Police find 250 bags of dagga hidden in secret compartments inside a bakkie and car in Sawoti,KwaZulu-Natal view more

Police arrested a 35-year-old man in the south of Durban, after he was found in possession of a warthog and three female bushbucks. view more

The DA has assembled a strong campaign team in KZN to focus on winning the elections instead of forming a coalition with other opposition parties. view more

In January last year, two female Johannesburg metro police officers were killed and two other officers injured when a drunk driver crashed into a roadblock view more

Community and faith leaders, as well as pensioners and residents, have called on the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to oppose Eskom's request for a tariff hike, with a projected overall increase of 45% to 2021. "If granted, this price increase will severely impact on all consumers of electricity across the country, many of whom are already struggling to pay their daily bills," said the Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute (Safcei) in its submission. view more

Investment bank Goldman Sachs said South Africa's rand could tumble 3.5% if State-run power utility Eskom suffers a major sell-off in its bonds, but it could also jump 4.5% if the firm's troubles improve. Goldman's analysts said an Eskom risk gauge used by the bank was now close to its most elevated reading since it was started in 2013, suggesting that markets were currently pricing "close to peak Eskom risk". view more

Embattled State-owned flag-carrier South African Airways (SAA) announced on Tuesday that Advocate Vusi Pikoli had been appointed as the airline's Chief Risk and Compliance Officer. He will take up the post on February 1. Pikoli is currently an advisor to the Minister of State Security. He was, from 2005 to 2007, South Africa's National Director of Public Prosecutions. He has some experience of aviation, having been involved in the reinsurance of aircraft fleets when he was employed by an insurance company. "The appointment of Advocate Pikoli is as important as it is significant in demonstrating our resolve to bringing capacity to strengthen the executive team to execute on our turnaround strategy with much urgency," affirmed SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali. "He brings a wealth of experience and is known to be a disciplined and strong administrator." view more

Sharp electricity tariff hikes would have a major detrimental effect on the agricultural sector, Agri Western Cape has said during public hearings into electricity tariffs. In its submission to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), Agri SA said high increases in electricity costs would be a threat to food security and have a major negative impact on agricultural sustainability and economic survival. view more

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has cancelled the public hearings into Eskom's third multiyear price determination (MYPD3) regulatory clearing account (RCA) Year 5 (2017/18) application and its MYPD4 revenue application, that were scheduled to take place in Kimberley, in the Northern Cape, and Polokwane, in Limpopo, on January 21 and 31 respectively. The cancellation is as a result of low public interest. view more

The Automobile Association (AA) said on Tuesday that the fuel price would likely fall in February, based on unaudited mid-month fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund. The AA said the projected drop in the price of petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin was due to international oil prices being lower than December's average, and a strengthening in the rand/dollar exchange rate.  view more

The Congress of South Africa Trade Union (Cosatu) in Gauteng said on Tuesday that it was dismayed by the news that the provincial department of transport will be subsidizing Gautrain operating expenses with a whopping R1.5-billion this year.  News emerged on Monday that the Gautrain Management Agency 2017/18 annual report revealed that Gauteng provincial taxpayers are paying R100 million a month, or R1.6-billion a year, to subsidise the running of the Gautrain as the number of passengers has dropped over the past two years. view more

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) on Tuesday asked for public comment on a policy paper outlining the perceived risks and benefits associated with crypto assets, the available regulatory approaches around them and proposals to industry participants and stakeholders. In 2014, the National Treasury warned members of the public about the risks associated with the use of crypto assets for transacting or investing. It noted that no specific legislation or regulation existed for their use and there was therefore no legal protection or recourse to users or investors. view more

Vehicle tracking and telematics provider, Ctrack, has launched its BX500 and BX600 range of wireless, ultra-compact GPS tracking devices. The company says these devices are ideal for use in cars, trucks and motorbikes, such as delivery bikes, quads, golf carts, delivery vans and generators. view more

Distell is launching Libertas Vineyards and Estates as a new standalone company with ownership of all Distell's premium wine brands, the company announced in a statement on Tuesday. Libertas Vineyards and Estates MD Kay Nash said the move was a "significant shift" from Distell's previous approach where premium wines were managed as a division within the global company's multi-category portfolio. view more

Energy Minister Jeff Radebe will deliver a Ministerial keynote address at this year's Africa Energy Indaba.   The indaba will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre on February 19 and 20. view more

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has criticised the telecommunications regulator after it slashed MTN Uganda's fee for renewing its telecoms licence, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Local media reported on Tuesday that the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) had decided to charge MTN Uganda, which is owned by South Africa's MTN Group, $58-million to renew its licence for ten years, instead of $ten0-million originally set for the renewal. MTN Uganda is the country's biggest telecoms operator. view more

