Cape Town and Johannesburg are the cheapest cities in the world to buy cigarettes and beer, beaten only by Manilla in the Philippines, according to an annual Sin Index done by Deutsche Bank. According to the survey, the most expensive city is Melbourne, Australia, where five beers and a pack of smokes costs $65 (R1,016). Cape Town and […]

A tragicomic movie about two terminally ill young men on the road in South Africa has been one of the top 10 movies in Germany for most of 2016. According to the write-up for “Der Geilste Tag” (The Most Beautiful Day), writer/director Florian David Fitz “co-stars alongside the hugely popular German star Matthias Schweighoefer and the duo play […]

ShowMax, the entertainment streaming service owned by South Africa’s Naspers is now also available in 36 countries in Africa, the company said on Friday. ShowMax, a cheaper alternative to Netflix (R99 versus $7.99 or R123) – with arguably a better selection of content, since it offers popular US shows from the HBO channel such as “Game of Thrones”, […]

Many have welcomed the move by the South African Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday to require its 18 radio stations to play 90 percent local music from 12 May. The corporation said this was being done in “a bid to ensure that the broadcaster prioritises more local content that reflects the diversity of South African cultures”. It said the music to […]

More than four years ago Johannesburg journalist Alex Eliseev heard snippets of the most extraordinary story of Betty Ketani – there was murder, kidnapping, a trail that ran dead, and sheer coincidence – and this week the 18-year case came to a tear-filled end as Ketani’s family laid her to rest. Aliseev, who has covered some pretty harrowing stories (the Haiti earthquake, […]

If the new hero Black Panther in the latest “Captain America” movie sounds familiar, it’s because he has an accent that originates in South Africa. Chadwick Boseman, who plays the new character Black Panther in “Captain America: Civil War”, the superhero-filled movie that broke box office records last weekend when it opened in America, told talk […]

Shooting of “The Dark Tower”, based on the best-selling Stephen King book and starring Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba, has started in Cape Town and the Western Cape. The movie is being directed by Dane Nikolaj Arcel, famous for making the first (and best) “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and the brilliant but much-overlooked “A Royal Affair”. […]

South African hip hop artist Cassper Nyovest released “War Ready” today, a video dedicated to the 750 killed and thousands others arrested and/or tortured following the Soweto Uprising in 1976. Released this morning, the song has already received over 18,000 hits on YouTube and was one of the top trending items on Twitter in SA most […]

As Johnny Clegg wraps up his North American tour, a Canadian fan has reached out to South Africans to say ‘thank you’ for sharing the awesome performer with the rest of the planet. Clegg – founder of legendary bands Juluka and Savuka – has just completed a fantastic tour with his son, Jesse, that included shows in […]

Just in time for Freedom Day last year, 27 April, South African band Rubber Duc uploaded their new song – #StepDown. Now, a year later, it’s going viral all over again as the “new South African anthem”. Vocalist Nick Jordaan said #StepDown was inspired by all the “beautiful, passionate, brave, and courageous people of our beloved country, […]

The Mall of Africa will open its doors on Thursday, 28 April. It is the biggest mall built in a single phase in South Africa/Southern Africa/Africa, depending on which website you read. Construction consumed 10 million bricks and 8,500 tons of steel. It is located in Waterfall, a new living, working, retail area between Johannesburg […]

On the 8th Jan 2016, I received the following letter from Dawn Lindberg, the Executive Director of the South African Naledi Theatre Awards: Dearest Gaynor, Congratulations on being chosen to be an ABSA ‘PROSPER‘ AMBASSADOR! The timing co-incides with our Executive Decision to give you a SPECIAL NALEDI THEATRE AWARD this year, at the 2016 Awards… […]

The wildly successful singer Prince died on Thursday, at age 57, according to news reports quoting his spokesperson. A massive outpouring of condolences and grief overwhelmed social media. Prince had many hits including “Purple Rain”, “Kiss”, “Diamonds and Pearls” and “When Doves Cry”. No cause of death was immediately given, although questions were raised earlier this month […]

If you’re in London, try get to the new Circa Gallery by the weekend to see the brilliant opening show full of South African artists that are increasingly drawing world attention. The successful Circa Gallery of Johannesburg, started in 2009 as a sister gallery to esteemed Everard Read, opened in March with an exhibition full […]

The Afrikaans folk song ‘De la Rey’ which became a hit in South Africa for Bok van Blerk in 2007, has been given a Zuma overhaul by a local singer in Langebaan. Charl van Heyningen uploaded the following video saying: “Donnie from Langebaan puts a new spin on this major Afrikaans hit, taking the mickey out […]

The SA movie industry is forging ahead with some great productions – from period pieces to cross-cultural love stories to tearjerkers and more. Have a look at the latest offerings. A group of soldiers in the Boer War find themselves sent to Saint Helena island in the Atlantic Ocean as prisoners of war in “Modder […]

Take a listen to this exquisite South African version of Adele’s ‘Hello’… sung in Zulu by Esperanca de Tavares. Richard van Schalkwyk, from Richard Henry Productions, who filmed Esperanca’s performance says “she did a great job translating the song and singing it virtually unrehearsed. Sound recorded in camera. No studio.” Watch Video: ‘Hello’ in Zulu Today Billboard.com announced that […]

The Brothers Streep have released a lighthearted fun song – “Let’s Go To London”… where they leave South Africa’s currently ‘bleak’ shores for the so-called greener pastures in London…but they don’t stay too long… The song ends with the words: “We made a mistake, South Africa’s great / It’s got problems, but it’s not too late […]

A day after President Jacob Zuma made his much-derided and much-criticised apology to the nation over Nkandla, one of his ministers was booed off the stage at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa came on stage before the performance of SA duo Mafikizolo on Saturday, but was quickly met with […]

You never know who’s going to join you in a South African swimming pool nowadays! Particularly if you’re in a game reserve or living anywhere near monkeys and baboons! Staff at the Ingwelala Nature Reserve in Limpopo were surprised 10 days ago when they arrived at work to find a rather large hippopotamus in their pool! […]

BBC Worldwide announced Tuesday that it has invested in South African production company Rapid Blue. Based in South Africa, Nigeria and Angola, Rapid Blue produces original productions and international television formats for South African, African and international audiences. Rapid Blue – headed by dynamo couple Kee-Leen and Duncan Irvine – has produced thousands of hours of […]

US comedian Kevin Hart, who is touring South Africa, said Cape Town blew him away from the moment he arrived in the city. He arrived in the country on Friday for his “Kevin Hart What Now?” tour, taking in Cape Town, Durban (Monday) and Johannesburg (Wednesday). The kinetic, very funny, hugely popular (27 million followers on Twitter), […]

So is Trevor Noah making the grade as host of “The Daily Show” or not? Six months after taking over from Jon Stewart, the jury, as they say in the US, is out. While a recent segment has got more than 600,000 views on Youtube in just over a week – about Donald Trump – a major […]

Musician/comedian Deep Fried Man has released a new  video called “Gupta Bling”, based on singer Drake’s mega-selling “Hotline Bling” and which riffs on the relationship between President Jacob Zuma and the Gupta family. “You used to call me on my cell phone, To discuss that nuclear deal,” starts Deep Fried Man, rather than Drake’s “You used to call me […]

Suzelle in her latest DIY video tackles a more serious subject – water restrictions and water usage – but it turns out to be funnier than many of her funny videos. And she’s ably helped by Western Cape leader Helen Zille. Suzelle and Zille offer lots of tips on how to save water – don’t […]