Google

What’s the background here? In August, Daily Maverick broke the story of how the US State Department was applying for visas for about 30 Kenyans to come to South Africa to assist with processing Afrikaners who were applying for “refugee” status in the US. Why did they have to be Kenyan? The refugee programme is …

Staff Writer  ·17 Dec 2025 Annual consumer price inflation eased to 3.5% in November from 3.6% in October, dropping by 0.1% month-on-month. The cooling surprised against economists’ expectations, where the majority polled by Bloomberg and Reuters anticipated no change. However, despite the positive of lower inflation, the data also reflected another worrying assessment: food price …

South Africa’s iconic abalone, long a cornerstone of coastal ecosystems and livelihoods, is under severe threat.  Decades of poaching and trafficking have pushed wild populations of the endemic marine mollusc, Haliotis midae, toward collapse, while fuelling organised crime and deepening poverty in coastal communities, a recent Traffic report, ShellShock: The State of South African Abalone …

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here. The US is ramping up pressure on South Africa over its ties to Russia, China and Iran, as well as its accusations of genocide against Israel brought before the International Court of Justice in 2023. Despite efforts to smooth out these wrinkles, the US continues …

Four years after the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, South African doctors are still hearing patients complaining that they “feel better, but my mind isn’t the same”, and physician scientist Professor Jonny Peter writes in The Conversation that what began as a respiratory virus seems to have left a lingering mark on some people who …

France’s Ligue 1 is the league with the most players at the Africa Cup of Nations finals. Still, South Africa’s Betway Premiership also has a healthy representation at the tournament in Morocco, which gets underway on Sunday. Catch all the action LIVE on SuperSport. With 50 players called up, Ligue 1 will be the most represented …

Netflix’s live-action remake of the beloved Japanese franchise One Piece has been renewed for a third season ahead of the premiere of its second season on 10 March 2026. One Piece was one of Netflix’s most popular shows in 2023, becoming its most-watched series worldwide for two straight weeks. The show makes extensive use of …

South African households and businesses should be wary of an increase in criminal activity — including more cases of solar panel theft — during the holiday period. MyBroadband recently asked two prominent security companies — Brinant Group and Bulls Security — about typical holiday crime trends and how households can avoid falling victim to them. …

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Wednesday, 17 December 2025, in his capacity as the interim Chairperson of Southern African Development Community (SADC), address the opening and participate in a virtual Extraordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government. The virtual Extraordinary SADC Summit is taking place under the theme “Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation, and …

Luke Fraser  ·17 Dec 2025 Sanlam, South Africa’s largest insurer, has warned South Africans to be vigilant for scams this festive season.  The company stated that the international scamming ecosystem has evolved to industrial levels, leaving consumers vulnerable to sophisticated and difficult-to-spot scams.  Sanlam advised consumers to be extra cautious amid a sharp rise in …

Malcolm Libera  ·16 Dec 2025 South Africans can expect a more substantial law-enforcement presence on the roads this festive season as authorities across the country ramp up efforts to curb crashes, crime, and by-law violations. With holiday traffic already building, the government has launched extensive safety campaigns aimed at reducing the high number of fatalities …

Christmas is less than a fortnight away, and many South African retailers are running festive season promotions and offering discounted prices on a range of tech products. MyBroadband looked for some of the best early Christmas tech deals and found great prices on wireless keyboards, kitchen appliances, high-resolution TVs, and smartphones. There are deals that …

Africa’s reform momentum, supported by resilient external inflows and firming commodity prices, is driving a robust macroeconomic recovery across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In its Global Focus – Economic Outlook 2026, Standard Chartered Global Research projects SSA growth of around 4.3% in 2026, up from 4.0% in 2025 – outpacing the global average of 3.4% and …

Malcolm Libera  ·16 Dec 2025 The rand strengthened on Monday, buoyed by higher gold prices as local investors look towards the final economic data releases of the year for insights into the health of Africa’s most industrialised economy. The rand traded at 16.78 against the dollar, approximately 0.6% stronger than its previous close.  Gold remained …

What was once unthinkable is fast becoming one of South Africa’s most chilling social trends: a growing number of children hurting and killing one another. Once-rare cases are now emerging with unsettling frequency, slipping from community whispers into morgue reports and police dockets. In Qawukeni Village, Qonce, in the Eastern Cape, 14-year-old Liqhawe Komeni’s life …

Trains at the Paarden Eiland Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa depot in Cape Town. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks The City of Cape Town has approved a Rail Business Plan for devolving operation of the city’s Metrorail services from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) to the municipality. The City will now submit …

Two new wind farms will supply 100 percent renewable electricity to Etana Energy customers under long term off-take agreements. Projects will generate around 580 GWh per year and displace approximately 600,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Construction is set to begin shortly, with commissioning planned for mid 2027. Etana Energy and Acciona Energía have reached …

South Africa’s electricity ministry selected seven groups of companies as pre-qualified bidders for the country’s R440 billion transmission-grid expansion program. Companies among the consortia include Adani Power’s Middle East unit, Chinese firms State Grid International Development and China Southern Power Grid International, and Electricite de France, the ministry said in a statement Monday in the …

Stellenbosch University has capped one of the youngest medical doctors to qualify in South Africa after 21-year-old David Obagbuwa graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree at the December graduation ceremony. Mr Obagbuwa began his medical studies at the age of 15, joining the university’s 2020 intake of medical students. …

As a powerful ball-carrying flank, Lusanda Dumke could knock back any opponent on the rugby field, but she sadly couldn’t beat an aggressive and rare form of gastric cancer. The Blue Bulls Company confirmed their star captain, who led the club to three consecutive Women’s Premier League titles from 2023–2025, has died. She was only …

The once-bustling Thaba ‘Nchu Airport, opened in 1988 as one of Bophuthatswana’s flagship infrastructure projects, now stands as a stark symbol of a local economy that has long since stalled. When the airport was launched during the Bantustan’s eleventh “independence” anniversary, it was marketed as a gateway for international and domestic visitors. Its presence helped …

South African authorities have confiscated hundreds of millions of rand’s worth of counterfeit goods across the country as they attempt to crack down on the illicit trade. The biggest bust of the year occurred at the Durban harbour during a routine cargo profiling exercise, when officers discovered that two shipping… Social Issues: Many publications focus …

Rubicon’s head of e-mobility, Hilton Musk, has spearheaded a major change for electric vehicle (EV) charging in South Africa that is, in some ways, ahead of more developed countries. The second cousin of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO with the same surname, Musk is a qualified civil engineer with 25 years of experience across various …

As South Africa commemorates Reconciliation Day, President Cyril Ramaphosa has reflected on the devastating impact of past political violence, noting how it cost many families their loved ones. Thousands have gathered for the event at the historic Blood River Museum in Nquthu, northern KwaZulu-Natal. Delivering the keynote address, the President highlighted the historical scars of …