South African police have been called upon to leave « no stone unturned » in the pursuit of criminals who kidnapped two engineers in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) last week. The Department of Water and Sanitation said the hijacked engineers had been contracted by the Mhlathuze Water Board. They were apparently working to restore water infrastructure in […]

Forty-seven white-backed vultures have been killed in a mass poisoning incident in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. Another five were injured. One of the key reasons for poisoning of vultures is for use in the traditional medicine trade. The gruesome discovery of the birds – some with their heads removed – was made on Sunday (18 […]

A Cape Fur Seal has been rescued near a busy shopping mall, after it appeared to be on a mission to join the last-minute Christmas shoppers in Athlone, Cape Town. WATCH videos below. The Cape of Good Hope SPCA Wildlife Department, which carried out the rescue, joked: “It seems not even Cape Town’s wildlife is […]

The GroundUp RoundUp: A Year in Photos: 1. Zubaida Adams and her family have been trading at the Salt River Market for more than 50 years. Traders at the historic Salt River Market are concerned about their livelihoods after being excluded from new City of Cape Town development plans. 2. Plant poaching has become big […]

TotalEnergies, the French energy giant, intends to drill up to ten exploration wells for oil and gas in the deepwater Orange Basin along the west coast, as well as conduct sonar surveys and vertical seismic profiling, among other operations. The explorations will span from 188 kilometres offshore to 340 kilometres from the coast. French energy […]

Stage 6 loadshedding will be implemented from 20:00 tonight, until 05:00 tomorrow morning, according to the latest alert from Eskom. (See separate Cape Town schedule below.) The power utility promised that Stage 4 loadshedding will resume at 05:00 tomorrow morning until further notice. “This is necessary to ensure sufficient generation capacity is available tonight to […]

A Field Ranger in the Kruger National Park (KNP) was unfortunately severely injured by an elephant shortly after 08h00 this morning (Tues 20 December). The unnamed ranger was on patrol in the Pretoriuskop Section, in the south-western part of the Kruger, when the incident occurred, according to the South African National Parks (SANParks). « Preliminary […]

Brisbane’s famous cricket pitch – the Gabba – has received a ‘below average’ rating from the ICC, and has received one demerit point. The dismal rating follows the first Test between South Africa and Australia, which was held at the Queensland venue, and which received much criticism from both sides. Australia won the match by […]

South Africa’s Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has issued an alert to residents and holiday travellers of rabies in high-risk areas in the country. Rabies is particularly common in the following areas in South Africa, said the department: KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) – particularly the coastal areas Eastern Cape – particularly the coastal areas […]

There’s an amazing post going viral on social media… written by M&C Saatchi Abel Group founder Mike Abel who has a knack of inspiring South Africans and lifting the nation’s spirits. His latest offering, published here with Mike’s kind permission, is pure magic: We Still On We have Stage 6 load-shedding but our mountains and […]

A freak wave at Durban’s North Beach, KZN (KwaZulu-Natal), on Saturday afternoon tragically claimed three lives and left 17 people seriously injured. According to the KZN Premier, 35 lifeguards worked diligently in a mass rescue effort, and paramedics treated more than 100 people involved in the tragedy. KZN Emergency Services spokesperson Robert McKenzie told the […]

A scientist with terminal cancer, who lives in Oxford in the UK, has posted a tweet that has stopped social media users mid-scroll, and elicited an outpouring of love, well wishes and compassion. On Sunday morning, Professor Mark Stokes – who describes himself as a scientist, dad and not a robot – published the following […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s ruling African National Congress nominated just two candidates to run for its top job on Saturday, leaving President Cyril Ramaphosa facing the health minister he suspended over corruption allegations in a party vote. By Tim Cocks and Alexander Winning The winner will have the ANC’s blessing to run for president […]

Here’s what’s coming up on Carte Blanche this week. You can watch the show on Sunday 18 December in South Africa on DStv Now OR stream it overseas in most countries on Showmax from Tuesday 20 December if you’re abroad. Relentless Scammers It was touted as the opportunity of a lifetime. But little did one […]

The Kruger National Park (KNP) has reminded guests that Rest Camps in the famous South African park are also subject to the National Loadshedding schedules, and has supplied some recommendations on how to prepare to best handle possible power cuts during your visit to the Kruger. Whilst most South Africans are probably experts at handling […]

Dry weather and habitat loss in the Western Cape, South Africa, are possibly making human encounters with these beautiful creatures more common. By Ashraf Hendricks and Liezl Human. WATCH Snake handler has caught twice as many snakes this season Snake handler André du Preez has removed twice as many snakes than he did last season. […]

Ellen DeGeneres says she is “heartbroken” following the news that her longtime DJ, and executive producer on the Ellen show since 2014, died by suicide earlier this week. Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss – who was popular with South African and worldwide audiences – tragically passed away at the age of 40 in a hotel room, after […]

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has advised motorists to avoid Hendrick Potgieter Road due to a collapsed bridge in Roodepoort, Johannesburg. The section of the road between Falls and Van Staden Streets has been closed to traffic. The road caved in on Tuesday (13 December) following heavy downpours in the region. “The closure […]

Amidst ever-worsening load-shedding (planned power cuts) in South Africa which have devastated the economy and dampened the spirit of the nation, Eskom’s CEO André de Ruyter has reportedly resigned. Many suspect he was pushed. Ghaleb Cachalia – DA Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises – says: “André de Ruyter’s apparent sudden resignation as the CEO of […]

South Africa’s Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula has encouraged motorists travelling this festive season to embark on their journey during the daylight as it enhances alertness and visibility. His call comes after 13 people died and three were severely wounded in an accident involving a mini bus taxi and a heavy motor vehicle, which took […]

On Friday, Carl Niehaus picketed at the special ANC meeting at NASREC, holding a poster (which he later tweeted) saying ‘Ramaphosa Must Go’. Today it turned out it’s Niehaus who must go! The MK Veteran and former ANC NEC member has been expelled from the ANC by its National Disciplinary Committee (NDC). The NBC said […]

Imagine being a scared 15-year-old having painful contractions in the reception area of a hospital because staff refuse to admit you. Well, this was the case for Noloyiso Williams from Redhill in Cape Town who says the memory of this experience is still traumatising almost ten years later. Embrace, a social movement for mothers who […]

The body of a much respected Gauteng policeman was sadly found in Soweto on Sunday, by search and rescue teams, following the floods that devastated parts of Johannesburg – particularly Soweto and Roodepoort – on Friday. Warrant Officer Ntsako Pataka was off-duty when his private vehicle was swept away in the devastating floods, caused by […]

The Springbok Sevens team were knocked out of the Cup competition at the HSBC Cape Town Sevens in one of the cruellest of ways as Samoa beat them by 10-7 with a golden penalty goal in extra time of their semi-final at the DHL Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Scores were level at 7-7 at the […]

Large numbers of businesses in eThekwini on South Africa’s eastern seaboard – which includes the port city of Durban – rely heavily on tourism. It’s a popular holiday destination, only six hours by road from Johannesburg. Millions of people living inland head to the warm coastline over the country’s extended December/January school holiday break. But […]