3 h. ago Yoga in a Zimbabwe tavern is the latest mental health outreach in a struggling country

Before dawn in a tavern can be an unlikely time and place for a yoga session

Politics

21 h. ago Marnus Labuschagne axed by Australia after World Test Championship final defeat

Having been promoted to open against South Africa at Lord’s, Labuschagne will miss out in the first Test against the West Indies next week

Sport

32 h. ago Scotland U20 squad named but coach in the dark over fundamental aspect of World Championship

Young Scots to face England, Australia and South Africa in Italy

Sport

41 h. ago South Africa declares national disaster as flooding death toll rises to 92

South Africa's Eastern Cape provincial authorities say the death toll from recent floods has risen to 92

Events

49 h. ago Is this an artist – or a coffee pot? The great William Kentridge reveals the strange secret to a great self

The South African artist has exhibited everywhere, bagging awards in art and theatre, while his work sells for millions. So why did he find becoming an artist so unnatural? Ahead of a major British show, he reveals allYou only have to glance at William Kentridge’s family tree to realise why he is such an outsider. His maternal grandmother, Irene Geffen, was South Africa’s first female barrister while his mother, Felicia Geffen, became an anti-apartheid lawyer. Then there’s his father, Sydney Kentridge, the indomitable QC who represented Nelson Mandela in the 1960s and fought for justice for Steve Biko in the 70s. Studying law would have been the obvious path. “Public speaking, thinking on my feet, were natural and easy skills,” said Kentridge back in 1998. “Being an artist was a very unnatural and hard thing for me to do.”That’s quite a statement. Because in the three decades since, Kentridge has conquered the international art world with the oomph and verve of an emerging twentysom...

Politics

68 h. ago No, South Africa’s HIV care is not ‘under control’. To pretend so recalls the dark days of Aids denialism | Yvette Raphael and Sibongile Tshabalala

It is not just Trump’s funding cuts that have led the country to a health crisis. The real collapse comes from a lack of political courage to actNo one should be surprised that the health system in South Africa is straining in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s cruel gutting of HIV funding. What is shocking is the political will to pretend otherwise.As public health workers, researchers, academics, people living with HIV and civil society organisations, we reject the narrative put forward by the government that things are “under control”. Testing has dropped. Frontline workers are being dismissed. Clinics that served our most marginalised communities have closed or are struggling to keep their doors open. And those most affected, such as transgender people, sex workers and drug users, have not been meaningfully included in any transition planning. The National Treasury and the Department of Health are at odds with each other. Officials within the health department are at odds with each...

Politics

3 d. ago South Africa is at the heart of the HIV pandemic. What happens now the money has been cut?

With 12% of the population living with the virus, Trump’s sudden withdrawal of funding stands to undo decades of progressLebo is very afraid. She used to go to a clinic where sex workers such as her could get HIV medication without facing discrimination. But the dispensary, in Johannesburg’s run-down central Hillbrow district, shut down in January, when Donald Trump cut US funding to the global HIV response.“I’m weak. I’m an old woman,” says the 62-year-old. “So please, we need help; we are suffering.” Lebo, who only wants her first name shared, is now spending 30% of her monthly income of 1,500 rand (£62) on antiretroviral (ARV) medication. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago The hillside memorial that sparked misinformation about South Africa’s farm killings

The South African government and experts who have studied farm killings have publicly denounced misinformation

Events

4 d. ago The hillside memorial which sparked misinformation about South Africa’s farm killings

The South African government and experts who have studied farm killings have publicly denounced misinformation

Events

4 d. ago ‘I don’t want my boy to be positive’: pregnant women face sky

As the withdrawal of US funding disrupts treatment and halts crucial research in South Africa, clinics fear the resurgence of mother-to-child transmission of the virusPhotographs by Chris de Beer-ProcterAphelele Mafilika was born HIV positive in 2004. Put on antiretrovirals (ARVs) as a baby, she has been on the life-saving medication ever since and has lived a normal life. No longer. “Now, I have a problem,” she says.For most of her life her viral load (the amount of HIV in her blood) has been undetectable. “When I went for my February clinic visit, I didn’t get my pills. They told me ‘shortage of staff’ and ‘come back another day’. I came back a few times, but it was the same story.” Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago A hillside of white crosses fuels a misleading story about South Africa's farm killings

Nearly 3,000 white crosses on a hill in South Africa are a memorial to white people killed on farms over the last three decades

Events

6 d. ago Australia get too clever and pay the price for batting order jumble | Geoff Lemon

Failure of top three meant holders did not have enough runs when South Africa benefited from pitch flattening outAt a little before 1pm on a Saturday afternoon in London, a group of Australian cricketers stood around blinking in the sunlight, looking confused, like they had just popped up from a green tube in an unexpectedly bright part of the Koopa Kingdom. Less than a day earlier they had been right on top, happily on their way to a second consecutive World Test Championship title. In less than three sessions of stubbornness and brilliance, South Africa had taken that away.Sport is about creating an arena for the unexpected and some get hung up on the idea that acknowledging differences between participants is a form of disrespect. But the resource disparity should have made this contest one-sided. It was a triumph over politics and economics as much as over a rival group of players. Continue reading...

