Workers at South African Airways (SAA) downed tools on Friday in a strike over wages and job cuts that has forced the troubled state-owned carrier to cancel all flights. SAA, which has not turned a profit since 2011 and is without a permanent CEO, says the strike by unions representing around 3,000 of its 5,000-strong […]

The man accused of the brutal murder of UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana (fondly known as Nene) has been given three life sentences in court today. Nene’s death in Cape Town in August, at the hands of a postal worker, made world headlines and brought South Africa to its knees as the final straw in a […]

South Africa’s Ntando Mahlangu took his first world title in the men’s 200m T61 at the World Para-Athletics Championships in Dubai. Mahlangu scooped his Gold Medal in a time of 23.23 seconds, ahead of Great Britain’s Paralympic hero Richard Whitehead who ran in 23.82 seconds. On Facebook on Friday, an elated Mahlangu wrote: “An honor […]

A talented young rugby player in Grade 11 has been selected to compete in Argentina with the South African Apcan team… but his ‘rainbow’ family – who adopted him when he was a baby – sadly don’t have enough money to pay for the trip. He’s not giving up on his dream though. Tim believes […]

Popular South African cartoonist and satirist, Jonathan Shapiro, has received France’s top cultural award, with the French government describing him as a freedom fighter with strong values of freedom of expression. The French Embassy in South Africa posted photos on Thursday evening from the event, saying: “A special day. On Wednesday Ambassador Aurélien Lechevallier bestowed […]

SUN CITY, South Africa – Home favourite Louis Oosthuizen produced a stunning birdie blitz to card a faultless nine-under-par 63 for a three-shot lead after the first round of the European Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge on Thursday. Former Open champion Oosthuizen, seeking his maiden title in the tournament regarded as ‘Africa’s Major’, turned in 32 […]

It’s snowing again in South Africa and Lesotho! Snow Report SA has posted photos from KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho showing snow has fallen, just weeks away from Christmas! https://www.facebook.com/snowreportsa/photos/pcb.2362498063877534/2362495290544478/?type=3&theater As South Africans look forward to the summer holiday season, the weather has been diverse in the country – from heatwaves to floods, tornados (two!)… and now […]

It appears that another tornado has been sighted in KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. The region has been experiencing severe thunderstorms with strong winds, hail and heavy downpours; and a tornado was confirmed to have swept through the New Hanover district on Tuesday. Showan Marescia – a resident of Bergville, who is a Protection Officer […]

I’ve had the opportunities throughout my life to travel extensively writes Dean Morris. I’ve traveled to 24 countries on 5 continents (not South America and not Antarctica), with notably several equatorial African countries in the mix. I have a model that anthropomorphises the different regions and my take is as follows: North America: rich old […]

The Department of Water and Sanitation will today hold an urgent meeting with the Limpopo Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs Department to discuss ways of averting the looming disaster in the region due to dry weather conditions. The current hot temperatures in major parts of the country have plunged Limpopo, the Eastern Cape […]

Four people who were travelling in a taxi are incredibly lucky to be alive after the vehicle was swept off Barnsley Road into the swollen Duzi river in the Camps Drift area of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, on Wednesday afternoon, said ER24 medical services. “Flash flooding from the heavy rain in the area meant the normally […]

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 […]