Eskom CEO, Andre de Ruyter, says without loadshedding, the power utility would face the “system equivalent of cardiac arrest”. This morning Eskom announced stage 2 load shedding in South Africa from now until Monday. According to De Ruyter, this will help prevent a “catastrophic blackout”. Following breakdowns at power stations, De Ruyter said load shedding […]

South Africa’s state power utility Eskom has announced that it will implement Stage 2 load shedding from 11am today until 5am on Monday morning. Eskom said this was due to a shortage of generation capacity following breakdowns at two generating units. The breakdowns amount to at least 14 994 MW of energy. “Since the weekend […]

CAPE TOWN – African Clawless Otters are really endearing… but please don’t interact with them. That’s the message from wildlife experts as South Africans experience an increase of sightings of the adorable animals around the Western Cape’s shores. Animal protection organisations are seeking to remind the public that near-threatened African Clawless Otters are a wild […]

The group, who work for free, want City of Cape Town to provide material like rubbish bags and brooms. By Vincent Lali. Shack dwellers in Khayelitsha, Cape Town have rallied together to clean up spaces around informal settlements. One of the rubbish-filled spaces recently cleaned by about 12 residents was in Level Two informal settlement […]

The voice of South Africa’s hospitality industry – FEDHASA – has issued a call to the SA government to remove the compulsory PCR test required for inbound international and returning South African travellers who are fully vaccinated. Whilst welcoming last night’s announcement on the reduction in Covid-19 restrictions in South Africa (including isolation no longer […]

The South African Cabinet has approved changes to the Adjusted Alert Level 1 COVID-19 regulations as South Africa has exited the fourth wave nationally. Based on the trajectory of the pandemic and the levels of vaccination in the country, Cabinet has decided to make changes to Adjusted Alert Level 1 with immediate effect. With the […]

“Fish Hoek Beach gave up one of her secrets this morning, as an old railway line was discovered on the beach,” says Western Cape photographer Nigel Riley, who was on the scene to capture the photographs on this page. The discovery was made on Monday by the Municipality team that cleans the beach in the […]

When you think of BMX Street Style, two things immediately come to mind – urban youth and the lay of the inner city. When one of the world’s best Pro BMX street riders, Courage Adams from Spain, landed in Johannesburg to shoot a special project, these two concepts became personified. Courage (25), who was born […]

Snowfall in a hot desert may seem a contradiction but snow has been recorded several times in the Sahara Desert over the last decades, most recently in January 2022 (previously in 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 1979). Thus, snowfall may be unusual but is not unprecedented in the region. By Jasper Knight, University of the […]

South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday (31 January) to face a long-standing corruption trial regarding a $2 billion government arms deal. Please see update below. Zuma’s lawyers argued that lead state prosecutor, Billy Downer, should be removed from the case, claiming that Downer is biased and his […]

Nikhil Rathilall (13), a sharp and assured student from Muizenberg, Cape Town, has been selected by Crew For a Cause, for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend Bergvliet High. Crew for a Cause is a registered NPO and PBO, founded in 2018, and focused on empowering disadvantaged students through education. The organisation is powered by a […]

Safari lovers around the world have two weeks left for a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime safari experience in South Africa with the country’s famous ‘Lion Whisperer’ Kevin Richardson. It’s a great opportunity for expats who are missing home – to not only win a holiday back in SA, but to also be helping ensure […]

Democratic Alliance (DA) Councillor Cindy Billson has laid criminal charges against ANC councillors for intimidation and assault during a council meeting on Friday 28th January, in which she was struck by a water bottle, suffered verbal abuse, intimidation and “unwanted touching”. In their attempt to destroy any evidence of their “boorish” behaviour, Cllr Billson says a number […]

There’s arguably nothing as chilled as a chilled hippo! South African photographer Jackie Cilliers captured these incredible photos of a hippopotamus basking in the sun, casually lying on its back with its pink belly up, in the Kruger National Park a few years ago. The rare sight was such a delight that one of the […]

The Presidency says it has noted that a report of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), presented to President Cyril Ramaphosa on 13 January 2022, had since been leaked to the media. The PEAC was established to provide the President with a range of expert perspectives on the country’s economic policies. The Presidency in a […]

The Blitzboks’ streak continues with South Africa winning a fourth consecutive Rugby Sevens Cup title this season… and their sixth straight gold medal overall. Additionally, this is also South Africa’s 34th successive win which puts them level with New Zealand for the second most wins in a row. Christie Grobbelaar scored a brace of tries […]

On an old military base in Cape Town, illegal occupants are growing vegetables alongside the soldiers. Text by Liezl Human. Photos by Ashraf Hendricks. On an old military base in Tamboerskloof, Cape Town, illegal occupants are growing vegetables alongside soldiers of the South African National Defence Force. Some are living in the guard houses and […]

Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have joined the growing group of people expressing their concern to Spotify about COVID-19 misinformation on its platform, a spokesperson for their Archewell foundation said on Sunday (January 30). Singer-songwriters Neil Young and Joni Mitchell are removing their music from Spotify in protest that the giant audio-streaming service […]

Some horses, trapped on a tiny disappearing island, in the flooded Orange River in Namaqualand, South Africa, were helped to safety by brave volunteers from the NSRI Port Nolloth crew. The incident took place just after midday on Thursday when the horses’ owner requested assistance for his trapped horses in the Richtersveld, near to Alexander […]

Three locals from Lamberts Bay fishing town in the Western Cape were out for a walk on Friday, when fortunately they were in the right place at the right time to not only make their own dreams come true… but to rescue three dolphins who had got stranded in the bay. Devilliers Uys posted a […]

Tom Cruise “is about to go off and shoot in South Africa”, according to Variety magazine. In an article on Wednesday, Variety said Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible 8” is about to be filmed in SA under the direction of Cruise’s long-time collaborator Christopher McQuarrie. UPDATE 11 Feb: Tom Cruise arrives in Hoedspruit to film Mission: Impossible […]

There’s no question about it. Wordle, the simple English-language word game created by software engineer Josh Wardle, is a viral hit. By John Dixon, University of Hull. If you’ve tried Wordle, there’s a good chance that, like me, you’re hooked. Since the game quietly hit the internet in October 2021, the number of people playing […]

You can watch this episode of Carte Blanche on Sunday 30 January in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from Tuesday 01 February if you’re abroad. INVESTIGATIONS Doomed Flight? It was meant to be a routine calibration flight from George airport but, within hours, one of the Civil Aviation […]

A post on the Bryanston Country Club Facebook page is going viral and bringing feel-good vibes to everyone in South Africa, and abroad, who reads it. Not only because of the kindness of some winning members who decided to pay it forward, but also for Simon’s farewell speech which was packed with the same gratitude […]

(Reuters) – South African golfer Justin Harding took a two-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Dubai Desert Classic on Friday, after carding a four-under-par 68. Harding had to return to complete his opening round on day two after play was stopped on Thursday due to the fading light at the Emirates Golf Club. […]