In the frenetic, desperate sharing of any post people can find to make sense of the devastation of the past few days, there are many which are wonderful, heartwarming and inspiring… but also a few which are not quite true. Two of the most popular posts in fact, are not genuine. The first is a […]

The DA says it will lay charges of treason and terrorism against the alleged ANC instigators of the unrest that led to wide-spread looting and destruction in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng. “The DA has seen WhatsApp chats between individuals who have identified themselves as being part of a number of ANC branches in KwaZulu-Natal […]

Groups of residents in some parts of Brakpan have vowed to protect immigrant-owned shops. At a spaza shop in Langaville extension 4 belonging to Sharif Ahmed, originally from Bangladesh, there were long queues throughout the day on Wednesday. It is the only shop in the area left unstripped, thanks to a brave widow and a […]

Reuters – President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday that the SA government would not allow “anarchy and mayhem” to prevail in South Africa after violence this week which he suggested had been deliberately provoked, and said that some suspects have been identified. Ramaphosa made the remarks when he visited Ethekwini Municipality, which includes the port […]

A piano player in Waterfall, South Africa, has everyone sobbing with the beauty and poignancy of her heavenly music as it rises up from the ashes, like Phoenix… and as the tears run down our faces, the notes soothe our souls like a healing balm, washing away the pain of what has been this week… […]

Three South African match officials have been named on the 2021 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series panels for the men’s and women’s competitions, World Rugby has announced. Specific tournaments allocations will be done at a later stage but Morné Ferreira and AJ Jacobs will form part of the action during the 2021 men’s series to […]

Civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng has resulted in some people calling for a state of emergency to be declared under the State of Emergency Act. Here we explain what it is and how it is declared. Under the State of Emergency Act the government invokes temporary emergency powers meant to restore peace and public […]

The Durban warehouse belonging to FoodForward SA was ransacked on Tuesday, prompting the organisation to close all its branches in five cities, leaving some 675,000 people without the food it supplies. More than 125,000 vulnerable people depend on the food sourced from the Durban warehouse, according to FoodForward SA’s fund development manager, Deidre Adams. She said looters […]

A volunteer group that started on Tuesday has already attracted nearly 27,000 members willing to clean up looted shopping malls, donate money, and transport food. “I didn’t expect this small act of kindness to reach so many people. I am proud and overwhelmed,” says RebuildSA Facebook group founder Emelda Masango. Masango, from Soweto, Johannesburg, started […]

While some South African residents have described the sounds of shotguns keeping them awake at night, during the last few days of violent protests, here Viv Vermaak in Gauteng eloquently describes the sounds of insomnia giving her and so many other South Africans sleepless nights… Sounds of Insomnia – by Viv Vermaak Everything is so […]

After days of looting, shopping malls being desecrated and highways blocked, South Africans in hard-hit parts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng are having to queue for hours for food and fuel, raising the risk of further riots as more people could face starvation. In Durban North there’s a queue over 3km long for Checkers. People […]

DURBAN, South Africa (Reuters) – South Africa plans to deploy up to 25,000 extra soldiers in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) where security forces are struggling to quell days of looting, arson and violence, its defence minister told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, according to local news channel eNCA. A military surge of that size would […]

I’m so deeply disturbed by what I have seen over the past few days… writes photographer Kierran Allen Photography All these clips (below) were shot today 14/07/2021, just incase people think this is not real, this is the raw truth! Spread this video far and wide. South Africa is on fire. Watch video below. Billions […]

As the hashtag #PrayForSA has gained momentum around the world, an Eastern Cape resident has posted this beautiful and moving prayer for South Africa. Mariska Lee Bezuidenhout from Queenstown in the Eastern Cape has emotionally delivered the prayer in isiXhosa. Mariska told SAPeople “I grew up on a farm and have been speaking (isiXhosa) for […]

South African citizens living and working abroad are in uproar at the situation unfolding on the ground in South Africa. With daily updates from friends and family in areas of KZN and Gauteng, where protests have been violent since the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma, many SA expats are concerned about the safety and […]

The South African Emergency Personnel’s Union (SAEPU) has strongly condemned the attitude of protesters who involve innocent emergency personnel workers in their protest by attacking them. The union has called for calm as the country is experiencing violence and looting not seen in many years. Yesterday a crew from Chiawelo base in Soweto, Gauteng, was […]

South African National Parks (SANParks) has proudly announced that Ndabenhle David Simelane has become the first black Chief Pilot for SANParks Air Services. SANParks Chief Operating Officer Lize McCourt, said: “Simelane’s most recent promotion sees him moving from the rank of pilot to SANParks Chief Pilot and Person Responsible for Operations as per the South […]

Video footage of a baby being thrown from a burning building in South Africa has made international headlines. The baby was thankfully safely caught, first by a woman on a ledge believed to be the mother, and then by the crowd below to whom she threw the young child. The incident took place during violent […]

In between shops being looted and buildings burning, there is an uprising of South Africans who care for one another and for their country. Facebook groups are springing up to help unite people who want to help rebuild SA. As Brand South Africa says: “Mzansi, our greatest and most powerful weapon now is Ubuntu. Our […]

Seventy-two people have as of Tuesday evening died in the ongoing destruction and looting of businesses and violent protests in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The number of those arrested in the unrest has risen to 1 234. Tuesday saw more boots on the ground with the deployment of members the South African National Defence Force and […]

South Africans spent most of mid-July glued to their news outlets, from established media outlets to TikTok, from streaming news to old-fashioned printed words, to see just one thing: would Jacob Zuma blink? Would the country finally get some taste of revenge for the state capture, looting, destruction of institutions and threats to the country’s […]

Over 5,000 people have already signed a petition set up by a South African expat to help her countrymen back home in SA. A resident in Durban has asked SAPeople readers to please sign and share the petition. KZN resident Nikki Ross wrote after midnight, saying: “I’m in Durban, trying to fall asleep with gunshots […]

SAAI has called for farmers to be ready and “extra vigilant” in the midst of the extensive looting in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and elsewhere in South Africa. “They must remain in constant contact with each other and their organised agricultural structures, report incidents and keep their farms, families and workers safe,” SAAI said in a statement. […]

The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry says as organised businesses they “urgently call upon President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a State of Emergency in the province of KwaZulu Natal, as this disorderly behaviour continues to spiral out of control”. Violent protests have rocked the province since the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma late […]

Former President Jacob Zuma’s son, Duduzane Zuma, has spoken out against the violent protests in South Africa – which were sparked by his father’s imprisonment – and called on ALL South Africans to unite and work together for a lasting solution. Duduzane does not have a social media account, but in a video uploaded by […]