Conservation groups from South Africa and around the globe have called on the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and their Global Tourism Crisis Committee to phase out close-contact wildlife encounters and entertainment practices in tourism to help build a more resilient and sustainable industry going forward…. writes environmental writer Louzel Lombard Steyn.  This as […]

Although liquor sales are allowed from today, the two-month ban on the sale of alcohol, combined with a ban on exports, has had a devastating impact on the wine industry. According to figures released by Vinpro last week, about 80 wineries and 350 producers have gone out of business, and 18,000 workers have lost their […]

KLM / Air France have announced more repatriation flights scheduled from South Africa to Europe! These flights will also be useful for the many South African expats, or those with work visas currently stuck in SA, to return to the UK. KLM says they have worked hard to get the flights displayed on their websites […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated Pretoria-born global technology pioneer Elon Musk for his company SpaceX’s historic first commercial flight into space, saying he has made South Africa proud. Powered by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft carried NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley into space on Saturday, en route to docking […]

It has been 9 weeks since the ban on the purchase of alcohol was announced in South Africa as part of Lockdown regulations. Filmmaker and photographer Martin de Kock from MDKafrica was on the scene Monday morning to capture these photos of the long queues of South Africans as bottle stores re-opened for the first […]

A business rescue plan for South Africa Airways was leaked to the media before it could be commented on by stakeholders, such as the government and the airline’s creditors, according to the business rescue practitioners Siviwe Dongwana and Les Matuson. Reports in the media earlier today said the “leaked” report put forward a plan that […]

A total of 22 new COVID-19 related deaths – all in the Western Cape – have been recorded as the total number of positive cases in South Africa climbs to 34,357 on Monday. The 22 new deaths bring the total to 525 deaths in the Western Cape, increasing the national figure to 705. This means […]

South African Airways (SAA) has received approvals to operate several repatriation flights in June, including to and from destinations not on their usual routes. See list below. As SA’s national carrier, it was able to secure approvals to operate repatriation flights during Lockdown, despite the closure of borders. Since 3 April the airline has conducted […]

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has apologised ‘wholeheartedly’ for the inconvenience following the reopening of schools being postponed to 8 June 2020. On Sunday, the Minister announced a delay to the reopening of schools by a week, following a series of consultations, and the meeting of the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) on Saturday to […]

The Dragon Endeavour, carrying two astronauts, has safely landed at the International Space Station (ISS). An elated NASA said this is the “first time in human history” that NASA astronauts have entered the ISS from a commercially-made spacecraft, referring to the Dragon Endeavour which was built by South African expat Elon Musk’s Space-X private company. […]

South African seafarers on board a cruise ship that was off the coast of the USA and is now on the North Atlantic, have sung – loudly and proudly – at news that they are finally heading home to SA. Watch below (and try not to cry!) as they sing In The Jungle… but with […]

A small Facebook page with a huge heart has made a big difference to thousands of people in Gauteng, South Africa, during Lockdown… delivering over 5,000 parcels, feeding thousands and creating three temporary shelters. The page is One Small Act of Kindness and is run by nursery school owner Kelly-Ann Van Der Meer… whose loved […]

As South Africans grapple with a cigarette ban, it’s World No-Tobacco Day today – Sunday 31 May – and here are the latest insights on Tobacco and Covid-19 from the World Health Organisation (WHO). As tobacco kills up to half of its users, the WHO has released a global campaign #TobaccoExposed to debunk myths and […]

Jackson Babi, a well-known Prophet, along with a police officer attached to the Very Important Persons Protection Directorate, was amongst seven suspects arrested on Monday in Namibia for poaching and trading in wildlife contraband… writes Niël Terblanché from Informante. Lightning quick investigative work by members of the Protected Resources Division of the Namibian Police saw […]

South African expat Elon Musk’s Space-X company has just made history with the first privately-owned and operated spacecraft launching two astronauts on a journey to the International Space Station. It’s also the first US launch in almost 10 years. And ten million people watched the live streaming! The launch was postponed from Thursday after weather […]

Hiking and self-drives in some of the country’s private and public national parks will be allowed from 1 June, the Minister of Tourism has announced. Hotels and guest houses will also be open, but not for leisure guests. Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said that as an integral part of the economy, the tourism sector needed to open […]

One of South Africa’s most wanted criminals was fatally wounded in a shoot-out with police on Friday night, 29 May. The South African Police Service (SAPS) said that members of the Tshwane Tactical Response Team (TRT), Ekurhuleni TRT and Gauteng Traffic Police were following up on intelligence-driven information that led them to the “most wanted […]

A 41-year-old woman has been arrested and charged for stock theft of more than 400 cattle, as well as fraud, that has gone on for 10 years, the SA Police have said. The woman was arrested on 27 May in Pietermaritzburg, and is suspected of being the mastermind behind a “ruthless stock theft syndicate” that […]

The ANC Caucus says that “unwarranted racist and misogynistic attacks” on COGTA Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma have continued unabated despite several condemnations by the ANC leadership and progressive sectors of society. This comes after a Western Cape social media user posted a morphed photo depicting Dr Dlamini-Zuma as an ape. The ANC says: “We will […]

There is intense pressure on the South African government to lift the lockdown and open the economy. Sustainably lifting out of the lockdown is critical. But there is no roadmap. The stakes are high and there are no right answers, just ones that juggle uncertain probabilities. Diminishing growth over the past decade has weakened industry […]

Four airports in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban will open from Monday under Level 3 of the lockdown. The latest regulations specify who will not be allowed to travel, but not who will be. Earlier the government said that only business travel will be allowed, but there have been no further details. Regulations published today […]

King Price has proved again that South African ads are some of the best in the world. Watch the below hilarious interaction between a traffic officer and a female motorist. “The current reality of getting lost in translation!” says Gauteng publicist Georg Knoke. “A typical South African scene!” This is the latest video commercial to […]

Thousands of South Africans arrested for minor infringements of lockdown rules, and forced to pay admission of guilt fines (to stay out of jail), have now earned themselves criminal records. According to current affairs show, Carte Blanche, these people were going about lawful essential tasks of buying food, prepaid electricity and fetching their children. They […]

The Democratic Alliance says Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma apparently lied to South Africans when she justified the continued ban on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products, and if she did she deserves to be fired. The DA said in a statement today that in court papers responding to a […]

Paul* carries a small satchel on his back. You wouldn’t know that inside is a carton of cigarettes and sachets of whisky. He will sell them to informal miners in Payneville, Springs, and sometimes in Benoni. “Miners buy all the sachets; no questions asked. Sometimes l can go back into town [Springs] to buy stock […]