News South Africa

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has revealed that it had spent R5 billion on renting private properties for government departments and institutions.

Disturbing pictures and videos have been doing rounds on social media showing hundreds of people queueing outside the East London Home Affairs branch, disregarding Covid-19 health protocols.

The police have opened a case against the family of slain Prince Andries Mbangelwa Mahlangu for allegedly breaking lockdown regulations by exceeding the number of mourners allowed at a funeral.

South Africa has recorded 14 880 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the country’s total cases to 1 311 686.

Contralesa said it had learnt of at least four deaths linked to traditional beer.

They say while an agreement was reached to push back the return of pupils, they were never consulted about the early return of school management teams and teachers.

A group of unemployed youth from KwaBokweni in Mpumalanga blockaded a road calling for the removal of the MEC for Safety and Security and the Head of the Department.

The World Health Organisation’s emergency committee called Friday for globally-ramped up coronavirus sequencing studies in order to combat troubling new variants.

Forty-six people from the ethnic Pygmy group were killed — some of them decapitated — on Wednesday in a suspected militant attack in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, according to an NGO official based in the central African country.

A global coronavirus vaccine rollout suffered a major blow as Pfizer said it would delay shipments of the jabs in the next three to four weeks.

The mayor of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare has been released on bail after a month behind bars over graft allegations, his lawyer said.

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has claimed victory in presidential elections, rejecting as a “complete sham” early results that gave President Yoweri Museveni a wide lead.

Nigerian authorities have warned on Friday against the circulation of fake coronavirus vaccines in the country, where 10 million real doses of the shots are expected in March.

The conflict threatens the stability of the entire region, the EU’s top diplomat says.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) says it is determined to stimulate competitiveness in a market MultiChoice has dominated for more than two decades.

Clothing store Truworths says that its operations continue to be materially and negatively impacted by Covid-19 pandemic.

The Trump administration took another swipe at China and its biggest firms on Thursday, imposing sanctions on officials and companies for alleged misdeeds in the South China Sea.

Labour says legal duty on employers to grant requests would ease strain on families in lockdown.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has rejected the decision by government to delay the reopening of all public and private schools.

EFF deputy president, Floyd Shivambu says the party will table a Bill in Parliament next month to synchronise elections and postpone them to 2024.

Lobby group Afriforum and trade union Solidarity have given government until next Wednesday to fully explain the roll-out plan for the COVID-19 vaccine, or face court action.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has confirmed that the Western Cape government is in talks with manufacturers of vaccines to combat the coronavirus and is seeking to procure them independently of government.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino has tested positive for Covid-19, the French champions said, just two weeks after taking up his job.

Bulls star Stedman Gans isn’t surprised by several sevens players making almost seamless transitions into the 15-man game this season.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged the scrutiny the Premier League is under to comply, but warned them against scapegoating players for goal celebrations.

Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe speaks to Michael Timbs for Football Focus and says there is “no better feeling” than sharing the pitch with players he has grown up with through the academy.

It is expected to become the dominant form of the coronavirus by March in the United States.

It is expected to become the dominant form of the coronavirus by March in the United States.

Replacement exam grades are likely to arrive earlier and be decided by teachers and a test.

“Giggling bread” and “joyfully dancing salad” aren’t the usual dishes on a menu in Thailand, but one eatery is hoping its cannabis-infused cuisine can lure foreign tourists and take the taboo out of the recently legalised leaf.

Couldn’t you catch the latest episode of Skeem Saam? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

The 51-year-old Perry — a producer, actor, writer and director — first achieved mainstream US success with his outspoken grandmother character Madea in the 2005 movie ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’.

Missed the latest episode? You can watch it right here!

The government-sanctioned harassment of Martin Luther King Jr. provides the chilling spine of “MLK/FBI,” a documentary timed to the annual holiday for the civil rights icon. Director Sam Pollard’s film also raises an interesting question — namely, what historians and journalists owe King’s legacy in terms of releasing material amassed specifically in an effort to sully his name.

As President Donald Trump prepares to make his exit from the White House, fans of “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” want him to make a permanent, on-screen exit from the movie — and its star Macaulay Culkin seems to be on board with the idea.

Spike Lee paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman while accepting the American Cinematheque Award on Thursday night.

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” has set Spotify’s record for most streams in a day for a non-holiday song, the streaming service has announced.

Should it have happened at all?

Two scientists find revolutionary claims about the evasion of detection and defenses to be “nonsense.”

Facebook’s WhatsApp is delaying the roll out of new business features following user backlash over the company’s data sharing practices.

The e-Power unit sees the 1.5-litre petrol engine being reduced to generator duty for the electric motor.

For many, January is a month to rethink how much they imbibe, whether they’re worried about heavy drinking or just looking for a reset.

Antonio says he felt he was discriminated against because of his skin colour when he was sectioned.

The more contagious version, first identified in Britain, is expected to spread widely and lead to further strains on an already overburdened health care system.

Donations of plasma from people who have recovered from the virus have been suspended.

The world is on course for a “catastrophic” temperature rise this century, the United Nations said as it confirmed that 2020 rivalled 2016 as the hottest year on record.

Japan is hit by severe snow storms, killing at least eight and bringing some regions to a standstill.

Three Covid-19 vaccines have now been approved for use in the UK. The BBC’s Laura Foster explains which groups will get it first.

The palm cockatoo is thought to be the only bird to use tools musically to attract a mate.