Yes, we have Table Mountain, the Big Five, pristine beaches, the alluring winelands and world-class airports…but South Africa also has food experiences as diverse as our Rainbow Nation. You can expect everything from fine dining to Cape Malay cuisine and that old South African favourite, the braai (barbecue). Here are some food experiences to try if you […]

It dawned on me yesterday morning around 3 hours into the most boring “Game” drive of all time. I was doing brain exercises in order to ensure that I didn’t lose consciousness from the devastating cold and from the mind numbing nothingness of the experience, and in order to ensure that I didn’t slip away […]

It’s official! Fridays in South Africa are now green and gold. Yesterday Minister of Sport, Fikile Mbalulato, called on Corporate South Africa to support their workforce in wearing Springbok jerseys on the 11 Fridays until the big World Cup kickoff. Starting today. BUT not all South African fans are happy to comply… “It’s that time of year again where we […]

Almost eight months after suffering a devastating knee injury Jean de Villiers is set to make his comeback this weekend – from the bench – when the Springboks take on the World XV at Newlands in Cape Town. De Villiers, who plays centre, suffered a dislocated knee and ligament damage during the final match of 2014 against […]

We are without a doubt commencing tennis’ finest hour. I am filled with excitement and anticipation of the weeks to come at the Wimbledon Championships located in SW19. For most tennis players, the ultimate dream is to lift the trophy with a golden hue at the ‘home’ of tennis, where the history and prestige of […]

Photos from Plot 111, Moloto, Pretoria. June 2015. South African writer, broadcaster and photographer DAVID BATZOFIN was invited by a group distributing food, toys and clothes to this little-known community. This is his account… [vc_button title=”1″ color=”default”] Martie and Marius de Klerk This husband and wife couple are the “caretakers”. Marius used to work for Transnet, but left […]

Starfish Greathearts Foundation, a charity working with children in South Africa orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS, are holding an inspirational evening of jazz and classical music alongside traditional songs from South Africa this evening. The event – ‘Hope and Harmony’ – promises a wonderful line up of musicians, including: Queen of Afro-Jazz Pinise […]

Here’s the lowdown on what the 28 squad members have done since winning the World Cup 25 years ago. This article was first republished five years ago (for the 20th anniversary) with kind permission from SA Rugby magazine. As Breyton Paulse tweeted this morning: “Exactly 25 years ago today, what a moment, what a team, […]

The photos of an unfortunate African Rock Python, and its equally unfortunate meal – a porcupine – are making news around the world with headings like ‘Python comes to prickly end’ and ‘Snake bites off more than he can chew’.  The story of the python and the porcupine began on Sunday 14 June 2015 when one […]

It’s been four months since young filmmaker Howard Fyvie traded in his rental home in Woodstock for a bunk bed in DuNoon, a township on the fringes of Milnerton. And now that the “Honeymoon period has officially worn off”, he has some insider tips on how to navigate a township… The 27-year-old says: “I’ve started to see […]

Dear Friend, It has been an eerie thing for me these past few years: sort of a déjà vu experience to watch the news and read about Ferguson, Eric Garner, Baltimore riots, McKinney and, most recently, the horrific shooting in Charleston. I’ve been watching #blacklivesmatter trend on Twitter: grief and outrage and opinions from every corner. […]

A well-deserved congratulations to Cape Town photographer Eric Nathan whose shot of the Mother City at night has earned him the top prize at the International Earth & Sky Photo Contest. But, as exquisite as his photo is, it also highlights the effect light pollution has on our skies and the need to reclaim and reconnect […]

Here’s a shout out from Carina McAlpine for her neighbour who bravely risked his life to rescue her during an assault…even though at that stage they were just polite neighbours who barely knew each other. Carina posted the following message to Facebook with the photo above: “Ladies and gentlemen…please salute my neighbour, Joseph Hlengane Hlongwane, who […]

An artisanal beer-making tsunami has hit South Africa in the last few years and resulted in 135 craft breweries that have popped up throughout the country (see infographic below). The below quote is the top definition of what constitutes a craft beer in the tongue-in-cheek Urban Dictionary. [quote_center]CRAFT BEER – “An explosion of art and science coming together to build […]

The iconic, mysterious and magical African baobab, probably the most identifiable and prehistoric-looking tree on earth, suddenly seems to be coming into its own in the 21st Century. Several companies are getting the name of the tree out there – literally – selling products that take advantage of its health and medicinal properties. One company even promotes the […]

The new immigration regulations concerning travelling with children in and out of South Africa, implemented on 1 June 2015, have caused some confusion and a flood of questions. Here’s a guide that should make it simple and hassle-free so that you can focus on having a holiday while the SA government can focus on ensuring […]

So now we have established that most of us expats are not hell bent on taking the country to the dogs, let’s talk about why we upped sticks and left. I come from a family of expats. Mum is English, Dad from South Africa but raised in Kenya and Zambia, grandparents from SA and the UK. […]

Messages of love and support have poured in for the family and friends of 20-year-old Jenna Lowe, the #GetMeTo21 organ transplant campaigner who tragically passed away on Monday. Here is one that says it all…and more. Penned by Vanessa Raphaely for her brave and beautiful friend, Gabi Lowe – mother of Jenna and Kristi, we […]

In little reported news last week, Mauritius became the second country in Africa to get a woman leader…not a politician but a world-renowned biologist who has addressed the esteemed TED series of lectures. Ammenah Gurib-Fakim was inaugurated without contention on Friday, after being appointed by the Mauritian parliament. She becomes the sixth president of the […]

The results of the South African Stigma Survey are set to be revealed at the 7th SA AIDS Conference which kicks off today in Durban. The Stigma survey, the largest in the world, was conducted amongst 10,700 HIV-positive people who are older than 15 in 18 districts across South Africa. The Survey was launched with the […]

There is a name on the American website GhostTowns.com that looks very familiar: Randsburg, California. Not far away is – you guessed it – Johannesburg! There’s also CapeTown…and over the Atlantic, in France, is a town called Durban. Randsburg, California The small town of Randsburg is nearly a ghost town today (although one reference puts the population at […]

A couple of days ago billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson tweeted that after going through airport security he thanked a security worker who turned to him with a look of shock and said: “That’s the first time in three years that anybody has bothered to say thank you.” It sounded crazy, but South African facebook user Charne […]

On the 26 of September 2015 South Africa’s comedic firebrand, the progeny of a South African mother and a ‘chocolate loving’ Swiss father, Trevor Noah will replace John Stewart as the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. In doing so the ‘day-walker’ has become the talk from Tinsel Town to Tulbagh. But few outside of South […]

After a few years of `drought’ the sardines have returned to the South Coast in all their glory. The KwaZulu-Natal coastline in South Africa has always been home to one of the world’s greatest natural marine phenomena – the Sardine Run – which is also referred to as the Greatest Shoal on Earth. Every winter, between the […]

It’s a kind of crazy question…with a kind of brilliant answer. How to help solve a trio of problems – child road deaths, fatal fire accidents at home and pollution – in one simple step? The answer: a school bag made out of recycled plastic that has a solar light on it.  As Rethaka – the […]