The Weekend View

While mental health has become an increasingly important topic in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, a subject that remains relatively untouched is the topic of access to quality mental healthcare for those residing in rural and outlying areas in South Africa. Experts suggest that high unemployment, poverty, violence and political and economic instability have exacerbated the upsurge in menta...

The Special Investigation Unit says the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has failed to design and implement controls to ensure that there is an annual reconciliation between the funds disbursed to institutions of higher learning and the allocation of those funds to the students. This as the SIU has urged students who received NSFAS funds unduly to come forward. The SIU says its in the...

Civil society organisations say they are extremely concerned about the Department of Basic Education's amended Regulations Relating to Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure. They say the Regulations published in the Government Gazette on 27 June 2024, dilute critical obligations previously placed on the DBE and provincial education departments to make urgent and adeq...

Many South Africans under the age of 60 plan to work beyond retirement age, with many seeing retirement as a transition phase. This is according to the 2024 Retirement Insights Survey conducted by FNB. The survey showed that the vast majority of South Africans are insufficiently prepared for retirement, mainly due to economic pressures and a lack of financial literacy. Comparing these finding with...

International Wildlife Charity,  Born Free is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an official sanctuary certification from global accreditation body, the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). Born Free's Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve has been officially recognised as a true sanctuary. It is the first big cat sanctuary in South Africa to be awarded the accredited st...

The Democratic Alliance has written to Parliament's Police Portfolio Committee Chairperson, requesting SAPS be summoned for failing to update on the alleged VBS corruption by Shivambu and Malema. This comes after a leaked former VBS Chairperson, Tshifiwa Matodzi's affidavit saying EFF allegedly received donations to the value of around sixteen million rand. EFF spokesperson, Leigh-Ann Mathys says...

South Africa has one of the lowest rates of savings in the world. In addition to being a problem for households, poor personal saving practices may also have a negative impact on the economy as a whole. Budgeting and understanding how to allocate towards savings is a skill that should be instilled in children from a young age, to help them build a better relationship with money. 

Orphaned baby rhinos drink about 20 litres (about 20 boxes)  litters of low fat milk per day!! Now.. with the adult rhino species being poached, de-horned and killed, most baby rhinos find themselves in danger of death unless they are rescued and taken care of. For a Mandela Day initiative we have various communities in the North of Johannesburg who have gone out of their way to collect thousands...

Big Food companies are under scrutiny for potentially misleading consumers about the healthiness of their products. This issue is particularly urgent for children, who are increasingly suffering from obesity and related health issues. Globally, over 220 million children aged five to 18 are obese, with South Africa seeing one in five children under 13 affected – twice the global average. 

Next week The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is hosting the 25th International Conference of the African Languages Association of Southern Africa (ALASA) in collaboration with the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB). The conference will focus on exploring how African languages can unlock new opportunities in various sectors, including education, business, and technology. 

The youthful looking 48 year old award-winning multidisciplinary artist Robin Rhode has been working in South Africa in Florida West of Johannesburg for about two months in an abandoned park. The old tennis court that has been cleaned up and it's cracked floor is now a canvas for Robin's creations. He's known for his wall art but he is now shifting away from walls to work on the ground. 

The Springboks end their losing streak against Ireland which dates back to 2016. 

Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says government priorities are still based on the Medium Term Strategic Framework even under the Government of National Unity. Ntshavheni has hit back at criticism of the size of the cabinet saying other factors like the demographics of the country, geographic spread, youth- and gender representation were also considered.

An alliance of advocates for equitable cancer care in South Africa is calling on the new Government of National Unity to make cancer a political priority, with a dedicated National Cancer Institute to close legislative and policy gaps that are driving life-threatening treatment disparities.  The group says South Africa faces an impending cancer prevention and control crisis, with at least 3000 pat...

The International Federation of Christian Churches (IFCC) welcomes the formation of Government of National Unity (GNU),which officially ushers in the 7th Administration. This is after what has been proven to be a historical election on the 29th of May 2024, where no political party was given a majority mandate to govern by the Electorate. The IFCC pleads  with the ministers to rise above party pol...

The latest  Consumer Default Index report from Experian has put the spotlight on the financial health of young consumers.  The report has revealed that loan defaults have decreased for young South Africans but that access is still a hurdle. Jaco van Jaarsveldt, Experian's Head of Commercial Strategy and Innovation says this positive trend doesn't necessarily mean their finances have drastically im...

The High Court in Pretoria on FRIDAY  found that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa's (NERSA) decision to consider municipalities' applications for electricity tariff increases without the required cost studies is unlawful and invalid. According to Afriforum this means that the regulator may not consider any applications for electricity tariff increases from municipalities unless the re...

University of Pretoria (UP) scientists have contributed to discovering how the naked mole rat is able to withstand heart attacks and fend off bowel cancer, two of the most fatal human ailments in the developed world. Their findings were published recently in two Nature Communications papers. Prof Nigel Bennett and Dr Daniel Hart, co-authors on both papers and experts in mole rat evolution at UP's...

Online dating and dating apps are powerful connectors in the dating landscape. Since the first dating site launched in the 1990s, online dating has grown in popularity and become normalized around the world.  Millions of people use it to find love and companionship – but as well as the rewards of finding a partner, there are also risks, including online scams and unwanted or threatening behavior....

According to non-governmental organization, Nguvu collective, lack of awareness the stigma that is associated with menstruation is increased exponentially in prisons where women face intersecting discriminatory practices because of their gender and  incarceration. 

South African man's senior national team will be playing in the exciting final of the ICC T20 world cup at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados this afternoon for the very first time since rejoining international sporting community in 1992. The Proteas will be playing against India, who are the favorites to lift the trophy. It's going to be a difficult game, however if the Proteas bowling a...

In the latest developments, the ANC and the DA have yet to reconcile their differences over Cabinet positions. Wil this threaten the unity in government of national unity talks?  To unpack this we are now joined on the line by Dr Ongama Mtimka  political analyst at Nelson Mandela University. 

The Democratic Alliance is one of the major partners of the proposed Government of National Unity. The party has been governing the Western Cape since 2009. It retained the province with an outright majority in the May 2024 elections. We visited Houtbay, a traditional fishing town and economic hub, surrounded by impoverished communities. Mercedes Besent spoke to some of the people of Hangberg abou...

South Africa has one foot in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, and remain unbeaten so far in the tournament. But their game against England yesterday was a close one, as they scrambled to a win by 7 runs. The match went down to essentially the last ball, as a bit of wayward bowling near the end of the match came close to up-ending them. To look at the match, and their chances of reaching the s...

South African consumers across the board find themselves increasingly under pressure due to the high cost of living and other factors outside their control, such as the increasing food and petrol prices. What's also concerning, is the shrinking budget allocation on essential items, such as education, healthcare and savings.  Where consumers do have a say though, is in how they spend their money, o...