A solar-powered computer lab in the Overberg town of Barrydale has opened up new opportunities for learners and students who have little or no access to the internet. The lab was set up in November by Net vir Pret, in partnership with the University of Cape Town’s Students’ Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO) and […]

WESTERN CAPE – South Africa’s Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele, will be conducting spot checks along Cape Town’s beaches today, Day of Reconciliation (16 December). The Police Minister and his entourage – including South African Police Service (SAPS) management – will spend the day visiting various beaches in Cape Town to inspect “operational deployments” […]

KLM has announced that its planned flights will now go ahead, following the South African authorities issuing an update to regulations yesterday, 15 December. Last week KLM had announced a reduction in its flights between Amsterdam and South Africa due to new SA regulations which changed the entry requirements for airline crew travelling into the […]

Andrea Bocelli and his 8-year-old daughter Virginia have performed an exquisite version of Leonard Cohen‘s Hallelujah. The hauntingly beautiful rendition was recorded over the weekend in Italy, as Bocelli lifts spirits again just as he did with his record-breaking special Easter concert in Milan. The weekend concert – ‘Believe in Christmas’ – took place on […]

For ten years, giant puppets in the shape of animals, insects and futuristic robots have performed and danced down the streets of Barrydale. The annual puppet parade, started in 2010 by the Handspring Puppet Trust, aims to bring together the residents of this small Klein Karoo town which was divided by apartheid. But this year, […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has until 17h00 on Wednesday (16 Dec) to justify why the national government has decided to close beaches in the Garden Route District in the Western Cape for the entire festive season. If he fails to do so, the DA says it will approach the courts for urgent relief. The […]

It’s December and time to celebrate with gifts, love and family, however you unite to share your joy this season. But what can you give the whole family that’s delicious yet won’t stretch your waistband, educational without giving anyone the back-to-school jitters, that’ll take you all over the world without even the slightest risk, and […]

South Africa is set to receive initial vaccines from the COVAX facility to cover 10% of its population in the early part of 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced to the nation on Monday evening. The President said SA concluded all the necessary processes to ensure its participation in the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Global Vaccine […]

The Nkombe Rhino Organisation, run by Joe Pietersen, recently completed its 100th dehorning – a final desperate measure to give rhino a chance at survival against poachers. The video below of the milestone event shows viewers a close-up view of the heartbreaking, yet vital, dehorning process which can save a rhino’s life. Anthony Kirkwood, Creative […]

Four people have been murdered in two separate farm attacks in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in South Africa over the past few days – one was an elderly man who was shot and the others were a family of three who were allegedly brutally murdered yesterday evening. Bill Theron, a retired 85-year-old farmer, was shot dead […]

GAUTENG – Seventeen rhino horns were seized at a warehouse in Kempton Park, South Africa, on Monday. The seizure of the valuable haul was thanks to a multi-disciplinary approach driven operation by Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation, Crime Intelligence, Customs, and Environmental Affairs. The Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (HAWKS) said in a statement on […]

Prof Jean Greyling and his team from Computing Sciences at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth has received the Vice Chancellor’s Excellence Award, in the category “Engagement Project”. This follows on the Innovation Excellence Award also from the Vice Chancellor in 2019. Prof Greyling is very passionate about introducing learners to software development as a […]

Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned power utility, has a litany of financial and operational problems. In 2017 the Goldman Sachs Group declared it the biggest risk to the South African economy. Several cabinet members have said so too. President Cyril Ramaphosa declared that Eskom is “too big to fail”. The first huge problem is debt of […]

International cricketer, JP Duminy is on a mission to save two young South Africans’ lives. “Right now, there are two young South Africans awaiting bone marrow stem cell transplants, whose families can’t afford the cost of finding a donor,” says JP. “One is a 6-year old boy from Gauteng who has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic […]

JOHANNESBURG – DStv has added global streaming service Amazon Prime Video to its recently launched DStv Explora Ultra decoder. DStv customers with a Prime Video membership can now access the entertainment service, ranging from movies and TV series, including Amazon Originals with a click of a button on the Explora Ultra. Prime Video joins an […]

Democratic Alliance Leader, John Steenhuisen, was less than impressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcements tonight which included certain beach bans, alcohol restrictions, longer curfew and other guidelines. (View the full SA Festive Season restrictions here.) President Ramaphosa said on Monday that in the areas with the highest rate of infection, beaches and public parks will […]

Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on Monday evening about the closure of some beaches, longer curfew, alcohol restrictions and other guidelines for the festive season, the tourism industry appears to support the President’s attempt to protect South Africans’ lives as Covid-19 cases soar and SA experiences its second wave of infections. There is a lot […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a rather sombre message to South Africans in his address to the nation on Monday evening: “Unless we do things differently, this will be the last Christmas for many South Africans.” Since this is “certainly what we don’t want, we all need to live”, the President announced the following festive season […]

DIRCO Minister Dr Naledi Pandor has issued a plea to South Africans travelling to the Northern hemisphere for the festive season to exercise caution as most countries are deep into the second way of Covid-19. The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said she was worried about travellers becoming distressed or even destitute, pending the […]

Team YouTube has announced that YouTube is “back up and running!” Hundreds of users across the world took to social media on Monday afternoon to complain the service wasn’t working, and #YouTubeDOWN and #google were two of the top five highest trending hashtags on Twitter in South Africa today. Team YouTube had earlier acknowledged it […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation at 8pm tonight, Monday 14 December 2020, on developments regarding South Africa’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The President has been at a one-day Southern African Development Community (SADC) consultation meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, today but is expected back in time for the broadcast. Today’s meeting, following on […]

From lockdown trends to local hits, here’s what South Africans have been binge-watching this year… Lockdown trends on Showmax At the start of the national COVID lockdown in March, South Africans were suddenly confined to their homes, which had a dramatic impact on viewers choosing to stream entertainment on Showmax. Here are some interesting insights […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his condolences to the government and people of the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) following the sad death of Eswatini Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini at the age of 52. PM Dlamini passed away yesterday – Sunday, 13 December 2020 – while being treated for COVID-19 in a […]

Following a video showing what appeared to be a packed crowd dancing at a Cape Town venue on Sunday, with flagrant disregard to Covid-19 protocols, the federated hospitality association of South Africa, FEDHASA, has condemned in the strongest terms what it brands “irresponsible behaviour by hospitality establishments and consumers” which may contribute to the increased […]

If you’ve never heard of this beautiful South African Christmas carol, turn it up, sit back and let the music and lyrics wash over you. It’s called ‘Come, Colours Rise’ and was composed by Grant McLachlan with lyrics by Frank Barry. It will leave you with a lump in your throat as big as Africa. […]