JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday appointed a judicial inquiry into the R2 trillion rand ($142 billion) state pension fund, a government gazette said, following corruption allegations. The PIC is Africa’s biggest pension fund and the biggest investor in South Africa’s economy holding a large volume of bonds issued by government and […]

Cheryl Zondi, a state witness in the trial of Timothy Omotoso, a senior pastor at the Jesus Dominion International Church, has been praised for her bravery and fortitude by the South African Portfolio Committee on Women in the Presidency and the Ministry. Twenty-two year old Zondi, an alleged rape victim, has for the past three […]

The South African Police Service (SAPS) says it has arrested 18 people in Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape, on charges of public violence and malicious damage to property. This follows the shocking protests which began yesterday. SAPS said the arrests followed protest action in Mlungisi Township this morning “during which police vehicles were damaged and […]

CAPE TOWN – South Africa will struggle to finance the public services that form the largest part of its budget… due to falling revenues and an economic recession, the National Treasury told lawmakers on Tuesday. South Africa slipped into recession in the second quarter for the first time in nearly a decade; and the political […]

South Africans have had mixed reactions to a video posted on Sunday showing two guys weaving through the traffic on Grayston Drive in Sandton, Gauteng… on a trolley. “Nothing serious, just some guys on their way to Sandton via Grayston Drive on a trolley!” wrote Intelligence Bureau SA, when they uploaded the video. The two […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday rejected a newspaper report that he failed to stop R1.9 billion ($132 million) being illegally siphoned from VBS Mutual Bank. City Press reported on Sunday that sources close to a major VBS shareholder said the shareholder had informed Ramaphosa about what was going on when he […]

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has published a statement about the arrest of a major criminal gang which preyed on and kidnapped several OLX advertisers in SA. OLX has also issued a response to Sunday night’s Carte Blanche show, in which the current affairs team helped unmask the criminals, in a risky undercover sting […]

Heavy hail and rain in Gauteng, South Africa, over the past 24 hours has had some social media users doubting the authenticity of photos of the storm. One Facebook user called for someone to be blocked and reported after the person posted photos from Laudium, Pretoria, that seemed too unreal to be true! But the hail […]

A professional pipe bomb – probably planted by poachers – was found and detonated in the Kruger National Park early on Friday, according to local South African news reports. According to EWN it was “not a homemade device”, and once identified it was detonated by the bomb squad. The device was found after park rangers, […]

HANOI – Authorities in Vietnam seized 13 rhinoceros horns and related items from South Africa on Friday, just two weeks after the seizure of a ton of illegal wild life products, state media said. Vietnam is a major consumer of rhino horn (which is mistakenly believed to have medical powers) and is a transit point […]

Pik Botha, South Africa’s former Foreign Minister during the apartheid era, has died at the age of 86 after a lengthy illness. Botha’s son – Piet – confirmed to local media that his father had died during the night. Born Roelof Frederik Botha in 1932 in Rustenburg, Pik Botha served as Foreign Minister for 17 […]

Crime levels in South Africa during the past year have unfortunately increased, compared to the previous year’s statistics… according to the 2018 Victims of Crime Survey (VOCS). The results of the survey were released today by Statistics South Africa, indicating that aggregate crime levels in the period 2017/18 increased. “It is estimated that over 1.5 million […]

DAR ES SALAAM – A Tanzanian businessman and former member of parliament was seized by unidentified men in Dar es Salaam at a luxury hotel on Thursday, the regional commissioner said. The 43-year-old kidnapped man, Mohammed Dewji, is known as Africa’s youngest billionaire. Dewji is the owner and president of the multi-billion dollar revenue Mohammed […]

JOHANNESBURG – Steinhoff’s shares fell more than 9 percent on Thursday to a near two-month low after a global market rout and a report by Bloomberg saying the retailer’s former CEO advised friends to sell the firm’s stock days before the shares collapsed. Traders said the retailer’s losses were exacerbated by a Wall Street rout […]

Two Sophiatown police officers will on Thursday appear in court on charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice, the South African Police Services (SAPS) said. The charges against the two officers relate to the alleged murder of Westbury resident Bradley Sauls (21) while walking on 24 July 2018. Westbury residents in late September […]

One brave South African guy on a motorbike managed to do what every frustrated motorist wishes they could do – he stopped a minibus taxi driving dangerously on the wrong side of the road in Bryanston, Johannesburg… and just refused to budge. He did also get some welcome help from a lady in a silver […]

Extremely powerful Hurricane Michael crashed into Florida’s northwestern Panhandle coast on Wednesday, flooding towns and ripping up trees with 249 km per hour winds and the potential for a devastating storm surge. Michael, which had caught many by surprise with its rapid intensification as it churned north over the Gulf of Mexico, was the most […]

Eskom has issued a media statement announcing the tragic death of one of its employees in Wednesday’s explosion at a plant in the Free State, South Africa. Eskom said: “It is a sad day as Eskom loses one life at its Lethabo power station.” The power utility said it is in the process of investigating […]

International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated on 11 October annually (which is tomorrow). It aims to acknowledge the needs and challenges of girls around the world whilst also promoting empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights. The story of Pookolala breaks hearts. She is five years old. Her mother dropped out in […]

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs is set to resume the investigation into the (questionable) process followed in the naturalisation of the Gupta family. Last week, the committee said it had concluded the initial phase of the inquiry, which included the collection of all relevant information. However, the committee said it had identified gaps which […]

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – South Africa’s top anti-corruption body – the office of the Public Protector – said on Tuesday it would investigate whether Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene breached ethics guidelines over a state pension fund investment, piling pressure on Nene as he faces questions about his future. The Public Protector’s office said it would […]

The South African Government has conveyed condolences to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), after dozens were killed when an oil tanker collided with a bus at the weekend. According to media reports, over 60 people died and about 100 sustained second-degree burns when the tanker truck caught alight in an accident on Saturday. The accident happened on an arterial […]

I am writing this story for me. I have always written, and it has always helped to offer insight and gain perspective. It is cathartic and, right now, I know that I need it to heal. I am writing this story for Mick, Alessia and Claudia. I had never, ever wanted to live as much […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s rand was weaker early on Monday following reports in the Business Day that Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to sack him, after he admitted to visiting the home of the Gupta brothers, friends of scandal-plagued former leader Jacob Zuma. Nene has become a divisive figure in SA […]

An analysis of the 2017/18 Annual Reports of government departments and selected entities, as tabled in Parliament, has revealed a “shocking level of financial mismanagement and wasted funds”, according to the Democratic Alliance (DA). According to DA Chief Whip John Steenhuisen and DA Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises, Natasha Mazzone, the ANC has racked up […]