Several of the beaches most loved by Capetonians for surfing, swimming and sunset picnics are polluted enough to fail the minimum water quality guidelines over the last two years, according to a report released by the City of Cape Town. Muizenberg, Fish Hoek, Monwabisi and Beta Beach are among 31 polluted sites along Cape Town’s […]

ANC stalwart Denis Goldberg has passed away at the age of 87. A statement on Thursday morning said: “His family and the Denis Goldberg Legacy Foundation Trust are very sad to announce that Denis Goldberg passed away just before midnight on Wednesday 29 April 2020. “His was a life well lived in the struggle for […]

The Kiffness has given us so many fantastic songs during Lockdown, but this heartwarming video will be remembered as one of the most special – a duet with his father. Watch below as the father and son team sing (via Skype) a Cat Stevens (Yusuf) Lockdown Parody – based on, of course, ‘Father and Son’… […]

A beautiful heartfelt initiative by a teacher in Johannesburg, South Africa, who wanted to help her learners not miss out during Lockdown, has gone viral around the world. (Watch video below.) Pamela Kantor, who teaches at a government school attended by many kids from Alex (Alexandra township), was devastated that during lockdown (because of coronavirus) […]

What started as a dream holiday in the Maldives turned into a mega repatriation mission as South Africa and the world began to lock down borders… writes Jenna Berndt. A Flight Centre customer and his travel agent started a rescue mission that involved three weeks of sleepless nights, a US$104 000 charter flight, government approval […]

The South African government has outlined the process for the application of the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant for individuals who are currently unemployed. Addressing a media briefing on Wednesday in Pretoria, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu said the qualifying applicants will be paid R350 per month from May – October 2020. The grant […]

A conservation biologist from South Africa has won a prestigious Whitley Award worth £40,000 to support her quest to save threatened amphibians… in a “giant leap for amphibian conservation”. Jeanne Tarrant, known locally as the “Frog Lady”, works for the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), where she manages the Threatened Amphibian Programme. EWT is the only […]

South African futurist and strategy consultant Graeme Codrington has issued a sobering reality check – there will be no overseas holidays this year, he says in the video message below. The SA author and founding director of strategic insights firm, TomorrowToday, says too many people think life will just rapidly return to normal when lockdown ends. […]

Springbok rugby captain Siya Kolisi is making international headlines again, although this time the man who helped feed the spirit and soul of SA when he led his team to victory in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, is literally helping to feed the stomachs of fellow South Africans during the coronavirus pandemic. Siya told CNN: […]

Over 200 Australians have been safely repatriated from Johannesburg, South Africa to Australia. The 256 Australians who were repatriated from SA on Wednesday, all had to undergo a health assessment when they landed in Perth, according to 7News. The new arrivals will have to spend two weeks in mandatory quarantine, although the Western Australian government […]

The consequences of the COVID-19 lockdown are yet to be fully determined and understood. But one thing we can be fairly certain of – in South Africa its impact will be shaped by the country’s inequalities. Our study reveals that half of the adult population survives with near-zero savings, while 3,500 individuals own 15% of […]

South Africa’s prudent decision to institute a countrywide lockdown has circumvented an exponential explosion of cases of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic within the borders of the country, the Department of Health said on Tuesday. The Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said while the lockdown will not spell the end of new infections, it has, […]

If the Springboks’ 2019 Rugby World Cup triumph was a heroic tale, the story behind the famous win is even more remarkable It’s an adventure that will be given life in the coming months with SuperSport and SA Rugby’s six-part documentary, “Chasing the Sun”, deep in production ahead of release, planned for August. A SuperSport […]

Multi-talented classic South African tenor Etienne van der Nest has been bringing Berlin to a stop each evening, as he sings magnificently from his balcony. As word has grown in the German city about Etienne’s performances, crowds have gathered to watch, to listen, to record, to applaud and to appreciate. To feel connected and in […]

Many journalists, including us, are finding the quantity of science reports on Covid-19 overwhelming. The aim of this occasional column, which we’re calling Covid-19 Report, will be to alert reporters in South Africa (and anyone else who is interested) to the best and most important science, and also clear up misconceptions. What’s our methodology? We […]

An abundance of snow fell again last night in southern Africa, turning mountain slopes in Lesotho into a winter wonderland. Check out the gorgeous photos and videos below by Martin Schultz at Afriski Mountain Resort. Afriski Director, Peter Peyper, said “we have received more snow during April this year than we did in the past […]

The legal global wildlife trade is worth roughly $300 billion. Of more than 31,500 listed terrestrial birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, approximately 5,500 are traded. Research predicts that a further 3,196 species may be traded in the future, placing a possible 8,775 species at risk of extinction. Serious attempts to regulate the trade in wildlife […]

Wildlife campaigners from 339 organisations from around the world, including the Lion Coalition, Humane Society International, Blood Lions and Born Free Foundation, are calling on the World Health Organisation to release a formal position statement in support of a global ban on wildlife markets selling wild animals or products, in light of the risk to […]

Evidence is building around the world that elderly people are the most vulnerable group in the COVID-19 pandemic. They are more likely to develop severe symptoms and to die from this viral disease, especially if they have other medical conditions like heart disease or high blood pressure. Globally, the death rate from COVID-19 increases most […]

If you’re a South African living abroad, and can spare just £20… that could help feed 200 kids back home with sandwiches and fruit for a week! Gordon’s Bay resident Inge Andrea Meischke Elliott, who herself was a former expat living in the USA, is calling on expats worldwide to please help (if you can) […]

Twelve rangers, their driver, and four civilians were killed near the famous Virunga National Park headquarters on Friday (24 April) in what Game Rangers Association of Africa described as a “horrific roadside ambush”. Four other rangers were severely wounded, of which one remains in a critical condition, according to Virunga National Park. Two other civilians […]

In celebration of Freedom Day 2020, which was yesterday 27 April, a Nelson Mandela quote was emblazoned proudly across a building in New York city. The SA Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) posted a photo, saying “this amazing wrap is displayed in all its glory in Time Square, New York.” The quote used […]

Severe restrictions on travel and economic activity have been imposed in many parts of the world. For the poor, recessions have always meant starvation, lack of medical support for diseases including HIV treatment programmes, and in particular the deaths of infants and children vulnerable to malnutrition and childhood disease. What do the restrictions mean for […]

About 1.5 million more South Africans will from 1 May return to work as government begins to lift a fraction of COVID-19 lockdown regulations. This comes as government gradually eases the economy back into activity as announced this week by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The regulations were introduced last month as government sought to counter the […]

South Africans “celebrate” Freedom Day through gritted teeth, with a wry smile and an acute sense of irony, this year. Many, if not most, will be lamenting the loss of freedom due to the COVID-19 lockdown. For most professionals, there will be no public holiday, since days slide seamlessly into one another, punctuated only by […]