LIMPOPO – According to the South African Police Services (SAPS) facebook page, SAPS thwarted the theft of a bakkie on Friday, which was being smuggled across the Limpopo River. SAPS said the Provincial Commissioner spotted the vehicle being smuggled across the river between South Africa and Zimbabwe while he was in the police helicopter overhead. “The […]

Queen Elizabeth focused on what she called the value of doing small things with great love in her annual Christmas message on Sunday, reflecting on inspirational examples of “ordinary people doing extraordinary things”. (Watch below.) Queen Elizabeth, 90, missed a traditional Christmas church service on Sunday for the first time in decades due to a […]

A South African game ranger has caught a rare rhino mating scene on film… that came to an unexpected end! Showing size does count, a bull with a bigger horn uses more than just a pick-up line to win the female rhino from her current lover… Wildlife photographer and field guide Matt Yardley – who has seen a […]

Here’s a behind the scenes peek at what went on in the Palace to capture the adorable Monaco royal family Christmas card. Watch South Africa’s favourite princess and former SA Olympic swimmer, Charlene, her husband Prince Albert II, and their cute two-year-old twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella play and pose together earlier this month for […]

Senior citizens in the Western Cape have been surprised and delighted to discover Santa Claus HAS come to visit them this year… thanks to an amazing initiative – the Senior Santa Shoebox Project. The ‘angel’ behind the project is local photographer (and regular SAPeople contributor) Angela Gorman. “It has been such a heartwarming project, and […]

Touched by seeing children going to bed hungry and the people around her lacking sources of good nutrition, Marian Dube started growing and selling vegetables from her backyard. The 42-year-old widow and mother of three, who grew up in a family of subsistence farmers in Mberengwa, south east of Zimbabwe, says, “I came to South […]

South Africa is experiencing an explosion in the sales of craft gins… made exclusively from fynbos, the plant which is unique to the Western Cape. According to a BBC Africa report, sales have increased sharply in recent years as distilleries race to capture South Africa’s burgeoning middle class. Fynbos is one of the key ingredients […]

Check out this elephant in South Africa’s Kruger National Park doing what appears to be a version of ‘elephant yoga’. It’s a little inspirational! Or perhaps it was an elephant dance – ballet or the famous hokey pokey (“you put your right foot in. You take your right foot out. You put your right foot in. And you […]

As the first refugees arrive from Aleppo, a South African non-governmental organisation – Gift of the Givers – has been helping set up refugee camps and distribute blankets, mattresses, food, milk powder and diapers in the Idlib region in the north west of Syria. The tragedy in Eastern Aleppo has meant an increased need for […]

South Africa’s Proteas wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has been named as the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year, and Marais Erasmus was awarded the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year. De Kock is the second South African player after AB de Villiers (2010, 2014 and 2015) and ninth overall to clinch this award. In the voting […]

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco are sending out a glamorous and beautiful family photo for their annual Christmas Card, featuring their children Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella (and a painting of the late Princess Grace). The card says simply: “May the joy and peace of the holiday season be with you in this New Year 2017.” […]

South Africa has welcomed the festive season with shimmering and glittering Christmas decorations and the beautiful sounds of Christmas carols. Here are some of the best pics from around the country… Christmas in KwaZulu-Natal Andrea Sander: “Christmas carols at Inchanga, KZN, with the magnificent steam locomotive Wesley. Thanks to Pierre Retief for the wonderful display.” […]

Julius Malema is clearly enjoying a good holiday after a long year of politics. Usually he prefers to keep his private life private, but today he shared photos – and perhaps the secret to his happy marriage – on Twitter. He and his long-time girlfriend Mantwa Matlala married two years ago in Polokwane in December […]

GAUTENG – #Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime, SAPS, Department of Home Affairs, Customs, and SARS brought the Johannesburg CBD to a standstill on Tuesday morning when they confiscated about R60 million worth of protected brands on counterfeit goods. The authorities searched 120 shops at Quebec Building in town where they confiscated clothes, bags, cosmetics, accessories, and jewellery […]

South African musician and film score composer Trevor Rabin (62) is to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with fellow members of British super group ‘Yes’. The SA expat proudly told Rolling Stone magazine that “you’d probably know better than I, but I think I’m the first South African!” On Facebook, Trevor wrote: […]

Prince Harry opened up about grieving and carrying on his mother Princess Diana’s legacy in a documentary – ‘Prince Harry in Africa’ – aired on ITV in the UK on Monday night.  Speaking about his mom’s death 19 years ago, the prince said: “For a huge part of my life I didn’t really want to think […]

The difference between celebrating Christmas the UK or South African way is massive when you’re used to the other. Watch two bloggers from the UK and SA compare the differences they have found… (See the video below.) Even though we share so many traditions from decorating Christmas trees to singing Christmas carols… the experience of a cosy indoor […]

The number of tourists to South Africa has increased in the past year, and Germany has knocked the UK off the number one spot of the country whose tourists visit SA the most, according to the latest Tourism and Migration report by Statistics SA (Stats SA). The Big 5 are: Germany, UK, USA, France and The […]

With the help of YouTube, popular South African YouTuber Caspar Lee pranked one of his fellow vloggers, Oli White, at London’s popular tourist spot Madame Tussauds. Caspar, who’s based in London (but is currently enjoying time in Cape Town), has over 6.9 million subscribers on YouTube. His friend Oli has 2.6 million. Together they later […]

Bloemfontein, situated in the middle of the bucolic countryside of the Free State in South Africa, was originally a British outpost in an area of turbulent warfare. The history of Bloemfontein is inexorably linked to the complex history of the now-named Free State province of Africa. And the history of the Free State in the […]

Like many South Africans, President Jacob Zuma began his holiday programme this weekend. But while many of us head to the beach, the President’s holiday will include activities that promote youth development and the care of senior citizens. As with every festive season, Zuma will spend it in his home village of Nkandla, in KwaZulu-Natal. This weekend […]

Two years ago Zola Ndlovu – a lawyer, economist and writer – wrote 16 Things Black People wish they could explain to their White Friends. To celebrate the Day of Reconciliation – which was established to encourage unity and harmony amongst South Africa’s people – here’s Zola’s list again, with a response from a white South African woman […]

South Africa’s Miss World contestant, Ntandoyenkosi Kunene (24), will not be bringing home the Miss World title, but while Ntandoyenkosi may not have made it into the Top 20 tonight at the pageant’s Grand Final… she has made it into South Africans’ hearts. Miss Puerto Rico Stephanie Del Valle was crowned Miss World 2016 on Sunday […]

Little rhino orphans in South Africa have been snuggling up under the cuddly covers of blankets, knitted especially for them by kind donors. It’s a beautiful sweet sight in a tragic situation. There shouldn’t be rhino orphanages… but thanks to not such great humans poaching and killing adult rhinos for their horns, wonderful kind humans have had […]

Emanuella Samuel, the young actress whose ‘My Real Face’ video went viral and earned her fans around the world (including President Obama’s daughter Malia), has become the youngest person in Africa – at six – to win a YouTube award. Emanuella appears in the weekly comedy videos produced by her uncle, Nigerian entertainer Mark Angel. The […]