It might be December, but parts of the Western Cape had a particularly wet week according to rainfall figures released by the South African Weather Service on Friday. From Wednesday through to Friday morning, certain high-lying areas of the Cape received notable precipitation. Between 8am on Thursday and 8am Friday, Kirstenbosch, on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, received 46mm of rainfall. On Wednesday, it received an additional 2mm of rain. Further inland, Wellington, Paarl, Ceres and Langebaan all received more than 10mm between Thursday and Friday morning. 24 hour #rainfall measured at 8:00 this morning. @ReenvalSA pic.twitter.com/cKbz4zKU7u — SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) December...
As of Friday 7 December, your Uber trip to the airport and back is going to cost a bit more than it did before. The ridesharing company announced on its blog that fares will be adjusted to make the service a more "reliable economic opportunity for drivers, as well as an affordable option for riders". "For driver-partners, this will help to ensure that they are able to maximise their earnings while on the road," the company added. "The change in fare prices will allow driver-partners to earn more in order to make up for the rising cost of business and living...
When people weren't tweeting about South Africa's political issues, health issues, state issues, or sport, they were tweeting about soapies. Twitter on Wednesday shared a few insights into the country's relationship with the social network, including the most popular hashtags, tweets, and conversation topics. Let's start with something upbeat: entertainment. The country's most talked about show was on Mzanzi Magic. #TheQueenMzanzi "is a South African telenovela created and produced by Ferguson Films about a dedicated wife, mother and successful businesswoman who is forced to do the unthinkable when her husband's secret comes to light," notes TVSA. And yeah, South Africa loves it. The show...
South Africa is out of recession after the country's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 2.2% in the third quarter of the year. The new numbers were released by Statistics SA on Tuesday morning. The growth comes after two dull, depressing quarters for the South African economy which plunged it into a technical recession. The South African #economy is out of #recession, growing by 2,2% in Q3:2018 compared with Q2:2018 #StatsSA Access all available #GDP documents here until website has been restored: https://t.co/lr2ofjt7rN pic.twitter.com/pldYYaD1lQ — Stats SA (@StatsSA) 4 December 2018 Sectors responsible for growth in Q3 included manufacturing (7.5% growth quarter-over-quarter), agriculture (6.5%),...
This weekend, the highly anticipated Global Citizen Festival took place at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. Though fans in their thousands enjoyed performances from both local and international artists such as Black Coffee, Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé, the festival was marred by incidents after the gates were closed. Many attendees were left complaining about the event’s lack of security. Said people took to Twitter to express their concern and recount their experiences of robbery outside the venue at a nearby Sasol garage. Some were also denied Uber rides. Within a few hours, "Uber", "Sasol" and the hashtag #GlobalCitzenFestival began trending. "Can we please...
Prepare for puns, people. Former Cape Town mayor and DA member Patricia de Lille this weekend announced the name of her new political party, set to run against her former employers, the ANC, and EFF in the 2019 elections. Its name is GOOD. No really, that's what it's called. "That name and identity arose from the hopeful and patriotic vision we hold and from the values we have enshrined in our movement’s constitution and our country’s constitution," the young party tweeted on Sunday morning. That name and identity arose from the hopeful and patriotic vision we hold and from the values we have...
Twitter's all for education this morning after it was revealed that DA chief whip John Steenhuisen doesn't have a post-matric qualification. The news broke this weekend courtesy of a Sunday Times report (paywall). DA's 'degree' proposal could be bad news for chief whip John Steenhuisen https://t.co/gSO9j5nxtg — Sunday Times (@SundayTimesZA) 25 November 2018 It's not totally novel for a politician to have no tertiary education certificates -- our former President Jacob Zuma is a good example -- but the DA intends to pass legislation that would relegate chief whip Steenhuisen to a lower position based on his education certificates. Twitter, namely opposition parties on...
A cabinet reshuffle during the day? I know right. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, albeit a little late, announced his newly spring-cleaned cabinet to the country on Thursday afternoon. In light of Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba's resignation last week, and Minister of Environmental Affair's Edna Molewa's death earlier this year, there were a few vacancies to fill. Ramaphosa picked former Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services Siyabonga Cwele as Malusi Gigaba's replacement at Home Affairs. President @Cyril Ramaphosa announces new Ministers. #CabinetReshuffle pic.twitter.com/BHMJp54wJj — South African Government (@GovernmentZA) November 22, 2018 Nomvula Mokonyane, the country's former Minister of Communications, is now minister of...
