To take the shortest route to the shops and to school, shack dwellers of Elias Motsoaledi informal settlement in Soweto had to cross a deep gully with a polluted stream. Although only a few metres wide it could be treacherous. In the summer rains, it was prone to flooding. People fell and had to have […]

South African athlete Caster Semenya posted an adorable photo on Thursday afternoon that has everyone guessing: is her wife pregnant and are they expecting a baby? The photo shows what looks like Caster’s feet in takkies, with two little baby shoes in the middle being held by Caster’s hands. The South African double Olympic champion, […]

With lockdown leaving many families in South Africa destitute without the means to earn an income and provide for their families, South Africans all over the land have stepped up to find a way to create vegetable gardens, soup kitchens and other ways to help feed those who may otherwise starve. And for those who […]

Wondering what to stream on these long nights in? Try these new series, movies and documentaries from Showmax. There are Hollywood highlights, some British gems and top local fare to keep you warm inside.   International Series Motherland: Fort Salem S1 Fantasy drama Motherland: Fort Salem is set in an alternate America where witches ended […]

Two communal vegetable gardens have made a big difference to life in Khenana informal settlement in Durban, where residents have used the money from sales of spinach and cabbage to buy masks, gloves and sanitisers for everyone during the Covid-19 pandemic. The first garden in the settlement in Cato Crest was started in June last […]

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has expressed confidence that the aviation industry and South Africa’s airports will adhere to COVID-19 regulations and directives, as the sector reopens. See below for the process passengers will now go through to travel by air. Speaking on Wednesday at the O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, where he was inspecting […]

The regulations promulgated by the South African government relating to the lockdown Levels 3 and 4 under the Disaster Management Act have been declared unconstitutional and invalid, and the government has been given 14 days to rectify them. In the Gauteng High Court, Justice N Davis said the invalidity was suspended for 14 days, and […]

In welcome news for stranded expats who need to head back to their homes or jobs in the UK, or from London to South Africa, two potential flights have been announced for next week. The target timing of the flights is 11 and 12 June, but a minimum number of 450 passengers (in- and outbound) […]

KLM / Air France have announced more repatriation flights scheduled from South Africa to Europe! These flights will also be useful for the many South African expats, or those with work visas currently stuck in SA, to return to the UK. KLM says they have worked hard to get the flights displayed on their websites […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated Pretoria-born global technology pioneer Elon Musk for his company SpaceX’s historic first commercial flight into space, saying he has made South Africa proud. Powered by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft carried NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley into space on Saturday, en route to docking […]

South African Airways (SAA) has received approvals to operate several repatriation flights in June, including to and from destinations not on their usual routes. See list below. As SA’s national carrier, it was able to secure approvals to operate repatriation flights during Lockdown, despite the closure of borders. Since 3 April the airline has conducted […]

The Drakensberg Boys Chamber Choir have released a beautiful a cappella version of the classic ‘Smile’, by Charlie Chaplin, arranged by Ben Bram. This is the second song which was produced in its entirety during South Africa’s national lockdown with the boys at their homes. The Drakensberg  Boys Choir said: “We thought this song perfectly […]

The Dragon Endeavour, carrying two astronauts, has safely landed at the International Space Station (ISS). An elated NASA said this is the “first time in human history” that NASA astronauts have entered the ISS from a commercially-made spacecraft, referring to the Dragon Endeavour which was built by South African expat Elon Musk’s Space-X private company. […]

South African seafarers on board a cruise ship that was off the coast of the USA and is now on the North Atlantic, have sung – loudly and proudly – at news that they are finally heading home to SA. Watch below (and try not to cry!) as they sing In The Jungle… but with […]

A small Facebook page with a huge heart has made a big difference to thousands of people in Gauteng, South Africa, during Lockdown… delivering over 5,000 parcels, feeding thousands and creating three temporary shelters. The page is One Small Act of Kindness and is run by nursery school owner Kelly-Ann Van Der Meer… whose loved […]

South African expat Elon Musk’s Space-X company has just made history with the first privately-owned and operated spacecraft launching two astronauts on a journey to the International Space Station. It’s also the first US launch in almost 10 years. And ten million people watched the live streaming! The launch was postponed from Thursday after weather […]

There is intense pressure on the South African government to lift the lockdown and open the economy. Sustainably lifting out of the lockdown is critical. But there is no roadmap. The stakes are high and there are no right answers, just ones that juggle uncertain probabilities. Diminishing growth over the past decade has weakened industry […]

King Price has proved again that South African ads are some of the best in the world. Watch the below hilarious interaction between a traffic officer and a female motorist. “The current reality of getting lost in translation!” says Gauteng publicist Georg Knoke. “A typical South African scene!” This is the latest video commercial to […]

Thousands of South Africans arrested for minor infringements of lockdown rules, and forced to pay admission of guilt fines (to stay out of jail), have now earned themselves criminal records. According to current affairs show, Carte Blanche, these people were going about lawful essential tasks of buying food, prepaid electricity and fetching their children. They […]

After several years without permanent CEOs, the much suffering Passenger Railway Association of South Africa today saw the appointment of several strong candidates to fill the CEO positions in the rail and bus divisions. The announcement of Nosipho Damasane, previously chief of the Bombela Operating Company that runs the Gautrain, as head of Prasa’s rail […]

Watch South African comedian Kevin Fraser give a spot-on depiction of life for families under lockdown. The video is actually an ad for a pizza take-away company in SA, but it’s good value and worth watching for classic Kevin Fraser humour. WATCH VIDEO: Families Under Lockdown – by Kevin Fraser https://www.facebook.com/kevinfraserofficial/videos/699151150904484/

I liked this ‘Back to School’ image because what I would really love right now is a road sign telling me exactly what direction to take… says South African GP Dr Rosie Carey (known as Dr Rosie to patients). Instead, my internal compass resembles one of those old city maps of Granada, with crooked narrow […]

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) has entered into a partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to host a Deep Space Ground Station. The station, which will be based in Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape, will support human spaceflight missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. It will be integrated into […]

Parisians were Thursday night celebrating as the French Prime Minister announced relaxed regulations for the next phase of de-confinement, which begins on 2 June… just a day after South Africa’s level 3 kicks in, which has not been met with as much joy, but the two countries are at different stages on the curve. South […]

As a philanthropist rather than a psychologist I know more about people helping each other than I know about why they do it. What I know at the moment is that we’re seeing much more in the way of actual help for those affected by coronavirus than I’ve seen for any other cause, anywhere in […]