A 23-year-old man has been arrested by the Hawks in Hartbeesfontein, near Klerksdorp in South Africa, in possession of lion skins, that could have come from the lion-breeding industry, and various drugs.   In a search of a house in Tigane in North West province, the police found three lion skins, mandrax tablets, half and […]

South Africans stuck in transit at Doha Airport in Qatar have just been given the great news that they will take off at midday today. The passengers – including Springbok and Lion hooker Malcolm Marx, and former SA rugby coach Allister Coetzee – have had a long night after their flight home was postponed because […]

On New Year’s Eve 2018, an arsonist started a fire in Betty’s Bay, a small town in South Africa’s Western Cape province. The fire consumed more than 12 000 hectares of vegetation, most of it mountain fynbos. Fynbos is a type of species-rich vegetation characterised by the presence of restios, ericas (heaths) and proteas. In […]

South Africa has committed an amount of US $1.3 million in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the pledge during a World Health Organisation (WHO) Coronavirus Global Response pledging conference, which was convened by the European Union (EU) on Monday. The conference mobilised resources for the WHO’s recently launched global collaboration to […]

South African expat and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced the birth of his new baby son. Posting photos on Twitter on Tuesday, Musk said that the “baby and Mom” – Canadian singer Grimes – are “all good”. When asked what the baby’s name is, the SpaceX CEO replied cryptically: “X Æ A-12 Musk.” (We’re […]

It is Level 4 lockdown here in South Africa, and if the poor were hungry before covid19, today they are starving. My name is Marilyn Bassin. I have worked with indigent children for nearly 30 years and founded and run an NGO which allows us to help the poorest families who live in shacks, squatter […]

The frustration in South Africa with ministers and police appearing to be more focussed on minor crimes – based on rules created during Lockdown – than on helping guide the public on social distancing measures that are safe and that prevent the spread of the coronavirus, has been highlighted by a meme which went viral […]

After numerous complaints that members of the South African government are preventing businesses from getting COVID-19 financial relief because of racial criteria, especially the minister of tourism, the Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni today said he could not support a policy position that excluded some people based on the colour of their skin. Mboweni’s statement […]

PRETORIA – A Tanzanian illegal masquerading as an employee of the United Nations appeared in court on Monday for fraud after allegedly posing as, among other things, the representative of a programme giving young South Africans opportunities abroad and the distributor of personal protective equipment. The SA Police said in a statement that Dr Mort […]

Chaos erupted at the Department of Labour offices across South Africa on Monday as people who had been queuing since as early as 04h00 were told that there was a problem and they would be returning home empty handed. Kierran Allen captured the photos on this page of the mood in Pinetown, KwaZulu Natal. Large […]

Scores of social grant beneficiaries in Pietermaritzburg returned home on Monday without receiving their old age pension grant at the post office and from bank ATMs. Beneficiaries who collect their pension from the Pietermaritzburg Post Office in Langalibalele Street went home empty handed after spending most of the morning and afternoon in snaking queues outside […]

The publishers of Rooi Rose and numerous other once popular magazines today announced they would no longer be publishing those titles, barely a week after the publishers of Cosmopolitan and House & Leisure also said they were closing. Caxton Magazines will no longer be publishing Bona, Country Life, Essentials, Food & Home, Garden & Home, […]

As the pandemic continues to plague the entire nation, the Electoral Court has since been forced to postpone the by-elections that were set for June due to COVID-19. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Electoral Commission said it welcomed the decision and that it will revise the by-elections timetable accordingly. “The Electoral Court today […]

Well-known KwaZulu-Natal snake expert Nick Evans helped the driver of a semi get a 2.5-meter black mamba that was caught in the truck’s engine. “It’s a big black mamba,” Evans said on first identifying the snake. “Not what I was expecting.” When he pulled him out, Evans said the snake was about 2.5 metres long. […]

Over 250 South Africans found themselves stranded at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg last night after alleged confusion between ministers as to where the repatriated South Africans should be taken for their mandatory quarantine. South African surfing champion Jordy Smith and his wife were on the plane, which had flown in from Washington DC. Late […]

South Africa has once again come joint first with New Zealand in the 2019 Open Budget Index (OBI), conducted by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) through an Open Budget Survey. SA ranked first out of 117 countries. The global results reflect a modest improvement in budget transparency, reversing the decline seen in 2017 results and […]

A slew of countries ranging from the US to Brazil to Singapore to South Africa have decided to give people money in response to the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. While the amounts and details of the grants have varied, these governments have all made it clear that such payments are a short-term […]

The South African Post Office (SAPO) has commenced with the process of rolling out cashless ATMs that will serve as additional payment points for the payment of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grants. On Monday, the Post Office unveiled the first cashless ATM to pay SASSA social grants within the premises of Kagiso […]

Tobacco companies want access to minutes of behind-closed-door meetings where ministers voted on Covid-19-busting regulations. In its urgent application lodged in the Pretoria High Court on Monday, Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association, which represents eight tobacco manufacturers, are challenging the further ban on the sale of cigarettes in the second phase of the lockdown which began […]

With winter fast approaching and confirmed COVID-19 cases now at 7 220, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has urged South Africans to continue to stay home to ease the burden on the country’s healthcare system. “Stay home if you do not have to venture out,” said the Minister on Monday. Seven more fatalities have been […]

A Swiss man living in South Africa who fashions himself as a kind of lion whisperer and says his mission is “to  bring animals into people’s hearts” is coming under attack for his behavior with lions and his posts on social media, especially after a video surfaced a few days ago of him hitting one […]

“People emerge from their homes as the big military machines roll by. It’s more of a parade than a patrol. It’s something to look at and they’re bored. Loudspeakers blare words of warning: ‘Wash your hands, stay one meter apart…,’ as kids climb over each other to get a better view.’ Tom Brown goes on […]

An ANC councillor in Limpopo was caught red-handed selling fake travel permits to people for as much as R800, according to the National Prosecuting Authority. Less than two weeks ago, another ANC councillor in Limpopo was arrested for breaking the lockdown regulations by having a birthday party, videos of which were posted online. In the […]

An earlier decision by government to allow the sale of cigarettes during the COVID-19 lockdown was rescinded after the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) consulted medical experts and various role-players. President Cyril Ramaphosa said this on Monday after sections of society implied that Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma had arbitrarily gazetted the […]

For those looking from the global North, African literature is often marketed in a narrow way, comprising worthy stories of resistance, written in an uplifting and sober realist mode. Seen from the continent itself, this view has long been brushed aside by the effervescence and animation of ongoing literary experimentation and creativity. I approached literary […]