Lights in South Africa will be out from 10pm tonight until 5am on Wednesday as Eskom continues to experience system constraints. According to power utility, the load shedding stage 2 is necessary to preserve and replenish the emergency generation reserves and to maximise the capacity available during the daytime hours. “The power generation system is […]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is expected to decide on the emergency use listing of the AstraZeneca vaccine, for the two sites in India and the Republic of Korea, which will produce it for COVAX. The announcement comes after results showed that the two-dose regimen of the University of Oxford’s AstraZeneca vaccine offers minimal protection […]

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille’s husband has passed away. The Minister’s husband, Edwin de Lille, passed away on Sunday following a long illness. “The news has come as a great shock to all of us who never saw Minister De Lille’s strength and commitment to her work wavering during this time of […]

A 22-year-old female suspect was arrested on Sunday for allegedly killing her boyfriend at Groenfontein Farm near Smithfield in the Free State, South Africa. Apparently an argument had broken out while they were drinking alcohol in their room on the farm at around 11h00. The suspect allegedly took a knife from the cupboard drawer and […]

A dedicated anti-poaching ranger – who was out on rhino patrol with his dog – was tragically mauled to death on Sunday morning, after being ambushed by a rogue lion in Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa. Respected Kobus Marais, 46, – described as a “wildlife warrior” by his distraught colleagues – fell victim to […]

South Africa has put a temporary halt to the rollout of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines, after it was found that the vaccine may not have the same efficacy (or effectiveness) against the mutated COVID-19 501Y.V2 variant, which is predominant in South Africa (and has been blamed for the sharp spike in Coronavirus cases during the […]

Incredible scenes have been witnessed in South Africa over the weekend, as parts of the country are still being battered by the heavy rains set off by ex-Tropical Cyclone Eloise. Roads disappeared in Mpumalanga (see video below), and in the Northern Cape, Premier Dr Zamani Saul helped the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) distribute […]

The DA has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thandi Modise, requesting a full investigation into exactly how and who paid for an “extravagant” trip by Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) Julius Malema and others to the home of former South African President Jacob Zuma in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday. The insinuation is that […]

The impact of heavy rains, caused by tropical storm Eloise, has resulted in Stage 2 load shedding in South Africa that will continue through the weekend. Eskom says the loadshedding, which has been implemented from noon today, has been exacerbated by the forced shutdown of five generating units at the Medupi Power Station. The power cuts […]

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has launched an investigation into allegations of price gouging in South Africa, relating to garlic and ginger. What is price gouging? “The law defines price gouging as an unfair or unreasonable price increase that does not correspond to or is not equivalent to the increase in the cost of providing […]

If people who work for the government tell us our safety depends on us not knowing what they do, we might suspect that they wanted to cover up wrong-doing. Unless, it seems, they work for state security agencies. South Africa’s media are awash with shock at “bombshell” revelations about the country’s security services at the […]

Greyhound and Citiliner have announced they will be closing operations on 14 February 2021, after 37 years in South Africa… another casualty to Lockdown and the Coronavirus Pandemic. The company thanked its customers and said: “It has been our pleasure connecting you across Southern Africa for the past 37 years.” Chris Hunsinger – DA Shadow […]

Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, Nathi Mthethwa, has expressed sadness at the passing of sport broadcaster, Sandile kaNqose. The popular broadcaster, who always had a ready smile, reportedly passed away on Monday at the age of 42. A die-hard sport fan, who had an insatiable passion for broadcasting, Nqose resumed his career at eNCA in […]

Traders who missed the peak tourist season say that despite the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday night that beaches are now open once again, the damage has been done. Thembisile Ngidi, who has plied her wares on Durban beachfront for 15 years, says the busiest days of the year are in December, and this season they […]

Queen Elizabeth II led tributes on Tuesday evening for Captain Sir Tom Moore, the 100-year-old war hero with youthful zest and determination who captured the heart of the nation, and the world, with his daily walks (with his zimmer frame) around his garden during the UK’s first Lockdown, which raised almost £33-million for the NHS […]

The head of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA’s legal division, Martha Ngoye, who probably saved PRASA billions, has been fired, according to a statement by the chairman of the board of control, Leonard Ramatlakane. Two other executives have also been dismissed, on what look like spurious grounds. On Saturday 30 January, Ramatlakane announced that […]

South African consumers will have to dig deeper into their pockets as the price of petrol is set to increase by 81 cents a litre this week. In a statement on Monday, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) said the price of 93 (ULP and LRP) and 95 (ULP and LRP) will increase […]

Cricket Australia (CA) has today announced that its Test tour of South Africa, which was scheduled to take place later this month, has been postponed due to health concerns. Australia had named its squad on Wednesday, but today CA said in a tweet: “Today we informed Cricket South Africa that we believe we have no […]

Ezemvelo staff have allegedly received death threats from local community members, and the breakdown in relations has “directly” lead to the recent culling of at least three elephants, according to alarming information given to the Democratic Alliance (DA). The death threats apparently took place when staff were trying to repair the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (HIP) fence. […]

While conservationists have responded with major concern to SANParks’ latest rhino figures which reveal less than 4,000 rhino left in the park, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has painted a different picture, today publishing a glowing report on its fight against rhino poaching. SANParks has kept quiet about its figures in the last […]

South Africa has recorded 1 453 761 COVID-19 cases, with 4 525 new cases identified as of Sunday evening. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said that the cumulative total of tests conducted to date is 8 279 200, with 34 076 new tests recorded since the last report on Sunday. “Our recoveries now stand at […]

Award-winning Western Cape photographer Rob Tarr enjoyed an incredibly special photo session with Cape Town (and now South Africa’s) most famous baboon, Kataza, before the animal was packed up and moved across the country to Limpopo. Here are Rob’s thoughts, and amazing photos. Kataza’s ‘Great Trek’ to his new home is featured on Carte Blanche […]

Acting KwaZulu-Natal Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Kwazi Mshengu has urged motorists to be extra vigilant on the roads as heavy rains continue to batter parts of the province. The rains are causing extensive damage to bridges and other transport infrastructure. Mshengu said that the department is currently quantifying the extent of the damage […]

Six-year-old Phawu Mandiyase was buried today in Port Elizabeth as the investigations into his death continue. The child died when he was crushed by an abandoned stormwater pipe at the Methodist Church in Govan Mbeki Township in Port Elizabeth last week. The family blames the municipality for Phawu’s death. The stormwater pipes, intended to channel […]

The Namibian government will put 170 wild elephants up for sale today, 29 January, justified by false population statistics and disputed claims of human-elephant conflict. More than 100,000 people have signed a petition condemning the action… writes Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick. See petition here. The Namibian government says it has too many elephants and that […]