The Weekend View

Since Thursday the Chinese hospital ship - Peace Ark -  has been docked at Cape Town's V&A Water Front. The gigantic medical vessel will be docked in the area until Wednesday, 29th August. In conjuction with the South African Military Health Service, the ship will be providing health service to the visiting local community of Cape Town and its outskirts. 

Experts are warning of a spike in fraud targeting retirement funds with the Two Pot system arriving on 1st September. The system will enable withdrawals of up to a third of your retirement contributions once a year from R2,000 up to the full balance of your savings pot. But without advanced biometrics, the security of such withdrawls can be compromised. Experts say Signatures on forms can be faked...

Ongoing load reduction and electricity challenges, water constraints, unemployment and crime were some of the many issues raised at the Presidential Imbizo YESTERDAY. Scores of  residents from Ekurhuleni and the surrounding areas, flocked to the Tsakane stadium for the Gauteng leg of the Imbizo. The meeting, which is led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, is held between the country's executive and com...

A new book, Life Esidimeni - Portrait of Lost Lives, will be launched in Johannesburg TODAY. The book is a graphic and detailed work to preserve memory of the 144 people with mental illness who died from neglect and starvation while in the care of Gauteng's public health system in 2016. In the course of 4 years, the author Harriet Perlman and photographer, Mark Lewis, travelled to meet the familie...

After 40 years in captivity, the last elephant in South Africa's national zoo has been released back into the wild. The elephant, named Charlie, was captured in 1984 from Zimbabwe's Hwange national park when he was two years old. He was taken to Boswell Wilkie Circus here in South Africa and trained to perform tricks. In the early 2000s he was transferred to the Pretoria Zoo. Thanks to the work of...

When Floyd Shivambu announced on Thursday that he was leaving his post as deputy leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters to join the uMkhonto Wesizwe Party, many analysts described the move as the biggest shake-up in the Red Berets' camp since their launch 11 years ago.  Accepting his resignation, EFF leader Julius Malema said Shivambu's departure was 'painful' and 'shoking'. The MKP on their part...

Diabetes is an escalating public health crisis in South Africa. This is according to the outcomes of the 2023 Diabetes Summit Report which has found that Diabetes-related mortality is on the rise in South Africa, and the management of the condition remains suboptimal, even within the private healthcare sector. Experts say despite the high burden on healthcare resources, numerous cases go undiagnos...

Scientists, THIS WEEK, discovered a reservoir of liquid water on Mars. The findings come from a new analysis of data from Nasa's Mars Insight Lander, which touched down on the planet back in 2018. While there is water frozen at the Martian poles and evidence of vapour in the atmosphere, this is the first time liquid water has been found on the planet. The scientists point out that the location of...

The Springboks are just a few hours before they battle against Australia in their second Rugby Championship match. Coach Rassie Erasmus has defended his decision to make 10 changes to the starting line up. The Boks are looking to build on their comprehensive 33-7 victory in Brisbane last weekend in their rematch against the Wallabies at the Optus Stadium in Perth THIS MORNING. The game kicks off a...

Zimbabwe is TODAY hosting the 44th SADeC heads of states and government summit in the capital, Harare. Some civic society organisations meeting in Harare ahead of the summit have called for the revival of the SADeC tribunal or formation of a new entity which would be mandated to hold member countries accountable for their actions. 

ANC chairperson in Johannesburg and Finance MMC Dada Morero has been elected as the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg during a special council meeting last night. Morero who was up against the DA's caucus leader, Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku received an overwhelming 189 votes while Kayser-Echeozonjoke received 60 votes. Five parties, the ANC, EFF, PA, IFP and ATM nominated Morero. Morero takes over K...

Anti-Financial Crime Experts say Generative AI technology has spawned increasingly sophisticated methods of deception, with deep fake technology emerging as a significant threat in South Africa. Criminals are creating more advanced versions of impersonation fraud using AI-generated video and voice.  They say they are so convincing that businesses have been duped into transferring millions to scamm...

