American movie critic Jesse Knight has voted South Africa’s ‘Meerkat Maantuig’ (Meerkat Moonship) as the number one film on his 10 Best Undistributed Films (in the U.S.) of 2017. Let’s hope his vote will make some US distributors change their minds in 2018! Meerkat Maantuig changed their Facebook status to “feeling thankful” and said: “Go […]

What an incredible year it’s been, some extraordinary times and a lot of lessons learned, another great chapter in this incredible life… writes South African expat and adventurer Marky Warren. It’s hard to think that just three years ago I was at the lowest point, drowning in addiction, depression and if it wasn’t for my incredible […]

It may not have been the sunniest day in Durban today, but grey skies didn’t stop thousands of beach goers still flocking to the KwaZulu-Natal beachfront in what has become a famous New Year’s Day annual tradition… the one time of the year that most people are not working, and are able to travel to […]

It’s the first of January and one of the South African jokes being shared the most on social media is this: But let’s be positive! Hopefully this year, the Springboks will remain unbeaten! And with the support of their rugby fans in South Africa, and around the world – anything is possible. So check out […]

While 29 South African swimmers posted qualifying times for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the country’s top divers were also doing their stuff. Four divers have met Swimming South Africa and the technical diving committee’s section criteria agreed upon with national sports umbrella body SASCOC… although eligibility is not an open and shut guarantee of selection. The […]

The Trans Agulhas Challenge – nicknamed the “World’s Toughest Inflatable Boat Challenge” – is on again in South Africa… and Stan Sanetra was in Struisbaai to capture these awesome action-packed photos. The five-day water sports event is held annually between Natures Valley and Strand, where it finishes, and includes about 60 inflatable boats battling it […]

South African comedian Nik Rabinowitz teamed up with FLOW to produce this video, giving visitors to Cape Town a (humorous) low down on how to save water in the drought-stricken Mother City. Welcome to #neighbourhoodwash… https://www.facebook.com/flowsa/videos/10156128474847834/

I finally got around to watching Tali’s Wedding Diary, the South African mockumentary series now screaming on ShowMax… writes Gus Silber. I say screaming, because Julia Anastasopoulos, who plays the titular Tali, so perfectly nails – as in nails skritching down a blackboard – the voice, accent, mannerisms, persona and neuroses of the northern suburbs […]

A Boxing Day story, posted on Facebook by Gauteng resident Tshepo Judge Dijana, has gone viral in South Africa for its warm Christmas spirit… which Tshepo hopes will last the whole year long. Tshepo began his post: “Thoughts on racism: Just had the most interesting encounter!” Tshepo had pulled up to help “the most unlikeliest characters […]

The last few weeks, I have found ample reason to curse my ill-timed blog migration project. Here I was chasing down broken links when in reality I was meant to buy Christmas presents and decorate the house… writes Eva Melusine Thieme aka Joburg Expat, named after the blog she created while living as an American German expat in South […]

In a move that underscores his commitment to conservation, His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales – aka Prince Harry – has formally joined African Parks as their President. The appointment was just made public Wednesday morning in a statement released by Kensington Palace.  African Parks is a conservation NGO, founded in 2000, that manages national […]

Durban enjoyed a bumper weekend with more than 1,686,174 people visiting various beaches around the City during the long weekend, 23-25 December 2017. According to eThekwini Municipality it was a fun-filled and incident-free weekend with no drownings reported, thanks to a great team of lifesavers, police and municipal workers. In a media release, the Durban […]

The UK’s Economist newspaper has selected South Africa’s Nkosi Sikelil’iAfrika as the best national anthem in the world. The newspaper describes the key ingredients to a national anthem as including a “rousing tune to quicken the pulse, some pathos to moisten the eyes and that inexplicable something to make it stand out from all the […]

The Khoisan 4 have returned home to a hero’s welcome after Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa showed he’s the man who cares… by stepping up today, 24 December 2017, to receive a  a memorandum from the Khoibushmen Liberation Walkers, who had been camped outside the Union Buildings in Pretoria this month. Lisa Marcelle Hold, who shared […]

Elon Musk‘s space exploration company – SpaceX – launched its Falcon Heavy rocket on Friday night… and launched UFO debates in parts of America, as shocked citizens tried to work out what they were seeing in the sky. For many it looked like an alien spacecraft. South African born and bred entrepreneur, Musk, took to […]

As is the annual tradition, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco welcomed all the young Monégasque children to the palace on Wednesday for a visit from Santa Claus, and a fun Christmas dance and magic show in the ‘throne room’. And on Friday evening they posted 2017’s royal Christmas Card (see below)… featuring their […]

The Commonwealth Games Trials in Durban came to an end on Thursday with an impressive 47 qualification times for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast Australia. Those times were swum over six days of red-hot competition and spread amongst 29 athletes – 17 of them men and 12 women. The 2018 Games will take place […]

It is summer time in the southern hemisphere and locals and tourists are flocking to the coast to enjoy the sunshine, salt air and some of the best beaches this part of the world has to offer. In southern Africa it’s also the time when great white sharks migrate closer to Cape Town’s shore to […]

Mama Rosie describes her job as a “calling”, not a job. She says her purpose in working is not  to earn money. “God has called me to do this,” she says… and her reward is the “smile of these children when they’re saying Mama to me, and thank you”. ‘These children’ include over 5,000 who […]

After going viral a year ago with a brilliantly choreographed video that caught the attention of US star Meghan Trainor, Capetonian choreographer Rudi Smit has created a new video that showcases the best of South African dance moves. This time the moves are made to the sounds and beat of Dutch artist Dopebwoy’s ‘Cartier’, released […]

As a South African living abroad, have you ever had difficulties expressing yourself to someone from a different country? Even an English-speaking country? And the way they pronounce the words is slightly different to the way you do? It can lead to some interesting misunderstandings… writes Audrey Kruger. Disclaimer: Unfortunately some of the “misunderstandings” are […]

Talented South African choreographer, dancer, actor and teacher – Lungelo Ngamlana – who grew up in one of Cape Town’s oldest townships, has been choreographing shows around the world. Nan Melville caught up with him in New York… I met Lungelo at New York Tisch Drama School where he, together with fellow South African music-maker, […]

As Cape Town’s Day Zero has been brought forward to 29 April 2018, South Africans in Joburg have kindly sent litres of water down to their compatriots in the Western Cape. 10 Litres of Kindness is the brainchild of Shaun and Vikki Lee Harry who are originally from Cape Town themselves. The couple, who’ve been […]

Award-winning writer, and Nelson Mandela’s authorised biographer, Charlene Smith was the first journalist to ever interview Cyril Ramaphosa. She thinks it was in 1982 or 1983. Here Charlene recalls some of her memories with the new ANC President over the years… He’d just formed the NUM [National Union of Mineworkers] and the offices were two […]

Christmas has come early for South African supermodel, Candice Swanepoel, who announced this week that she and Brazilian fiancé Hermann Nicoli are expecting their second child. The South African expat, who is based in New York, was reportedly already two months pregnant – just not showing – when she took to the Shanghai, China, runway […]