Economics

6 d. ago ‘Chokers? This win squashes that’: Bavuma hopes WTC victory can unite South Africa

‘As a country, it’s a chance for us to rejoice in something’South Africa beat Australia by five wickets in finalAfter generations of disappointment and heartbreak South Africa shrugged off the tag that has long haunted them with victory in the World Test Championship here. For years they have been smeared as chokers, but no more.“While we were batting we could hear the Aussies using that dreaded word: choke,” said Temba Bavuma, the South Africa captain. “We came in with a lot of belief and a lot of doubters. We got ourselves into the final, there were doubters as to the route we took. This win squashes that. Here’s an opportunity for us as a nation, divided as we are, to unite.” Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Photos capture South Africa's emotional WTC final victory over Australia at Lord's

South Africa has upset Australia by five wickets to win the World Test Championship on the fourth day of the final at Lord's.

Culture

6 d. ago South Africa win World Test Championship after completing stunning comeback against Australia – as it happened

Aiden Markram scores 136 runs as South Africa defeat Australia by five wickets at Lord’s to lift the World Test Championship title60th over: South Africa 218-3 (Markram 106, Stubbs 0) So it is Tristan Stubbs to the middle. Starts at the non-striker’s end, but immediately gets strike as Markram guides a single. Lots of pressure on Stubbs, more a white-ball player but one of huge talent, who Shukri Conrad has backed in this team. Small target, plenty of time, and in a short-form game he might knock off these last 64 runs in five overs. But this is different. Hit on the pad early, Hazlewood appealing but it’s going down leg. Two slips and a gully, but the second slip is Webster and the gully is Green, so effectively four slips and two gullies. Cover, mid off, mid on, midwicket up closer. Deep point and deep backward square saving boundaries. Stubbs defends his first five balls.59th over: South Africa 217-3 (Markram 105) Oh, there it is! The first tremor? South Africa’s captain battled ...

Politics

6 d. ago Aiden Markram helps South Africa beat Australia in World Test Championship final

Set 282 to win, 70 more than had been scored in any of the first three innings at Lord’s, Markram scored 136 runs.

Sport

6 d. ago Temba Bavuma and South Africa’s unlikely triumph shows why Test cricket is worth saving

The first Black batter to make a century for South Africa has led them to World Test Championship glory - but wider issues within the format must be solved to save it

Politics

6 d. ago South Africa win World Test Championship after completing stunning comeback against Australia – live reaction

South Africa chasing a target of 282 to win at Lord’sRead the latest edition of The Spin | And email James60th over: South Africa 218-3 (Markram 106, Stubbs 0) So it is Tristan Stubbs to the middle. Starts at the non-striker’s end, but immediately gets strike as Markram guides a single. Lots of pressure on Stubbs, more a white-ball player but one of huge talent, who Shukri Conrad has backed in this team. Small target, plenty of time, and in a short-form game he might knock off these last 64 runs in five overs. But this is different. Hit on the pad early, Hazlewood appealing but it’s going down leg. Two slips and a gully, but the second slip is Webster and the gully is Green, so effectively four slips and two gullies. Cover, mid off, mid on, midwicket up closer. Deep point and deep backward square saving boundaries. Stubbs defends his first five balls.59th over: South Africa 217-3 (Markram 105) Oh, there it is! The first tremor? South Africa’s captain battled through the pain yesterd...

Politics

6 d. ago World Test Championship: South Africa end long trophy wait with tense Lord's victory over Australia

Aiden Markram’s sensational century helped South Africa to chase down 282

Politics

6 d. ago Markram steers South Africa to historic World Test Championship final triumph

Final, D4: SA, 138 & 282-5, bt Aus, 212 & 207, by five wktsVerreynne sees Proteas home against AustraliaFirst trophy since 1998 banishes ‘chokers’ barbAs the South African balcony erupted in ecstasy, and the green shirts in the crowd sent a roar ringing around St John’s Wood, Temba Bavuma simply sat there with his head in his hands. Relief? Disbelief? Whatever it was, it was the culmination of a journey from the township of Langa to the new pinnacle of Test cricket at Lord’s. South Africa, World Test Championship winners under his calm leadership, had made history.There were a couple of stutters along the way, moments when South African backsides started to twitch like a rabbit’s nose and memories of all those self-inflicted heartaches at International Cricket Council events came flooding back. But in the end, guided by a masterful 136 from Aiden Markram - catharsis after last year’s loss in the T20 World Cup final under his captaincy - they squeezed out the remaining 69 run...

Sport