As African authors get more and more publicity and prizes – as well as readers – they are becoming must-haves on bookshelves worldwide. Some are already known as African by their subject matter as well as their names (Nigerians Chigozie Obioma, the youngest ever nominee for a Booker, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie). But here are a couple […]

It’s that time of the year again! Pretoria has turned into Jacaranda City! Although before all the students start stressing, it is a couple of weeks early this year. As most South African students know, the first sight of the purple extravaganza usually means if you haven’t started studying yet, it’s already too late. But with […]

For all the Springbok fans gearing up for the Rugby World Cup match between South Africa and the USA in London later today, it’s time to get ready to sing the National Anthem, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. Here are all the words and tips you need to sing it loud and proud! (And a BONUS fan video […]

Saturday in Newcastle, in the UK, was a pretty special day for South Africans. It began with former President Nelson Mandela being posthumously inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame (with his ally and former Springbok captain Francois Pienaar in attendance), followed by a fantastic 34-16 win against Scotland in their World Cup match…and ended with […]

A few months ago, my host mother in South Africa shared a nugget of wisdom which I found quite profound. She said, “Lydia, sometimes you look and wait for a sign towards something when actually, you’ve already been given the sign, you just missed it because you chose not to see it or it wasn’t what […]

In one of the most moving moments of the Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2015, former South African President Nelson Mandela was posthumously inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame on Saturday, ahead of the match between the Springboks and Scotland. And it was his old ally and former Springbok captain Francois Pienaar who was there […]

Mention of the dung beetle might cause some to go ‘Ick’, but the industrious, single-minded gatherers of animal poop have become a favourite of a South African plant species, says a new study from the University of Cape Town that’s getting a lot of international media buzz. According to the paper published on Monday by Jeremy Midgley of the Department […]

In the United States they have been doing it for years, taking a night off to ‘roast’ – basically make fun of (in the harshest possible way) – a famous person. Anyone who has seen Amy Schumer’s infamous roast of Charlie Sheen knows that to be roasted is pretty much to be gutted. In 2012 […]

Here’s what one YouTube user imagines a David Attenborough nature documentary would sound like “if David had been from Vereeniging” in South Africa. Afrikaans4Dummies uploaded the following video saying “Everyone of all ages grew up with the iconic voice of BBC naturalist, David Attenborough. His crisp delivery captivated and mesmerized us, and for many it […]

This Rugby World Cup (RWC) has brought many goosebump moments – from the train ride where South African fans honoured Japanese fans after the Springbok’s shock defeat…to the Samoa team singing a hymn to former SA rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen. Last night there were more… After beating Scotland 34-16 in Newcastle, fans leaving the match spontaneously sang […]

You never know what you’re going to find up one of the alleys in Kalk Bay, a gem on the False Bay side of Cape Town, and it just makes you want to explore. So says one of the locals interviewed by musician Arno Carstens in a recent video about the artist-town-meets-fishing-village. The video gives you a good […]

South African athlete Cameron van der Burgh powered to another victory in the pool today in Singapore, bringing his World Cup medal tally this year to nine (if our maths is correct – help Heyneke!) AND making him the overall World Cup cluster 2 winner! Cameron won the Men’s 100 metre breaststroke at the FINA World Cup […]

If you want to taste excitement in the air, come to Philipstown this week. They’re counting down the days before the Wire Car Festival, the local event of the year. Wire cars, or draadkarretjies, are big around here. The young boys of Philipstown will do just about anything for a wire car fashioned by one […]

If you missed the Thursday night episode of ‘The Daily Show’, the audience got a lesson in African presidents, thanks to new host Trevor Noah, who was comparing US presidential candidate Donald Trump to Jacob Zuma, Robert Mugabe, Idi Amin and Muammar Gaddafi, among others. With the subheading ‘Orange is the new Black’ – and […]

South African fans were celebrating the Springboks’ 34-16 victory over Scotland at the Rugby World Cup today South Africa powered past Scotland this evening in Newcastle, winning by more than just the predicted 10 points. It was a physical match with intense playing from both sides. Handre Pollard was on fire, scoring four penalties, two conversions […]

South African fans are behind their team all the way, as we take on Scotland in Saturday’s crucial Rugby World Cup match in Pool B. See photos and videos below. Follow live updates from the match here: Tweets by @sapeople This is what we’re hoping for… Thanks to everyone who shared these videos: A Supergees […]

Two young and eager fans of sports sensation Cameron van der Burgh were bitterly disappointed today to not watch the South African swim in Singapore after hazy conditions caused Saturday’s FINA World Cup finals to be cancelled. They were all dressed up with nowhere to go. But their disappointment soon turned to joy after the swimming star – who won two Golds and […]

South African expat CORNEL MARAIS, who has been living overseas for nine years and is now based in Hong Kong, answers the Top 20 Questions South Africans at home have for an expat*… [button color=”” size=”” type=”]1[/button] Why did you cop out – didn’t you have the guts to stick it out for the long run? […]

Just great, so far. Yes, Trevor Noah seems to have taken to hosting the ‘Daily Show’ in the United States almost as if he was to the manor – or should that be the manner? – born. In the weeks leading up to his takeover of the show from Jon Stewart after 16 years, many […]

Following the success earlier this year of ‘The Endless River’  at two major international film festivals, two new South African movies are making their marks on doing likewise. ‘For Love and Broken Bones’, directed by Tebogo Malope, and Sara Blecher’s ‘Ayanda’ – which premiered in South Africa last night – both come short on the heels of Cape Town […]

When Truworths announced two weeks ago that it was in talks to take over British shoe retailer Office, the international business community was alerted once again to a brazen, if not new, player on the horizon – South Africa. Slowly but surely since sanctions ended, South African businesses have been spreading their wings (think only of the gobbling up, […]

Happy Birthday to quite possibly Africa’s most famous cat, and definitely one of its most pampered (although she keeps firmly in touch with her more humble roots). South Africa’s legendary Skabenga – who has been photographed dining on prawn cocktails – woke up this morning to fabulous gifts, like a leopard print diamante collar, and messages from fans around […]

For anyone experiencing delays in getting a passport or Smart Card ID in South Africa, relief is on the way, with a new programme launched in Johannesburg on Wednesday to allow certain banks to take applications and issue them. The Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba said the initiative – which is still being rolled out – will allow people […]

New Springbok captain Fourie du Preez implored his team to keep building momentum from their victory over Samoa last weekend when they face Scotland in Newcastle on Saturday. Du Preez, the SA Rugby Player of the Year in 2006 and 2009, was named to captain the Springboks at St James’ Park on Saturday in this […]

Here’s a humorous take on a famous scene from Hollywood blockbuster ‘Wolf of Wall Street’, with its stars Matthew McConnaughey and Leonardo di Caprio speaking with strong South African accents. The video was uploaded by Afrikaans4Dummies who captioned it: “Now this is why Wolf of Wall Street would never have made it if the actors were South […]