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 […]

When it comes to the arts, Dirk Badenhorst, the chief executive of South African Mzansi Ballet (SAMB), does not believe in social barriers. Instead, he believes that talent is talent no matter where it comes from, which is why SAMB has set up a development programme in the townships of Gauteng. Through this initiative, it offers classes […]

South African entrepreneur Gildah Tshukutswane has turned her dream of creating greeting cards in African languages into a successful business. Her start-up African Greetings sells a range of colourful birthday, wedding, Christmas and thank you cards with messages in all 11 of South Africa’s official indigenous languages. Each card is illustrated with a photograph or traditional symbol […]

Sixty-five years ago today Mahatma Gandhi, one of the 20th century’s great spiritual leaders, was assassinated in India, at the age of 78. On 30 January 1948 Nathuram Godse pushed through a crowd around Gandhi, and fired three shots at point-blank range. He died on the spot. Gandhi’s 21-year South African sojourn nurtured the creation […]

From an email doing the rounds !                  

This year, the music documentary about folk singer Sixto Rodriguez, Searching for Sugar Man, has been nominated for Best Documentary in 2013, the 85th instalment of the movie awards. It is up against 5 Broken Cameras, How to Survive a Plague, The Gatekeepers, and The Invincible War. The film, which was shot in Cape Town, has also been nominated for […]

In typical Zululander style, the locals didn’t let a little flood stop them having fun this weekend. Legendary jet ski champion Dustin Motzouris took to the streets of Empangeni and thrilled the town with his daring manoeuvres.  With the police buzzing him with their sirens (but perhaps secretly impressed…and stumped on how to catch him), […]

Imagine taking a bath anywhere at any time without using the traditional method of water. A young South African entrepreneur has developed a product that will allow people who have limited access to water to maintain their standards of hygiene. Ludwick Marishane hails originally from Motetema on the border of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, a town located […]

A South African scientist has been named one of 20 ‘Youngest Power Women in Africa 2012’ by Forbes Magazine. These are women – all under the age of 45 – who are bringing about positive change on the continent by influencing African business, technology, science, policy and media. Dr Patience Mthunzi, a scientist at the Council for Scientific […]

Had it not been for the passion of a self-trained South African naturalist, the discovery of a living specimen of the rare coelacanth around this time in 1938 may never have happened. Eastern Cape native Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer originally trained as a nurse. Although her wish was to work in a museum, there were few opportunities […]

  Only in South Africa is it permissible for a company to drive on a main arterial road (in Cape Town) using a worker as a prop for glass On the back of an open vehicle at break neck speed !   I know this is “Africa” and all that but if we don’t comment on […]

When Jessica Foord was gang-raped five years ago while on a hike with her father, she vowed not to let the trauma consume her life. The survivor of a crime that reportedly takes place in South Africa every 17 seconds, Foord – who was 21 at the time – was determined to use the experience […]

Award-winning songbird Lira is set to wow the world – she’s received a request to perform at President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration ball on 21 January 2013. Lira, who was born Lerato Molapo in Daveyton, east of Johannesburg, is no one-hit wonder – the singer was discovered in 2000 and since then has been raking in the […]

Homer’s Iliad, the well-known Greek poem set in the Trojan War, has been translated into English versions and virtually every language in the world for many centuries, but now a South African professor in classic literature has published the first South African English translation of the epic tale. Prof Richard Whitaker from the School of Languages and Literature […]

Top South African open water marathon swimmer Theodore Yach, who holds the record for the most crossings to Robben Island, has published an autobiography that has been nominated for an international award by the World Open Water Swimming Association. The 2012 winner is determined entirely by online voting, and South Africans have until 31 December 2012 to vote for In […]

London’s prestigious Tate Gallery has turned its eyes to Africa, with plans to bring modern art from the continent to international attention through a two-year programme of exhibitions and performances. The intercontinental Across the Board programme started on 24 November with the official opening at the Tate Modern in London. The opening event featured performances in the […]

Following a severe eye injury which forced his early retirement, former Proteas wicketkeeper Mark Boucher has gloved up for rhinos – the cricket star has decided to devote his time to rhino activism as South Africa battles with escalating poaching figures. Boucher and South African Breweries (SAB) launched the non-profit SAB-Boucher Conservation in October this year. Boucher was appointed […]

Humanitarian, businessman and academic Jakes Gerwel, a close friend of former president Nelson Mandela, will be remembered for his humility, and as an icon of the freedom struggle and a literature teacher who inspired hundreds of students. The memorial service for Gerwel, who never recovered from a heart bypass operation and passed away on 28 […]

The Cape Town-based Desmond Tutu TB Centre (DTTC) has won a prestigious global accolade for its work, a welcome nod of approval for those working to help reduce infections of the lung disease among children in South Africa and the rest of the developing world. According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Tuberculosis report of 2012, […]

A Western Cape high school principal’s open letter to South African President Jacob Zuma has gone viral. The letter, penned by Bergvliet High School headmaster Stephen Price, addresses education in South Africa and references a well-known letter written by local celebrity Gareth Cliff a couple of years ago. Both letters are published below… Dear President […]

Sizwe Nzima, a young entrepreneur from Khayelitsha in the Western Cape, has started an innovative business that is helping to solve overcrowding at public health facilities, while also improving the lives of people who rely on chronic medication. Instead of standing in long queues for hours, Nzima’s Iyeza Express collects chronic medication from local clinics […]