Against all odds, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI-Kirstenbosch) was yesterday awarded a Silver Gilt at the Chelsea Flower Show for what is its 40th exhibit at the famous Royal Horticultural Society show!  Congratulations to designers David Davidson and Ray Hudson and the team of SANBI staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to achieve […]

There is hope for the rhino. South Africa’s youth are making their voices heard, and in the latest #RhinoShoutOutChallenge two fierce school rivals have come together to shout out in one voice: Save Our Rhino. Hopefully other schools will follow the example set by Kearsney College and Maritzburg College in KwaZulu-Natal. The boys came together […]

Democratic Alliance Federal Leader, Helen Zille, delivered her final speech as DA Federal Leader this morning. Below is the full transcript of her address to the DA’s Federal Congress delegates at the Boardwalk Convention Centre in Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth (PE). Writer Suzanne Brenner ‏summed up the speech with the following tweet: “And so endeth the reign of […]

After the announcements, postponements and outrage from some…the date is almost upon us when it will be mandatory for all minors to travel with an Unabridged Birth Certificate.  From 1 June 2015, the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa will require all passengers under 18 to travel with an Unabridged Birth Certificate. Travelstart.co.za have kindly provided […]

Here’s a BIG shout out from the students of Pietermaritzburg College in KwaZulu-Natal to save our rhino. It’s better than Chinese Whispers. It’s the Rhino Shout Out Challenge… South Africa’s rhino faces extinction if poaching is to continue at its current alarming rate. Yesterday it was announced that 550 rhino have already been poached in South Africa […]

Yet another poacher was arrested last night in South Africa’s Kruger National Park (KNP) during an operation that was described as sounding like a “war”. Conservation group Rhino Saving the Survivors reported this morning that there was a lot of activity on Tuesday night in the Kruger Crocodile Bridge Gate area with reports of gunshots heard by residents […]

In celebration of the 22nd New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) an exciting line-up of over 25 films from more than 15 countries from Africa will be screened 6-12 May 2015. It is thrilling to see how the vision for Africa – from Burkina Faso to Botswana, from Ghana to South Africa – is being […]

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has released a statement two hours ago announcing two suspects have been arrested in connection with the high-profile murder of Port Elizabeth teacher Jayde Panayiotou. The country – and South Africans around the world – were moved to march and say #EnoughIsEnough after it appeared that the 28-year-old had been […]

South African Airways (SAA) has today issued a public statement regarding the embargo on the transportation of hunting trophies. The embargo is limited to rhino, elephant, lion and tiger. SAA confirmed that on 21 April 2015 SAA Cargo issued a Policy and Procedures Advisory to its internal stakeholders advising of the embargo, which came as a […]

Check out these two videos from Mount Everest, uploaded  today from South African team base camp manager Rob Bentley. One of the videos captures the avalanche as it started. “Just before it hit,” he wrote. “Never knew I had my camera rolling!” The other, uploaded by SA Team Leader Sean Wisedale shows Rob, moments after the […]

The idea was David Nyawo’s. Walk from Mbombela to Pretoria to protest killing in South Africa. First it was the killings of white farmers and policemen, but then it grew from there to xenophobic killings, and the slaughter of rhino and other wildlife. Nyawo, a teacher near White River, said at the start of his […]

The South African team who were on Mount Everest when a large avalanche hit on Saturday are reported to be heading home. The team was halfway through their trip when the avalanche was triggered by Nepal’s devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake which has left over 3,600 dead. Footage of the avalanche cascading down the mountain was captured and uploaded […]

As South Africans in SA have marched in cities around the country to protest against xenophobia and the violence in general that troubles their beloved land, those abroad are following suit to lend their support. Yesterday South Africans marched in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and today they gathered in London, and more is planned. For South Africans abroad the […]

South African expat – and accomplished musician – Kieran Ballard-Tremeer has become the first woman to swim around Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, the iconic artificial island which can be viewed from space. Kieran (38) completed the 14.5 km swim around the palm-shaped island last Saturday morning in four hours and 25 minutes. The 38-year-old undertook the swim in aid […]

It’s been open season on Open Letters in South Africa recently…mainly addressed to the President. Today, the President has responded to one such letter, that written by Mozambican writer and poet Mia Couto. In the letter the President declares that “South Africans are definitely not xenophobic. The actions of a small minority should not be […]

South African Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa and the Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS), amongst others, have sent condolences to the families of Darrell Rea and Jastun Visagie who tragically lost their lives on Wednesday while battling a mountainside fire in the Bains Kloof area, near Wellington in the Western Cape…which is still burning. VWS said “we, as […]

South Africans continue to stand and march together as a movement against violence sweeps the nation. Following last night’s march in Port Elizabeth, a huge peaceful rally – the People’s March Against Xenophobia – took place in downtown Johannesburg today and was said to have drawn more people than any such gathering since 1994. Except […]

South Africans at home and abroad are coming together in solidarity in a call for an end to violence against anyone – be they foreign, local, white, black…or any shade of the rainbow nation in between. South Africa has been rocked recently with a fresh spate of horrific xenophobic attacks in KwaZulu-Natal and Johannesburg (which […]

We are so sad to report that the body of Jayde Panayiotou has been found this morning. Desperate messages to help find the 28-year-old teacher from Port Elizabeth (PE) had been shared on social media in the past 24 hours, since she went missing yesterday morning. In one Monica Dimopoulos said “my cousin’s wife in Port Elizabeth, […]

Google has commemorated Earth Day 2015 with another one of its engaging and creative doodles that allows users to engage…and learn a little. This year’s doodle features a spinning globe. When users click through they are given a quick and fun quiz which asks: which animal are you? (Jokingly) Google claims it’s a “totally scientific and 1,000% […]

As South Africa’s Army is deployed to volatile areas that have experienced attacks on foreign nationals, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has declared  that “perpetrators will face the full might of the law”…although this message comes on the same day that  South African illustrator Zapiro has published a cartoon showing a different side to the story. Zapiro’s cartoon (see […]

King Goodwill Zwelithini, the Zulu king held responsible by many for the fresh spate of xenophobic attacks, is addressing a stadium in Durban today in a bid to quell the violence. The Zulu monarch arrived at Moses Mabhida Stadium a few minutes ago. Ten thousand people are expected to listen to his address in which he will reportedly call […]

The annual TIME 100 Most Influential People list always raises eyebrows, for the people it includes as much as the ones it doesn’t. This year finds the extremes of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau – ‘The Scourge of Africa,’ the magazine calls him – and, at the other end of the spectrum, ex-South African billionaire […]

The last few days have not only been emotional for many South Africans left reeling after the death of five people in brutal xenophobic attacks…but also for our brothers and sisters across our borders. SAPeople has received an outpouring of messages from (angry and) heartbroken residents of other countries in Africa. Below are some of them. […]

The South African husband of an Australian mom who received a ‘poison pen’ letter about photos she posted to Facebook has spoken out against his wife’s so-called friends. The letter is receiving worldwide attention as it grapples with a topic familiar to so many social media users.  How many baby photos is enough? Should we really post photos of […]