The festive holiday season came to an abrupt end on Saturday for South Africans… who were plunged back into darkness by Eskom’s power cuts. The state power utility – which did its best to keep the lights on for Christmas and New Year – announced on Sunday morning that loadshedding Stage 2 would continue today […]

Sixteen lions at a lodge in Rustenburg, South Africa, have been killed by poachers. The faces and paws of eight of the adults were hacked off, most probably to sell their teeth and claws to be used in ‘black magic’ potions or ‘muti‘. Distraught Gert Blom, 51, who owns Predators Rock Bush Lodge in North […]

A young 22-year-old hunter is being hailed a hero for risking his own life to save nine koalas injured by the relentless fires ravaging Mallacoota in East Gippsland on the New South Wales coast of Australia. Patrick Johnson who is more accustomed to hunting animals than rescuing them, said all those he has rescued so […]

Carte Blanche covers a Rolex murder, Sperm Donor Siblings, DNA database disasters plus more, on Sunday 5 January – on DStv Now if you’re in South Africa, and available to stream from Tues 7 January on Showmax International in most other countries.  Mammoth Families – the Stories of Sperm Donor Siblings How would you feel if […]

Around 480 million animals are estimated to have been killed in New South Wales (NSW) alone since the start of  bushfires which have turned parts of Australia into apocalyptic scenes with landmark buildings, schools and homes burnt to the ground, cars gutted and thousands huddled on beaches beneath blood red skies. The fires began in […]

A South African expat, now living in Spain, has posted an emotional plea for help for his wife after a tragic turn of events. Tim Beckerling, Executive Creative Director at MRM//McCann Madrid, posted his message a few hours ago saying: “THIS IS A CALL FOR HELP! PLEASE READ AND SHARE!!! My Wife, the bravest woman […]

The Department of Home Affairs has extended its working hours in anticipation of an increase in demand for services. “The Department of Home Affairs is extending operating hours to 7pm from 02 January to 10 January 2020 to meet the anticipated increase in demand for our services during the period before the schools reopen. The […]

As many South Africans prepare to hit the road on their way back from Christmas holidays, South African Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has urged drivers to remain vigilant on the road as the festive season draws to a close. The Minister’s call comes after seven people lost their lives, while 15 others sustained moderate to […]

A fire at Tokelo High School in Evaton – which was deliberately caused by “mindless thugs” – has led to the destruction of learner material worth an estimated R4 million, said the Gauteng Education Department. Four information and communications technology (ICT) classrooms on the first floor of a block of eight classes burnt down in Thursday’s […]

Despite a constrained and vulnerable system, Eskom is not expecting to implement load shedding on Friday, the power utility said today. “There is no load shedding expected today, as a result of a drop in demand during the holiday period and a return of some generating units to service. Eskom will continue to use emergency […]

Just like Noah’s Ark, except that was for a flood not a fire, local residents of Mallacoota in Australia have been allowed to evacuate aboard an army vessel with their pets. The first 1,000 or so people were evacuated today in an unprecedented mass relocation in Australia. Darren Chester, MP of the affected area Gippsland, […]

A worldwide collective prayer invitation has been sent out to the world on behalf of Australia, and South Africans will be joining in this morning and evening to pray for a miracle. The invitation was sent out by a New Zealand resident Brigeeta Light, and has gone viral with countries across the globe pledging to […]

Mark Oppenheimer – an advocate at the Johannesburg Bar – has urged South Africans to make their voices heard regarding the SA government’s proposed amendment to the Bill of Rights. In a video which is going viral, Oppenheimer says “I’m talking to you today, not as a lawyer but as a concerned citizen…” (Watch the […]

A Turkish Airline’s Airbus, Flight TK45, from Cape Town, South Africa, to Istanbul, Turkey, was declared an emergency at 19h45 on Thursday evening after its landing gear would not retract. According to an aviation guru who was tracking the flight, the Airbus A330-343 did patterns around Cape Town, burning fuel, before the decision was made […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has shared the following New Year’s message with South Africans: As the 25th year of our democracy draws to a close, we look back on a year that has been filled with both highs and lows, a year in which we measured great progress, but also encountered several setbacks. In May millions […]

The South African government says it is working to alleviate the impact of the ongoing drought in pockets of the country. In a statement, the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation said it is working with the affected provinces, municipalities, other national departments as well as the private sector. A number of initiatives are […]

On New Year’s Eve, a few hours before midnight, South African expat Flower La Elizabeth Warner – who is on holiday in South Africa with her boyfriend Hooni – penned the following letter to her new homeland, with sentiments that many expats living in different countries will share: 7 hours ahead in Korea means you […]

It’s “bedlam” in parts of Australia as fires continue to rage and officials expect conditions to worsen on Saturday. Mass evacuations are currently underway, and 17 people are already unaccounted for. On the New South Wales (NSW) South Coast, tens of thousands of tourists have been ordered to leave the area before it’s too late […]

New Year revellers sending Chinese lanterns into the sky to celebrate the New Year are suspected to be to blame for the fire at a zoo in Western Germany which killed more than 30 animals. German police say the lanterns may have triggered the fire which killed orangutans, gorillas, a chimpanzee, monkeys, bats and birds […]

It’s a new year, and there’s a bumper crop of brilliant international and South African series, movies and documentaries on the cards. Welcome to 2020! Weren’t we all supposed to be travelling in flying cars by now? Transport might not have lived up to our childhood expectations, but never in our wildest dreams did we […]

New Year’s Eve celebrations in Johannesburg, South Africa, turned to tragedy last night after a shocking drive-by shooting in Melville left three dead and at least five injured. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has launched a manhunt for the suspects who were driving a black BMW SUV. The (unknown number of) suspects drove past […]

The man who was teased for proposing in KFC married his bride in a dream wedding yesterday, with South Africans everywhere watching the live streaming of the romantic event. Hector Mkansi’s wedding proposal to Nonhlanhla Soldaat went viral when a fellow customer at KFC caught it on video in November. And within 24 hours SA […]

The City of Ekurhuleni has confirmed in the past hour that the Ekurhuleni Disaster Management Services team has managed to extinguish the pipeline fire that caused havoc today in Alberton, South Africa. Residents in about 40 homes, living near the pipeline had to be evacuated as a precautionary measure. Ekurhuleni said it was “glad that […]

Cash strapped South African consumers returning from their December holiday break will breathe a sigh of relief at the petrol pumps as the price of petrol is set to come down by between 4 and 14 cents a litre this week. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has announced a drop in the petrol […]

About 6,500 people are taking shelter on beaches along the coast in Victoria as fires continue to rage, according to ABC News’ latest figure at 08h30 SA time. The worst hit coastal town on Tuesday morning was Mallacoota where about 4,000 people – several with lifejackets – were ready to flee into the ocean. Fortunately […]