South African music legend Jody Wayne has sadly passed away at the age of 77. Mara van der Bergh Productions confirmed on Tuesday morning: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved colleague and friend, Jody Wayne, on Monday 14th March.” She said: “He has been very special in our […]

South Africa’s Competition Commission announced in a statement on Monday that it has referred Meta Platforms and its subsidiaries – WhatsApp and Facebook South Africa (collectively referred to by the Commission as Facebook) – for abuse of dominance in the country. The Commission alleges that Facebook decided in mid-2020 to off-board Gov Chat and #LetsTalk […]

Power utility Eskom has warned that the power system remains under constraint despite having recovered sufficiently to suspend all load shedding. Eskom brought load shedding to a halt on Sunday evening following a tumultuous week for the energy giant where it lost at least 20 000MW of generation capacity – forcing it to implement the more […]

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – South Africa’s civil aviation regulator grounded Comair’s planes indefinitely on Sunday over unresolved safety issues, in a move that also affects low-cost airline Kulula and British Airways, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded… writes Wendell Roelf. A spokesperson for the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said it had extended a 24-hour […]

Robben Island Museum (RIM) says it has noted with concern the incident on Wednesday in which some visitors, many elderly, sustained injuries while travelling in a bus, during a standard tour of the island. “We wish to extend our sincere apologies to the visitors, who were part of an organised group tour. RIM is committed […]

Due to further failures of generation units, Stage 4 load shedding (power cuts) is now being implemented in South Africa until 05:00 on Friday, in order to manage the emergency reserves. Eskom said in a statement on Wednesday morning: “It is with a great deal of disappointment that Eskom has to inform the public that […]

As #VaccineSideEffects and #Pfizer tweets go viral in South Africa, trending in the top two spots, SA’s fast food peri-peri chicken outlet Nando’s has joined the thousands of South Africans on Twitter, with its own tweet in response. “Nando’s never fails,” said one social media user. “Nando’s does it again,” said many others. The restaurant […]

Breakdowns and shut downs at Eskom’s power stations have led to the implementation of Stage 2 ‘load shedding’ (in plain terms – power cuts) around South Africa. UPDATE: The loadshedding will continue until 05h00 on Saturday.  Eskom said in a statement at midday on Tuesday: “Due to the unreliability of the generators, and to prevent […]

CapeNature ranger Hilton Bocks bends down to point out a tiny succulent, one of many spread over the stony plains of the Knersvlakte Nature Reserve on the West Coast. The pebbles crunch under our shoes as we walk around. “This one is endemic,” says Bocks. “It’s young. I’m guessing five to six years. They take […]

Australian cricket star Shane Warne has tragically passed away at the age of 52. He died from a suspected heart attack whilst on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand. South Africa’s Kevin Pietersen’s tweet sums up the shock felt by so many by the sportsman’s sudden death. (See below.) Shane’s management team said in […]

The United Nations Secretary General is “shocked by the numerous reports of racism, harassment and discrimination that people of different races have been subjected to” as they flee Ukraine, according to the UN SG’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. Dujarric said they have seen reports of “basically outright racism” as these people have tried to leave Ukraine, “as […]

During the last six years (2016 to 2021) there have been 364 (verified) farm murders, of which only 33% of those arrested convicted. These were the findings of an AfriForum report, shared with the media today. In its report, AfriForum highlights the poor arrest and conviction rates of perpetrators involved in farm murders. Using an […]

“The DA is appalled that South Africa abstained from the UN General Assembly vote condemning Russia last night,” says Darren Bergman MP – DA Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation. “This was an opportune time for our government to take a clear and moral stand that would gain them ground. It was also the […]

Tons of West Coast rock lobster have beached themselves along South Africa’s west coast, particularly around Elands Bay and Doring Bay. The reason is harmful algal blooms… known as HABs. Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Education Centre explained the HABs occur when colonies of algae (which are simple plants that live in the sea and […]

Whilst South Africa’s national (ANC) government chose on Wednesday to abstain from voting to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the DA-led City of Cape Town decided to light up its City Hall, and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Cities around the world have been lighting up to show their country’s support, but […]

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe, has announced that the price of petrol and diesel are expected to increase at the beginning of March. The fuel prices for March are expected to increase as follows: Both grades of petrol are expected to increase by at least R1.46. The price of 0.05% Sulphur Diesel is […]

While much of the world has rallied to support Ukraine as it comes under fire from Russia, South Africans who are fleeing the country have shared accounts of alleged discrimination they say they have suffered at the hands of Ukraine soldiers and border post officials. Fortunately three exceptional South African women have rallied together to […]

South African cricket coach Kobus Olivier has become one of the human faces of the Ukraine crisis as Russia continues to pelt the country with missiles, since its forces invaded on Thursday morning. At least 198 civilians have so far been killed, according to the Health Department. Kobus’ name and story have been shared worldwide […]

MOSCOW / KYIV (Reuters) – Russian forces fired missiles at several cities in Ukraine and landed troops on its coast on Thursday, officials and media said, after President Vladimir Putin authorised what he called a special military operation in the east. Ukraine has declared a state of emergency. By Andrew Osborn and Natalia Zinets. Shortly […]

Residents of Itireleng village, which falls under the Madibeng Local Municipality in the North West, have started fixing pothole-ridden roads in their community. They say their pleas for upgraded road infrastructure have been falling on deaf ears at the municipality for years. According to residents, the main gravel road into their village is littered with […]

South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation has urged municipalities to conduct drinking water analysis in their respective areas amid reports of typhoid cases. According to the National Institute for Communicable Disease (NICD) there have been confirmed cases of enteric fever in the Western Cape and North West provinces. However there have been rumours spread […]

Dear Minister of Transport, Mr Mbalula; SANRAL, Mr Macozoma; MEC for Economic Development, Tourism & Environmental Affairs, Mr Harcharan; and all interested parties… writes tourism business owner in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Megan in this open letter. I love South Africa and have recently had the privilege of travelling through the country a little. It’s a huge […]

As UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims that Russia is about to launch “the biggest war in Europe since 1945”, Carte Blanche tonight asks will Russia really invade the Ukraine or not, and why has the South African government been so quiet about it? SA’s current affairs show Carte Blanche says: “As Russian President Vadimir […]

Five friends died in a shack fire in Site B, Khayelitsha, in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday morning. By By Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik. Anitha Bhontsi (25), Sinovuyo Chali (25), cousins Nolufefe Zongile (27) and Mkhululu Tovana, along with another 34-year-old friend, whose family has asked that the name be withheld, were all in Zongile’s shack […]

A South African expat who was flying from Paris to London on Friday morning described the terrifying ordeal she and the other passengers endured as Storm Eunice battered the capital city and other parts of the UK, sadly killing at least nine people. “We took off fine from Paris, but once we got near Luton […]