PRETORIA – South Africa’s strengthening rand has made a contribution to the country regaining the title of the continent’s largest economy in nominal terms. “The positives are [attributable] to the global background and the fact that the recent elections were free and fair,” Standard Bank economist Kim Silberman told SAnews on Thursday. South Africa last held […]

South Africa’s Sevens side are one win away from a guaranteed gold or silver medal after reaching the Olympic semi-finals at a wet Diadoro stadium in Rio. Awaiting them for a place in the final on Thursday (kick-off 3pm local, 8pm SA time) is Great Britain, who needed an extra-time try to break the 0-0 […]

There were six different codes being represented by Team South Africa on Wednesday (10 August). Rowing was, for the second time in these Games, called off for the day owing to miserable weather conditions. Here is a list of South Africans in competition. Times are Rio local and in brackets is SA time. RUGBY SEVENS Men’s […]

South Africa’s controversial def rap group, Die Antwoord, have accused hit movie – “Suicide Squad” – of copying them, basing the movie’s lead characters on the band’s ¥o-Landi Vi$$er and Ninja.  In an outraged message on Instagram, Yolandi accused the director, David Ayer, of ripping off Die Antwoord’s style for the smash hit movie (which has […]

After all was said and done, Michael Phelps did his talking in the pool. The American legend claimed the 20th gold medal of his career and stamped himself as one of the greatest athletes of all time when he cleaned up in the most anticipated head-to-head of Rio 2016. At the end of it, Phelps touched […]

There were five different codes being represented by Team South Africa on Tuesday (9 August). Here is a list of South Africans in competition. Times are Rio local and in brackets is SA time. All reporting below by Gary Lemke (GL) and Mark Etheridge (ME)… RUGBY SEVENS Men’s Pool B: South Africa were untroubled – winning 24-0 against […]

It was well after midnight when South Africa’s Chad le Clos faced the media after his silver medal in the men’s 200m freestyle had doubled the country’s tally at these Games and taken his personal Olympic total to three – and counting. ‘It was a crazy race,’ Le Clos said of his 1min 45.20sec heroics that saw […]

There was action for South Africa’s rowers, swimmers and a sailor on Monday. Times are Rio local and in brackets is SA time. ROWING Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls: Kirsten McCann and Ursula Grobler won their heat in 7min 07.37sec to progress straight to Wednesday’s semi-finals. In a nutshell: Better conditions for the rowers after Sunday’s debacle. McCann and Grobler […]

It’s the rematch that’s been four years in the making. Can you just imagine if it was staged by Don King Productions. It ought to be, it’s that big. In the one corner you’ve got the defending Olympic 200m butterfly champion, Chad le Clos. The confident, never-say-die South African who refuses to lose. Younger, brasher, […]

CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA has today banned four players for attempted match fixing, saying they breached CSA’s Anti-Corruption Code for Personnel (“the Code”). The banned players – who have admitted contraventions of the Code – are Jean Symes, Pumelela Matshikwe, Ethy Mbhalati and former Test wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile. The banning of these four players follows lengthy investigations and […]

South African swimmer Cameron van der Burgh has put Team SA on the Olympic medals table in Rio… just like he did in London four years ago. Although this time he won silver, not gold… but as he says “silver is a nice colour too”. Van der Burgh pulled out all the stops in the final […]

South Africa’s champion swimmer Chad le Clos kept his Olympic dream alive today as he qualified in the Men’s 200m Freestyle with a new personal best and finished in third place overall. Reporting for SASCOC today, Gary Lemke said: “Chad le Clos stuck his hand up as a potential medallist when he powered his way […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Oscar Pistorius was treated in hospital for wrist injuries on Saturday, a prison service spokesman said, adding the jailed South African track star had denied trying to kill himself.   The multiple gold medal-winning Paralympian, serving six years for murdering his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day 2013, was returned to his Pretoria cell […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Anti-rape activists protested on Saturday as South African President Jacob Zuma delivered his first remarks since local elections gave his African National Congress (ANC) its worst results since 1994. Zuma ignored the protest while his security guards stood nearby, apparently surprised by the protest by four women dressed in black and holding […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – The African National Congress lost its grip on local government in Tshwane, home of the South African capital Pretoria, as results on Saturday gave the opposition Democratic Alliance a second big win in the ANC’s worst election since the end of apartheid. The results of Wednesday’s voting have reshaped the political landscape […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – President Jacob Zuma said on Saturday that Wednesday’s municipal elections had been well run and proved that South Africa’s democracy was maturing, in his first public remarks since results were announced. Zuma’s ruling African National Congress suffered its worst results since the end of apartheid in 1994, undermined by high unemployment, economic […]

PRETORIA – In a nail-biting finish, all the votes from the capital city have been captured with the DA winning the most votes. The results for Tshwane, which were finalised after 12pm, showed that the Democratic Alliance (DA) garnered 43.10% or 381 022 of the votes. The ruling African National Congress followed closely with 41.48% […]

PRETORIA – All eyes are on Gauteng’s metropolitan municipalities –Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni – as vote counting enters day three. It’s the final stretch for Gauteng which is home to the three metros. By 6:30am on Saturday the Electoral Commission (IEC) had counted and validated 94% of the votes in the province with the ANC leading […]

RIO – Louis Meintjes and Daryl Impey kickstart Team South Africa’s individual Olympic campaign when they take to the roads – and hills – around Rio on Saturday in the men’s cycling road race. Both competed in the Tour de France and Meintjes rode out of his skin to finish eighth overall in the torturous […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – A party of South African radical leftists has emerged as electoral kingmaker in major cities Pretoria and Johannesburg, giving a first taste of power to an ANC renegade who was once an acolyte of President Jacob Zuma. This week’s municipal elections have shown just slender nationwide gains for Julius Malema’s red beret-wearing […]

PRETORIA (Reuters) – South Africa’s ANC was on track for its worst electoral performance since the end of apartheid on Friday as voters vented anger about high unemployment and corruption in municipal elections that herald a sea change in politics and society. The African National Congress has ruled virtually unopposed since it ended white-minority rule […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) mayoral candidate Athol Trollip addressed DA supporters outside the election results centre in Zwide after it became apparent the DA had won the most votes in the metro. (Watch video below). Meanwhile it’s neck and neck for the country’s leading parties – the DA and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) […]

PRETORIA (Reuters) – South Africa’s ruling party was on track for its worst electoral performance since coming to power two decades ago, poised to lose control of a key metropolitan area in a reflection of rising anger over a stubbornly high jobless rate and a lack of basic services. Support for the African National Congress […]

PRETORIA (Reuters) Updated 14h40 – South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance led in three major cities on Thursday as votes were counted in local elections, threatening to deal the biggest electoral blow to the African National Congress since the end of apartheid two decades ago. The ANC – which ended white-minority rule when it won power […]

JOHANNESBURG (Updated at 15h45 local time.) – As the votes are tallied South African opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), is currently leading in Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay but has dropped to a tie with the ANC in Tshwane. All three are key districts which were previously held by the African National Congress (ANC). The ANC […]