With France banning travel to and from the UK  for most – although not all – travellers, the Western Cape has pounced on the moment to promote its beautiful beaches as a fabulous alternative to the French Riviera. From midnight tonight French local time, only UK citizens/residents will be allowed to leave France to enter […]

The South African government, through the African Renaissance Fund (ARF), has signed an agreement with the African Vaccination Acquisition Trust (AVAT) to donate 2 030 400 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, valued at R288.6 million, to African countries. AVAT was formed following the establishment of the African Union’s COVID-19 African Vaccination Acquisition Task […]

South African expat Marnus Labuschagne has scored another century for his adopted homeland, Australia… becoming the Australian with the most runs since his Test debut on 7 October 2018. This was his sixth Test century, and his first against England. Labuschagne (27)  started this year on a good note, being hailed “an incredible player, a legend […]

There’s something for everyone on Carte Blanche this week – from a barber to the stars, to saving the Bearded Vultures, repatriating Africa’s stolen artefacts and Elon Musk’s venture to Mars. Carte Blanche has a packed 90-minute blockbuster adventure just for you. You can watch the show on Sunday 19 December in South Africa on […]

“I couldn’t be more excited after hearing the wonderful news that our beautiful City, Cape Town, has bagged a double at the 2021 World Travel Awards!” Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says. For the second consecutive year Cape Town has been named the World’s Leading Festival and Event Destination, which is fantastic news for everyone […]

A South African mom, who now lives in England, has decided to turn personal trauma from the past into a positive that can help others. Having tragically lost her father and brother only nine days apart, Ilze Lee and her children, Bradley and Leah, were still coming to terms with the loss when the children’s […]

CAPE TOWN – Intrepid adventurer Richard Kohler is just days away from leaving Cape Town for a solo surfski paddle across the Southern Atlantic to Salvador in Brazil, aiming to become the first person to complete the 7,000 mile journey alone and unsupported… writes Dave Macleod. 52 year old Kohler will be paddling a specially […]

Cape Town says it is destination-ready and can’t wait to welcome back its visitors… many of whom will be SA expats heading home for the holidays, or British sun-seekers desperate to soak up SA’s fabulous culture, cuisine and cool beaches. The UK has scrapped its red list (from 4am Wednesday) meaning that their travellers are […]

Encouragingly, the result of a major study in South Africa shows that vaccinated individuals who received two-doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have 70% protection against hospital admission. Whilst protection against hospital admission is a lot less than the highs of 93% in South Africa’s Delta-driven variant, 70% is still regarded as very good protection. The […]

The UK government has said that all 11 countries currently on its travel Red Llist, including South Africa, will be removed from 04h00 on Wednesday morning! “Tears rolling down my cheeks,” said SA expat Loulou C, who is in Scotland. “I am SO SO happy… going to cuddle my mum and not let her go; […]

Great news for the thousands of South Africans around the world who have inadvertently lost their South African citizenship – the Democratic Alliance (DA) has confirmed it will take the fight for the rights of South Africans unknowingly deprived of their citizenship to the Supreme Court of Appeal. Section 6(1)(a) of the South African Citizenship […]

A couple in Level Two informal settlement in Khayelitsha, Cape Town are growing vegetables on a small plot next to their home to feed their family and a local soup kitchen. They say they cleared the area that had once been used as a dump site. Xolani Mbokodi and his wife Vuyokazi Vapi live with […]

A festive family in South Africa got a shock after putting up their Christmas tree and decorating it – when a deadly poisonous SNAKE poked its head out from behind a bauble! British family Rob and Marcela Wild were admiring their just-up fir with children Edward and Sahara when they suddenly spotted the venomous boomslang. […]

You wouldn’t be surprised to see a game of snakes and ladders under the Christmas tree… but imagine the shock for a Western Cape family, when they saw a real live snake IN their Christmas Tree. And it wasn’t just any snake. It was a boomslang… which is of course named for the fact that […]

Elon Musk has been named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2021, an honour that Time describes as “not an award, but a marker of influence, it is a reflection of impact, a way to capture the meaning of the moment”. Time says its Person of the Year recipients are those who led us or […]

Troukoors (Wedding Fever), the first Showmax Original romcom, is streaming from today and critics are falling in love with it. It’s a rather raunchy romcom and if you live abroad – you’ll love not only the story and the chance to hear familiar accents from home, but also the breathtaking South African scenery from Table […]

The UK’s dreaded Red List may be scrapped soon, according to a report in the Mail on Sunday. Thousands of travellers from South Africa and other southern African countries have found themselves forced into expensive quarantine hotels (over £2,000 for the mandatory 10 days) in the past two weeks, since SA and many of its […]

Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane, has been named the second runner-up princess at the Miss Universe contest in Israel. South Africans were able to watch the finale live in the early hours of Monday morning on DStv. (If you missed it – see details below of repeats.) UPDATE 16 JULY 2022: Miss South Africa Lalela […]

Every year seasonal fog rolls into Cape Town, South Africa, covering the ocean and parts of Cape Town – including famous Table Mountain – with a mystical mist. Marc Schmidt captured these fantastic photos and videos this last week in Cape Town. WATCH Sea fog rolls into Cape Town, South Africa 2/2 1/2 #HoutBay #SouthAfrica […]

Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane, appeared on stage on Friday night during a preliminary event at the Miss Universe contest in a breathtaking national costume promoting peace in the world. After a controversial journey to get to Israel for the competition, Lalela’s arrival on stage – complete with graceful ballet steps – made a big […]

A petition to allow fully vaccinated people, coming from Red List countries, to isolate at home when they arrive in the UK, has successfully reached over 100,000 signatures and will therefore be debated by the UK Parliament. The UK Parliament confirmed “Parliament will debate this petition” and set the date for 17 January 2022. The […]

Japanese scientists at Kyoto Prefectural University have developed a ground-breaking face mask – utilising antibodies extracted from ostrich eggs – that enables an easy way to identify if someone has contracted Covid-19. According to Kyodo News, the team said in a press release that the masks glow when they’re exposed to ultraviolet light IF they […]

A film in development, featuring the first armed female anti-poaching group in Africa, has won a grant of $25,000 from the Red Sea Fund… which will help ensure the film – Akashinga (working title) – is completed. Writer and director Naishe Hassan Nyamubaya, who lives in South Africa and writes for eTV, present via video, […]

A pod of Humpback Whales frolicking off the shores of Cape Town has spent the week entertaining residents and holiday makers in the Western Cape, South Africa. Since last Saturday the whales have been spotted along the coast, most recently at Mouille Point. South Africans lined up along the coast to watch them, some even […]

The import of hunting trophies from thousands of endangered and threatened species – including lions, rhinos and elephants from South Africa and other countries on the continent – is set to be banned in Great Britain. The UK’s Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice, today announced plans for a a […]