Clare Wiese-Wentzel shares an interview with her father – South African retail tycoon Christo Wiese – on what defines happiness, what doesn’t matter and what keeps him grounded… A few years ago (OK, if I were to give away my age and be brutally honest, I would confess it was about 14 years ago), I found myself working […]

Tonight’s sunset in Cape Town was so beautiful and romantic we had to put it in a video… especially since the evening finished with a downpour of much-welcomed rain (as well as some great rolls of thunder at the end of the video). Photos by Alan Rudnicki, Kenneth David Brookes (including concave rain) and Lucinda Joy […]

Okay, this was actually filmed in 2013, and it’s an Austrian acrobatic group, not South African… BUT it was filmed in South Africa and the video has gone viral this weekend (March 2017) – with over 1 million shares in three days (and millions more views). So, since today is International Day of Happiness, here’s the perfect internationally happy […]

A new wildlife organisation has launched with the ambitious aim of saving every single surviving rhino or elephant victim of poaching. It’s called The Now or Never African Wildlife Trust (NNAWT)… and it has search giant Google on its side! NNAWT brings together key players – with extensive experience and contacts – in the war on poaching, […]

An orphaned little rhino in South Africa – named J’aime, in tribute to the poached rhino in a French zoo near Paris – is happily thriving, according to The Rhino Orphanage founder, Jamie Traynor. J’aime was herself the survivor of the horrific mutilation and killing of 16 rhino across South Africa, in the space of two days, just […]

The New York Times held a live Facebook session with Pretty Yende on Friday, as the star from Piet Retief in Mpumulanga performs in Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera. Apart from a delightful performance that had both her, and pianist Valeriya Polunina, smiling joyfully; Pretty answered questions from NYT reporter Josh Barone that had […]

First the “Kid Interrupts BBC Interview” went viral and was watched by MILLIONS… and now it’s the parody interviews that are everywhere. Here – for your convenience – are four of the best… The video – of Professor Robert Kelly’s children gatecrashing his very serious interview about South Korea – was heralded as a Perfect 10 […]

Joburg is the leading destination in Africa on the Fortune 500 List, according to a new report released by global business research company, Infomineo. The company, which specialises in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), says the region has become increasingly important for the majority of global Fortune 500 countries. The report focuses on multinationals looking at entering, […]

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Airbnb expects to maintain its rapid growth in Africa this year and double its customer numbers to 1.5 million, its Chief Executive Brian Chesky and regional head told Reuters on Friday. The number of people using the online room rental service on the continent rose by 143 percent to about 765,000 […]

Some kids in Uganda are teaching the world how to be happy… with a dance video – filled with cool moves, smiles and laughter – that’s been watched by over 26 million people around the world, in less than two months! Masaka Kids Africana posted the video on 18 January 2017 on their Facebook page, […]

As most people know, the 40th Cape Town Cycle Tour was cancelled last weekend, for the first time in history, due to gale force winds. But what many don’t know is that on every full moon, once a month in Cape Town, there’s a special ‘moonlight mass cycle tour’ around the Mother City! This year’s Cape […]

After years as a virtual prisoner in her home, 72-year-old Beauty Qamata can breathe fresh air again Two weeks ago, GroundUp told the story of 72-year-old Beauty Qamata who lost her legs to diabetes and for years has spent her days alone and trapped in her shack in Bacawa informal settlement near Mdantsane, East London. She has no […]

After last week’s alarming poaching onslaught around South Africa that resulted in the death of 13 rhino in a 24-hour time period (of which the South African Department of Environment has still made no comment!), here are some fantastic photos this week celebrating an unsuccessful poaching attack. Pilanesberg National Park and Wildlife Trust posted the photos […]

FREETOWN (Reuters) – A Christian pastor has found one of the world’s largest uncut diamonds – weighing 706 carats — in Sierra Leone’s eastern Kono region. The stone, a photograph of which was posted on the president’s official website, is being stored in the country’s central bank, government sources said. A local chief from Kono […]

Despite criticism that South African expats can be negative about their homeland, many abroad know that it’s often quite the opposite. Some of South Africa’s BEST ambassadors ARE its expats. And here’s a case in point. American traveller Rodney Mallari, and two of his mates, recently enjoyed a three-week holiday in South Africa… thanks to the recommendations of South […]

The impassioned speech by Mosiuoa ‘Terror’ Lekota in Parliament on Tuesday, calling on the Members of Parliament – regardless of race or party membership – to speak up against those who say words which “make South Africans kill each other”, has gone viral. Lekota is being heralded as the ‘voice of reason’ and – thanks to […]

Days after the devastating fire that raged through Imizamo Yethu informal settlement in Hout Bay Valley on Friday night, the Cape Town community has united to support those left homeless. Cape Talk filmed these heartwarming scenes below as organisers were overwhelmed by generous and abundant donations from Capetonians. “The community has come out in full force to […]

Just like your average South African expat, comedian Trevor Noah had a jol in the snow after Storm Stella blasted through his new hometown of New York, leaving a two-foot blanket of the white stuff behind. The storm brought blizzard conditions, causing trees to fall and power to be cut. Transport was disrupted in several places, including […]

In one week Florence Mudzivo’s life has changed radically for the better… thanks to knocking on the right door (and to hard work, perseverance and the kindness of South Africans!). The 53-year-old Zimbabwean widow sadly lost her husband in 2011 and was left alone to single-handedly provide for her four children and one grandchild. With […]

To celebrate the long-awaited for rain falling down in Cape Town, South Africa, this morning… here are 3 of the best cover versions of Toto’s classic ‘Rain Down in Africa’. 1. Watch Video: Africa – Angel City Chorale Using a unique intro – the kind that will make you want to rub your hands together! […]

Only five African cities feature in the top 100 rankings in regards to quality of living, according to Mercer’s 19th Quality of Living ranking… and three of those are in South Africa! Five Africa cities managed to remain in the top 100 rankings in regards to quality of living, with Port Louis in Mauritius topping the […]

It’s official. New BBC research – which included South African participants – reveals that watching nature programmes makes you happier! BBC Earth, the BBC’s global factual brand, has today published findings of an international study titled The Real Happiness Project showing nature programming’s direct impact on the mood and wellbeing of its viewers. The research […]

PRETORIA – The Department of Water and Sanitation has officially lifted water restrictions in Gauteng. The department announced on Monday that it has published in a government gazette the lifting of water restrictions in Gauteng. The department said that the lifting of the water restrictions follows the recent rains that flowed into the Integrated Vaal River […]

The Springbok Sevens may not have won the rugby sevens tournament in Vancouver over the weekend… but they won hearts, and made South Africans proud! Local Canadian media has reported the awesome good deed they performed on their way to the first day of matches, when they saw two women who had broken down on the […]

If there’s one video that’s making South Africans say “This is why I love this country”- it’s this… classic footage of an officer “directing traffic South African style”. The video was uploaded to Facebook on Saturday by Murray Kernick, and has already been viewed over 369,000 times… with one of the most popular comments being: “See, this […]