A fire currently tearing through a Johannesburg CBD building is one of the biggest news stories on Twitter today. While South Africans have the hashtags #JoburgFire to keep up to speed with developments, often hashtags can lead to unverified news disseminating. Here are a few official, trusted Twitter accounts you can follow for more news on the developing story. (Also, read our updating Johannesburg CBD fire roundup for more a more in depth look at the fire.) City of Joburg The City of Johannesburg's official Twitter account. @CityofJoburgEMS official is creating a buffer by directly splashing water into the building to prevent the fire from...
There's some bad news today, South Africa. The nation has fallen into a technical recession after its latest gross domestic product (GDP) figures were released today. The GDP shrunk for the second quarter in a row in 2018 -- a key determining factor when describing a technical recession. In Q1 2018, economic activity dipped by 2.6%. In Q2 2018, it reduced by a further 0.7%. Agriculture landed the heaviest blow, falling nearly 30% quarter-over-quarter. Transport (-4.9), Trade (-1.9%) and Government (-0.5%) were the other biggest sandbags on the economy. Decline in Q2:2018 #economic activity was driven by a drop in #agriculture, #government...
It's not okay for your parents to share baby photos of you on social media without permission, but when it comes to Beyonce, I think we can all admit that there is at least one exception. Queen B is 37 years old today, and her mom Tina Knowles Lawson took to Instagram to wish her a happy B-Day, and express her love for her daughter. "It’s already your birthday where you are. So Happy Birthday to the nicest, owner of the most beautiful, generous, loving hearts ever!!!! Brilliant too! Always thinking, planning, analyzing, strategizing, how you can make everything you touch...
As a South African, seeing the word "listeriosis" trending on Twitter is a signal of both bad news and terribly boring sandwiches devoid of meat products. But today, it's trending for a positive reason. Grab those knives, South Africa, because you can now eat polony to your heart's content (or until your doctor advises otherwise). South Africa's Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi announced today that the listeriosis outbreak, which plagued South Africa in early 2018, is now over. No new cases have been reported within the past three months. The beginning of @SAgovnews's thread can be found below. . @HealthZA Minister Aaron Motsoaledi...
The internet has seen some incredible dance fads in recent years. Who can forget the Haarlem Shake, 2013's fascination with twerking, or more recently the #InMyFeelings challenge? Now, UK Prime Minister Theresa May has become the centre of the latest. During her recent visit to a host of African countries, May first donned her dancing shoes at a school in Cape Town, bopping with a number of kids who actually understood rhythm. Former UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott called May's interpretation the "Maybot". I assume she’s doing the Maybot pic.twitter.com/xuWZICGRD5 — John Prescott (@johnprescott) August 28, 2018 She then arrived in Kenya, while onlookers...
If you thought Netflix nailing DStv was harsh, or Cell C mocking Rain's LTE service was crude, you're going to love Nando's shade at practically every brand in South Africa. In its latest ad posted to Twitter, the food firm takes aim at brands' lavish and often esoteric advertising campaigns. "Is this how we sell things now? Mxm. There’s more than one flavour to South Africa," Nando's chides on Twitter. Front and centre is an allusion to Absa's (sorry "African Nasti") recent brand refresh, adopting a similar logo and font. Aesthetically rich marketing campaigns are also slated, including those with face paints,...
Eminem dropped his latest surprise album at midnight and it has sent the internet into a frenzy. Titled Kamikaze, the 13 track album is very much a long, angry rant about various social and political issues, particularly in the rap industry. It also directly calls out a significant number of popular rappers, including Drake. “…if you ain’t Joyner/If you ain’t Kendrick or Cole/Or Sean then you’re a goner”, says the rapper in the first track on the album, "The Ringer". Eminem announced Kamikaze’s release on his Twitter account, saying, “Tried not 2 overthink this 1... enjoy.” Tried not 2 overthink this 1... enjoy....
