PRETORIA – American philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates delivered the 2016 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture at the University of Pretoria on Sunday. Gates spoke of how he first heard of Mandela at the age of nine, and first spoke to him in 1994 when Madiba called to ask the billionaire to help fund South Africa’s election. Gates said […]

South African golfer Ernie Els set aside protocol during the British Open on Thursday to show true sportsmanship and allow his longtime rival, Phil Mickelson from the USA, the best possible chance to make history. They were on the 18th green at Royal Troon in Scotland, and Mickelson – who already had eight birdies – had […]

South Africa’s Janie Erasmus was crowned Miss Deaf World 2016 at a ceremony in Prague, Czech Republic, last night. Leviena Smit (pictured right), Managing Director of Miss Deaf World in South Africa, said: “Congratulations to our beautiful Miss Deaf World 2016 – Janie Erasmus. Breathtaking crowning moment… super proud! xx” Hours before the ceremony, Janie wrote the […]

PARIS (Reuters) – At least 73 people were killed when a truck drove into the crowd in the southern French sea resort of Nice, a news TV channel and local politician said. Christian Estrosi, a leading regional politician in the area, said on Twitter: “This is the worst drama in the history of Nice with […]

JOHANNESBURG – After a woman was attacked, robbed and raped after getting into a car that she thought was her Uber ride home, outside Monte Casino in Johannesburg earlier this month, Uber has urged riders to prioritise their safety and follow certain security guidelines. In a statement today, Uber in South Africa has said it constantly strives […]

The young woman seen in selfies on Facebook being kissed by President Jacob Zuma has confirmed to local media that the president is her “second dad”. The collage of photos – which are apparently genuine, according to the president’s eldest son – were first uploaded to Facebook by someone with a fake account, pretending to […]

Legendary South African golfer Gary Player has expressed disappointment in the high-profile golfers who have withdrawn from the Olympics next month in Brazil, which will mark golf’s historic return to the Games after 112 years. Speaking to the Golf Channel (see video below) the three-time Open champion – who is South Africa’s team captain – said he is […]

JOHANNESBURG – Airlink has confirmed that the hijack distress signal sent by one of its aircraft today was actually just a technical glitch and everyone on board is fine. Social media had been abuzz earlier with reports that the South African plane had been hijacked. The erroneous message came on the same day as four suspected terrorists were due […]

On the centenary of Delville Wood, the battle where many South Africans paid the ultimate price and lost their lives in World War 1, the soldiers are to be remembered with a new memorial wall that will also include the names of black soldiers. The new memorial wall and Garden of Remembrance, dedicated to all South African soldiers […]

During his two-day trip to South Africa, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi retraced the steps and famous (or infamous) train trip taken by Mahatma Gandhi in 1893, where Gandhi was thrown off the train for not being white. Modi likened his trip to South Africa – where he travelled to Johannesburg and Durban – to […]

The first major showcase of Henri Matisse’s work in Africa opens this week in Johannesburg. The show, “Henri Matisse: Rhythm and Meaning”, will be at the Standard Bank Gallery until September. In a statement announcing the show, which opens on Wednesday, the gallery said, “At the end of the nineteenth century, Matisse was a young […]

South Africa’s delegation to the United Nations this week chose to abstain from a key vote in support of gay rights, a decision only compounded by the SA ambassador’s later comments that it was more important to stand in solidarity with Africa. The nonprofit UN Watch, which monitors votes in the UN, called South Africa’s stance on […]

A video remake of the Spice Girls’ hit “Wannabe” has been launched to encourage girls and women across the world to share their messages and dreams for women and includes singers, actors and dancers from South Africa, Indian, the UK and US. The video was made by Global Goals, which works to promote the United Nations’ […]

The SA Post Office, which has been attempting a massive turnaround after being crippled by debt and poor service, has raised a loan of R3.7 billion locally and has got the greenlight from the Reserve Bank to start a bank, according to a media conference on Friday, Minister of Telecommunications and Post Services Siyabonga CweleHe said the briefing was […]

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) staggers from one crisis to the next. It has been politically contested from apartheid days, used by ruling parties as a valuable “propaganda” tool since its formation in 1936. The broadcaster has been extremely contentious in recent years, especially because of the role its controversial Chief Operating Officer, Hlaudi […]

Cape Town has come in 10th out of the world’s top 15 cities named in the 2016 Travel & Leisure magazine awards, and is the top city in Africa and the Middle East. Although it was higher than Rome in the top 15, it came off below Florence. The No. 1 city was Charleston, South […]

A lion conservation group has come out against a lion-breeding and cub-petting facility in Limpopo where pictures were allegedly taken of lions that are starving, and it has been suggested that as these facilities come under increasing pressure to stop their activities, a similar fate may face as many as 8,000 captive-bred lions in South Africa. Drew […]

The first passenger flights to the remote island of St Helena – flying out of Johannesburg – were meant to start in May. At the same time, the famous ship the RMS St Helena announced that its last trip to the island would take place in June. Neither has happened. St Helena, where Napoleon was exiled, […]

They normally wear overalls and are wielding shovels, but on Wednesday 24 women who repair Cape Town’s roads as part of a new programme put on civvies to be honored by the mayor. The women are part of a growing programme to, as Mayor Patricia de Lille put it, “empower women, achieve gender transformation, and show […]

Despite the obvious protestations of his clients, a ranger in Kruger National Park got out of the safari vehicle at night and kicked a pangolin when it closed into a ball in fright and to protect itself. “No, no,” a woman called out from the vehicle, when she saw what the ranger was about to […]

Back in 2000, Los Angeles native Samantha O’Keefe took a major chance on a winemaking career and an untested wine region when she purchased a farm in South Africa’s Overberg. Today, her Lismore Estate Vineyards wines consistently achieve 90+ ratings from Robert Parker and other industry heavyweights, and she’s considered a pioneer of a region […]

A 3-day countrywide stayaway in Zimbabwe starting on Wednesday to protest against President Robert Mugabe’s policies reportedly resulted in the government bringing out its military and clamping down on certain media, which led to Anonymous Africa shutting down the ruling party’s ZANU-PF website. “To show our support for the heroic protests happening on the ground,” Anonymous […]

PRETORIA – South African Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius was sent to prison for six years on Wednesday for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, the latest twist in a trial that has gripped the world. The state and large sections of the South African public had called for him to receive no […]

PRETORIA – Former Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius was on Wednesday sentenced to six years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013, less than the prescribed minimum of 15 years because of mitigating circumstances. Judge Thokozile Masipa made her sentence known at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. “A long term of […]

Well-known South African casting director Moonyeenn Lee is the first South African to be included on the panel of movie people around the world who will chose the next Oscar winners. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which presides over the annual Oscars, named its 683 new panel members last week. It has been a […]