Author: Anne Taylor
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Not all fun and games: Online sports betting boosts gambling revenues to record highs
South Africa’s gambling industry generated R47.2-billion in revenue in the last financial year, the highest amount ever recorded. This record growth is being driven largely by online betting, which accounted for more than half the revenue, according to the National Gambling Board’s most recent annual report. South Africans placed R418-billion worth of bets last year,…
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Despite progress, problems remain: 287 schools in SA have pit toilets, three out of four do not have libraries
Despite the progress that has been made to improve South Africa’s public schools in the past decade, significant challenges remain, according to a new report released by the department of basic education. The department monitors infrastructural shortages or backlogs at schools through the Education Facility Management System. Its latest report, released in July 2024, shows…
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Mapping chess mastery: South Africa’s Jesse February shines as new African champion
South Africa’s Jesse February is the African women’s chess champion, winning gold at the 2024 African Individual Chess Championship. This is her second title, having first won in 2021. The 27-year-old from Gqeberha is South Africa’s top-ranking female player and has held the title Woman International Master (WIM) since 2016. Egyptian Shahenda Wafa, who came third…
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990 caps: South Africa’s most-experienced XV to take on the Irish
The most-experienced team in Springbok history will take on the Irish in Durban on Saturday, 13 July. South Africa’s starting XV has a total of 990 combined test caps among them. This is three more than the run-on team that played in the Rugby World Cup final in France last year. Between them, they have…
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SA steps up to meet growing global demand for avos
The world can’t get enough avocados, and South African farmers are capitalising on the soaring demand for this popular superfruit. Exports have increased by 63% over the past decade, according to the SA Avocado Growers’ Association. About 74,4000 tonnes of avocados were exported last year, just 9,500 shy of 2018’s record. ITC figures show the…
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Tourism recovery: Visitors to Table Mountain, cableway are on the rise
The number of visitors to the Table Mountain National Park climbed to 2.8-million in 2023. A 56% increase on 2022, or an additional 1-million visitors. The national park, home to the iconic Table Mountain, had 3.2-million visitors in 2019. Also on the rise are visitors to the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway. Numbers shot up 44%…
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Record marathoners: Keeping up with Africa’s fastest women
Africa has come to dominate long-distance running. No less than 82 of the world’s 100 fastest female runners were born in Kenya and Ethiopia.