VENICE, Italy – Venice’s mayor declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after “apocalyptic” floods swept through the lagoon city, killing two people and flooding its historic basilica and inundating squares and centuries-old buildings. The state of emergency was declared as the city was hit by the highest tide in more than 50 years. Thoroughfares were […]

BLANTYRE – Seventeen black rhinos have been released into Malawi’s Liwonde national park after arriving from South Africa as part of conservation efforts aimed at keeping the local population of the endangered species healthy and safe. By moving the animals, in one of the biggest international relocations of its kind, conservationists hope to ensure wild […]

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Sipho Hlomuka has dispatched disaster management teams to New Hanover in the Mshwathi local municipality, just outside of Pietermaritzburg, to attend to people who were affected by yesterday’s massive tornado that ripped through the area (see videos here). The tornado hit the area on Tuesday afternoon, injuring […]

JOHANNESBURG: ‘STROOP – journey into the rhino horn war’ took the Video Media (Long Form) award for 2019 at the South African Breweries (SAB) Environmental Media of the Year in Johannesburg last night. This is the 25th award for the filmmakers of STROOP, Susan Scott and Bonné de Bod. An emotional de Bod stated last […]

A massive tornado ripped through parts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, on Tuesday with several video posts showing it hit New Hanover outside Pietermaritzburg in the KZN Midlands. SAWX – Weather Forecasts for South Africa has also posted several satellite images. The KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance, Sipho Hlomuka, confirmed the tornado to Jacaranda FM. […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s SAA’s restructuring plan will be finalised by March next year and should save the firm R700 million rand, SAA’s executive team told a media briefing on Tuesday. “If you look at the 944 employees (who could lose their jobs), it’s estimated, depending on how the process pans out, it could save […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead a South African delegation to the 11th BRICS Summit to be held in Brasilia, Brazil, from 13 – 14 November 2019. BRICS is the association of the five major emerging countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – which together represent about 42% of the global population, 23% […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African Airways (SAA) could cut more than 900 jobs as it restructures to stem severe financial losses, the airline said in a statement. SAA said it had started consultations with its more than 5,000 staff and was talking to labour unions. The airline has not made an annual profit since 2011 and […]

JOHANNESBURG – Two people have tragically died amid downpours in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa which brought down their house, just a few months after many were killed in another torrential rain. “A man and a woman died when their house collapsed,” Robert Mckenzie, media liaison officer for KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Emergency Medical Services told Reuters by phone. […]

SYDNEY – Firefighters across Australia’s east coast are bracing for “catastrophic” fire conditions as temperatures across the country’s most populous state were set to soar. Many South African expats have reported fires burning near to where they now live, and some in New Zealand posted photos of the smoke from Australia clouding up their skies. […]

DUBAI – South Africa’s first gold medal at the Dubai 2019 World Championships was won by 27-year-old Anrune Weyers (Liebenberg) in the women’s 400m T47 with a championship record (55.79), something that not even the 27-year-old sprinter expected to achieve. Two other South Africans won bronze. “Last year was really tough because of injuries,” she […]

The producers of  popular South African TV series ‘7de Laan’ have wished one of their stars – Patrick Shai – a speedy recovery after he was shot with 13 rubber bullets by police on Monday in Dobsonville, Johannesburg. Shai was reportedly trying to mediate and intervene between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and anti-Eskom […]

JOHANNESBURG – Researchers and city officials are racing to understand the extent of a beetle infestation damaging trees across South Africa that, if left unaddressed, could have a ripple effect on the climate, air quality and ecosystems. The Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB), indigenous to Southeast Asia, is a tiny beetle that drills holes into […]

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi thanked South Africans from all walks of life for coming out in their hundreds of thousands to congratulate the Boks on winning the Rugby World Cup in the last week. The Springboks arrived home from Japan on Tuesday and visited Pretoria, Johannesburg, Soweto, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town […]

Good news for foreign travellers (and for South African Tourism) as Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has signed a waiver that allows foreign children to enter the country without carrying additional supporting documents such as birth certificates and consent letters. The waiver has been applicable since 8 November 2019 – after the Minister’s signature. […]

Zimbabwe is planning an enforced mass migration of wildlife away from a park in the country’s south, where thousands of animals are at risk of death due to drought-induced starvation. At least 200 elephants have already died at two other parks due to lack of food and water, along with scores of buffalo and antelope, Zimbabwe Parks […]

South African lender Absa said on Monday its representative office in New York should be operational by the end of the year, after it received the necessary regulatory approvals. The office is aimed at enabling Absa to better serve clients, including international corporations and institutions, that invest or work in Africa. The bank has already opened a representative office […]

There was heartbreak and disappointment amongst residents in northern Port Elizabeth yesterday as they excitedly waited for the Springbok Victory Bus, cheering and singing in anticipation… but the bus never arrived. Crowds and a waiting flight meant the Boks had to cut short their PE itinerary. At one point, still waiting and hoping, a video […]

Dominant breaststroke swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker won the South African Sportswoman of Year award as well as the South African Sports Star of the Year award in Durban. This year Schoenmaker won a silver medal in the 200m breaststroke during the World Championships in Korea. It was the first time that a local swimmer medalled at […]

South Africa loose-forward Francois Louw – affectionately known as ‘Flo’ – confirmed his retirement from an outstanding career in international rugby on Sunday, the second of the Springboks’ World Cup-winning side to call time on their careers in the green and gold. Louw (34), who came off the replacement bench for captain Siya Kolisi in […]

The GolfRSA Proteas continued South Africa’s success story on the international golfing stage (and with SA sport in general at the moment!) with a superb performance in the highly-rated Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship in Texas. Martin Vorster from Southern Cape, Western Province’s Sam Simpson and Gauteng pair Zethu Myeki and Symone Henriques combined for […]

Australian firefighters have spent Sunday trying to contain bushfires as authorities warn that widespread fire danger on Tuesday will stretch their ability to protect people. Three have already perished since Friday. South Africans in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland are bracing themselves for worse conditions, as several fires rage across the Aussie states during […]

South African swimmer Chad le Clos scooped another Gold at the FINA Swimming World Cup (SWC) in Doha, Qatar, on Friday. While we were all celebrating Le Clos’ 144th world cup gold for the 100m Men’s Fly on Thursday evening, he swam his way to another victory, this time in the 200m Men’s Fly… taking […]

AUSTRALIA – Three people have died, four are missing and at least 150 homes have been destroyed as bushfires rage across eastern Australia, authorities said on Saturday. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) confirmed two people had been killed by a fire near Glen Innes, more than 550 km (340 miles) north […]

Cindy September, Western Cape creator of the Fallen Angels’ List (which pays tribute to those who have been killed in South Africa), has compiled another List today – on her 40th birthday – that celebrates life. As she reached this latest milestone in her life, Cindy asked herself: What lessons have I learned? “Here’s my […]