JOHANNESBURG – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa followed up his election pledge to tackle corruption by appointing a veteran lawyer to lead a newly formed anti-corruption unit, his office said on Friday. Ramaphosa has promised to root out corruption, cited by ratings agencies and investors as a major obstacle to economic reforms needed to turn […]

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille has again embroiled herself in a racial twitter storm in the past 24 hours, with her hashtag #BlackPrivilege trending on South Africa’s Twitter feeds all day. According to some, her comments were incredibly racist… but in the view of others her comments were taken out of context and she had […]

All votes cast by South Africans abroad on 27 April 2019 made it back to the IEC in South Africa on time to be counted towards SA’s national elections! Phew! This will come as good news to those South African expats who travelled hundreds, sometimes thousands, of kilometres to make sure they cast their vote. […]

PRETORIA – South Africa’s unemployment rate inched up to 27.6% in the first quarter, official data showed on Tuesday, underscoring the scale of the economic challenge faced by President Cyril Ramaphosa after his ANC party won re-election. Ramaphosa is trying to revive the South African economy after a decade of slow growth and rising joblessness. […]

The South African government said on Monday it was “instructing” the country’s athletics governing body to appeal against the Court of Arbitration for Sport decision on female eligibility that directly affects their Olympic champion Caster Semenya. Yet Athletics South Africa (ASA) maintained silence on the matter with sources telling Reuters they were still considering their […]

Boosting South African growth and overhauling bloated power firm Eskom are post-election priorities for the African National Congress, but a reduced majority may force President Cyril Ramaphosa to compromise on those and other economic reforms. Ramaphosa took office in February 2018 with a pledge to revive a sclerotic economy and attract foreign investors. But as […]

HARARA – Zimbabwe has started rolling power cuts lasting up to eight hours that will also hit mines, a schedule from the state power utility showed on Monday, after reduced output at both the largest hydro plant and ageing coal-fired generators. The power cuts will add to mounting public anger against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government […]

Carte Blanche shares interesting views about why South Africans came out to vote, they also investigate unethical breeding practices of pedigree dogs and more this  Sunday 12 May, in South Africa; and available to stream from Tues 14 May for South Africans abroad in many countries. Save the Turtles A team of young marine biologists […]

This week US (and international) audiences of Trevor Noah’s The Daily Show were treated to more South African news than usual. There was the Caster Semenya decision (watch Trevor’s reaction here) and the SA National Elections. In one video, Trevor exposed Americans to the anti-immigration sentiment in South Africa. Sharing footage from South Africa, Trevor […]

South African expats voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic Alliance (DA), with the party scooping a 74.45% victory in the ‘out of country’ category. South Africans living or travelling abroad voted on 27 April 2019, some driving overnight or flying long distances to cast their vote. According to the IEC there were only 19,882 votes cast […]

Whilst the African National Congress (ANC) remains the leader in all provinces except the Western Cape, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has lost some ground as the official opposition across the country… with the EFF stepping into that position in a few provinces, and the IFP doubling its popularity to become KwaZulu-Natal’s new official opposition party. […]

Vote counting in the 2019 South African National and Provincial Elections has reached the final stages with the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) vote capturing process at 99.81%, shortly after 07h40. According to the leader board at the commission’s national Results Operation Centre (ROC) in Pretoria, not only was the vote capturing process at 99.81% but […]

PRETORIA – The African National Congress (ANC) was headed toward victory in South Africa’s election on Friday, partial results showed, though the party was on course for its worst performance in a national poll in its 25 years in government. As of 07h30, ballots in 75.6 percent of 22,925 voting districts had been counted. The […]

PRETORIA – Results from over half of voting districts in South Africa’s election put the African National Congress on course to retain power but at risk of its worst performance in a national poll since the end of white minority rule 25 years ago, as analysts say the turnout in black areas was lower this […]

The IEC has confirmed that 20 suspects have been arrested in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on charges of ‘double voting’ in the SA National Elections. The IEC said that 17 people succeeded in voting twice in Danhouser. The other two, who failed before achieving their goal of voting twice, were arrested in Port Shepstone and Hluhluwe […]

If you live abroad, or otherwise missed voting in yesterday’s national elections in South Africa, then filmmaker SUSAN SCOTT’s tweets of her experience in the queue at Randburg are a must-read. You’ll feel like you were there!!! Susan – director of the multi award-winning Stroop: Journey into the Rhino Horn War – began her very […]

Election results have been trickling in overnight in South Africa, and current data shows that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) is enjoying an early lead nationally. With just over 26 percent of the voting districts having completed their counting so far, the results up on the leader board at the IEC’s National Results Operation […]

PRETORIA – South African elections officials counted ballot papers early on Thursday, a day after a vote seen as the toughest test yet for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party 25 years after it swept to power. The elections for a new parliament and nine provincial legislatures are the first barometer of national sentiment […]

As allegations swirl regarding two potential instances of double voting, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has assured voters of the overall integrity of the electoral process. “Two separate instances have been brought to the attention of the Electoral Commission over the past few hours, in which it is alleged voters were able to […]

At least two people in South Africa were able to cast multiple votes on Wednesday as seen in the video below, and several others have reported that the ‘indelible’ ink was easy to rub off; and that the process used to check ID books was not vigorous enough to flag someone who tried to use […]

After casting his vote in Soweto this morning, Democratic Alliance (DA) Leader Mmusi Maimane said: “Fear says to us let’s stick with what we know, hope says lets bring change…” The African National Congress (ANC) faces its toughest electoral test on Wednesday as it seeks to reverse a slide in support from voters frustrated by […]

“How can I cast my vote when I’m still sharing stream water with dogs and cows?” asks Zwelihle Zimu. He is one of the residents of Sweetwaters in Ebaleni in Pietermaritzburg who fetch water from a nearby stream. There are no communal taps and the water tanker comes only once a week, says Zimu. “We […]

Cape Town’s The Kiffness (aka David Scott) has posted a video about Mmusi Maimane that’s gone viral in South Africa… even reaching the desk of the Democratic Alliance (DA) leader himself. An excited Scott said: “GUYS! MMU$I MAIMANE WATCHED THE VIDEO ???” Maimane said: “Love your work. Indeed an honest government that focuses on economic […]

JOHANNESBURG – It’s three days before elections in South Africa and the major parties have been making promises to voters this weekend. While South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) vows it will kick-start the economy and deal with corruption, and the DA promises to lead coalitions in South Africa and tackle racism, the Economic […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) will kick-start the economy and deal with corruption, it vowed on Sunday, three days before elections at which its overwhelming majority faces its sternest test since the party rose to power. Though the ANC has won each parliamentary election since the transition from apartheid in 1994, […]