When Laduma Ngxokolo, a textile graduate from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), decided to create a range of men’s knitwear as part of a research project for his studies, he had no idea his love of knitting would cause such a stir in the fashion industry. “It feels like a dream some days,” Ngxokolo says […]

Although the term gold panning evokes centuries-old images of dusty shanty towns and hopeful prospectors, the activity is still very much part of the new millennium – and even practised as a national sport in South Africa. The national team recently participated in the 2011 World Gold Panning Championships in Zlotoryja, Poland, and – although […]

The Springboks and thousands of fans brought Sandton to a standstill on 1 September 2011 during a spirited send-off ahead of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. With the farewell coinciding with the start of the new season, the event was fittingly dubbed SpringBok Day. South Africa’s national rugby team left the country last night […]

The revamped UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal is the result of an international conservation partnership, and has just seen its first leopard move into the area. Previous mismanagement in the park led to the eradication of a number of species. But since 2005 the park has been a project of Action for the Wild, the […]

Some of the world’s most intelligent minds will share their leadership strategies and insights into global financial, economic and management issues at this year’s Discovery Invest Leadership Summit, taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre on 21 September. This year’s event is the third edition. Speakers at the inaugural event in 2009 included Sir Richard Branson, […]

A South African microbiologist has discovered that a certain fungus can be used to create a xylanase enzyme which bleaches paper, thus eliminating the use of harmful chlorine in the food and paper industries. Nokuthula Mchunu-Nxumalo, a doctoral student at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), made the discovery during an 18-month study with academics at […]

South Africans have been mobilised to stand behind their beloved Springboks, the national rugby team, as they prepare to do battle in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The tournament kicks off on 9 September – 23 October 2011. The International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC) showed its support by endorsing the Lead SA Bok Friday initiative […]

It started in 1993, when World Chefs Tour founder and patron Bill Gallagher, together with hospitality group Southern Sun and roughly 100 chefs, raised around R500 000 (US$69 000) for hungry children. The second tour, which took place in 2003, involved 140 chefs and saw R1-million ($139 000) being raised. And now the 2011 tour – the […]

From an infamous prison number to a modish clothing brand, that’s the story of 46664. The number that identified Nelson Mandela on Robben Island, where the apartheid government jailed him for his political activities, is now a name of a new trendy clothing line. The range made its debut on South African shelves on 24 […]

The Make It 2 Bushmills – also referred to as the World Whiskey Games – is a gruelling competition where teams of two battle it out for two days at the renowned Bushmills Distillery in the village of Bushmills, County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Teams take on punishing tasks, both mental and physical, such as beach […]

As the nation celebrates the triumphs of South African women during August, known as Women’s Month, the Mail & Guardian newspaper has joined in with the release of its Book of South African Women. The Mail & Guardian Book of South African Women is an annual publication that celebrates the accomplishments of 100 newsworthy women. It was launched […]

At age 20, Neftaly Malatjie is already a distinguished leader in his community of Diepsloot, a sprawling township grappling with underdevelopment and poverty. Diepsloot Youth Projects, the non-profit organisation he founded in 2005 at just age 16, is making a difference in the lives of fellow youngsters. The hard-working Malatjie is the CEO of the […]

From taxi driver to South African and world maritime history-maker – this is how Captain Rufus Lekala’s life story would read if it were written today. Appointed as the first black harbour master in South Africa and the youngest in the world in 2002, Lekala has now made maritime history again after becoming the first […]

The African bush and all its beauty have been brought to central London in the form of a two-month photographic exhibition, Visions of Africa, made by award-winning wildlife filmmaking and conservationist couple Beverly and Dereck Joubert. The exhibition opened at the National Geographic store on Regent Street on 5 July 2011 and will run until 5 September. […]

A team of three determined South African women is crossing Europe in the epic 16 000km Mongol Rally from the UK to Mongolia to raise money for two charities, the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation (CNCF) and the Pink Drive Campaign. Joanne Theron, Shannon Davis and Gene Arundel – all from Johannesburg – began their daring journey on 23 July […]

Three South African women have set the standard in Africa by becoming the first black female marine pilots on the continent to gain open licences, enabling them to navigate ships of all sizes and types into local waters. Precious Dube, Bongiwe Mbambo and Pinky Zungu, who are three of only five female marine pilots in […]

A bit of enthusiasm, mixed with passion and a dash of perseverance – these are the attributes that have earned David Kramer, the CEO of Johannesburg’s Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, his knighthood from the French government. Kramer became a Knight of the French National Order of Merit at a ceremony held at the French Embassy in Pretoria […]

Pretty Yende, a graduate of the South African College of Music, has brought the country’s opera singers into the spotlight by winning the prestigious Operalia Competition. The event took place in Moscow, Russia, from 18 to 24 July 2011, at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre. Operalia took place in three stages with 40 contestants selected to compete […]

A derelict ship on its way to India for scrap got pushed onto rocks off Sheffield Beach, near Salt Rock, yesterday.  The anchor chain of the Phoenix broke and the ship drifted off course. About 15 crewmen were airlifted by three helicopters to safety after the tank ran aground on South Africa’s north coast yesterday. […]

Anita Zenani, 13, from Khayelitsha township in the Western Cape, will represent South Africa at the World BMX Championships in Denmark from 27 to 31 July 2011. The petite teenager has been cycling for just over two years, but has already made her mark in the sport. At the 2010 world championships, held in Pietermaritzburg in […]

Pupils and teachers from Manor Gardens Primary School in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, are celebrating after the school’s team won the 2011 International Kids Literary Quiz in New Zealand on 19 July. Grade seven pupils Alexandra Breckenridge, Matthew Robbins, Emily Spencer and Sarah Herrington represented South Africa in the event, taking on teams from the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand. […]

From an email doing the rounds:

From an email doing the rounds: Even though the routine of my job often is monotonous, Thank you Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job…plus more below…

Nomthandazo Radebe from Escourt in KwaZulu-Natal is helping young people gain much-needed work experience by giving them positions in her small sewing business and arranging internships at various companies.   Many young South Africans fresh out of school, college or university struggle to find jobs nowadays, as most employers require candidates to have some form of […]

President Jacob Zuma and the UK’s PM David Cameron seemed to hit it off during their joint press conference in Pretoria this week. The British PM was forced to cut his trade visit to Africa short in order to return to the UK to deal with the ongoing phone-hacker saga. Source: ThePresidency