South Africa has been voted the fifth most beautiful country in the world by readers of travel guidebook Rough Guides. Interestingly, they chose Scotland as the most beautiful… apparently because of its “wild beaches, deep lochs and craggy castles”. South Africa – which was surprisingly the only country from the African continent to feature on […]

Guests who watched Mrs Vietnam being crowned Mrs Universe at Durban’s Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre last night, 2 September 2017, were treated to a feast of fashion, design and colour as contestants lit up the stage with their incredible traditional ethnic wear. Costumes ranged from awe-inspiring to awesome, dazzling to daring, expansive and exhilarating […]

Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton – otherwise known as their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – have said in a statement that they are “very pleased” to announce that they are expecting their third child! In the press statement, issued by Kensington Palace, they revealed that the Queen and members […]

In a post that’s going viral on social media, Lorenzo Davids – CEO at Community Chest of the Western Cape – lists 10 important things we can each do to build a better South Africa and a better future for all of us: 1. Stop tipping car guards R2. Parking is not that cheap anywhere […]

Table Bay Mall, a new Regional Retail Development located on the northern reaches of Sunningdale in Cape Town, is nearing completion and will be opening its doors this month! The opening is scheduled for 28 September 2017. 12 Things You Should Know about Table Bay Mall: Situated on the corner of the R27 (West Coast Road) […]

Photojournalist and vlogger SHAYNE ROBINSON captured this footage on Saturday of the “Neigh-Bours Magical Medieval Fayre” in Johannesburg, South Africa. “HEAR YE! HEAR YE! Calling all knights, damsels, wenches, beggars, and bards. Ye Magical Medieval Fayre is back and on Saturday I went out the Inanda Country Base to have a look at what was […]

SA Rugby has announced that Land Rover is the latest blue-chip company to back the Springboks – as an associate sponsor and official vehicle partner of SA Rugby. The class-leading vehicle manufacturer has signed a three-year partnership, which will see Land Rover support the Boks’ Rugby World Cup 2019 campaign, of which Land Rover are […]

If you’re far away, feast your eyes on these exquisite photos from the Kruger National Park, taken last week by TARA TURKINGTON during yet another fantastic family holiday. Tara says: “Home from a wonderful week in the Kruger Park. Even after approx. 40 years of visiting Kruger, I always leave wanting to come back…” The […]

An ecstatic Mrs Vietnam was crowned Mrs Universe during a glittering event at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) on Saturday night. 43-year old Tram Hoang Luu burst into tears as last year’s winner, Olga Tornor from Austria, handed over the crown at the 40th Annual Mrs Universe pageant, held for the first […]

Knysna Council has approved the waiving of property rates for one year for those 564 households that were completely destroyed by the recent fires. The devastating fires in June destroyed billions of rands of built environment in Knysna, and has had a traumatic input on the people’s lives and the economy, the Council said in […]

Spring sprang early in South Africa this year, as evidenced by these fabulous fields of blooming wild flowers, captured in the West Coast National Park two weekends ago… photographed by NIGEL RILEY, ALAN RUDNICKI and ROBYN GWILT. It’s not exactly a wild flower… but it is a ‘wild animal’ in the Park… Posberg is looking […]

Thursday’s Question and Answer session with President Jacob Zuma in Parliament, in Cape Town, was filled with entertainment today from the usual suspects – Zuma’s reluctance to answer simple questions to the EFF walking out – but one of the more unexpected moments was when the sign language interpreter abruptly got up and left for […]

Former homeless refugee, Arafat Gatabazi – who fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo on foot, to find freedom in South Africa – will head out to the open water in support of South African school kids. It’s yet another selfless challenge from the youngster who unbelievably couldn’t even swim when he first arrived in […]

Archived footage and modern technology combine to show exactly how South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, has changed over the past 70 years… Pretoria is one of South Africa’s oldest cities serving as the executive branch of government. The city was founded in 1855 by Marthinus Pretorius, a leader of the Voortrekkers, who named it after his […]

‘Noem My Skollie’ was definitely chosen as South Africa’s official entry to the Oscars for a reason: this is a world-class movie, telling a story that pulls at your heartstrings through the use of incredible cinematography, excellent acting and outstanding directing. And it’s now available on Showmax International for South Africans abroad to watch and enjoy. […]

South African expats Natasha and Lawrence Moller have been living in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, for the past five years. They’re both still “Proud Saffas” and continue to dream of their homeland… as can be seen in this moving poem by Natasha, which sums up how so many South Africans abroad feel… South Africa, my […]

Generations of late night revellers in Johannesburg made a pilgrimage to order toasties and milkshakes… and farewell the iconic Doll House roadhouse as it closed its doors for the final time this week. Renowned South African writer Gus Silber said: “The Doll House roadhouse on Louis Botha, Joburg, gives way to the bulldozers and the […]

A massive swell hit Plettenberg Bay last week on 24 August 2017, particularly hammering the well known Beacon Island resort… although it didn’t seem to bother them too much. The resort wrote on facebook: “Beacon Island lawns and outdoor pool took a beating, but what a show! Snuggled up in the Sea Lounge, our guests […]

Sibusiso Mdokwe was 22 years old when a boy in his village hit him in the face. The incident left him blind and shattered his dreams of becoming a teacher. The 37-year-old man from Tombo village in Port St Johns said he dropped out of school in grade 11. But at a school for the […]

Now that South African expats in many countries abroad can enjoy ‘Carte Blanche’ – just two days after it’s aired in SA – here’s what you can expect this week… available from today to subscribers of Showmax International. City of Joburg Billing Blunders II For years, at least a decade, the City of Johannesburg’s rates, […]

It was a big moment at Fish Hoek Beach on Monday as Station Commander Madoda Hlakula welcomed Cape Town’s talented sand artist, Michael Myekwa, onto the beach with his brand new letter of permission. The Fish Hoek community had rallied together in the past week to help sand sculptor Michael obtain an all-important permit which […]

Over 1 million Facebook users have already liked the latest post by its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, since it was posted five hours ago. Along with his wife Priscilla Chan, Mark wrote: “Priscilla and I are so happy to welcome our daughter August! We wrote her a letter about the world we hope she grows up […]

Caster Semenya delivered another remarkable performance on Sunday to set a new world-best over the seldom-run 600-metre distance at the penultimate leg of the IAAF World Challenge series in Berlin, Germany. Turning out as the lone South African representative in Berlin, Semenya enjoyed a gun-to-tape victory, completing the race in 1min 21.77sec. She obliterated the […]

What is it about former US President Barack Obama’s record-setting tweet – it has already surpassed 1.6 million retweets and 4.5 million “likes” – that has captured the imagination of the world? In the tweet Obama quoted Nelson Mandela: No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his […]

The 84 Mrs Universe contestants who arrived in Durban have been taking in the sights and sounds of the city as they settle into an intensive schedule that combines work with play. On Friday evening, the contestants got the chance to get to know each other over dinner at Casa Bella in Umhlanga. They were […]