Freedom Day on 27 April marks the day South Africa voted in its first democratic elections. That day took 342 years to reach. Racial discrimination existed in various forms almost from the start of European settlement in the country, when the Dutch East India Company governor, Jan van Riebeeck, arrived at the Cape in 1652. […]

He survived being shot down over France, internment in a Nazi prison camp, escape, recapture, Hitler’s ordered mass murder of his comrades, the Long March to escape the advancing Soviet army – and a freak tsunami back home. Flight Lieutenant Les Brodrick, the last South African to make the legendary Great Escape of the Second […]

  Africa’s time is now. In academic studies, institutional reports, business journals and the mass media a new story about Africa is emerging: one of growth, progress, peace, potential and profitability. Never in the half-century since it won independence from the colonial powers has Africa been in such good shape. Its economy is flourishing. Most […]

A music school in the Durban township of Umlazi is helping vulnerable and orphaned children get off the streets and become involved in more productive activities. With the help of South African mobile telecommunications company Vodacom, and consumer company Godrej SA, Tammy Dutton ambitiously set up a 40-foot shipping container that was converted into two sound-proofed music […]

The South African-designed smartphone app, Price Check, has got the nod from Blackberry users, who have nominated it for this year’s Blackberry achievement awards. An online price comparison app, Price Check is locally created and released. It has been nominated under the International Blackberry App of the Year category, which is open to businesses and entrepreneurs, as […]

The latest attempt to counter the thriving crime of rhino poaching comes in the form of a poisonous substance with which a game reserve is now poisoning its rhinos’ horns. Consumers of the poisoned rhino horn, generally found in Asia, risk becoming seriously ill from ingestion as it is contaminated with a non-lethal chemical package. […]

Up-and-coming South African scientist Brendon Billings is breathing new life into the field of science and human evolution. He is presenting Maropeng’s new Bone Detectives walking tour, which investigates the seven-million-year evolution of Homo sapiens through the many fossils found in the Cradle of Humankind, in Gauteng. Through the tour, the 30-year-old Wits University scientist hopes to provide a new perspective on the field, […]

With a populace diverse enough to be called the Rainbow Nation, it’s no surprise that ‘Proudly South African’ means different things to different folk. Rather than tangling up in arguments that mix vuvuzelas, braaivleis and Table Mountain, one could simply sit back and take pride in being a South African – and our local adventurers […]

A South African recipe and games book for children, written by nine-year-old Josh Thirion, has won a prestigious international cookbook award. Cook with Josh is the winner of the 2013 Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Best in the World in the children’s category. These awards are considered the Oscars of the food and wine industry, and Josh’s […]

It was a bittersweet win today at the Absa Cape Epic for defending champion Christoph Sauser of Switzerland. In the last two years he won this same race, cycling with the brilliantly talented Burry Stander who was tragically killed by a taxibus whilst training earlier this year. Burry’s presence was very much felt throughout the […]

TEAM RWANDA CYCLING is a story about redemption, hope, and second chances.  Tom Ritchey, renowned mountain bike industry pioneer, first visited Rwanda in 2005.  Awed by the natural beauty of Rwanda, he was also deeply moved by the people and their stories of reconciliation and hope.  Tom knew he could use his talent and resources to […]

The historic suburb of Linden in Johannesburg has become home to South Africa’s first neighbourhood-inspired coffee shop. The Whippet in Linden is setting a new trend to encourage South Africans to reconnect with their neighbourhoods and their own history. Three entrepreneurs with a love for South Africa and their suburb – Divan Botha, Jaco De Witt and […]

He’s only 12 years old and has already picked up several awards for his philanthropy. He’s Jordan van der Walt and his initiative has fed a million hungry tummies in two years. Jordan, a pupil at St John’s Preparatory College in Houghton, Johannesburg, started a school feeding campaign called Just One Bag back in March […]

Bruce Clark is one of those unusual things – a stay-at-home dad. In his uplifting memoir Love Sex Fleas God, aptly subtitled “Confessions of a stay-at-home dad”, he talks about his troubled childhood and his ultimately successful search for direction in life. The captivating title came out of a paragraph Clark wrote in response to publisher Umuzi‘s […]

South African composers who have succeeded in the fiercely competitive international market will be recognised in a new awards programme called Wawela (Zulu, meaning “go beyond”). The initiative is driven by the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (Samro), which is responsible for upholding and administering the rights of music composers in the region. This covers […]

Endurance cyclist Kevin Davie’s new book, Freedom Rider, tells the story of the mountain bike adventures that led him to discover some of South Africa’s most beautiful hidden corners, understand more about the history that shaped the country, and experience genuine South African hospitality. On his journey to discover more of South Africa, the seasoned cyclist […]

Tracey Chiappini-Young and Karen Jansen, founders of the soft toy maker Taunina, are on a mission to promote job creation in South Africa through the art of seamstressy. The toys are expensive – ranging in price from $201 (R1 780) to $600 (R5 320) – but keep in mind each one is handmade by women who […]

Submitted by Audy Peters You call a bathing suit a “swimming costume”. You call a traffic light a “robot”. You call an elevator a “lift” You call a hood a “bonnet” You call a trunk a “boot” You call a pickup truck a “bakkie” You call a Barbeque a “Braai” The employees dance in front […]

South Africa’s most unlikely export must be Rodriguez, a singer-songwriter from Detroit in the US. The Mexican-American cut two albums in the early 1970s which went nowhere in his homeland but were a huge hit in South Africa, culminating in the 2012 hit movie Searching for Sugarman. On stage in Johannesburg during his February 2013 tour […]

Hi Everyone Don’t forget about this weekends tours: 23 February 2013-Saturday- Jozi Inner City Flash Tours….WOOP WOOP  Why not join us for some flash tours (this means short!) in the Jozi Inner City!! These concise hour-long tours have a number of themes and focus on history, architecture, public art, street art and City culture. This is perfect for […]

A South African student has been named as a finalist for the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards Student Focus competition, the world’s largest student photography programme and award. Zanele Plaatjie (22), from Vaal University of Technology, beat entries from over 230 universities worldwide to be named as one of 10 finalists for the Student Focus award.  She […]

    A South African electrical engineer turned author has developed 480 new Zulu words to explain contemporary science and technology terms. Phiwayinkosi Mbuyazi has combined his love for languages, science and technology to provide children with new Zulu words through which to explore the modern world, encourage a generation of enquiring minds and preserve […]

Johannah Moriti has established the first cosmetic company in South Africa to manufacture natural chemical-free products that don’t alter the structure of ethnic hair. Her products are changing the cosmetic industry, for the first time offering women an alternative to harmful chemical-based hair products. “I want to show black women that their natural hair is […]

Lorna Cochran, 89, will be swimming her 14th aQuellé Midmar Mile this year and if she makes it to the other side, she will be the oldest finisher in the race’s 40-year history. In 1999 Colin Cable finished as an 89-year-old, but he was four months younger than Cochran. She turns 90 in July. The race, recognised by […]

South African yachtsman Ralf Dominick has added his name to a prestigious list of only 150 people who have sailed through the Northwest Passage, one of the world’s most severe maritime challenges. The notorious waterway, a sea route through the Arctic Ocean along the northern coast of North America, has historically been considered impassable by many sea […]