Black Friday is a game. Imagine that you're Mario, the sites offering specials are Princess Peach, and everything between you and the checkout is the level. Sometimes, these levels are pretty unfair, and laced with design issues. But there are ways to improve your chances of winning the game. Here are just a few. Log in to your favourite sites beforehand Once the crush begins and servers start melting, ensuring that you're logged in well before enhances your chances of successfully purchasing items. Last year, attempting to log in to any sites after 12am was impossible. Don't make that same mistake this...
Looking for more data this Black Friday? We take a look at what South Africa's big four networks -- Cell C, MTN, Telkom, and Vodacom -- are offering consumers this year. Cell C's Black Friday specials Following the announcement of its MediaPlay contract packages earlier this year, Cell C is now "is doubling the inclusive anytime data for both MediaPlay Postpaid and MediaPlay TopUp customers who purchase a 24-month contract". In a release, the mobile network suggested that the offer is valid for any new subscribers or those upgrading, and will be valid until 6 January 2019. "The double data will last for...
Pick n Pay Smart Shopper card owners can now swipe their plastic at BP service stations to earn points on their fuel spend. The retailer and fuel company had previously hinted that the extended partnership will be implemented before year-end. Today, the pair made it official. BP and @PicknPay have partnered up! Visit your nearest BP and swipe your Smart Shopper card to start earning 20 points per litre of fuel! pic.twitter.com/7TnLlRfuLx — BP South Africa (@BP_SouthAfrica) November 22, 2018 Those who swipe their Smart Shopper cards at BP service centres will earn 20 points per litre of fuel. The points here, unlike...
Happy World Toilet Day. Yes, it's a real thing. Officially penned on the calendar by the United Nations on the 19 November, the day highlights the plight of those who don't have access to adequate sanitation facilities. Notably, this includes a large swathe of people in South Africa. More South African households have cellphones than toilets #WorldToiletDay #StatsSA https://t.co/wvuo39FZrx pic.twitter.com/g7r08iOoyx — Stats SA (@StatsSA) November 19, 2018 According to Statistics South Africa, toilets are rarer than cellphones. 45.6% of households do not have a toilet inside their dwelling, while just less than 50% have a toilet outside of their property. Of the 75.5% with access to...
Malusi Gigaba has resigned as a member of South Africa's cabinet. The news broke on Tuesday evening by the South African Government's official Twitter account. "President Cyril Ramaphosa has today received a letter of resignation from the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Malusi Knowledge Nkanyezi Gigaba," it wrote. "The President has accepted the Minister’s resignation." President Cyril Ramaphosa has today received a letter of resignation from the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Malusi Knowledge Nkanyezi Gigaba. The President has accepted the Minister’s resignation https://t.co/yWHaBDJAVP #MalusiGigaba — South African Government (@GovernmentZA) November 13, 2018 Calling the former Minister of Home Affairs embattled would be a...
Load shedding was a buzzword, albeit a much maligned one, during the early years of this decade. But according to every South Africa's favourite provider of electricity, Eskom, it may make a sudden return. A report by Moneyweb on Monday revealed that a number of Eskom's coal power stations have just 10 days of reserve stock remaining. "In the meantime, the power utility is using costly diesel plants to supplement the power generated by its coal-fired fleet," the report by Antoinette Slabbert continued, further suggesting that loadshedding may come sooner rather than later. Because it's always better to be prepared (someone please...
The Western Cape provincial government on Monday quelled rumours that a NSC paper was stolen through a hack of the province's education department website. It claims that the news, which was issued in a lookalike statement circulating on social media and WhatsApp, was "fake". "From the screenshot that we have received, the press statement appears on a Western Cape Government Media Release Document and indicates that the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Biology Paper was stolen by a hacker from the WCED website," the provincial government wrote in an official response. On Twitter, Debbie Schafer Provincial Minister for Education in the Western Cape,...
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