Cape Town and surrounds did in fact have an "interesting" weekend of weather, at least according to SAWS. The national weather service issued widespread warnings of gale force winds, heavy rains and localised flooding in areas across the Western Cape. It also mentioned snow. And Instagram wasn't too far behind the forecast. On Sunday, hundreds of social media users and adventurers posted pictures and videos of themselves enjoying snow in the province. Ceres, and the surrounding Koue Bokkeveld mountains, was a hotbed (coldbed?) of activity. Sneeu buite Ceres! ❄❄❄ Foto's | @shelleychristians #wegtydskrif #joureisbeginhier #menseselense #southafrica #travelmagazine #ontdekjouplek #sneeu #diswinter #snow #westerncape #ceres A...
For those wondering just how Adam Catzavelos would respond to South Africa's uproar regarding his racist viral video, you now have your answer. "I have caused unspeakable pain to every single person in South Africa," began the first official statement made by Catzavelos after said video was published to Twitter on Tuesday. The video depicts Catzavelos using a racial slur on a beach while delivering a weather report. Not "one k***** in sight", he notes in the video. The clip and the resultant anger became one of South Africa's biggest stories on Wednesday, spawning a new meme, and prompting the likes of...
EFF leader Julius Malema has called US President Donald Trump a "pathological liar" after he called for an investigation into South Africa's land reforms and farm murders. During a briefing at the party's headquarters in Braamfontein on Thursday, Malema slapped Trump's involvement in South Africa's politics. "e must put it on record, unequivocally, that Donald “the pathological liar” Trump, we are not scared of you and your USA or Western imperialist forces," he said. "We are not the generation that is going to kneel at the statue of Western imperialism and accept to live in the indignity of black landlessness." #EFFMediaBriefing Malema:...
Google Searches for South Africa has spiked after Fox News ran a segment, anchored by Tucker Carlson, addressing the country's land expropriation debate. The spike also comes after US President Donald Trump tweeted that Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, will investigate the issue more closely. (Read a full report on Trump's comments and reaction here). And while Twitter users have used all 280 characters to air their views, there is another way we can gauge internet sentiment: Google Trends. Looking at specific queries punched into Google's search bar, we can evaluate just how SA is perceived within the United States. And...
US President Donald Trump this morning turned his eye towards South Africa after a Fox News segment, anchored by Tucker Carlson, dipped its toes into the land expropriation debate. "South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has just begun the process of seizing land from his own citizens, without compensation, purely due to their skin color," the report's description on YouTube reads. "That's far more racist than anything Donald Trump has ever done, of course, but elites in America barely even care." Read more: Google searches for South Africa spike after Fox News video, Trump tweet In the segment, Carlson laments the South African government...
Adam Catzavelos, the South African whose racial slur-loaded video found its way onto Twitter, is already a meme. In said viral video which appeared on the social network on Tuesday, Catzavelos gives his viewers a brief weather report from an exotic beach, adding that there's not "one k***** in sight". Political parties and prominent social media users soon laid into Catzavelos, with the EFF in particular laying a case against him. But it seems that some South Africans are finding a more inventive and immediate way to respond to his comments. The hashtag #AdamCatzavelosChallenge briefly trended on Twitter in South Africa on...
A man by the name of Adam Catzavelos is receiving heated criticism from South African political parties, citizens and social media users after he published a video in which he uses a racial slur. Said video was republished to Twitter on Tuesday, in which Catzavelos can be seen enjoying sunshine on an exotic beach. After giving his viewers a weather report, he also announces that there's not "one k***** in sight". "You can't beat this," he adds in 20 second clip. "..... and not one K@!##&÷ in sight " wow... why doesn't he move there then. Some of you white folks are...
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, has died. The singer-songwriter fell ill earlier this week, and died on 16 August as a result of pancreatic cancer. She was 76. Born in 1942 in Memphis, USA, Aretha Franklin's career spanned seven decades, and included hits like "Respect", "Natural Woman" and "I Say A Little Prayer". Selling some 75-million records, there's no doubt that she had a massive impact on the music industry. Celebrities took to Twitter on Thursday night to mourn her death, celebrate her life, and thank her for her contribution to society. Former US President Barack Obama led the sentiment. "Aretha helped define the American...
Competition: win Comic Con Africa tickets and Funko Pops with Gammatek
Eminem’s 153 disses on ‘Kamikaze’ visualised in this infographic
Updating: Johannesburg CBD fire is now contained, 3 firefighters dead
#Recession: South Africa’s politicians blast the ANC after GDP shrinks
People are already trolling Apple over the iPhone’s new names
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