Jesse Clegg launched his new album “Things Unseen” earlier this month at the Goodluck Bar in Johannesburg. Music is both entertainment and escape. It captures moments of experience; fragments of life. It embodies the unseen. It is in darkness that we see the stars, that we dream, that the emptiness consumes shadows and hidden truths. Sometimes […]

Two of South Africa’s best-known actors, Marius Weyers and Sandra Prinsloo, who were seen around the world in the movie “The Gods Must be Crazy”, have teamed up again for a new thriller that is being released in July. The two, who have become sort of acting royalty, have been acting together for a long time, at […]

A new six-part mini-series based on the life of Nelson Mandela and starring an international and South African cast has started shooting in Johannesburg. The cast for the BET series “Madiba”, which includes American Laurence Fishburne (the “Matrix” series, “Contagion”, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”) as Mandela and Orlando Jones as Oliver Tambo, will also showcase […]

It’s a random challenge that’s just gone viral for no particular reason, but the crews on four South African airlines – so far – seem to be having a lot of fun doing it and competing against one another in the process. The #RunningManChallenge, which was started by two American basketball players apparently, is to do a variation […]

At the 22nd Annual South African Music Awards, the Afro-pop sensation Nathi Mankanyi walked away with five awards, including the well-deserved Best Newcomer and Bestselling Album for “Buyelekhaya”, whose “Nomvula” has pulled in more than a million Youtube views in recent months. The awards were held at a glittering ceremony in Durban on Saturday. At the recent Metro […]

South African cricketing star AB de Villiers’ crooning love song, which was uploaded to YouTube a week ago, has received over 300,000 views already… making it more popular than some genuine pop stars’ videos! If you haven’t seen it yet, watch below as the sportsman and his wife Danielle perform a cover of Ronan Keating’s ‘When […]

On a night when Alison Botha desperately needed a hero – after being raped, stabbed and left for dead – she became one. Her story is heartbreaking and empowering. Painful and uplifting. And has now been turned into a film – “Alison the Movie” – which will have its world premiere on Friday. (Watch trailer below.) For […]

After being chased by an elephant whilst on safari in South Africa, Arnold Schwarzenegger – who’s no stranger to extreme action – admitted “some of us had to change our pants” afterwards! Fortunately the frightening experience hasn’t stopped the Hollywood star from being “in awe of these beautiful, strong creatures” and urging people to stop killing […]

Take a listen to a rap and reggae mix, filmed in South Africa with a French flavour. The track – Irie – is performed by French singer Nik DaFrik and locals Lord Harmony, Melody and Sbonda. It features a blend of African and Western influences… set in the Capetonian ambience at the beginning of summer break. […]

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 […]