South Africa has variously styled itself as a “bridge” between the North, the global South and Africa as well as a “gateway” into the continent. It also sees itself as a spokesperson for Africa, given its membership of the alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa BRICS and the G20. It has declared […]

I can already hear the intense Capetonian eye roll all the way from my lovely Jozi-based bed. But the truth is, this is not a “my city is better than your city” debate, this is just an honest and subjective look at the good, the bad and the ugly (which is few and far between […]

Across the world bouncers remain gatekeepers to the nightclub experience: controlling the queue at the door; curating the size and look of the crowd; and securing the institution from unwanted “intruders”. Indeed, “door policies” and “bouncing” remain characteristic of nightclub cultures globally. Last year I attended the Berlin NIGHTS Conference which saw artists, club owners, […]

I love the Western Cape – but it should really be called ‘The Wild West’… writes Rock DJ CHRIS PRIOR. In Joburg, the worst creature I had to deal with was the big orange ‘Parktown Prawn’ – otherwise known as a mole cricket. I would hear a shriek, and rush indoors to find my wife […]

Hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered at the South African Museum in Cape Town on Saturday. They marched through the Company’s Garden to the front entrance to Parliament holding placards with signs like “A woman’s place is in the revolution”,”Well-behaved women seldom make history” and “It’s time for women to stop being politely angry”… writes BERNARD […]

South Africans have been known to be an activist bunch – in recent times there have been a number of high profile campaigns, often with varying degrees of success. These include the #feesmustfall protests against high tuition fees on the country’s campuses, protests against toll roads and ongoing service delivery demonstrations. But protesters – even […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s anti-graft watchdog has reopened an investigation into whether Barclays Africa Group benefited from an apartheid-era bailout, the bank said on Friday. A preliminary report by the country’s Public Protector has found that the apartheid government breached the constitution by supplying Bankorp, which was acquired by Barclays Africa unit, Absa, in […]

Our recent report on global cheetah decline provides alarming reading. Using the best available information, we estimate that there are only about 7,100 wild cheetah left in the world… writes Sarah Durant, Senior Research Fellow, Zoological Society of London The species is now restricted to less than 10% of its historical distribution, and survives in just […]

Eating insects is as old as mankind. Globally, 2 billion people consume insects, a practise known as entomophagy. It is more common in Africa than anywhere else in the world. The continent is home to the richest diversity of edible insects – more than 500 species ranging from caterpillars (Lepidoptera) to termites (Isoptera), locusts, grasshoppers, […]

Crowded beach fronts over the new year’s period have become a sensitive point for racism and irresponsible social media comments in South Africa over the past two years… writes Johannesburg-based photographer JONATHAN WOOD. The comments of Penny Sparrow in a tweet last year began: “These monkeys that are allowed to be released on New Year’s […]

HAYLEY REICHERT, renowned in the UK as one of the most passionately South African South Africans you’ll ever meet, this week sent out an emotional cry for help for the family of a fellow SA mom’s tragic plight – Tania Harms was placed in an induced coma, at just 28 weeks pregnant. Writing on Facebook, […]

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma will meet with the management and leadership of universities – as well as student leaders – on Friday, 23 October 2015, to discuss what the Presidency calls “the stalemate with regards to university fee increases”. In a statement this morning, the Presidency announced that Zuma will hold consultative meetings with the […]

When Truworths announced two weeks ago that it was in talks to take over British shoe retailer Office, the international business community was alerted once again to a brazen, if not new, player on the horizon – South Africa. Slowly but surely since sanctions ended, South African businesses have been spreading their wings (think only of the gobbling up, […]

Braam Farm, LIMPOPO – The hunters taking part in a controversial “driven hunt” – where animals are driven down a narrow corridor and shot at by people on erected platforms – continued on Thursday for the fourth day of the much-publicized event in Limpopo, according to animal rights organisers. They also said the hunters, daily bothered […]

A group of hunters from Belgium and the Netherlands taking part in a controversial mass hunt – which some have called a killing field – in Alldays, Limpopo, are now facing the same name-and-shame ire of social media followers as the U.S. dentist who killed Cecil the Lion did two months ago. Since the start yesterday of the […]

A report in the Sunday Times over the weekend that the African National Congress (ANC) is considering changing its dual-citizenship rules – and requiring South Africans to hold only one passport – has had a negative and sometimes sobering response from South Africans abroad. Replying to a question on SAPeople’s facebook page on how they would react […]

The South African Rand traded at almost R21.22 to the British pound today (Monday), its worst level ever. The  U.S. dollar is R13.94, meanwhile, slightly up on it worst-ever level of R14.07 on 24 August. The news comes two days before Rand Merchant Bank and the Bureau for Economic Research are to release their business confidence index […]

With summer on its way, here are some creative tips from South Africa’s favourite do-it-yourself (DIY) Goddess Suzelle on how to get as “fit and active and gorgeous” as she is! So get your takkies on guys… Watch Video: ‘How to Get Fit’ with SuzelleDIY

In a bid to highlight the deteriorating state of South African rivers, a small group of athletes working under the name Rivers for Life have set out to swim between 100-350 kilometres along each of nine waterways throughout the country. In October, Henko Roukema and Andrew Chin will tackle the second of the nine extreme swims, […]

The profits of Taylor Swift’s latest music video “Wildest Dreams,” which debuted at the Video Music Awards (VMA) Awards on Sunday – and has already been viewed 14 million times – will go to African conservation. The money garnered by the video will go to the Africa Parks of America organisation, which partners with governments throughout Africa […]

Is it all a storm in a teacup or could a court action in Pretoria this week actually stop the Springboks from playing in the World Cup starting in England later this month? On Wednesday, a small political party that many have never heard of before now – the Agency for New Agenda (ANA) – will take […]

On the first day of spring in South Africa, not only are people coming out to celebrate. So are great white sharks, according to the Cape Town City Council, which is providing tips on how to play safe in the water. In a statement released today, the city appealed to all beach and ocean users […]

Only a day after The Telegraph newspaper identified Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer as the person who had shot and killed with a bow and arrow Zimbabwe’s famed Cecil the Lion, social media has turned not only Palmer but hunters in general into some of the world’s most hated villains. Twitter yesterday was bristling with comments […]

The news that Starbucks will open its first store in South Africa in 2016 has been met with mixed reactions. The well-known coffee shop chain is being brought to South Africa by Taste Holdings, which already has brands like Scooters Pizza and St Elmo’s, and recently introduced the American Dominos Pizza to South Africa, according […]

Many of us probably think of Hillbrow in Johannesburg as a no-go zone, but Nick Bauer and Mike Luptak are making a point of taking people to its very heart. And to Ponte City too. And beyond. Through their company, Dlala Nje, Bauer and Luptak offer two increasingly popular tours – This is Hillbrow and The Taste […]