·13 May 2026
The latest employment data from Stats SA paints a bleak picture for South African businesses in the first quarter of the year, with economists warning that things are likely to get worse.
Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the first quarter of 2026 showed that the country lost 345,000 jobs between January and March.
The number of employed people fell by 345,000 to 16.8 million, while the unemployed rose by 301,000.
As a result, the labour force…
Official Languages: South Africa has 11 official languages, including Zulu, Xhosa,
Afrikaans, English, and Sesotho.
blackfire
Fun South African Fact: South African Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first heart transplant on 3 December 1967 at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. The groundbreaking surgery was carried out on Louis Washkansky and Dr. Barnard was assisted by a large and exceptional team of surgeons, nurses and technicians. One of Dr. Barnard’s assistants was Hamilton Naki, a black laboratory assistant who had worked previously as a gardener and went on to work in the animal laboratory at the University of Cape Town. He had assisted Dr Barnard with research leading to the transplant. In the apartheid days, Naki had no access to higher education due to his race. Despite being unable to access formal training, he learned from and assisted university researchers and went on to do incredible work.
Blinker
Ag man! [Ach-man] This is the Afrikaans equivalent to “Oh man!” and is often used at the beginning of a sentence to express pity, resignation or irritation.Example: “Ag, man!” / “Ag, no man!” / “Ag, shame man!”