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Sona 2020 in a nutshell

Catch up on everything you need to know about the state of the nation address in under 5 minutes.

13 Feb 2020 3PM 5 min

"There is a murderer in the house" - EFF disrupts Sona 2020

The EFF disrupted the proceedings at the opening of parliament on Thursday by objecting to the presence of apartheid's last president, FW de Klerk. Julius Malema stood up before National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to deliver the state of the nation address and said it…

13 Feb 2020 12PM 1 min

321 students will be admitted at Wits after 12-hour SRC sit-in

Wits University and its student representative council (SRC) have agreed to help disenfranchised students in a "one-off" deal reached after a marathon sit-in at at the main campus on Monday. Since the start of the year, around 321 students have not been able to register due to historical debt, academic…

11 Feb 2020 6AM 3 min

About 60 more novel coronavirus cases on Japan cruise ship

About 60 more people on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship moored off Japan have been diagnosed with novel coronavirus, national broadcaster NHK said on Monday. Other local media also reported that about 60 more cases had been confirmed, raising the number of infected passengers and crew to about…

11 Feb 2020 1AM 3 min

WHO briefs us on what is known about the coronavirus

On 30 January, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak of novel coronavirus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. To date the global death toll has risen 426 and confirmed global cases have reached 19 000 as of the 3 February. WHO manager of emergency response in Africa,…

4 Feb 2020 1AM 4 min

The song of humpback whales off of the coast of Cape Town

Cape Town has long been a famous stopover for lonely seafarers – a last chance of nightlife before crossing the sea. Now scientists have shown the same is true underwater, where visiting humpback whales spend up to 17hrs a day singing to each other, sometimes together, in sing-a-longs that can…

1 Feb 2020 9PM 13 min

Neil Aggett's bravery under torture cited by Nkosinathi Biko

It is heartless to take someone’s life and then deprive them of the right to say “I fought 'til the end”, says the son of Steve Biko on the fresh inquest into the death of Neil Aggett. Both anti-apartheid activists, Biko and Aggett, died in police detention without trial. Nkosinathi…

21 Jan 2020 3AM 2 min

Thuma Mina was meant for Jacob Zuma

As president Cyril Ramaphosa enters his third year as ANC president, the slogan of his presidency, 'thuma mina’, is fading. The invoking of music legend Hugh Masekela’s song Thuma Mina no longer carries the same level of optimism and euphoria it once did. Sunday Times journalist Qaanitah Hunter tracks the…

10 Jan 2020 7AM 14 min

A matric certificate is not your only option

While SA celebrates its increased matric pass rate, a proportion of the country's youth will not get a matric certificate or be accepted into a university.Which raises the question: what next?Jan Badenhorst is the CEO of Skills Academy, which offers distance learning courses to people who did not complete matric…

8 Jan 2020 7AM 4 min

ENERGY EXPERT - Prepare to start producing your own power

Eskom is failing - and a successful South Africa depends on moving on to other power suppliers. This is the view of energy experts, as the embattled power utility announced on Monday evening that stage 6 load-shedding would be implemented for the first time - meaning longer and more frequent…

11 Dec 2019 7AM 5 min

Zozibini Tunzi message to SA after being crowned Miss Universe

There was jubilation, tears, shouts of joy and excitement as Miss South Africa 2019, Zozibini Tunzi, was crowned Miss Universe at the Tyler Perry Studios is Atlanta last night. It’s a huge leap for the humble girl from Tsolo who grew up amid great poverty in a rural part of…

9 Dec 2019 1AM 1 min

NPA is confident it will get a conviction against Julius Malema for firearm incident

EFF leader Julius Malema allegedly discharged a firearm in public during his party's fifth anniversary celebrations in July last year. The incident took place at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in the Eastern Cape.The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said in a statement that Malema faced five counts, including the unlawful possession…

29 Nov 2019 5AM 2 min

Extreme weather could put SA's food and water security at risk, says climatologist

The Wits Global Change Institute’s Prof Francois Engelbrecht warns that global warming is having a visibly devastating affect on the African continent. He stresses that, as carbon dioxide concentrations increase globally, SA will need to prepare for more frequent and intense droughts that may put the country's food and water…

25 Nov 2019 6AM 4 min

"It's a waste of time" - Julius Malema on assault charges

EFF leader Julius Malema said on Wednesday that a common assault case against him and party spokesperson Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi was “useless” and a waste of time. Malema and Ndlozi are accused of assaulting a police officer at Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's funeral in April 2018.

19 Nov 2019 1AM 4 min

Global banks were 'complicit' in aiding state capture - Peter Hain

International banks were "complicit" in helping the state capture project by the Gupta family. And they cannot claim ignorance of their role in enabling state capture under former president Jacob Zuma. This is according to Lord Peter Hain who on Monday testified at the commission of inquiry into state capture…

18 Nov 2019 9AM 2 min

AfriForum to help catch Senzo Meyiwa's killer

Private prosecutor Gerrie Nel has agreed to assist in the unsolved murder case of Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana player, Senzo Meyiwa. The renowned advocate's involvement was announced on Tuesday by AfriForum's Kallie Kriel, who said they took on the case following a request from the Meyiwa family. Speaking alongside…

5 Nov 2019 5AM 3 min

2019 Medium-term budget policy statement highlights

The medium-term budget policy statement delivered in parliament by Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, shows consolidated government expenditure will reach R6.3-trillion over the next three years. A staggering R796bn of this will be going towards servicing the country’s debt, which is now at R3-trillion and will balloon to R4.5-trillion in the…

30 Oct 2019 9AM 5 min

Police battle refugees during eviction of protesters in Cape Town

Police have arrested about 100 people in an altercation flowing from a court-ordered eviction to remove a group involved in a sit-in protest in Cape Town. About 300 refugees and asylum seekers have been occupying the Waldorf Arcade in St George's Mall, outside the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),…

30 Oct 2019 6AM 1 min

Excessive social media use is having an adverse effect on teen mental health

According to research published by American psychiatry journal, Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media are more likely to develop mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, feelings of self-consciousness and low self-esteem. In light of the research, Fourways-based non-profit Witkoppen Clinic has raised concerns…

28 Oct 2019 9AM 4 min

BOOK REVIEW | Yellow & Confused

Food blogger and activist Ming-Cheau Lin talks to Michele Magwood about her memoir Yellow & Confused, about growing up Chinese in Bloemfontein, and coming to terms with being a “Third Culture Kid”.

22 Oct 2019 5AM 21 min