President Cyril Ramaphosa has this week welcomed new Ambassadors and High Commissioners-Designate from nine countries, at a ceremony held at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Tshwane. The Ambassadors and High Commissioners-Designate were nominated by their respective governments to serve in diplomatic missions in South Africa. The Ambassadors are to advance diplomatic relations between their […]

Bryony McCormick didn’t mean to adopt Khaya, but she couldn’t get the friendly black and white ‘pavement special’ out of her mind… and today, Khaya is bringing so much joy to not only Bryony but also to a Cape Town trail running community called Chicks Who Trail. And now, Khaya has become a mascot for […]

South Africa performed 34 971 COVID-19 tests in the last 24 hours, with 1 599 new cases, representing a 4.6% positivity rate. Meanwhile, according to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, 75 more people succumbed to COVID-19 related complications. This means the country now has 1 561 559 confirmed Coronavirus infections, while the death toll stands at 53 […]

There’s finally hope on the horizon for many thousands of South Africans around the world who inadvertently lost their SA citizenship when they applied for another country’s passport… without knowing they had to request permission from the SA government first and receive a Letter of Retention (which at the moment is not even possible due […]

Fabulous South African filmmakers Susan Scott and Bonné de Bod have scooped multiple awards at an international festival for their latest enchanting film, Kingdoms of Fire, Ice & Fairy Tales (available to view on Showmax). Known for their acclaimed first film STROOP, which documented South Africa’s rhino poaching crisis, director Susan Scott and television presenter […]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged a halt on the sale of live wild mammals in food markets, to prevent new diseases like COVID-19. The WHO said the banning could protect the health of both market workers and customers. In a guidance issued by WHO, together with the World Organisation for Animal Health and […]

Every person who reads about Lufuno’s story, or watches the haunting videos of her being bullied, wishes they could do something. Wishes they could change the outcome. Step in. Take away the phones. Stop the laughing. And help. Protect a girl from being hit over and over. And from being publicly humiliated. Made to feel […]

South Africa’s National State of Disaster has been extended until 15 May 2021. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma – Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister – has gazetted the extension after consultations and Cabinet approval. The extension takes into account the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements to mitigate against the impact […]

The Kruger National Park (KNP) has made history by appointing its first ever female Head Ranger, Cathy Dreyer… who is affectionately known as the ‘Rhino Whisperer’. Dreyer has an exemplary record in conservation management – particularly with rhino (which is crucial for the Kruger), as well as in law enforcement, people and strategic management competencies. […]

It’s lights out for South Africans tonight. Eskom says that due to a shortage of generation capacity, Stage 2 loadshedding is being implemented overnight in the country. The power cuts began at 21h00 and are due to finish at 05h00 on Wednesday morning. “The return to service of three generation units has been delayed, while […]

Yesterday South Africans proudly celebrated My Octopus Teacher’s huge BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards) win. It was a well-deserved victory for the Netflix documentary that features film maker Craig Foster befriending a little octopus. Today the BBC has broadcast a news doc focusing on the unsung hero in the film – the incredible kelp forest […]

South Africa’s Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has announced the temporary and voluntary pause of the COVID-19 Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine rollout in SA following reports of rare blood clots abroad. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Dr Mkhize has made the announcement following a recommendation from the FDA in the USA, […]

Following the murders of two men, believed to be brothers, near Mkhondo (Piet Retief), the devastated family has called for a thorough investigation. AfriForum has also called on the public to remain calm and refrain from spreading their own assumptions about the four murder suspects. AfriForum urged people to wait for a thorough investigation since […]

A young South African schoolgirl, Lufuno Mavhunga, who was filmed being bullied at school yesterday, reportedly died by suicide afterwards. UPDATE: Mwilbi Secondary School female student arrested. The hashtag #JusticeForLufuno is currently South Africa’s top trending topic as people around the country weigh in on the bullying incident, which took place at Mbilwi High School […]

Award-winning South African – and international – musician DJ Black Coffee has broken his silence on allegations of Gender Based Violence (GBV) made by his estranged wife, actress Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa. Mlotshwa has filed a protection order against Black Coffee, in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court, and has accused the DJ of allegedly assaulting her at […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the continent needs to build a vibrant and innovative African medical supplies manufacturing capability that meets the health needs of the Africa’s people. Addressing a conference on Africa’s Vaccine Manufacturing on Monday, the President said throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa has demonstrated that it has substantial capabilities, resources and skills to […]

The precious heritage site and its rich history are being poorly served… By Daniel Steyn. The official symbolism of the Robben Island Museum, adopted early in its existence, is “the triumph of the human spirit over adversity”. But after 24 years in existence, the museum is substandard. GroundUp took a socially-distanced, reduced capacity tour in […]

Three years ago South Africa introduced Africa’s first major tax on sugar-sweetened beverages based on grams of sugar. The tax now stands at about 11% of the price per litre… by Karen Hofman, University of the Witwatersrand. We assessed the impact in recently published research. We found that the health promotion levy coincided with large […]

Hot 91.9FM announced today that Sam Cowen, presenter on “Joburg’s Hottest Breakfast Show” will be leaving the station on Friday 30 April. Sam announced on air and posted on Facebook this morning: “For the past few months I’ve been living the best of both worlds, being on the breakfast show of the city’s hottest station […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says demands the immediate retraction of the racist statement issued by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) on its twitter handle @DPE_ZA. “We also call for the immediate suspension of the DPE Director General, Mr Kgathatso Tlhakudi, in whose name the statement was issued,” said Ghaleb Cachalia MP – DA Shadow […]

Hollywood filmmakers and movie stars have joined forces with Humane Society International (HSI) to produce a powerful short film, #SaveRalph, to end cosmetic testing on animals around the world, including South Africa. Although banned in 40 countries, the practice of testing on animals is still legal in most of the world, and is even making […]

South African diver Karen van den Oever recently broke the world record for women’s deep cave diving, diving down to 236.04 metres at Bushmansgat Cave in the Northern Cape. The previous record – set by Joburg-based Verna van Schaik in 2004 – was 221 metres. According to Deeper Blue, the dive, on 26 March 2021, […]

A total of 23 013 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, with 931 new cases, representing a 4% positivity rate, the Health Department said on Sunday. Meanwhile, a further 66 people died due to Coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 53 322 to date. According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli […]

South Africa’s  beloved My Octopus Teacher won one of the most coveted prizes at the BAFTA Film Awards 2021 in London on Sunday… scooping the Best Documentary prize at the British Academy Film Awards. Watch below as the Seachange team excitedly – and tearfully – accept the honour. Co-Director Pippa Ehrlich said the team had […]

South African rapper AKA’s fiancée Anele (Nellie) Tembe tragically passed away in the early hours of Sunday 11 April 2021, following a fatal incident. No details have yet been given about the incident. UPDATE 10 February 2023: AKA has been shot dead outside a nightclub in Durban. AKA (whose full name is Kiernan Jarryd Forbes) […]