Eskom warned that its power system is “severely constrained” on Wednesday afternoon as the return to service of five generation units is delayed, while two units have tripped. “We urge the people of South Africa to reduce electricity consumption in order to help us power the country through the evening peak,” Eskom said. According to […]

241 patients came through its doors. But now the temporary Covid-19 field hospital in Khayelitsha will close. It is yet another sign that the Western Cape, at least for now, is beyond the worst of the pandemic, although it is far from over. In March, Khayelitsha was the first township in South Africa to have […]

The drill rig DeepSea Stavanger has arrived in Cape Town before it heads to Mossel Bay to begin drilling in the Outeniqua Basin as part of a $400 million oil and gas drilling campaign by the French company Total. It will be there for up to 300 days. The massive rig has been commissioned by […]

If you listen to the challenges facing Bongisizwe Mpondo, your first thought is, who in their right mind would want his job? They are Sisyphean. What was once one of the world’s great rail networks (read your history) has, through more than a decade of neglect, mismanagement, corrupt and bungled contracts, theft and vandalism, been […]

Russia’s announcement that a fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccine is registered there, with plans for quick distribution in the general population this fall, is being condemned by scientists worldwide. Findings from scientific studies of this vaccine, named “Sputnik V,” are not available. Large safety and efficacy trials are only now getting underway. But despite only two months […]

A South African expat in Canada, Dr Walter Reynolds (45), was tragically attacked and killed at his medical clinic in the city of Red Deer in Alberta, Canada on Monday morning. The region is popular with SA expats, sitting halfway between Calgary and Edmonton. There has been an outpouring of love, grief and donations from […]

The Department of Public Enterprises is once again boasting its readiness to implement the business rescue plan for South African Airways, to create a “lean, agile” airline, but no mention is being made of where the more than R10 billion needed to effect the BRP will come from. The department headed by minister Pravin Gordhan […]

Residents of KTC in Cape Town have rolled up their sleeves to clear uncollected rubbish that had been piling up near their homes. On Friday, community leader Lumkile Msila joined about 50 other residents who were fed-up with waiting for the City of Cape Town to respond to their complaints. Msila said community members were […]

Johannesburg (CNN) — Even for 2020, with its once-in-a-generation global pandemic and the countless travel bans that have followed, this rescue mission seems a bit far-fetched. To get around 100 South Africans and a couple of dozen Zimbabwean students out of China, it would take Air Zimbabwe’s only functioning aircraft, and diplomatic channels in embassies […]

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says it is high time for President Cyril Ramaphosa to “grow a spine, stand up to his party and start putting South Africa first”, in his party’s call for the South African president to end hard lockdown immediately and end the “irrational bans on tobacco and alcohol”. In a […]

On the evening of Saturday July 25, the MV (Merchant Vessel) Wakashio grounded on coral reefs in the south-east of the Indian Ocean tropical island of Mauritius. The ship, a Japanese-owned but Panama-registered bulk carrier designed to transport unpackaged goods such as coal or grain, was empty of cargo but had an estimated 200 tons […]

The Aalwynhof Old Age Home in the Karoo town of Aberdeen in the Eastern Cape is one of hundreds across the province which have not received their usual subsidy from the government since March. The home, which looks after 35 elderly people, has run out of money and may soon be unable to buy food […]

To support home and community food gardens, the Western Cape government’s “One Home, One Garden” initiative has already helped establish 1,371 food gardens – in the form of vegetable gardens or chicken coops – in two months, with more than 400 in just one week. “One of my key priorities for agriculture is farmer support […]

The North Gauteng High Court has referred a 5-year-old case between the City of Cape Town and the Minister of Energy and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa back to the Intergovernmental Dispute Resolution Framework, further delaying the city’s ability to buy electricity from independent power producers rather than Eskom. The judgement, said the […]

Cape Town architectural design firm SAOTA has worked on countless glistening projects around the world, but most recently has been in the news for designing the $35.5 million mansion Hillside in Los Angeles that has featured on the Netflix reality series “Selling Sunset.” Here’s a video of the house at 8408 Hillside Avenue: For the […]

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse has written to the executives of a Chinese state-owned locomotive manufacturing entity asking for the return of at least US$284 million (more than R5 billion, at current exchange rates) in South African government funds looted by the entity on behalf of the Guptas. The letter was written by OUTA’s CEO […]

Martin Pretorius, a Capetonian architect with Workshop and Machine has won the coveted San Francisco Affordable Housing Challenge with his project titled, Rethinking row-houses/apartments blocks. The concept’s aim is to redevelop the row-house and apartment blocks of San Francisco into a system that uses space more efficiently and introduces greenery to the city. The striking […]

Thirteen people are to appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate court on Tuesday for public violence following protesting and looting in Bloekombos, Cape Town at the weekend. One woman was shot dead during looting at a trucking business near Old Paarl Road on Saturday. About 500 protesters were protesting and looting in the area over […]

Brand South Africa – which usually promotes all things South African around the world – has issued a statement on Tuesday, declaring it is aware of allegations mooted by the former CEO, Dr Kingsley Makhubela, against Brand South Africa, through an article on the City Press, Sunday 9 August 2020, titled “Damning Account of Brand […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed his heartfelt condolences on the passing of legendary radio personality, Bob Mabena. Mabena passed away on Sunday, 10 August 2020, at the age of 51 after suffering a cardiac arrest. Mabena was a renowned South African television and radio personality, who started his career in 1989. “This is […]

South Africa is not a good place for lions today, on World Lion Day – and it won’t be tomorrow either, with an estimated 11,000 lions held captive in more than 300 facilities across the country, according to Humane Society International-Africa (HSI-Africa). The captive lion breeding industry is marked by ongoing exposure of poor conditions […]

Dr Naledi Pandor, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Minister, sits down for a very candid interview: Naledi Pandor on her parents “Our parents played a very important role, especially our mother. Our father was very active in politics, in the struggle and so our mother was the one who was at home,” International […]

An incredible shark breach has been captured by well known South African photographer Chris Fallows near to Mossel Bay, in the Western Cape. A video of the taking-of-the-photo has gone viral since it was broadcast by Discovery channel on Sunday, astounding viewers around the world. Discovery’s ‘Shark Week’ returned on Sunday with ‘Air Jaws: Ultimate […]

The beautiful island of Mauritius, popular holiday destination to many South Africans, is currently under threat following a devastating oil spill at the end of last month. At first Mauritians were told their beautiful island was not at risk… but in the last few days the true magnitude of the disaster has come to light, […]

Dear Fellow South African… writes President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his latest Letter from the Desk of the President. Yesterday, the country celebrated Women’s Day. This occasion marks the anniversary of the day in 1956 when 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings – a great sea of womankind speaking many languages, from different places and […]