JOHANNESBURG – Last year, gin consumption in South Africa grew by an astonishing 50 percent, to half a pint for every man, woman and child. No wonder that distilleries are mushrooming, trying to give a colonial tipple a distinctive flavour of the fynbos. If the British made use of the freely available local juniper berries […]

Google on Friday announced a new subsea cable dubbed “Equiano” that will connect Africa with Europe – starting with South Africa and Portugal, as it boosts its cloud computing infrastructure. Equiano, fully funded by Alphabet Inc’s Google, is the company’s third private international cable. The search engine giant, which has invested $47 billion in improving […]

From stories that feel all too real, to a fantasy that turns our idea of identity on its head, these four local South African gems on Showmax will speak to you. Asinamali  A struggle activist recently returned from exile works with convicts to produce a musical play. The play brings up painful memories, both personal […]

Throughout the world, people who follow politics are fixating on leaders. South Africa follows the trend and so President Cyril Ramaphosa has become an obsession. Ramaphosa, of course, replaced Jacob Zuma, who was associated with patronage politics and “state capture”, handing over public power to (wealthy) private people. Ramaphosa’s presidency was greeted with brief enthusiasm […]

LONDON – Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan confirmed today they will head to southern Africa later this year for their first official overseas tour as a family since the birth of son Archie. The couple will visit South Africa, Angola and Malawi and also undertake a working visit to Botswana at the request […]

Increased foreign investment in South Africa will be high on the agenda when President Cyril Ramaphosa joins other international leaders for the annual G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, tomorrow and on Saturday. It is the G20’s twentieth anniversary. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Presidency said South Africa would try secure financial and other […]

The delivery of life saving blood has been taken to new heights by the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) with the launch a new drone blood delivery service. Launched in May, the Tron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) drone, features a wing design suited for maximum efficiency and allows for long travel time with minimal […]

The Matrics at St Johns DSG in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, have sent out a Special Invitation to President Ramaphosa and the First Lady, Dr Motsepe that is sure to give you goosebumps. The prefects’ theme for this year is ‘Rewrite the Stars’, inspiring the younger girls to show determination, have courage and pursue one’s dreams. […]

Sjoe. This is the South Africa we love. On Monday night a South African driver, Michelle Vorster, ran out of petrol on Witkoppen Road in Joburg, Gauteng (“because I’m an idiot like that”). Nobody stopped. It was getting darker. And then like a knight in shining armour, a truck driver wearing an AA uniform appeared […]

South Africa’s The Test Kitchen has once again been named as one of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, making it the fifth time the Cape Town restaurant has made the Top 50. The restaurant, which came in 44th place, was also once again awarded The Best Restaurant in Africa title. According to TheWorlds50Best.com, “this creative […]

As part of their autumn royal tour, Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle will travel to sunny South Africa (which will be enjoying its spring then), it was confirmed today by SA’s British High Commissioner, Nigel Casey. Casey told a press conference today that the new parents will be “coming back to visit us in […]

Seeing one leopard is highly unusual, especially in a small game park like Pilanesberg, but Gametrackers field guide Tarryn Rae and her client saw not only one but two, who battled it out over a warthog the one had caught – only for the warthog to escape. “This was a first for me!” Rae told […]

South Africans are exploring their own gorgeous country like never before! According to South African Tourism (SA Tourism), domestic holiday trips rose by 59.7 % in the first quarter of this year (January to April 2019). Thanks to an SA Tourism marketing campaign enticing South Africans to travel their country, the period this year showed […]

Wine is a massively confusing and intimidating subject for many who drink it even on a fairly regular basis. Can you imagine what it’s like for the millions of South Africans whose culture doesn’t include wine – or didn’t, for decades – and for whom the very concept of fermented grape juice is unheard of? […]

Goosebumps! South Africa’s Ndlovu Youth Choir received a rip, roaring standing ovation after their America’s Got Talent 2019 audition, which – as one of the judges said – is the “biggest talent stage in the world”. Simon Cowell said: “We’ve always been waiting for a choir like this, something we’ve never heard before. And your […]

Contrary to popular belief, more South Africans are returning home than public perception. When SAPeople published a blog recently from an expat who was moving with her young family back to SA after several years in the UK, there was an outcry. How could she do such a thing? But it turns out – according […]

Francois van Coke bared his rebel heart for a goosebump performance together with South Africa’s famous Drakensberg Boys Choir on The Voice South Africa. For the boys, it was extra special to meet the man whose songs they sometimes sing! The Voice SA described the incredible performance as “the juxtaposition of (Francois’) gritty and emotional […]

Here’s the line-up of hot topics that the Carte Blanche team tackle this Sunday 23 June – watch here if you’re in SA and available to stream from Tues 25 June on Showmax International for South Africans abroad in many countries: The War Underground A young couple is found gunned down on the side of […]

An awesome South African doctor – Dr Ryan Coetzee – is bringing smiles to children in hospital in Northern Ireland, and to social media users around the world as a video capturing him singing as he goes about his work has gone viral. UTV Northern Ireland said: “Dr Ryan is the Singing Doctor and the […]

Hollywood star Tom Hanks popped in to visit a very special young South African patient in a London hospital this week. Six-year-old Alexandra Taljard, who is being treated at the Evelina Children’s Hospital for a rare kidney disease, got a wonderful surprise when the ‘Toy Story’ star visited her bedside and not only entertained her, […]

How did you feel about #Sona, and how is it possibly not the top story? #ZindziMandela’s comments on Twitter made more impact than #Sona2019.  #Zindzi started a heated discussion surrounding land just before the Presidential event and Twitter rose to her defence while others were furious at her commentary (which included insults like calling white […]

We gather here at the start of the 6th Democratic Parliament, 106 years to the day after the Natives Land Act – one of the most devastating acts of dispossession, pain and humiliation – came into force. We recall the words of Sol Plaatje on that tragic event, when he said: “Awakening on Friday morning, […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans on Thursday night to dream of a better South Africa and to each take part and contribute to making the dream a reality… rather than standing on the sidelines and criticising (which is kind of what EFF leader Julius Malema did afterwards, referring to the President’s dreams as nothing […]

In a speech delivered at a time of great economic difficulty, President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced seven priorities that he believes will fast track South Africa’s path to prosperity. Delivering his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament on Thursday evening, the President said the time for idle talk was now over – […]

Thanks to popular demand, here are more ‘Expat Tax’ questions submitted by SAPeople members, with answers kindly provided by the expert tax team at Tax Consulting South Africa. Dear SAPeople Members, Thank you for your questions on South African tax and exchange control. We will give each answer a specific response, answering the question posed. […]