Why vote? Am I eligible to vote? Where do I vote? What are my rights as a voter? Read our plain English answers to these and many more questions about South Africa’s 2014 elections. Jump to: Before election day On election day After election day Before election day 1. Why vote in the elections? By […]

The books team at the Sunday Times has put together a list of the top South African books that they believe give readers insight into the country’s transition into a free and democratic nation. Here we highlight the past 20 years of winners of the Sunday Times Alan Paton Award, South Africa’s premier literary award. Named for […]

She may not be Jesus of Jerusalem, as former Police Commissioner Bheki Cele once reminded her, but Public Protector Thuli Madonsela is one of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2014, according to Time magazine. She is, as Lamido Sanusi, former governor of the Bank of Nigeria described in the biography he penned for […]

South African players received a favorable draw when the official draw procedures for the Airports Company South Africa Gauteng Open were concluded on Tuesday at the Gauteng East Tennis Complex in Benoni. Stephane Houdet of France tops the men’s seeds and is scheduled to meet arch rival Gordon Reid of Great Britain in the final. […]

Presley Chweneyagae of Tsotsi fame returns to the South African big screen on Thursday when crime thriller iNumber Number, the fourth film by award-winning director Donovan Marsh, opens in cinemas nationwide. Chweneyage stars opposite lead S’dumo Mtshali in an action-packed story about a pair of cops battling corrupt colleagues as well as a gang of armoured-car thieves. Sello […]

As South Africa celebrates 20 years of a vibrant and robust democracy, it commemorates a significant trial in the country’s turbulent history the 1963 to 1964 Rivonia Trial. The trial – named for the Johannesburg suburb in which members of the African National Congress’s (ANC) armed wing (Umkhonto We Sizwe, The Spear of the Nation) […]

Cape Town is the design capital of the world and in true, cutting edge form, South Africa’s first fashion film event will be hosted in the city. The lavish Mercedes-Benz Bokeh International Fashion Film Festival will run from 5 to 7 June. The Mother City, known for its beauty, vineyards and international jet setters who […]

South Africans are everywhere…even in the deepest forests of the Amazon! We caught up with Michael Langford, a Capetonian who is currently living in Cusco, Peru where he promotes responsible travel to the nearby Peruvian Amazon. Here he shares some of his stunning photos from a recent rainforest trip (a 30-minute flight from where he […]

For many of us, the mere thought of running a 56-km ultra-marathon is exhausting. For Eduline Mutize it’s a challenge she feels compelled to do…twice! Eduline plans to run today’s Two Oceans once for herself, and once for the millions of orphans in the country – to give them a voice. The 28-year-old  runner did […]

The Proteas were recognised as the number one test team in the world yesterday when the Chief Executive Officer of Cricket South Africa (CSA), Haroon Lorgat, received the prestigious Reliance ICC Test Championship Mace on their behalf. The Proteas finished on top of the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings table on the annual cut-off date […]

South African feel-good movie Felix has added to its long list of accolades by winning three more awards at international film festivals in March and April. The film won the youth jury prize for best film at the Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth in Vancouver, Canada, the best film award at the Kikife International […]

An engaging movie filmed against the vast and rugged wilderness of Lesotho – the first feature film produced in the picturesque mountain kingdom – unwraps the mystery and beauty of the region and its people. The Forgotten Kingdom won the Haskell Wexler Award for Best Cinematography in New York at the 14th annual Woodstock Film Festival Maverick Awards in October 2013, […]

Two South African women have made their marks as leading powerhouses in the technology industry, earning a place on the respected Forbes 10 Female Tech Founders to Watch in Africa list. Barbara Mallison and Annette Muller have flourished in Africa’s largely male dominated tech scene, after spearheading successful, innovative companies that set a new standard […]

After taking taking on the gruelling, eight-stage Absa Cape Epic, cross country world champion Nino Schurter is working on making a swift turnaround as he prepares for the opening round of the 2014 UCI MTB World Cup, presented by Shimano, which takes place in Pietermaritzburg from 11 to 13 April.  During the exhausting adventure through […]

Top South African female referee and former Springbok women’s rugby stalwart Marlize Jordaan was on Friday named as one of eight international women’s referees to officiate matches at the 2014 IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup in France in August. Sole South African In total, 14 match officials were unveiled by the International Rugby Board (IRB), […]

South African surfer Grant “Twiggy” Baker has been crowned the Big Wave World Tour (BWWT) world champion after racking up more than double the number of points of any of his competitors during the 2013/14 BWWT season. ‘I gave it my all’ “I gave it my all this year, basically put my personal life on […]

Germany’s Robert Mennen and Kristian Hynek of the Czech Republic claimed the overall honours in the Absa Cape Epic on Sunday at Lourensford in the Western Cape, while Denmark’s Annika Langvad and Switzerland’s Arianne Kleinhans lifted the women’s title. The event, the world’s biggest mountain bike stage race, once again attracted the cream of the […]

The Momentum Proteas qualified for the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World T20 for the first time with a five-wicket win over New Zealand in Sylhet on Monday. It was also a first-ever win for the South African women over the White Ferns in a World Cup.  In three previous Women’s World Twenty20 tournaments, South […]

Johnny Clegg’s current tour of the USA is proving a big hit with nostalgic South African expats scattered across the country (as well as with non-SA fans). A South African fan in Austin, Esme wrote on Clegg’s Facebook page: “Thanks/Dankie for a GREAT show last night in Austin. Both sessions had 50% South Africans there, me […]

A thief in Paris planned to steal some Paintings from the Louvre. After careful planning, he got past security, stole the paintings, and made it safely to his van… However, he was captured only two rues (roads) away when his van ran out of fuel. When asked how he could mastermind such a crime and then make such an obvious error as to run out of petrol, he replied, ”Monsieur, that is the reason I stole […]

After undergoing surgery on his left knee late in 2013, three-time MTB downhill world champion Greg Minnaar returns to the UCI World Cup circuit at the Cascades MTB Park in his hom e town of Pietermaritzburg from 11 to 13 April. Minnaar, a legend of downhill racing, will be the star attraction at the season- […]

South Africa’s top women’s wheelchair tennis star, Kgothatso “KG ” Montjane, added another title to her list of achievements when she won the doubles event at the 25th annual Cajun Classic Wheelchair Tennis Tournament in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on the weekend. The ITF Grade 1 event was contested at the Lamar Tennis Centre from 19 […]

Durban’s beach art has survived last year’s permit system hiccup and is thriving, as evidenced by these fantastic photographs taken during the Durban Sky Grand Prix at the weekend. In May 2013 Durban Metro Police removed several unlicensed beach artists in an effort to control the burgeoning trade of sand sculpting which  can earn its […]

For all those South Africans living in Australia…you know you’re settling in and becoming an Aussie when you can relate to these signs. From an email doing the rounds…signs you only see in Australia:

It was an awesome day out in Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth yesterday for both the competitors who took part in the City Lodge Hotel Group “3 Beaches Challenge”…and for the dolphins who joined them! Photographer Dirk Erasmus was out in a rubber dingy to capture the day’s activities in this fairly new event […]