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 […]

2018 has been a good year for South African movie-goers’ pride with the release of the highly (and deservedly so) acclaimed Black Panther movie and specifically the decision to use Xhosa as the language of Wakanda. But there are actually plenty more obscure references to South Africa, particularly in some of our favourite shows growing […]

The Queen of Pop celebrated her 60th birthday on Thursday 16 August by proving she’s no longer a ‘Material Girl’. Instead of asking for gifts, Madonna asked friends and fans to rather donate to her Facebook fundraiser which is benefiting her Raising Malawi foundation. The non-profit Foundation aims to benefit vulnerable children in the southern African […]

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has stepped up to assist a distressed South African citizen who went missing in Frankfurt, Germany, and has since been hospitalised. As reported by SAPeople over the weekend, Colleen Crossley (73) from Somerset West had been due to join a two-week tour of Europe when she […]

JOHANNESBURG – The chief executive of South Africa’s Transnet and two other senior officials have been told they will be suspended, the chairman of the state-owned logistics utility said on Wednesday, without giving a reason for the possible suspensions… although it follows allegations of corruption worth billions. Popo Molefe told talk radio station 702 that […]

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 […]

This week’s episode of Carte Blanche investigates the sabotage of Metrorail, the crime wave hitting Stellenbosch and more. The show is available to South Africans abroad from today – Tuesday 14 August 2018 – if you subscribe to Showmax. Metrorail Sabotage With 39 train carriages set alight and destroyed in just the last four months, […]

South Africa’s Table Mountain is easily accessible again since the Cableway has been re-opened following its annual two-week closure for maintenance… and local resident, SAPeople contributor Stan Sanetra made the most of it yesterday… This was the view of Cape Town’s famous Table Mountain, taken from Blouberg at around 09h00 on Saturday… Enticing to say […]

Two South African bulldogs are becoming famous on the internet for their Oscar-winning performance after they trashed some furniture. Their owner Nico du Toit posted the video a week ago saying: “These little f***ers are too clever for their own good. Laughed so much I’m crying…” Since the video has gone viral, with pet groups […]

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 […]

South African expat Kevin Anderson (32) and Novak Djokovic (31) have been knocked out of the Men’s Doubles tournament in Canada… but Anderson remains at the Rogers Cup, as he blasted his way into the Singles semi-finals in Montreal earlier today. Anderson tweeted after the pair’s loss in the quarter-finals tonight: “It was an honour […]

International actress Pearl Thusi and Humane Society International/Africa are exposing the ugly truth behind the “Snuggle Scam”. South African actress and wildlife advocate Pearl Thusi is collaborating with Humane Society International/Africa to warn residents – and especially travellers to South Africa – not to visit tourist attractions that offer lion cub petting and lion walks. […]

Watch Viv Vermaak’s latest Friday F*** Off (which now has its own page!). This week Viv tells MTN just why she’s leaving them – and why she thinks “MTN is like Magnus Malan” – after thousands of rands worth of data miraculously disappeared from her wifi device. You can also read the transcript below of […]

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 […]

It was 30 years ago today, 8 August, that the guns in Angola finally fell silent and a ceasefire came into effect, ending the hostilities between South Africa, Angola and their Allies, including the Cubans. Earlier this year, in May, almost 100 South African military veterans travelled in convoy to revisit battle sites that have haunted […]

Tomorrow, Thursday, 9 August 2018 is Women’s Day in South Africa, when South Africans commemorate the 1956 march of approximately 20,000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to petition against the country’s Apartheid pass laws. Here’s a selection of six South African classics – just released on Showmax – that capture the courage of South […]

Diversity appears to be one of the main things that makes people proud to be South African… along with SA’s awesome people, culture, beauty and food. Creative team Sibling Rivalry took to the streets of Cape Town to ask people what makes them proudly South African. What makes you proudly South African? So what makes […]

Usually Luke Maximo Bell produces breathtaking footage of the Western Cape, but this time the South African videographer has created a slightly different video… although it’s just as mesmerising (and includes some spectacular scenes): of learning to balance stones. It was all filmed in South Africa… except for some time lapse scenes which Luke took […]

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 […]

Parts of the Western Cape and Northern Cape have received snow this morning in South Africa, and some more isolated snowfalls are expected through the day, according to Snow Report SA. The snow has fallen on the anniversary of the 7 August 2012 snowfall in South Africa where parts of Gauteng received snow, turning Joburg […]

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 […]

South African Under-20 flyhalf Damian Willemse is one of three uncapped players included in the Springbok squad for the Rugby Championship, with the Lions quartet of Malcolm Marx (hooker), Warren Whiteley (No 8), Ross Cronje (scrumhalf) and Lionel Mapoe (centre) also back in the Bok fold for the first time this season. Rassie Erasmus, SA […]

Two South African filmmakers – Bonne de Bod and Susan Scott – sacrificed everything, including selling their homes, to stop their lives and make a film about the rhino poaching crisis in SA. The two passionate wildlife enthusiasts carved out six months for the project… but soon found themselves immersed in a world far larger […]

Ever-dominant Caster Semenya was the highlight of the South African action on the final day of the African Championships in Asaba, Nigeria on Sunday. Semenya added to her 400m gold that she won earlier in the competition, and broke the 800m Africa record as she clipped 0.30 seconds off Mozambican Maria Mutola’s 1993 African 800m […]

One of the world’s best photo compositions of the historical Lunar Eclipse last week (the longest this century) was taken right here in South Africa – from Bergbron in Johannesburg. Shared by tens of thousands, the composition is made up of 20 photos and took photographer Martin de Kock (@Netjies) over seven hours to complete. “I […]