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Paul Ash

Paul Ash is a senior reporter at the Sunday Times, covering transport, environment and wildlife, farming, tourism and defence. He was a 14-year veteran of the paper's travel section before moving to the newsroom in 2020 to focus on writing, reporting and telling stories in sound.

The battered bow of the fleet replenishment vessel SAS Tafelberg on the morning after the collision with the frigate SAS President Kruger.

‘There was brightness then violence, blackness and water’: Navy’s worst tragedy 40 years on

The SAS President Kruger was rammed by the navy replenishment vessel SAS Tafelberg 145km southwest of Cape Point on February 18 1982.

  • Paul Ash
Qatar Airways and Airlink have signed an agreement that is set to bring improved access to destinations such as Ggeberha (Port Elizabeth) Hoedspruit, Skukuza and George as well as to Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Lucky escape for passengers after Airlink plane collides with bird in flight

The crew and passengers on a charter flight to Limpopo had a lucky escape when their aircraft collided with a large bird, snapping off a propeller blade and sending it hurtling into the cabin.

  • Paul Ash
EFF Leader Julius Malema at a rally. The party has called for parliament to be relocated to Tshwane in the wake of Sunday's fire.

Red Berets call for parliament to be moved to Tshwane in wake of fire

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has said any funds allocated for repairs to what appeared to be "irreversible damage" following a fire that ripped through the National Assembly building on Sunday, should be spent on relocating…

  • Paul Ash
Fire fighters have been praised for their efficient response to the fire in parliament.

Draft report finds no smoke detectors in roof of fire-gutted National Assembly

A draft report found there were no smoke detectors installed in the roof of the National Assembly building at parliament which was gutted by fire on Sunday.

  • Paul Ash
Overcrowding and poor maintenance are responsible for most boat accidents on Nigerian waterways.

Two drownings bring gloom to New Year's Day in Cape Town

New Year's Day in Cape Town has been marred by two drownings just hours apart.

  • Paul Ash
The 1,000 mandrax tablets found in Cape Town in Friday.

Laundryman bust for possession of 1,000 Mandrax tablets — and getting his hands dirty with a bribe

Cape Town police arrested a man on Friday morning after finding 1,000 Mandrax tablets in his bag.

  • Paul Ash
The annual Minstrel Carnival has been cancelled for the second year in a row as a result of Covid-19. On Sunday a small troupe of performers will gather at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town for a 30-minute show to keep the tradition alive.

Minstrels aim to keep the spirit of the carnival alive in SA's Covid-19-battered entertainment scene

A small group of minstrels will gather at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town on Sunday in an effort to keep the spirit of the traditional January 2 carnival alive.

  • Paul Ash
One of four sharkbite kits in Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape. Swimmers have been warned to stick to protected beaches after two marine creature attacks on bathers this weekend.

NSRI installs shark-bite kits at Plett beaches

Shark-bite kits have been installed on four beaches in Plettenberg Bay following a fundraising campaign carried out by the local National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) lifeboat station.

  • Paul Ash
Three people were killed and five injured after lightning struck a tent at a church service in Limpopo. File image

Gautengers warned to batten down the hatches as thunderstorms approach

Severe thunderstorms bringing hail, heavy rain and “excessive lightning” are expected to hit the southern part of Gauteng on Thursday afternoon.

  • Paul Ash
The blazing house from which a blind and deaf dog and two cats were rescued on Sunday.

‘He’s blind and deaf’: Boxing Day miracle for family’s pets saved from house fire

Paramedic Caitlinn Kruger was on her way home with a friend after getting a haircut on Sunday when she saw a column of black smoke rolling above the northern Johannesburg suburb of Fourways.

  • Paul Ash
RAIN ON THE WAY: The SA Weather Service has warned of severe thunderstorms in the Eastern Cape and other provinces this weekend
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Flood fears loom as rain lashes SA

SA’s north-eastern areas can expect “disruptive rain” as wet conditions continued over much of the country on Monday.

  • Paul Ash
The world has lost a giant, a profound thinker, a brave leader and a dear friend, says Virgin Group founder Richard Branson.

Richard Branson recalls ‘greatest pleasure’ of teaching Tutu to swim

One of Richard Branson's great pleasures was teaching Archbishop Desmond Tutu to swim.

  • Paul Ash
Mangosuthu Buthelezi is undergoing medical tests in hospital. File photo.

‘We didn’t always see eye to eye ... but may the Lord welcome him home’: Buthelezi on Tutu’s passing

Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the right man at the right time as SA made its difficult transition from an apartheid state to a multiparty democracy.

  • Paul Ash
The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu enjoyed a close friendship and in 2016 co-authored The Book of Joy which examined the quest for joy in a world full of suffering.
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‘We have lost a great man’: Dalai Lama writes condolence letter to Tutu’s daughter

The Dalai Lama has written a letter of condolence to Archbishop’ Desmond Tutu's daughter, Rev Mpho Tutu, praising the archbishop for being a "true humanitarian" and a committed advocate for human rights.

  • Paul Ash
One of the Californian redwoods reaches for the sky at the Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve.
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Limpopo may have the world’s tallest planted tree, but the Western Cape’s sleeping giants are biding their time

While social and a few corners of the mainstream media were agog at the news that Africa's tallest tree can be found in Limpopo, it will be a matter of a few hundred years before that honour passes to one of the redwoods growing in a…

  • Paul Ash