man has been arrested by the Hawks in Hartbeesfontein, near Klerksdorp in South Africa, in possession of lion skins, that could have come from the lion-breeding industry, and various drugs.   In a search of a house in Tigane in North West province, the police found three lion skins, mandrax tablets, half and […]

South Africans stuck in transit at Doha Airport in Qatar have just been given the great news that they will take off at midday today. The passengers – including Springbok and Lion hooker Malcolm Marx, and former SA rugby coach Allister Coetzee – have had a long night after their flight home was postponed because […]

On New Year’s Eve 2018, an arsonist started a fire in Betty’s Bay, a small town in South Africa’s Western Cape province. The fire consumed more than 12 000 hectares of vegetation, most of it mountain fynbos. Fynbos is a type of species-rich vegetation characterised by the presence of restios, ericas (heaths) and proteas. In […]

It is Level 4 lockdown here in South Africa, and if the poor were hungry before covid19, today they are starving. My name is Marilyn Bassin. I have worked with indigent children for nearly 30 years and founded and run an NGO which allows us to help the poorest families who live in shacks, squatter […]

The frustration in South Africa with ministers and police appearing to be more focussed on minor crimes – based on rules created during Lockdown – than on helping guide the public on social distancing measures that are safe and that prevent the spread of the coronavirus, has been highlighted by a meme which went viral […]

Chaos erupted at the Department of Labour offices across South Africa on Monday as people who had been queuing since as early as 04h00 were told that there was a problem and they would be returning home empty handed. Kierran Allen captured the photos on this page of the mood in Pinetown, KwaZulu Natal. Large […]

Scores of social grant beneficiaries in Pietermaritzburg returned home on Monday without receiving their old age pension grant at the post office and from bank ATMs. Beneficiaries who collect their pension from the Pietermaritzburg Post Office in Langalibalele Street went home empty handed after spending most of the morning and afternoon in snaking queues outside […]

The publishers of Rooi Rose and numerous other once popular magazines today announced they would no longer be publishing those titles, barely a week after the publishers of Cosmopolitan and House & Leisure also said they were closing. Caxton Magazines will no longer be publishing Bona, Country Life, Essentials, Food & Home, Garden & Home, […]

Over 250 South Africans found themselves stranded at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg last night after alleged confusion between ministers as to where the repatriated South Africans should be taken for their mandatory quarantine. South African surfing champion Jordy Smith and his wife were on the plane, which had flown in from Washington DC. Late […]

With winter fast approaching and confirmed COVID-19 cases now at 7 220, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has urged South Africans to continue to stay home to ease the burden on the country’s healthcare system. “Stay home if you do not have to venture out,” said the Minister on Monday. Seven more fatalities have been […]

A Swiss man living in South Africa who fashions himself as a kind of lion whisperer and says his mission is “to  bring animals into people’s hearts” is coming under attack for his behavior with lions and his posts on social media, especially after a video surfaced a few days ago of him hitting one […]

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa is now 6 783, with a further eight COVID-19 related deaths. This is an increase of 447 cases from Saturday’s 6 336 COVID-19 cases. The eight reported deaths are from: Western Cape 2, Eastern Cape 4 and Gauteng 2. This brings the total deaths related to […]

South Africa has a total of 6 336 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with seven new deaths and 2 549 recoveries. “The total number of tests conducted to date is 230 686, of which 13 164 were done in the last 24 hours. This is the highest number of tests done in a 24-hour cycle to date,” […]

Enter the Durban covid-19 lockdown, a cinematic display of city scenes which will forever be etched in our history… writes Kierran Allen. In this outworldly moment in history let’s appreciate the time we have to adapt and develop new ways in which we go about our everyday lives. We can only beat this as a […]

Mourners in the UK have gathered to pay tribute to a South African expat nurse – Josephine Manini Peter (55) – who passed away on 18 April from COVID-19 which she contracted in the line of duty. A video, posted by political analyst and community development activist @somadodafikeni, shows the sad situation of a funeral […]

Watching this video about South Africans celebrating New Year’s Eve 2020 in Paris is a stark reminder of how different life is right now, just a few months later… but is also a reminder of how essential it is to cherish every moment. Even the one right now! South African traveller and filmmaker Michael Odendaal […]

At the start of lockdown South Africans rallied to support President Ramaphosa, grateful for his leadership in steering the nation away from disaster and tragedy. But now, it appears, many are starting to get impatient… perhaps disappointed by the rewardless transition to Level Four, which – apart from a three-hour jogging window early in the […]

Police were accused of killing five people during the enforcement of the first three weeks of Covid-19 lockdown… writes Daneel Knoetze for Viewfinder. Police were accused of killing five people during the enforcement of the first three weeks of Covid-19 lockdown, recently published statistics have confirmed. The details of two of those alleged killings have not […]

Video footage of thousands of people queuing for food parcels near Centurion, South Africa, on Wednesday has gone viral around the world, raising concerns that humanitarian aid is needed. (Watch video below.) The aerial footage captures the desperate situation for many people in South Africa who have found themselves without an income or food during […]

The South African government has expressed disappointment at rating agency S&P’s decision to downgrade South Africa’s sovereign rating amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement on Wednesday night, government said it noted the decision by the rating agency to lower South Africa’s long term foreign and local currency debt ratings further into non-investment grade to […]

Julia Raphaely, CEO at Associated Media Publishing (AMP), issued a statement on Thursday announcing the closure of AMP. Her announcement was met with shock and sadness by readers, as well as by fellow colleagues in the publishing industry which has been hit hard by advertisers reducing their budgets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Writing on LinkedIn, […]

Several of the beaches most loved by Capetonians for surfing, swimming and sunset picnics are polluted enough to fail the minimum water quality guidelines over the last two years, according to a report released by the City of Cape Town. Muizenberg, Fish Hoek, Monwabisi and Beta Beach are among 31 polluted sites along Cape Town’s […]