Integrated transport systems provider Alstom and APIX, the agency responsible for the promotion of investment and major works in Senegal, this week celebrated the first voyage of the Coradia Polyvalent train, in Dakar. The event took place in the presence of Senegal President Macky Sall and Alstom Central and North Africa MD Raphaël Bernadelli. view more

Auto executives gathered in Detroit on Monday called on the Trump administration and Congress to resolve trade disputes, and end the government shutdown, saying political uncertainty is costing the industry. US trade officials are negotiating a new deal with China in hopes of avoiding new tariffs, while a new regional trade agreement with Canada and Mexico still needs congressional approval. Automakers producing vehicles in the United States are contending with US steel and aluminum prices driven higher by Trump administration tariffs. view more

Opec and its allies plan to hold a meeting in March to assess their oil-production accord in Azerbaijan, and then ministers will gather to set policy in April, according to the organization's top official. The body that reviews the implementation of Opec's supply cuts, the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, will convene in the Azeri capital of Baku on March 17 to 18, Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said in a statement. Ministers will then meet in Vienna on April 17 to 18 to decide whether the cutbacks should be extended beyond their scheduled expiry in the summer. view more

Granting power utility Eskom the 15% annual tariff hike it has asked for will only add pressure to already struggling households, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) heard on the second day of public hearings.  The energy regulator, which sets prices and tariffs for Eskom, started public hearings in Cape Town on Monday regarding what the debt-laden power utility will be allowed to charge for electricity in years ahead, and what it can recoup from shortfalls in 2017/18. view more

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he's seeking loans from Russia on a visit to Moscow as protests erupted across his country Monday, leaving 24 people injured and five possibly dead. "I can't say that we want this much or that much," he said in an interview with the state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti published Tuesday ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin announcement of the talks made no mention of loans and Moscow has in the past been reluctant to bail out struggling allies, though Russia has recently been building ties in Africa. view more

Carlos Ghosn's latest bid to be released on bail was rejected by a Tokyo court, leaving the fallen car titan behind bars for at least another two months as prosecutors continue to build their case against him for financial crimes. Ghosn's lawyers had submitted the bail application last week after the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman was indicted for a second time, over allegations he transferred personal trading losses to the carmaker. Prosecutors have said his current period of detention lasts until March 10, but Ghosn's chief lawyer, Motonari Otsuru, flagged last week that the executive could remain behind bars until his trial, which could be six months away. view more

Angela Merkel's commission plotting Germany's exit from coal faces a tricky balancing act: how to stop mining and burning the dirtiest fossil fuel without whipping up more voter anxiety over job losses. Germany's chancellor meets with coal-state governors who sit on the commission on Tuesday in Berlin. They have until next month to explain how Europe's biggest economy should ditch a fuel that still generates two-fifths of their electricity and gives paychecks to more than 50 000 workers. view more

Electric cars are better for the environment than traditional gasoline models, and that benefit will grow as power generators shift away from coal. That's the conclusion of research by BloombergNEF, which found carbon dioxide emissions from battery-powered vehicles were about 40% lower than for internal combustion engines last year. The difference was biggest in Britain and the UK, which have large renewables industries. It still held in China, which is more reliant on coal to make electricity. view more

Ascendis Health is in talks to sell one of its best-performing units as last year's biggest South African loser on Johannesburg's stock exchange battles to ensure survival. The debt-laden maker of multivitamins, probiotics and pet nutritional supplements received an unsolicited offer for Cyprian unit Remedica, sending the stock 13% higher on Monday, the biggest jump in more than ten months. Still, the gain must be placed in the context of a 77% slump in 2018, giving a market capitalization of R2.8-billion. view more

A warrant officer in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is expected to appear in the Thaba Tshwane military court on Tuesday following his arrest for alleged involvement in a cash-for-jobs scam. The man was arrested on Friday after an investigation by the military police and defence intelligence, SANDF spokesperson Brigadier General Mafi Mgobozi said. This followed tip-offs from "defrauded victims" in and around Tshwane, he said. "It is alleged that the suspect had promised ... view more

China plans to launch 100 new large-scale recycling "bases" by the end of next year, part of a campaign to make better use of its resources after extending a ban on foreign trash imports. A long manufacturing boom has saddled China with millions of tonnes of waste, much of which is buried in sprawling landfill sites or dismantled by hand in polluting backstreet workshops. It has vowed to tackle the problem by creating fully industrialised recycling bases and cutting off foreign supplies. view more

