In November 2014, a Karoo-based German hydrogeologist called Dr Stefan Cramer made a bold prediction that fracking would not happen in the Karoo. He gave several talks on his theory and wrote an article called Six Reasons Why Fracking Will Not Happen. By mid-March this year, Cramer suddenly appeared to have been prescient in his […]

Helicopter pilot and #CapeFire hero Willem Hendrik ‘Bees’ Marais will be laid to rest today. But he will never be forgotten by his friends, family and the people of Cape Town. A facebook page has been set up in dedication of ‘Oom Bees’, as he was fondly called; and a makeshift memorial of cards, letters […]

The tragic deaths this morning of Minister of Public Service and Administration, Collins Chabane, and two of his protectors – Sgt Lesiba Sekele and Sgt Lawrence – in a car accident highlight the importance in South Africa to prioritise safety on our roads according to Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe. Radebe said the circumstances of their […]

Rare Diseases South Africa has issued a heartfelt plea for South Africans to help a Californian family find a young boy in South Africa who happens to be the only person in the world to share an identical gene mutation with their 7-year-old daughter. Both children have GM1 Gangliosidosis. In a message on their Facebook page, the NPO for rare […]

It’s 48 years since Professor Chris Barnard put South Africa on the medical map by performing the world’s first heart transplant, and now a  team of surgeons from Stellenbosch University (SU) and Tygerberg Hospital have proved SA remains at the forefront of medical progress by performing the world’s first successful penile transplant. The ground-breaking operation lasted nine hours and  took […]

While the flames and the headlines may have died down, the work for the firefighters in the Western Province of South Africa is far from over. Just this evening the Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) crew were deployed again to assist with flare-ups along the slopes of Stellenbosch Mountain. “Be safe crew!” wrote the administrator of their Facebook page. Cape […]

South Africa’s beleaguered power-provider Eskom has suspended four executives including CEO Tsediso Matona while it commissions an independent enquiry into the running of its business. The move was announced today by Eskom Chairman Zola Tsotsi following a board meeting yesterday. Tsotsi said the board has “resolved to commission an independent enquiry on the current state of the […]

Police in Finland have confirmed today that they have found the body of a missing South African businessman on a beach in Finland. While Herc Croeser is not mentioned by name,  he is identified in Finnish newspaper reports as a 60-year-old IT manager from Metso Minerals. Croeser was reported missing after he failed to return on a flight home this weekend. […]

South African President Jacob Zuma returns to the National Assembly in Parliament today to answer more questions. The last time Zuma answered oral questions was in August when the EFF changed ‘pay back the money’. Today he has already skirted questions about his relatives being given top positions by saying “I am not a businessman” […]

Good news for those living in the States, or visiting South African family and friends in the US – South African Airways (SAA) has announced that it will no longer stop in Senegal on its route from Johannesburg to New York, cutting the route by 90 minutes and making it the fastest way to get […]

Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) has requested food for the firefighters and donations of paper plates and other items needed to fight the advancing fire in Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, near Stellenbosch. VWS reported less than an hour ago that the fire is spreading towards the mouth of Jonkershoek Valley. (Please see update for Thurs 12 March below.) On […]

After battling raging fires in Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch since Monday afternoon, firefighters tonight thought they had managed to douse most of the flames and successfully contain the fire…but latest reports reveal that the fire is spreading. Christine De Villiers, who lives in the area, wrote to SAPeople late tonight saying “Sad news. The wind has blown the fire from Jonkershoek […]

A businessman from South Africa who was in Finland for a conference has been reported missing after he did not return on a flight home this weekend. Herc Croeser, 60, of Boksburg is a manager at Metso Minerals. According to reports, Croeser’s belongings, including his passport and a large amount of money, were found in […]

We are heartbroken to report that a Working on Fire helicopter pilot – Hendrik Marais (known to his friends as ‘Bees’) – has lost his life fighting in the Cape Point fire today. Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) said “we have tragically lost a brother in our firefighting family today. Hendrik Marais will be fondly remembered […]

The daughter of a man who could be lost at sea between Cape Town and Thailand has joined the families of his fellow crew members to launch a campaign that all South Africans – and anyone around the world – can take part in to try track them down. England-based Storme Robertson and the families […]

Many South Africans from around the world have said how difficult it is to be watching the #MuizenbergFire from afar, so we asked three photographers in Cape Town to allow us to share their experiences this week, so that others can feel a little closer. Thank you Tammy Lieberman, Shawn Benjamin and Andy Nix. Tammy Lieberman, Tammy […]

The Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) has announced in the last hour that “it’s going to be another long night on the fire line as fresh firefighting crews move in to relieve tired, sore and thirsty brothers and sisters.” The NSRI has appealed to the public to please keep away from the fire regions. Access roads for […]

Initial reports that China had banned ivory imports for a year got a severe dousing later today after it was clarified that this ban only referred to ivory carvings. The ban, effective immediately from today (Thursday 26 February 2015), was reported by various media around the world. The New York Times quoted international conservation organizations […]

Accounting Students at Stellenbosch University (SU) have left a colourful tribute for their lecturers outside the Van der Sterr Building which was ravaged by fire over the weekend (see video below). The fire, which broke out on Sunday morning 22 February 2015, destroyed the third floor and roof of the northern and eastern wings of the […]

The South African Budget Speech today has predictably given rise to several humorous headings and tweets, with the alcohol and cigarette price hikes fuelling the best, particularly an acerbic quip from ‘Outside Journalist’ – @andiMakinana – observing that “the government drives you to drink, and then heavily taxes the drinks.” (See more from Twitter below.) The 2015 national […]

Today is ‪#‎WorldPangolinDay‬ – an important day to raise awareness for the Pangolin, which is not only one of the world’s weirdest animals (with a tongue longer than its body) but also one of the most heavily trafficked wild mammals in the world. Like the rhino and elephant before it, the Pangolin is threatened by […]

South Africa’s Leader of the Opposition, Mmusi Maimane, did not hold back in his verbal attack on President Jacob Zuma in Parliament today, saying what has been said around candlelit dinner tables, braais and in the media around the country since Thursday’s (somewhat failed) State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Cape Town. The DA […]

The proposed new Land Holdings Bill is set to make sweeping land reform changes to South Africa including foreigners being forbidden to own land and a restriction on current land ownership that will allow Government to redistribute the excess. The new Bill aims to redress the problem of “land injustice of more than 300 years of […]

For those who missed it, here is the full State of the Nation Address by President Jacob G Zuma in Parliament on 12 February 2015, in Cape Town. (To see the EFF scuffle which made the biggest news of the night, click here.) Good evening, sanibonani, molweni, riperile, dumelang, lotshani, goeie naand, ndimadekwana, !gai//goes. I would […]

Miss World Rolene Strauss has sent a message of support to her Miss South Africa replacement – Ziphozakhe Zokufa – tweeting “May today be an amazing day! Your personality and beauty are like stars in the dark. Go on that Miss Universe stage and shine your South African light!” Ziphozakhe will represent South Africa tonight at the […]