Heavy winds have wreaked havoc with the surf in the past 24 hours in Durban, KwaZulu Natal. Photographer NIC ABERDEIN captured these photos of the scene this morning. He said that despite “howling winds” the waves on the South African coast were “not as big as expected”. Yesterday EThekwini Municipality was forced to issue a press release […]

President Jacob Zuma has congratulated South African hip hop artist Cassper Nyovest on being the first local musician to fill the 20,000 seating capacity Dome in Northgate, Johannesburg, without the assistance of any international act. The SA entertainer – who produces, raps and writes – performed to a full capacity Dome arena over the weekend, fulfilling his dream – […]

Every now and then I get reminded of how different I am from many South Africans – despite the fact that I am South African and have been living here for over 20 years…pretty much all my life. So, yes, I am Asian, but I am not from China as many locals assume just because […]

Following hot – and colourfully – on the heels of Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg, Pretoria is getting amped for its bold and beautiful ‘Color Run’ tomorrow morning. Scenes similar to those on this page – photographed by Helena Sousa at Cape Town’s event on 17 October – will be seen in Centurion tomorrow. The 5km race – which […]

Zapiro’s cartoon says it all. The actions of one minister have possibly taken down one of South Africa’s strongest-performing sectors – tourism. It has been estimated that the visa regulations imposed by Home Minister Malusi Gigaba in October 2014 could cost South Africa at least half a billion dollars a year in lost tourism revenue. The intentions […]

South Africa’s favourite domestic (and Greek) godess, Suzelle DIY has been quite the celebrity in the past month as she has whipped around the country on a book tour – promoting her “SuzelleDIY – The Book” (or “SuzelleDIY – Die Boek”). In her latest video (or vlog), the do-it-yourself expert shows us snippets from her […]

It’s not exactly how we wanted to watch our Boks this weekend…but it is at least another opportunity to watch the South African rugby team in action at the Rugby World Cup (RWC) in England. The Boks will take on Argentina tomorrow, Friday, evening at Olympic Stadium in London to see who wins bronze. According to […]

Today we were meant to be celebrating Jenna Lowe’s 21st in spectacular fashion…but sadly the young Capetonian never reached this milestone, as her #GetMeTo21 campaign so optimistically  implored. But with Jenna’s courageous quest to raise awareness about organ donation, she has made a tremendous difference to South Africans and will live on in our memories […]

The ecologist and author Craig Packer has spent 30 years researching the overhunting of lions in Africa and is deeply pessimistic about their future. Here he talks about dishonest hunting operators, the urgent need for global money, why he takes issue with animal groups – and what we’ve learned from Cecil. Craig Packer likes sticking […]

Dear Springboks Thank you. Thank you for giving us something to believe in. Something that is bigger than ourselves. Thank you for giving us something intangible that can’t be described, only felt. What a World Cup you’ve had so far. Look how far you’ve come. Look how much you’ve learned. And look how well you have […]

Tragically, South Africa’s elephants appear to have become the latest target of poachers, with the Kruger National Park announcing on Friday that at least 19 elephant have been killed there this year after a decade where only two were poached, both only last year. Kruger spokesman William Mabasa said the majority of the elephants were poached in the northern part of the […]

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer on Wednesday named an unchanged starting XV to face New Zealand in the first Rugby World Cup semi-final, on Saturday at Twickenham in London. The only change to the match-day squad is at replacement lock, where Victor Matfield has overcome his hamstring injury and takes over from Pieter-Steph du Toit, bringing […]

Springbok wing Bryan Habana on Tuesday paid tribute to Zukisa Kela, a teacher from Johannesburg who died in tragic circumstances over the weekend following a gang attack. The 25-year-old Kela was a teacher at Westbury Secondary School. According to media reports, his last words to his principal before he left school at the weekend were […]

We couldn’t resist posting another page full of petals from Pretoria and Joburg…as the Jacaranda trees blossom so spectacularly this year, and shower the pavements with a carpet of purple petals. Blossoms & Blessings from Pretoria RIA VILJOEN took most of these photos in Brooklyn, Pretoria where the tree-lined avenues are so beautiful she has already […]

Italy got a double dose of Carina Bruwer last week when the South African’s pop group gave its first concert there and then she swam an epic 21 kilometres solo for her charity back home the very next day! Bruwer’s swim in Bergeggi, Liguria, was part of the annual SwimTheIsland race, Europe’s largest open-water event, with over 2,000 competitors swimming between 800m and 6km. […]

Springbok captain Fourie du Preez said yesterday that whatever happened in the past, at the Rugby World Cup (RWC), at Twickenham or between South Africa and Wales, will have no bearing on Saturday’s first quarter-final in London. Du Preez was asked if his team’s solid recent record at Twickenham and their good overall record against Wales […]

The Springboks will run out at the iconic Twickenham Stadium for the first time during the Rugby World Cup when they face Wales in the first quarter-final on Saturday afternoon. It will be the Boks’ first visit to the home of English rugby since they played there last November, beating England in a pulsating encounter. […]

It was National Dessert Day on Wednesday in America, and since South Africa doesn’t have its own dedicated day (although Melk Tart does have a national day on 27th February)…we thought we’d use this excuse to celebrate with South African desserts this weekend. [vc_button title=”1″ color=”default”] Peppermint Crisp Tart Peppermint Crisp tart is a South […]

PRETORIA – President Jacob Zuma has appointed an acting chief of the South African Police Service after suspending General Victoria Phiyega pending an enquiry into her fitness to hold office. The Acting National Commissioner will be Lieutenant-General Johannes Khomotso Phahlane, currently the Divisional Commissioner for Forensic Services, it was announced by the president’s office on Wednesday. A […]

The experienced JP Pietersen is back in the Springboks’ starting line-up for their Rugby World Cup (RWC) quarter-final against Wales at Twickenham in London on Saturday afternoon. Pietersen – who scored a hat-trick against Samoa in the second pool match – is included in the only change to the starting team that beat the USA […]

One country, one language, I heard the Cosas activists chant during a march in Stellenbosch two weeks ago. The language these angry young people were talking about, is the language of the British Empire that had colonised South Africa and many other African states and had systematically brutalised indigenous people for centuries. The young people’s […]

Many people have welcomed Al Jazeera’s portrayal of Africa in a segment on ‘UpFront’ called ‘Reality Check: Africa is not a Country’. Some said it heralded a welcome contrast to the depiction of Africa that is often presented by other large global news media of a continent filled with doom and gloom that needed outsider […]

South Africa. A place where you can dive into swimming pools or sky dive above breathtaking scenery. Surf the wild ocean or cruise the wild safari parks. Spot monkeys on your neighbour’s wall and dodge cows on the road. These are a collection of video memories since 2010 from Ronald Langeveld who filmed the following clips “on […]

World Rugby has issued a statement following allegations of biting, made against Frans Malherbe by a British newspaper, after the Springboks won their Rugby World Cup (RWC) match against the USA at London’s Olympic Stadium last night. The UK paper published a photo by Kevin Quigley which appeared to show the South African prop biting US lock […]

The Rugby World Cup (RWC) match between the RSA and the USA kicks off in less than an hour…and we’ll probably all have our eyes on our boys in green and gold, and on one member of the USA team. Number 9. Niku Kruger. It’s a big night for the South African expat. Playing for […]