South African motorists will be relieved this week as the petrol price is expected to decrease, thanks to the stronger rand. The department of Energy has announced a price decrease in petrol and diesel this week. “The rand appreciated, on average, against the US dollar (from R13.23 to R12.20 per USD) during the period under […]

The annual MTBS competition is famous in South Africa for the cheerleading by the participating schools… and there’s no video that has been shared more than this one featuring DF Malan High School at the inter-schools athletics competition back in 2013. The next MTBS gathering is on 07 February 2018. Hoërskool DF Malan at the […]

A slow start against England converted into a classy display as the Blitzboks Sevens side booked their place in the Hamilton Sevens quarter-finals in New Zealand on Saturday. Wins against Papua New Guinea (36-5) and Russia (38-0) had come in their first two Pool B games and it was everything to play for in Game […]

Here are the latest topics due for broadcast on Carte Blanche this Sunday, and available for South Africans living abroad from Tuesday – 6th February 2018 – if you’re a subscriber to Showmax International. (Sign up here.) Table Mountain Knife Attacks Last week yet another hiker was robbed,  stabbed and killed in the Table Mountain reserve, […]

A South African woman, Belinda Davids, who has been bringing the house down around the world… has finally come to the attention of her fellow South Africans, thanks to social media. In December, Belinda’s incredible rendition of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ earned her a standing ovation at the prestigious Showtime At The […]

A sports injury clinic in the heart of London – with a predominantly South African team – is helping save the rhinos back home in SA. Each year Ultra Sports Clinic (USC) sponsors a different charity taking part in the London Marathon. This year they’ve selected Save the Rhino International, and will be treating all […]

Johnny Clegg was never going to bow out quietly. Despite battling cancer, he felt he owed his fans a proper farewell, and for the past several months he’s done shows across the US, and in Canada, Dubai and London during his The Final Journey world tour. TONY JACKMAN caught the penultimate show of the tour […]

Multichoice announced on Wednesday that it will not renew its contract with the 24-hour News Channel ANN7, when the contract expires on 20 August 2018. The decision has been met with mixed feelings – with some concerned for what this means to media freedom, and others welcoming the end of “dishonest journalism”. Following an internal […]

The more than 900 mineworkers who were trapped underground for over 24 hours at Sibanye’s Beatrix Gold Mine near Theunissen in the Free State have all been safely rescued Friday morning, according to an SABC report (see below). Sixty-five miners had already been rescued yesterday in a very slow operation that allowed for only one […]

DA Leader Mmusi Maimane and Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste Services Xanthea Limberg, visited the Strandfontein desalination plant on Friday, and confirmed they expect the plant to be online as early as March 2018. Maimane called it “great news” and said the plant will produce seven million litres of potable water […]

A series of tweets posted today by Western Cape paediatrician Alastair McAlpine have gone viral, trending in places as far away as Glasgow in the United Kingdom. The tweets reveal what children with terminal illnesses most appreciate and love about being alive… The Meaning of Life According to Kids – tweeted by Dr Alastair McAlpine […]

Check out this version of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’, performed by a cockatoo, which has been going viral since last year and has attracted over 8 million views with no end in sight! As someone explained, part of the joy in watching the bird, believed to be an Indonesian cockatoo species, is recognising so many […]

If you look up right now, wherever you are, there’s a beautiful bright super-moon orbiting our planet. Today – 31 January 2018 – we’re blessed with a rare lunar occasion… the sight of a full moon, a total lunar eclipse (not visible from South Africa unfortunately), a blue moon and a super-moon all at the […]

In the face of panic that schools will be forced to shut in the event of Day Zero, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille has today reassured parents and principals that the provincial government will continue supplying water to schools in the drought-stricken province… although that means increased security will be necessary as the threat of […]

2018: A Better year – yes or no? writes Steuart Pennington. 18 Reasons why the answer is “YES” “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one” – Voltaire. In breezing through the Sunday papers, notably the Sunday Times and City Press I was struck by Mavuso Msimang’s question “is the clean-up in […]

A beautiful, yet sad, video filmed on Clifton Beach in Cape Town shows the impact that the longest ever drought in recorded history is having on all those who live in the Western Cape region of South Africa. A desperately thirsty bird drinks from the hand of local Cape Town resident Joel Graham. Joel posted […]

The Federal Executive of the Democratic Alliance (DA) has authorised the DA caucus in the City of Cape Town to lodge a motion of no confidence in Mayor Patricia de Lille… citing various reasons, including that upgrades to her home were irregular, that she actively withheld drought crisis information and that the Party has “lost […]

The South African Broadcasting Corporate (SABC) has officially appointed MTN Executive, Chris Maroleng as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the broadcaster.  Maroleng will be replacing Hlaudi Motsweneng who was expelled last year.    Maroleng’s appointment will be effective from tomorrow, February 1. “I accept the position at the SABC with deep humility, and […]

Thanks to the water saving efforts of many Cape Town residents, Day Zero has now been pushed back four days to 16 April 2018. Mmusi Maimane, whose own family has cut down to 40 litres per day, said: “Pushing back Day Zero by 4 days may not seem like a lot. But actually it is […]

SASCOC have named a powerful team to represent the rainbow nation at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia between 4-15 April. Team South Africa athletes will do battle across 16 codes, including para-sports athletics, lawn bowls, swimming, table tennis and powerlifting. Sporting codes with South African participation are the following: athletics, badminton, bowls, […]

Tourists are still being encouraged to visit Cape Town, despite Day Zero looming (when taps will be turned off on 12 April 2018) and international headlines about South Africa’s Mother City running out of water. (Please see Tourists FAQ about the water crisis in Cape Town below.) Jayne Dickson, a British tourist, said she is […]

US President Donald Trump says he does not want elephants being “killed and stuffed and brought back” to the United States. Speaking in an interview with Piers Morgan, filmed in Switzerland, and aired on ITV on Sunday night, the President appeared to confirm that the ban on importing African elephant body parts – which had […]

An overjoyed Ladysmith Black Mambozo announced their Grammy Award on Twitter with capitals: “WE WON THE GRAMMY AWARD FOR BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM!! SHAKA ZULU REVISITED. Our 5th Grammy Award. Such an honor. Thank U Grammy Awards. Thank U fans and friends. Thank U South Africa!!” The South African band was performing on stage in […]

During the early hours of Jan. 31, there will be a full moon, a total lunar eclipse, a blue moon and a supermoon – all at the same time! None of these things is really all that unusual by itself. What is rare is that they’re happening all together on one day. (Update: See photos […]

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer – whose mother is a South African expat – has won the Australian Open… becoming the first male tennis player to win 20 Grand Slams! Thirty-six year old Federer beat 29-year-old Croatian Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. The Australian Open tweeted: “Back to back. 20 Grand Slams. Six Australian Open […]