Conspiracy theories have arisen in South Africa following the reported death of Bosasa boss Gavin Watson in what appeared to be a horrific car accident early on Monday morning, near Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Some question the ‘suspicious’ nature of the accident – the apparent speed the vehicle was travelling in around a […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africans could start withholding their tax payments due to years of corruption which might force the country to seek an international bailout, the chief of the revenue service said on Monday. South Africa has seen revenue collection fall sharply since 2015 due to weak economic growth and maladministration, leading President Cyril Ramaphosa […]

South Africa’s proposed switch to universal health coverage – known as the National Health Insurance (NHI) program – will be managed in a fiscally responsible way, a senior presidential aide told Reuters, forecasting the landmark reform would cost the state $2.2 billion per year by 2025/26. Meanwhile President Cyril Ramaphosa stressed in the National Assembly […]

The South African Finance Ministry has warned the public against a scam doing the rounds, in which claims are made that Deputy Minister David Masondo will offer people funding for their business. The scammers are on various platforms purporting to be the Deputy Minister. “The Deputy Minister of Finance would like to alert the public […]

CAPE TOWN – South Africa should discuss using worker pension funds to finance development and infrastructure projects, a proposal that has the backing of the country’s largest labour federation, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday. In its 2019 poll manifesto ahead of the May general election, the African National Congress (ANC) mentioned investigating prescribed assets […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday afternoon answer questions in Parliament for the first time since his election as President in May 2019. The President’s office said he will brief the National Assembly on government’s efforts to deal with the challenge of slow economic growth and high unemployment. The President is constitutionally mandated to periodically […]

A South Africa court on Thursday awarded a second punitive costs order against the country’s top anti-corruption official, Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, after finding an investigation conducted by her office showed “gross negligence”. Pretoria High Court Judge Ronel Tolmay ordered the Public Protector’s office to pay 85% of the costs of the Democratic Alliance and the Council for […]

In the book of Esther, the Bible tells a story from the 5th century BCE, when the Jews were in exile in Persia. The Persian king, Ahasuerus, had installed a Jewish woman, Esther, as his queen at the time that one of the king’s ministers started a genocidal programme against the Jews. Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, […]

The Presidency has confirmed that it is aware that confidential banking information of the contributors to and recipients from the CR17 campaign has been leaked to the media. In a statement released on Saturday evening, the Presidency said the information supposedly held only by the Public Protector, includes bank statements of third parties, which record […]

JOHANNESBURG – Lawyers for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa have asked a court to seal financial records held by the Public Protector, the country’s corruption watchdog, because they were obtained unlawfully, online news site Times Live reported on Friday. Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane said in July that Ramaphosa had “deliberately misled” parliament about a 500,000 […]

South Africa published its draft National Health Insurance (NHI) bill on Thursday, with one senior official estimating universal healthcare for millions of poorer citizens would cost about 256 billion rand ($16.89 billion) to implement by 2022. The bill creating an NHI Fund paves the way for a comprehensive overhaul of South Africa‘s health system that would be one of […]

The two men convicted of murder in the Coligny sunflower case, Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte, have been granted special leave to appeal directly to the Court of Appeals in Bloemfontein. UPDATE 27 Nov 2020: Coligny 2, Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte acquitted on all charges. The father of one of the men broke the […]

JOHANNESBURG – President Cyril Ramaphosa won a court case against the Public Protector Busiswe Mkhwebane on Thursday after a judge found he had acted reasonably in not immediately disciplining public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan over a decision regarding the retirement of a tax official. Ramaphosa secured an interdict from the court, meaning he does not […]

The National Council of SPCAs has the formidable task of ensuring the nationwide protection of all animal species from abuse, neglect, and cruelty. One of the most effective ways to do this, is through the courts. Sadly, in the fight for justice, the plight of animals is often ignored or found at the bottom of […]

Small Business Development Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has condemned the attack on law enforcement agencies in Johannesburg, describing it as an attack on the State, which cannot be accepted. “What happened [last] Thursday when law enforcement agencies were attacked with stones by street traders and hawkers, is not acceptable. Any attack on law enforcement agencies… cannot […]

About 500 mothers and supporters whose children have been killed in gang violence and crime marched to Parliament on Thursday. It is the fourth march by Moms Move for Justice (MMJ). The mothers waved placards that read: “Protect our children” and “How many more children must die before leadership owns up to their responsibilities towards […]

After a prolonged lull, the war of words has started again between Johannesburg’s popular Democratic Alliance mayor Herman Mashaba and the African National Congress leaders in the city, who have called for a motion of no confidence in him. Numerous attempts to unseat Mashaba have failed, but the EFF, which previously stood behind the DA, […]

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has suspended three senior executives who face disciplinary action over serious misconduct allegations. The executives are: Hlengani Mathebula, Chief Officer: Governance, International Relations, Strategy and Communications. Teboho Mokoena, Chief Officer: Human Capital and Development. Luther Lebelo, Group Executive: Employee Relations. In a brief statement issued on Wednesday, SARS said […]

Back in February 2019, the Rand was – once again – crowned the world’s most volatile currency. It’s not a title desired by most South Africans, of course, but it is sometimes a reality of an emerging economy that the currency will be volatile, especially when the President of the United States can send a […]

Every day on SAPeople’s Facebook page there are hundreds of conversations between people who would not normally have a chance to communicate with each other… between those who live in SA and expats; between people of different ages, and different cultural backgrounds. The hope of course is that we can listen to different opinions and […]

JOHANNESBURG  – Helen Zille (68) is to join think tank The Institute of Race Relations (IRR), the former Democratic Alliance (DA) leader announced on Sunday. The ex-Premier of the Western Cape – who stepped down in June, after two terms – tweeted today: “I am very pleased to be part of the IRR South Africa […]

Here’s the line-up of hot South African topics that the Carte Blanche team are investigating this Sunday 28 July (and available for South Africans abroad in most countries to stream from Tuesday 30 July). Soweto’s Multi-Billion Rand Electricity Bill Eskom is facing a financial crisis with a debt of over R450 billion. South Africa’s power […]

South Africa’s Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane says she “welcomes” President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to seek an urgent judicial review of her report that he violated the Executive Ethics Code regarding a donation to his 2017 campaign, and that she stands by her findings. Watch Mkhwebane explain why she investigated the matter, below. In a statement […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed members of the media on the report of Public Protector, Ms Busisiwe Mkhwebane, on Sunday evening.   Mkhwebane’s report alleged that the President had violated the Executive Ethics Code and the Constitution. Ramaphosa said the findings of the report are very serious and allege conduct that should not be taken […]

JOHANNESBURG – Former South African president Jacob Zuma was due back on Friday morning in Parktown, Johannesburg to continue answering questions – by invitation – at the public enquiry into state corruption. But this morning his lawyer said: “We are here today to inform you we will take no further part in these proceedings.” Advocate […]