CAPE TOWN – Intrepid adventurer Richard Kohler is just days away from leaving Cape Town for a solo surfski paddle across the Southern Atlantic to Salvador in Brazil, aiming to become the first person to complete the 7,000 mile journey alone and unsupported… writes Dave Macleod. 52 year old Kohler will be paddling a specially […]

Cape Town says it is destination-ready and can’t wait to welcome back its visitors… many of whom will be SA expats heading home for the holidays, or British sun-seekers desperate to soak up SA’s fabulous culture, cuisine and cool beaches. The UK has scrapped its red list (from 4am Wednesday) meaning that their travellers are […]

Encouragingly, the result of a major study in South Africa shows that vaccinated individuals who received two-doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have 70% protection against hospital admission. Whilst protection against hospital admission is a lot less than the highs of 93% in South Africa’s Delta-driven variant, 70% is still regarded as very good protection. The […]

The UK government has said that all 11 countries currently on its travel Red Llist, including South Africa, will be removed from 04h00 on Wednesday morning! “Tears rolling down my cheeks,” said SA expat Loulou C, who is in Scotland. “I am SO SO happy… going to cuddle my mum and not let her go; […]

Great news for the thousands of South Africans around the world who have inadvertently lost their South African citizenship – the Democratic Alliance (DA) has confirmed it will take the fight for the rights of South Africans unknowingly deprived of their citizenship to the Supreme Court of Appeal. Section 6(1)(a) of the South African Citizenship […]

A couple in Level Two informal settlement in Khayelitsha, Cape Town are growing vegetables on a small plot next to their home to feed their family and a local soup kitchen. They say they cleared the area that had once been used as a dump site. Xolani Mbokodi and his wife Vuyokazi Vapi live with […]

A festive family in South Africa got a shock after putting up their Christmas tree and decorating it – when a deadly poisonous SNAKE poked its head out from behind a bauble! British family Rob and Marcela Wild were admiring their just-up fir with children Edward and Sahara when they suddenly spotted the venomous boomslang. […]

You wouldn’t be surprised to see a game of snakes and ladders under the Christmas tree… but imagine the shock for a Western Cape family, when they saw a real live snake IN their Christmas Tree. And it wasn’t just any snake. It was a boomslang… which is of course named for the fact that […]

We need a national project to improve the air we breathe in buildings and vehicles | By Gareth Kantor, Norman Khoza, Sean Chester and Garth Hunter Though vaccines seem less effective against the Omicron variant of Covid, they still protect us from serious harm and everyone should get vaccinated. But vaccination is not enough. A […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on scientists from fellow BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – to work alongside South African scientists in further researching the various characteristics of the COVID-19 virus and its mutations. The call for collaboration comes after the detection of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 in South Africa […]

This month, South Africa’s Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, has announced that the government will launch its new eVisa (Electronic Visa) system in March 2022. The system will simplify international visitors’ visa applications to South Africa, and thereby invigorate both South Africa’s tourism sector and the wider economy. At the time of launch, citizens of […]

Elon Musk has been named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2021, an honour that Time describes as “not an award, but a marker of influence, it is a reflection of impact, a way to capture the meaning of the moment”. Time says its Person of the Year recipients are those who led us or […]

Troukoors (Wedding Fever), the first Showmax Original romcom, is streaming from today and critics are falling in love with it. It’s a rather raunchy romcom and if you live abroad – you’ll love not only the story and the chance to hear familiar accents from home, but also the breathtaking South African scenery from Table […]

The UK’s dreaded Red List may be scrapped soon, according to a report in the Mail on Sunday. Thousands of travellers from South Africa and other southern African countries have found themselves forced into expensive quarantine hotels (over £2,000 for the mandatory 10 days) in the past two weeks, since SA and many of its […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans to get vaccinated to avoid severe illness or death from Covid-19, as he recovers from the viral infection. According to Reuters, his office said on Monday that the President is “still showing mild symptoms and has had to delay a booster vaccine he was due to receive this […]

The rhino poaching suspects in the devastating massacre last week of four rhino on a private game reserve – Inverdoorn – near Ceres in the Klein Karoo, have been arrested and will soon appear in court, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS). There was shock and outrage last week after the four majestic […]

Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane, has been named the second runner-up princess at the Miss Universe contest in Israel. South Africans were able to watch the finale live in the early hours of Monday morning on DStv. (If you missed it – see details below of repeats.) UPDATE 16 JULY 2022: Miss South Africa Lalela […]

Princess Charlene of Monaco posted a message on Friday to her children – twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella – who turned seven. It was her first public message in three weeks, as she remains in a clinic outside of Monaco receiving treatment for extreme “exhaustion – both emotional and physical”, according to her husband […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has tested positive for Covid-19 today (Sunday 12 December 2021), and is receiving treatment for mild symptoms of the viral infection. According to the Presidency, the President started feeling unwell after leaving the State Memorial Service in honour of former Deputy President FW de Klerk in Cape Town earlier today… although he […]

Every year seasonal fog rolls into Cape Town, South Africa, covering the ocean and parts of Cape Town – including famous Table Mountain – with a mystical mist. Marc Schmidt captured these fantastic photos and videos this last week in Cape Town. WATCH Sea fog rolls into Cape Town, South Africa 2/2 1/2 #HoutBay #SouthAfrica […]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa today delivered the eulogy at the late Former President and Deputy President, Frederik Willem de Klerk. FW de Klerk passed away on 11 November from cancer at the age of 85. Ramaphosa called on all South Africans to release the former statesman so that he can now be peace. To […]

Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane, appeared on stage on Friday night during a preliminary event at the Miss Universe contest in a breathtaking national costume promoting peace in the world. After a controversial journey to get to Israel for the competition, Lalela’s arrival on stage – complete with graceful ballet steps – made a big […]

Here are this week’s topics coming up on Carte Blanche – you can watch the show on Sunday 12 December in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it on Showmax International in most countries from Tuesday 14 December if you’re abroad. INVESTIGATIONS Chemical Alert It’s banned in several countries and at the heart of […]

A petition to allow fully vaccinated people, coming from Red List countries, to isolate at home when they arrive in the UK, has successfully reached over 100,000 signatures and will therefore be debated by the UK Parliament. The UK Parliament confirmed “Parliament will debate this petition” and set the date for 17 January 2022. The […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is today tomorrow – Sunday, 12 December 2021 – deliver the eulogy at the State Memorial Service for the late Former President and Deputy President, Frederik Willem (FW) de Klerk. UPDATE SUNDAY 12 Dec: Watch live below. The late statesman passed away on Thursday, 11 November 2021, after a long […]