The ministry of cooperative governance & traditional affairs (Cogta) has called for public comment on the municipal structures' amendment bill which seeks to give guidelines on how municipalities are governed. The Bill was introduced to deal with the instability and dysfunction that has been associated with local coalitions, and specifically in several metros. The bill proposes changing munici...

South Africa has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy globally, with nearly one in four girls falling pregnant before turning 20 years old. This is according to data provided by the World Health Organization.  Meanwhile, figures released by the department of health show that more than 2 700 girls, aged between 10 and 14, are now mothers after giving birth at public healthcare facilities a...

Botswana's recent ban on South African fruit and vegetable imports, including citrus, has drawn criticism from the Agricultural Business Chamber of SA (Agbiz). Agbiz warns that the restrictions not only disrupt trade, affecting less than 0.5% of SA's citrus exports but also strain political and economic ties between the two nations. Botswana has announced a temporary ban on orange imports, effecti...

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, Mosa Chabane, has  welcomed the preliminary investigation into the citizenship status of Miss SA contestant, Chidimma Adetshina. However, he has voiced concerns that the update raises more questions than answers and has called on the department to finalize its investigation. This comes after Home Affairs found prima facie evidence suggest...

We all have completely different genetic makeups, fitness goals, workouts, lifestyles, and metabolisms. All this influences how we should be eating. Even the healthiest foods can have varying effects on different people, depending on their genetic differences.  While packed with healthy benefits, garlic, for example, is a food that affects different people in different ways. For some people garlic...

Over the past few decades, the role of women has evolved significantly. More women are entering the workforce and often becoming the primary breadwinners. In addition to managing family and caregiving duties, many women also shoulder the financial responsibilities necessary to support themselves, their families and their households. In a world where financial independence equates to personal empow...

President Cyril Ramaphosa says over one-point-five-million women have experienced physical or sexual violence in the space of a year in South Africa. The President has cited a survey completed by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), conducted in 2022, but the detailed results of which have not yet been released. Ramaphosa also says the survey found, among other things, that over 600-thousan...

The Umkhonto Wesizwe Party has denied reports claiming it expelled 18 of its Members of Parliament. The party says these members were informed on the swearing-in day, on 25 June 2024, that they were being replaced as MPs. They were advised not to participate in the swearing-in, or if they chose to attend, the party will proceed with the understanding that they would be replaced at a later stage pe...

We are into the final two days of the Olympic Games in Paris. Team South Africa have won five medals, after a fantastic silver in the men's 4-by-100 relay last night. Akani Simbine has an Olympic medal, finally, after he ran a blistering final leg to bring the team up in a close contest. To look back at the race, and at the Olympics in general, Bongiwe Zwane spoke to SABC sports presenter Janet Wh...

The Patriotic Alliance says they are pursuing legal avenues to get to the bottom of Miss South Africa contestant Vannesa Chidimma Onwe Adetshina. The party says legal action may include interdicting Adetshina's participation in the Miss South Africa Beauty Peagant if necessary. The Patriotic Alliance says its immediate concern remains to determine whether Adetshina indeed is a South African citize...

The ANC found itself at the crossroads, saying if it fails to adapt it will perish.  The party briefed the media on Saturday, where they concluded the third and final day of the ANC NEC meeting.  The three day meeting deliberated on the outcomes of the 29 May elections among other issues.  

City of Tshwane MMC for Utilities, Regional Operations and Co-ordination, Themba Fosi says the Water Tanks Mafia is being felt across the city especially in Bronkhorstspruit where in several instances infrastructure was being tampered with. Fosi says there are instances where invoices from water tankers are questionable. Fosi further says the spends an estimated R98m on water tankers a year. 

The popular comedian, artist, author and motivational presenter, Simphiwe Shembe (38), a descendant of the prophet Isaiah Shembe says he supports the idea that male circumcision is a key component of South Africa's HIV prevention programme. Shembe, a proud Zulu man say he was born into a traditional culture and wants to promote circumcision as a lifestyle choice and a decision that a man makes for...