Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has announced that the second phase of South Africa’s vaccination rollout will begin on 17 May. This, he said, is thanks to the millions of vaccine doses that are expected to land in South Africa in the next coming weeks. Dr Mkhize said the country has secured a combined 51 […]

A British man has launched a petition to allow a black South African hero from World War II to finally – and posthumously – be awarded the prestigious Victoria Cross (VC) he so deserved.  Job Maseko became a war hero when he used a home-made bomb to blow up a Nazi ship. He was nominated […]

South Africa has signed a deal for the procurement of 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccines. According to the announcement made by Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, payment processes are also underway to close the deal in the next few days. In addition, with the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) agreement also fully concluded, Mkhize believes […]

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) says it has registered the COVID-19 Johnson & Johnson vaccine, known as Janssen, with conditions. “This registration signals a significant step in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said SAHPRA CEO, Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela. According to Dr Semete-Makokotlela, the authorisation is based on acceptable safety, quality and […]

Thirty Banded Mongooses that inadvertently ‘hitched’ a ride from Mabula Game Lodge for 170km to a house in Silverlakes, Pretoria, have been successfully rescued and returned by the Owl Rescue Centre. As the Centre says, this “unusual” (and uniquely South African!) story should make it into the Guiness World Book of Records. The mongooses’ adventure […]

Jeffrey, the baboon that’s become a household name – and visitor to some Joburg residents’ gardens – has been successfully and safely trapped. CLAW (Community Led Animal Welfare), which has been tracking Jeffrey’s movements, confirmed Jeffrey was captured yesterday and will soon be released. Jeffrey has been wandering the Johannesburg suburbs for the past few […]

South Africans have donated over half a million rand today, in just eight hours, to help save the life of much loved Doctor Sindi van Zyl. Dr Sindi, a general practitioner and public figure in SA, has been fighting Covid-19 over the past few weeks. Update 10 April 2021: Dr Sindi van Zyl has sadly […]

The indigenous San communities of southern Africa were originally hunting and gathering peoples. One of the greatest testaments to San history is the rock art found throughout the subcontinent. The oldest rock art in southern Africa is around 30,000 years old and is found on painted stone slabs from the Apollo 11 rock shelter in […]

The award-winning Ndlovu Youth Choir have done it again. The South African choir from Limpopo, who rose to worldwide fame on the America’s Got Talent stage, have released a hauntingly beautiful production of Indodana – a traditional isiXhosa Easter Hymn. Watch below. The Choir explained on YouTube: “It is a prayer asking God to be […]

South Africa’s first chef to ever receive a Michelin Star (in 2016) today officially opens his much-anticipated new restaurant in the Kalahari, South Africa. It’s called Klein JAN… because of Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s grandmother who helped inspire  to become the world-class chef he is today, with a Michelin-star restaurant in Nice, in the […]

Here, once a month, the scent of milk tarts, cupcakes, or doughnuts can be discovered. Located about 30km from Cape Town city centre, Wolwerivier is a low-cost housing development for people who have been evicted, mostly from informal settlements, and have nowhere else to go. But within these dust-ridden streets, the home of Magdalene Minnaar […]

It looks like an ordinary domestic scene of pet dogs being fed beside a swimming pool in South Africa, until you look a little closer and realise amongst the dogs are some very obedient warthogs who’ve learnt how to sit obediently to receive their snacks! “Sit Varkie (Piggy),” the woman feeding the animals can be […]

A year ago, JP Engelbrecht bought a ticket in SA Rugby’s #StrongerTogether for R32-12 raffle, a response from SA Rugby to assist those hit the hardest when the COVID-19 pandemic swept through South Africa in 2020. Due to various factors out of our control, Engelbrecht could only “receive” his prize this week – the delivery to his […]

The first time I took a British friend to the Wild Coast she fell asleep in the back of our 4×4 and woke up where we had parked on the beach, near the shore. She opened the door… and got the fright of her life! A herd of cows was sitting around the vehicle. She […]

It’s no secret that South Africans are wild about our wild flowers… and this video helps show why. It features the incandescent Candelabra Lily ‘secretly’ in full flower around Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape. It also features well known South African – and international – landscape artist and designer – Leon Kluge (also known as […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that South Africa has secured 30 million Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, 220 million jabs which will leave the Aspen Pharmacare’s production line will be spread throughout the African continent. The President made the announcement when he and his Deputy, David Mabuza, visited the Aspen Pharmacare sterile […]

A drone video taken at popular Cape Town surf spot Kogel Bay – between Gordon’s Bay and Rooi Els – shows at least 10 or 11 bronze whaler sharks enjoying the water where the surfers usually hang out. Watch below. The video was shot by local professional bodyboarder Iain Campbell, who says that it “was […]

In a partnership that can best be described as aiming for the stars, South African Tourism (SA Tourism) and Netflix, have agreed to explore joint opportunities that will benefit both organizations to showcase stories made in South Africa, and watched by the world. The agreement will allow for exploration and collaboration on projects both in […]

A new South African record has been set at the Giant Pumpkin Festival 2021 in Heidelberg. The honour goes to a pumpkin grown by Willem le Grange in Ruiterbos, outside Mossel Bay on the Garden Route. The monster pumpkin was yesterday evening officially declared the new record holder, as Afrishore confirmed it had a weight […]

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi’s move to KwaZulu-Natal got off to a great start last night when he scored a try in his debut for the Sharks. Wearing the number 6 jersey, Kolisi helped ensure his new team’s 45-12 win in the Kick-off Pools match over the Bulls at a very wet and slippery Kings Park […]

While the iconic great white shark is without a doubt the most recognisable in False Bay in the Western Cape of South Africa, it might surprise you that more than 20 different shark species have been seen in the region. Bringing awareness to the 13 lesser-known species that are commonly found on these shores, a […]

The South African Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) has invested about R18.9 million in the development of two nanosatellites, a move that will increase maritime domain awareness in South Africa. According to DSI, this is the first initiative in the country, which seeks to provide communication services to the maritime industry. The funding was […]

Photos of a gemsbok with a thick spider web wrapped around its horns have caught the attention of social media users in Southern Africa, who haven’t yet been able to agree on how the web (or webs) got there. The photos were taken by Jess Isden in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana. Jess, a […]

JOHANNESBURG – The South Africa tourism industry has welcomed the official decision by SA Rugby and the British & Irish lions to proceed as planned with the Castle Lager Lions Series in SA, in the scheduled playing window this year… and says it eagerly awaits clarity on whether spectators will be permitted at stadiums for […]

The South African Home Affairs office at 15 Whitehall London is due to re-open on 29 March 2021, the SA High Commission in the UK has announced. This will come as welcome news to the many South Africans in the UK who have been desperate to renew their passports, knowing that the process can take […]