David Scott from The Kiffness has penned an open letter to Woolworths after the South African multi-national retail chain announced its decision this week to stop playing copyright-protected music in their nationwide stores, in favour of royalty free soundtracks. According to SAMPRA, this effectively means South African music will no longer be played and promoted […]

Nearly 66% of this year’s SAFTA nominations in the TV categories are available to binge now on Showmax, with more to come soon. This includes more than 85% of the drama and over two-thirds of the soap and telenovela nominations, as well as both the most-nominated series overall and the most-nominated telenovela (The River, with 15 nominations), and the most-nominated drama […]

Tennis legend Roger Federer took to Facebook late Monday night to post this video recapturing the incredible Match in Africa, which broke a world record for audience attendance, at the stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, on 7 Feb 2020. The Swiss tennis player said: “Epic recap from last week’s journey to Cape Town!? @trevornoah […]

If you weren’t lucky enough to be one of the world record-breaking spectators at the Match in Africa on 7 February in Cape Town, South Africa… or if you just want to relive the magic – here are some select video highlights of the celebrity match, and photos of the incredible event that had long […]

Check out Oti Mabuse on the Graham Norton Show, having a great belly laugh about the confusion a South African accent can cause! The SA Expat – who has become famous in the UK on ‘Strictly’ – was appearing on the popular BBC show to talk about her latest programme, ‘The Greatest Dancer’. Fellow Graham […]

Joseph Shabalala was the affable leader of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a men’s group that sang isicathamiya, a traditional Zulu genre of South African a cappella. Even with heavy hearts at his passing, a lot of South Africans know they are much richer for his time in the world. For the group he formed, for making […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deep sadness at the passing of Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder Joseph Shabalala. “The passing of Joseph Shabalala is a terribly sad moment for a nation and a world in whose ears the isicathamiya and mbube crafted by Ladysmith Black Mambazo will ring for generations to come,” said President Ramaphosa. […]

Have you ever been unlawfully detained? A staggering number of people in South Africa have, and they’ve instituted civil claims totalling billions of rands against the police for  Unlawful Arrest and Detention. On this week’s episode of Carte Blanche, the current affairs show investigates: what are the reasons behind this disturbing trend? And what to […]

Tennis legend Roger Federer told a delighted press conference at Cape Town International Airport today that “Afrikaans is still on the to do list for me and my kids”. He revealed that he actually understands 20 to 30% of Afrikaans spoken! Although that’s not a huge surprise – Roger’s mother Lynette (nee Durand) is a […]

The Royal Geographical Society is hosting a performance of ‘My Father’s Coat’ by South African born historian and storyteller, Michael Charlton TONIGHT (Wed, 29 January 2020). It will be an evening of culture, history and art – the sculpting of forces behind every community while reflecting on South Africa’s remarkable heritage. “I cried hot wet […]

The next season of your favourite prison drama is coming exclusively to Showmax. If you still aren’t sure what the streaming platform is all about, we’ve got you covered. South Africa has been hooked on Lockdown for the past four seasons. The big news now is that Lockdown S5 is streaming exclusively on Showmax from […]

For fans of Lasizwe Dambuza, his latest video has delivered more laughs – a South African comedic version of Public Hospital vs Private Hospital. (Lasizwe produced the original SA supermarket tellers video that we all loved!) For anyone who’s ever spent time in hospital in SA, this video will ring a few bells!! “This is […]

‘Bombshell‘ – starring South Africa’s Charlize Theron (who has scooped an Oscar nomination for her performance) – is released in South Africa on Friday 24 January 2020. The film chronicles the real-life chain of events at Fox News… which saw several women accuse former Fox News CEO and chairman Roger Ailes (played by John Lithgow) […]

In a video that will remind music fans of Sinead O’Connor’s legendary “Nothing Compares 2 U”, James Blunt – who is renowned for sharing his raw emotions – has exposed his heartbreak like never before, in a song where he sits side by side with his beloved dying father. The tearful British singer and songwriter […]

Tonight’s episode of Carte Blanche will be the second to last time viewers get a chance to watch seasoned professional, Devi Sankaree Govender, on South Africa’s award-winning current affairs show. Carte Blanche announced this week that Devi is leaving the show after 18 years. Devi said: “Working on Carte Blanche has been one of the […]

We’ve done a quick trawl of holiday viewing data on Showmax to see if we could spot any trends in how people used their downtime. Not everything was as expected, says Showmax… First off, top marks go to South Africa. The nation collectively viewed more than 100 years’ worth of video on Showmax over Christmas […]

When we’re watching the feats South Africa’s players pull off on-field, it’s hard to believe they’re human! Maybe they’re not … To kick off the Super Rugby season, our rugby heroes show their true colours when they dress in official Marvel kit for the matches on Super Hero Sunday. Showmax subscribers can watch these super-fun […]

South African expat Charlize Theron has been nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Bombshell! Theron already has one Oscar, from 2004, for her  portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in ‘Monster’; and a nomination in 2006 for ‘North Country’. In her latest role, Charlize stars as Fox News host Megyn Kelly, in […]

The Eastern Cape is in a crisis. Dams and boreholes have dried up and recent rainfall hasn’t been nearly enough to bring respite, says Carte Blanche which visits the region for the broadcast this Sunday in South Africa. INVESTIGATIVE > SOCIAL JUSTICE The Eastern Cape: Dry Dams and Empty Boreholes Farms have become arid and […]

  There was a wonderful moment at the Golden Globes ceremony at the Beverley Hills Hilton in Los Angeles last night – where Tom Hanks, recipient of the 2020 Cecil B. Demille award, and South Africa’s Charlize Theron (who presented it to him) showed off their mutual admiration… but that’s not the moment that Hanks […]

It’s a new year, and there’s a bumper crop of brilliant international and South African series, movies and documentaries on the cards. Welcome to 2020! Weren’t we all supposed to be travelling in flying cars by now? Transport might not have lived up to our childhood expectations, but never in our wildest dreams did we […]

Watch the award-winning Drakensberg Boys Choir perform a moving musical ‘masala’ of African Christmas songs in a shopping mall in South Africa. The video, which was filmed on iPhone XR, was recorded at I’Langa Mall, Mbombela on 30 November 2019… but was only published on YouTube this week. This final treat for the year from […]

It’s the song that’s popular at Christmas, sung by the South African band we all love – the Ndlovu Youth Choir, the musical group from Limpopo that conquered the world when they became finalists in America’s Got Talent earlier this year, and helped raise South African pride and South Africans’ spirits during a particular tough […]

There’s no room for Scrooges on the couch when you binge a bunch of the cheeriest Christmas movies around. Put the sibling rivalries aside – Christmas is a time for caring, overeating and watching a bunch of cheesy movies that’ll melt even the stoniest of hearts. Here’s our pick of the best movies in Showmax’s […]

Every now and then an important film hits our screens, a film that’s not just entertainment… but which resonates with many and sends an important message that every single South African should hear and see. Moffie is one of those. The film – by acclaimed director Oliver Hermanus – has already premiered at the Venice […]