A 53-year-old Eastern Cape police diver and recipient of bravery awards, Captain Pierre Marx, has tragically drowned during a rescue operation in Nahoon River. Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene, expressed shock and devastation at the loss of one of the South African Police Service’s (SAPS’) proficient divers; and said his untimely passing has sent […]

You can watch Carte Blanche on Sunday 9 January in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from 11 January if you’re abroad. Here’s what’s coming up this week: REPORTAGE  Parliamentary Pyre Who would set fire to South Africa’s historic Houses of Parliament – and why? With the chamber of […]

The spectators to the 110th anniversary celebrations of the African National Congress (ANC’s), South Africa’s governing party, looked bored. The dancers roped in to entertain its dwindling faithful were lackluster. Indeed, even during the singing of the national anthem, some in the audience could not even be bothered to stand up… writes Hussein Solomon, University […]

Rhino poaching in South Africa is at a critical level despite the “deafening” silence from official government communications and mainstream media, according to one of southern Africa’s most dedicated, well-respected wildlife vets, Dr Dave Cooper. Referring to the violent killing of rhino as ‘murders’ rather than the mild, mundane word ‘poaching’, Dr Cooper has issued a massive […]

In the final days of 2021 the South African government eased its COVID regulations. On December 30th the government scrapped a curfew that had been in place since March 2020. It also initially announced an easing around quarantines and contact tracing but subsequently reversed these plans. Nevertheless, its approach sets a new trend in how […]

Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, Nathi Mthethwa, has commended the New York-based auction house Guernsey’s for agreeing to suspend the auction of the key to former President Nelson Mandela’s prison cell at Robben Island from going under the hammer. According to the department, the key that was scheduled to be auctioned online this month, seven […]

Sidney Poitier, the first black man to win a Best Actor Oscar (for ‘Lilies of the Field’), has sadly died at the age of 94. The news was announced by the Bahamian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday. Tributes have poured in from around the world for the brilliant actor, director and activist, a man […]

The South African Parliament announced in a statement on Friday that this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) will now be held at the Cape Town City Hall on 10 February 2022. This comes after a fire that started on Sunday engulfed Parliament and was contained after two days. The Presiding Officers, who met […]

As more and more South Africans prove their excellence on the international stage, it’s been wonderful to see some familiar SA faces gracing the covers of prestigious international magazines over the past few weeks. 1. Elon Musk on Time Magazine It kicked off with former Pretoria High student Elon Musk making it onto the cover […]

The DA has today revealed “damning” new evidence that the ANC cadre deployment committee reserves certain positions on the boards of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) for “party cronies whose CVs appear to be kept in a database separate from other applicants”. “This evidence, contained in meeting minutes of the ANC cadre deployment committee dating from between […]

South Africa’s COVID-19 cases have now surpassed 3.5 million after 9 860 people tested positive on Thursday across the country. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), this means there are now 3 504 554 confirmed cases since the outbreak, representing a 21% positivity rate. Data shows that the Western Cape recorded the […]

South Africa’s cricket captain Dean Elgar produced an  amazing unbeaten innings of 96 runs to lead the Proteas to a seven-wicket victory over India in the second test at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Thursday, levelling the series to 1-1. This was Elgar’s first outing as Test captain, and the first time SA has beaten […]

Cape Town is one of the most popular cities in Africa to visit by night, if Instagram posts are anything to go by. According to a new research study, Cape Town is the fifth most popular city by night in Africa, with over 2,400 Instagram hashtags. The study of over 250 of the most populated […]

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Service, Ronald Lamola, has strongly condemned the attack on the Constitutional Court buildings on Wednesday morning. This comes after a 36-year-old suspect allegedly went on a rampage and smashed windows using a hammer at the highest court in the land in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. It was reported that the man […]

South Africa recorded 11 106 new COVID-19 cases and 110 deaths, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Wednesday. This means the country now has 3 494 696 confirmed infections and 91 561 fatalities since the start of the pandemic. According to the latest data, KwaZulu-Natal continues to report the highest number of […]

No self-respecting theatre critic would dream of reviewing a three-Act play during the interval at the end of the first Act. But that is what one is compelled to do after South Africa’s State Capture Commission released Part 1 of its inquiry report. This is more so because those implicated by its findings will be […]

A mother and her two children managed to escape a frightening attempted hijacking in South Africa on Monday, just after leaving the Kruger National Park to head home to Pretoria. Bullets were fired at them as they fled for their lives, with two unfortunately injuring one of the children. The family has been named by […]

A 36-year-old suspect was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly smashing the windows at the Constitutional Court buildings in Braamfontein, Johannesburg with a hammer. South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Netshiunda said: “It is reported that police fired a warning shot after the suspect continued to break the windows even after being ordered […]

An 11-year-old schoolgirl who was traumatically kidnapped outside her school in Gauteng two months ago, has been safely returned home today (Wed 5 Jan). The grade 5 learner’s mother received a call from the South African Police Service (SAPS) this morning letting her know she could fetch her missing daughter from the police station, the […]

South Africa logged 139 new COVID-19 related deaths on Tuesday, the most recorded in one day since the widespread Omicron variant outbreak. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), this means there are now 91 451 official deaths since the start of the pandemic. In addition, the institute said there were 8 078 […]

The first part of the three-part Zondo Commission of Enquiry Report – which was published today – points to systematic corruption during Jacob Zuma’s presidency in South Africa. The State Capture Enquiry was established in 2018 to examine alleged corruption during Zuma’s nine years as President, which began in 2009. It followed former Public Protector […]

A horse stranded for five days on a perilous island in the Vaal River, near Barkly West in the Northern Cape, South Africa, has been rescued by some incredible human heroes, just 24 hours before the tiny island may have been washed away. The daring and risky rescue involved transporting the stallion to the river […]

A 49-year-old suspect appeared at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning in connection with the devastating fire that engulfed the South African Parliament on Sunday until late last night. The suspect, Zandile Christmas Mafe from Khayelitsha, is facing five charges including housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, two counts of arson, possession […]

The Stellenbosch Municipality Fire Department rescued a dog from the roof of a building at the Stellenbosch University (SU) yesterday, Monday 3 January. The Municipality said the dog had been trapped on the roof of the Engineering Faculty Building of SU. “It remains unclear exactly how the dog gained access to the roof, or for how […]

Germany is the latest country to drop travel restrictions on South Africa and its neighbouring countries. From today (Tues 4 Jan), SA is no longer considered a “virus variant area” by Germany, which means fully vaccinated or recovered passengers can now enter Germany from SA without needing to complete a compulsory two-week quarantine. These restrictions […]