When the six of us – my husband, myself, and our four children – first arrived in South Africa in 2010, it seemed like an alien and exotic land to us. There was much to learn navigating everyday life, even though, coming from the United States, we thought we shared a common language. I published the […]

The United States Diplomatic Mission to South Africa issued a security message in Pretoria today – Tuesday 8 September 2015 – warning of a “terrorist threat to U.S. interests in South Africa.” The message for its US citizens reads: “The U.S. Diplomatic Mission to South Africa has received information that extremists may be targeting U.S. […]

South African tennis player Kevin Anderson (29) powered through to his first Grand Slam quarter final on Monday night…knocking Britain’s Andy Murray (28) out of the US Open at Flushing Meadows. It was a brilliant match, the longest in the tournament so far (four hours and 18 minutes), ending with – as tennis veteran John McEnroe described it […]

I am getting serious questions this week whether with the Rand hitting such weak lows, now is the time to repatriate money from overseas. That’s akin to asking whether we are hitting the Rand bottom. In 2000-2001 it took a while for certainty to get home that things really were out of control for a […]

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 Daily Show has uploaded another teaser video in the lead up to South African comedian Trevor Noah’s debut as host of the popular American television show, this time reassuring viewers that it will still be the same show they’ve always loved. The award-winning Comedy Central show posted the short video skit on Facebook and described […]

According to a survey by an international website InterNations, South Africa rates as one of the Top 20 best countries in the world to raise a family…but there is a caveat! Over 14,000 foreign expats from different countries around the world took part in the survey – rating the new countries they are currently residing in. While South […]

South Africans in Europe recently enjoyed a get-together in Belgium… Where they had a weekend of sharing stories and experiences of life abroad, and indulging in all their favourite South African dishes. They even made their own boerewors! And had a lekker braai. All the ladies were there… And the ‘manne‘ of course! And the next generation […]

A grandfather who was raised in South Africa was awarded France’s highest honour yesterday, 24 August, when French President Francois Hollande presented him and three other men with the Legion d’Honneur in recognition of their bravery on Friday evening when they overcame a heavily armed man on a train between Amsterdam and Paris. Sixty-two year […]

Most African professionals living abroad would love to return home, and almost all retain strong links of family and friendship to their countries. These were some of the insights from a new survey by Homecoming Revolution, presented by CEO Angel Jones at the brain gain company’s recent Speed Meet Jozi event in Sandton. The Homecoming […]

Have you ever been overseas and been mistaken for an Australian? It happens! Besides both wearing green and gold, being able to vote and drink at 18 and surprisingly both eating our national animals…what are the differences? [vc_button title=”1″ size=”size_large2″ color=”default”] South Africans say “Sharp” (“shup”) while the Aussies say “No worries” At the end of […]

Comedy Central has today released its first video teaser introducing The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. The video shows a very cool and suited-up Trevor Noah strutting in to the ‘The Daily Show’ studio…and readying his seat for the take-over on 28 September 2015. As the video says, it’s the same seat his predecessor Jon […]

Following reports three days ago that Candice Swanepoel may have become engaged to her long-time Brazilian boyfriend earlier this month, Candice has uploaded a video that seems to confirm the happy news! ? A photo posted by Candice Swanepoel (@angelcandices) on Jun 6, 2015 at 3:51pm PDT The couple met ten years ago in Paris when […]

Check out the trailer for the much-anticipated documentary film The Boers at the End of the World – about a group of South African expats unlike any others – which will have its world premiere at the end of this month in Camps Bay. The 80-minute documentary feature film is about a century-old community of Afrikaners who live in a remote region […]

As of May 2014, South Africa’s visa regulations changed, and many non-South Africans are still unclear how these changes affect people entering South Africa and applying for work permits. The matter of families travelling with children has particularly gotten some media attention (and due to some controversy, this part of the new regulations didn’t go into […]

Travel tips seem to be a dime a dozen these days and most people probably know it all when it comes to booking and organising their next holiday, or at least think they do. But what about travelling when you are migrating? Suddenly it’s a whole new ball game as you aren’t just thinking about […]

She didn’t mean to…but she did. South African Oscar-award winning actress Charlize Theron invited President Obama to a strip club. To be fair she was trying to fill an awkward pause in the conversation. And she just blurted out the invitation when he mentioned that appearing on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show helped him reach a […]

For a bunch of South Africans abroad, they’ve found a fantastic way to earn money, see the world…and have some fun. It’s like a fantasy. The Disney Fantasy. Sonnike Smit from Witbank, along with over 50 other South Africans, is working aboard the fourth ship in Disney’s Cruise Line fleet, the Disney Fantasy. “We travel […]

When South Africans get together it’s always a jol. And they always braai! Check out this fun-loving video, filmed recently at a bazaar in Seoul. “If there is one thing any true Saffa loves it’s Braai, and boy do we take it seriously!” says blogger and vlogger Heshina Pillay who uploaded the video to YouTube. […]

Back in the day when I lived a relatively normal life, I ended up sat in one of those stiff, four-walled office interviews where the interviewer asked me — quite originally — where I saw myself in five years’ time. Bored by the question, I sat there rather straight-faced, stared out of the window and […]

It is said that if you live long enough, you will experience most things twice — my grandpa, poor man, had the misfortune to live through two World Wars. There’s another adage: if you keep something long enough, it will come back into fashion. Both of those apply to the new / old trend in our country […]

Starfish Greathearts Foundation, a charity working with children in South Africa orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS, are holding an inspirational evening of jazz and classical music alongside traditional songs from South Africa this evening. The event – ‘Hope and Harmony’ – promises a wonderful line up of musicians, including: Queen of Afro-Jazz Pinise […]

Congratulations to South African entrepreneurs Jeff Paterson and Oliver Du Toit who won a major business competition in the UK today, and are now poised to revolutionise the way the world exchanges foreign currency! And thanks to all those South Africans who voted to ensure they secured a spot in the top three and were able to pitch […]

Some of it is obvious, like the view from Table Mountain, and some of it is not, like street vendors and school uniforms. I grew up in Germany and now live in the USA. Here are the 30 things I remember most fondly from our expat life in South Africa: [vc_button title=”1″ color=”default”] Hadedas Hadedas […]

Trevor Noah isn’t the only South African ‘Trevor’ export to hit US shores. First there was Trevor Jones (now 66), an orchestral film score composer from Cape Town whose credits include ‘The Last of the Mohicans’. And then there was fellow musician and film score composer Trevor Rabin (now 61) who is again making news this […]