China has approved construction of one of its tallest dams, a 239-metre (784-foot) hydroelectric structure on the upstream section of its longest river, the Yangtze, the state planning agency said on Tuesday. Hydropower is a clean and renewable source of energy but large-scale construction in southwest China has sparked accusations of damage to fragile ecosystems and inadequate compensation to thousands who have lost their homes. view more

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has suggested that Eskom should be granted an electricity tariff increase of only 5% over the next three years and pushed for a radical overhaul of the utility. "We recommend a consumer price index tariff increase of 5% a year for the multiyear price determination (MYPD) 4 control period." view more

The South African Local Government Association (Salga) has rejected Eskom's appeal for a 15% tariff increase over the next three years, saying the utility is "out of touch with reality". "There is already too much burden hanging over South African customers. We can't expect them to pay," Salga head of electricity and energy Nhlanhla Ngidi told the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) during the first day of three-week, countrywide hearings into the multiyear price determination (MYPD 4) revenue application for the 2019/20 to 2021/22 financial years. view more

The fast-rising number of desalination plants globally, now almost 16 000, quench a growing thirst for fresh water but create a "salty dilemma" on how to deal with all the chemical-laden left-over brine, authors of a recently published United Nations- (UN-) backed paper say. In the paper, the authors estimate the fresh water output capacity of desalination plants globally at about 95-million cubic metres a day. view more

Eskom CEO Phakamani Hadebe has apologised for the severe predicament Eskom is in, but has pleaded for an electricity tariff increase of 15% over the next three years.   Hadebe made the call at the opening of public hearings into electricity tariffs held by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), in Cape Town, on Monday. view more

The Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Department will have spent R78.2-million by March 31 on drought alleviation projects across the province. The average dam level in the Western Cape was 51% on Monday, nearly double the 26.5% recorded in the corresponding week last year. view more

Tongaat Hulett has appointed Gavin Hudson CEO and executive director, effective February 1. Hudson was previously Beer Group president and CEO of Anadolu Efes, a company listed on the Turkish stock exchange. view more

China's steel industry will shift its focus to optimising capacity structure, including products, location and ownership, in 2019, from reducing overall capacity, said an executive of the country's iron and steel association on Monday. China is entering the fourth year of its supply-side reform push to streamline its bloated heavy industry and to pursue "high-quality development" from "fast-speed development." view more

Police clashed with protesters in the Zimbabwean capital as the main labor-union confederation began a national strike after the government more than doubled fuel prices to the highest in the world. The stay-away comes as a foreign-exchange shortage has sparked scarcities of everything from fuel to bread, caused doctors to stay away from work and companies to cut or cease production because they can't import raw materials. The main industry body said in a letter to the government that businesses across the southern African nation are on the brink of collapse. view more

Helios Towers entered the South African market by forming a partnership with Vulatel to build out wireless and fixed-line infrastructure in the country. Helios Towers expects South Africa to lead the way on 5G rollout in sub-Saharan Africa, it said in a statement on Monday. view more

Last year, 2.6-million international passengers were recorded by Cape Town International Airport (CTIA), representing a 9.6% growth from 2017 despite the drought and other problems experienced by the region, the City of Cape Town said on Sunday. "This growth came from long-haul carriers from outside the Southern African region and the uptick bodes well for the local economy," mayoral committee member for economic opportunities and asset management James Vos said.   view more

Russian nuclear energy corporation Rosatom on Monday announced that applications were open for scholarships for African students to help develop the next generation of African nuclear scientists and engineers. The scholarships fund tuition fees in full and living expenses in part. view more

The Lower Thukela bulk water purification plant in KwaZulu-Natal province is set to provide purified water to over 300,000 people, the KwaDukuza municipality said on Monday. The Lower Thukela water supply scheme includes infrastructure for abstracting and treating water from the uThukela River to supply to secondary bulk and reticulation networks and aims to supply additional water to the coastal and inland areas of KwaDukuza and Mandeni. view more

The Ministry of Science and Technology announced on Monday that the South African National Space Agency (Sansa) had been chosen by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to be the provider of space weather information for the aviation sector across Africa and/or using African airspace. Space weather observation and research falls under Sansa's Space Science Programme, while Sansa itself is an agency of the Department of Science and Technology. This will mean that Sansa will become one of two ICAO-selected regional space weather centres (the other being a joint Chinese-Russian centre). ICAO also has three designated global space weather centres. To fulfil its task, Sansa will cooperate with one of these three global centres, the Pan-European Consortium for Aviation Space Weather User Services (Pecasus), which is composed of nine research and monitoring organisations from across Europe. The relationship with Pecasus will give Sansa better access to international models and expertise. view more

State-owned arms manufacturer Denel on Monday reaffirmed the validity of its decision to appoint Daniel du Toit group CEO, after stakeholders raised concerns. Du Toit's appointment was announced in December. view more