South African expat and US Talk Show host, Trevor Noah, has posted a warm tribute to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who passed away yesterday at the age of 76. Franklin, who had pancreatic cancer, was surrounded by her family and friends in Detroit. Noah recalled growing up in South Africa listening to Franklin […]

South African expat and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who lives in the US, has revealed in a highly emotional interview with the New York Times the high price that he’s paid for his business success. In an interview where he reportedly “alternated between laughter and tears”, Musk described the intensity of running his businesses, and […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has today announced that it has launched legal action to challenge the loss of South Africa citizenship experienced by so many South Africans abroad when they apply for foreign citizenship. “No South African citizen should be deprived of their citizenship!” says the DA, and points out that the United Nations Declaration […]

Every once in a while, there comes a TV show that quickly becomes a phenomenon. That’s exactly what The Queen has become in South Africa. We just cannot get enough of it. Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Showmax. And yes, it starts from the very first episode. The Mzansi Magic telenovela, created by […]

Just a month ago they were rivals on opposite sides of the court at Wimbledon, but this week they’re playing together in Canada… and acing it! South African tennis player Kevin Anderson and Serbian partner Novak Djokovic have reached the quarter-finals of the doubles at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. Tennis South Africa said: “The […]

A new South African expat, living in the Netherlands, has recorded a heartbreaking message for SA’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC). The video is going viral as it’s struck a chord with so many young South African parents faced with a similar decision to emigrate, if they can, when their heart and soul […]

Tesla Inc’s board is evaluating taking the company private, a day after Chief Executive – and South African expat – Elon Musk surprised shareholders with the idea of launching the biggest leveraged buyout of all time! In a statement on Tesla’s website on Wednesday, six of Tesla’s nine directors said the board had met several […]

Recent statistics show that almost a million South Africans are living abroad, and judging by the current mood in the country – that figure is set to climb sharply in the following year, as an increasing number of South Africans are feeling hopeless, frightened and ‘gatvol‘… of services that don’t work, of crime that rises, […]

I usually blog about life here in South Africa, but I’ve had roughly a kabillion Saffas contact me to ask what they can expect when they move from South Africa to Canada… writes Phil Maloney. I’m inherently very lazy by nature, so I’m writing this post simply so I don’t have to keep answering the […]

Sadly, three guys from my childhood have passed away in the last few months. This prompted a long and warm reflection of my childhood in South Africa. I found a piece I had written about those days and share it here for my SA friends and others who are also feeling nostalgic, specially when mortality […]

A South African man – Andre Hanekom – was allegedly shot and kidnapped in Palma, Northern Mozambique yesterday afternoon. His family are desperate for any leads that could help them find him. His daughter Amanda Hanekom told SAPeople that her father had been living in Mozambique for more than 26 years, and that she and […]

Canada, as everyone knows, is awesome… writes Phil Maloney from Maple and Marula. We invented all the best stuff in the world, like the internet, steak, clothes, and Beyonce. OK, like, maybe we didn’t INVENT all that stuff, but we HAVE it in Canada. And, to America’s constant surprise, we also have running water, electricity, and […]

So the story I’m about to tell you is so New York and one of the reasons people love this place… writes author and former South African expat Ted Botha, who now lives in Joburg, but was back in New York for a couple of months. It all centres around a stray one dollar bill. I […]

This week Carte Blanche investigates what’s really behind the mystery facing officials in Durban with regard to the spate of bomb scares. (This episode is available for South Africans abroad to watch from Tuesday 31 July 2018 if you subscribe to Showmax.) Durban Bombs It’s the biggest mystery currently facing officials in Durban – ten explosive […]

South African comedian Trevor Noah has revealed the first joke he ever heard that sparked his passion for a career in comedy. The joke was told by his grandfather to a policeman, and it was the first time Trevor had ever seen a policeman laugh. More importantly, it was the moment he realised how humour can […]

One of South Africa’s biggest rock band exports – Just Jinjer – are heading to London, along with Prime Circle and Tailor, for what is sure to be an unforgettable night of entertainment for SA expats in the UK – A Night to Remember. PLEASE NOTE: EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. After successful runs in Johannesburg […]

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa addressed a crowd of white voters on Saturday in an attempt to improve relations ahead of a July 30 election, reassuring white farmers their land will not be taken… which is a marked shift from his predecessor Robert Mugabe whose policies became increasingly racially divisive. Mnangagwa – who […]

JOHANNESBURG – First came the shock, then the tears of joy, then the dreams of home. As a three-month-old political revolution sparked by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has gathered pace, Ethiopians forced into exile by decades of war, repression and economic stagnation are thinking the unthinkable – it’s time to go back. “When you have […]

South African comedian Trevor Noah has responded to the French government’s criticism of his Africa joke, which he cracked after France won the World Cup. Speaking on ‘Between the Scenes’ – the segments he films between recording ‘The Daily Show’ – Trevor said: “The French ambassador to the U.S. Gérard Araud didn’t like that I […]

JOHANNESBURG – Former U.S. president Barack Obama, who is in South Africa for the Nelson Mandela Centenary Celebrations, advised talented young Africans on Wednesday to drive change at home rather than emigrating, and urged their governments to do more to curb a brain drain. Obama, whose Kenyan-born father studied in the United States but later […]

A British diver, who helped rescue 12 children and their coach from a cave in Thailand, is reportedly considering legal action against Elon Musk after the South African-born billionaire entrepreneur referred to him as a ‘pedo’ on Twitter. The tweet has since been removed. The diver – a British 63-year-old, Vernon Unsworth, who lives in […]

South African tennis player Kevin Anderson – who will play in the Men’s Finals at Wimbledon on Sunday afternoon – is still dogged by rumours he ‘denounced’ South Africa, or by South Africans who say they refuse to support him because he wouldn’t “represent his country” and play in the Davis Cup. As Kevin explained […]

LONDON – Tennis must see sense and bring in fifth-set tiebreaks to avoid the kind of marathon which saw Kevin Anderson outlast John Isner in a six hour, 36 minute Wimbledon semi-final on Friday, according to retired great Mats Wilander. South African Anderson eventually prevailed 26-24 in the fifth and deciding set of what became […]

Here are the latest topics due for broadcast on Carte Blanche this Sunday,and all available for South Africans living abroad from Tuesday 17 July 2018, if you subscribe to Showmax. Home Hijacking In an upwardly mobile residential complex on Gauteng’s East Rand, suburban bliss has turned to living hell as cunning building hijackers have systematically muscled […]

During the marathon match on Centre Court today at Wimbledon in London, South African Kevin Anderson momentarily turned left-handed in a desperate bid to win a point… and pulled it off perfectly, thanks largely to his father! Watch below. Wimbledon called it an “epic point” as Anderson – who had fallen over – got up […]