A Prince Albert resident was ‘blown away’ today by the special sight that greeted her as she headed over the Swartberg Pass. A blanket of beautiful, billowing clouds… “Sometimes we say we feel as though we’re floating above the clouds,” says guesthouse owner and Karoo blogger Yolande Singery. “Well today I truly was… and not […]

Many on social media are commending South Africans for their sense of humour, especially when the proverbial kak is hitting the fan with the allegations by ANC MPs saying they were offered jobs by the Guptas. Out come the jokes – such as “The ANC is a five-letter word (curry)” – but most popular is #StateCaptureMovieTitles, referring to the capture […]

Reactions to the confirmation by Deputy Minister of Finance, Mcebisi Jonas, that members of the Gupta family (who are renowned to have close ties with President Zuma) “offered me the position of Minister of Finance to replace then Minister Nene” have been met with outrage and – of course – humour in South Africa! Here are 15 of the top tweets: […]

At a packed launch of the English book version of the compiled letters between literary royalty Andre Brink and Ingrid Jonker, Brink’s widow said Cape Town’s revered bookshop the Book Lounge was the perfect place to introduce the book to South Africa. “We came here a lot,” said Karina Brink. “We called it our lounge.” […]

The largest oval vivid fancy diamond ever to appear is headed for sale in Hong Kong next month, where it is expected to fetch $30 million to $35 million. The internally flawless blue diamond, at 10.10 carats, was mined in South Africa and is one of a collection of 11 cut by jewellers De Beers […]

Paddlers in Hout Bay, South Africa, had a rare treat yesterday when they were joined by hundreds of dolphins. Alexandre Pino from Above Summit Productions, which uploaded the video, said that whilst being amongst hundreds of dolphins is probably a dream for most of us, “these paddlers got more than they bargained for”! Watch Video – […]

A video depicting South African police officers appearing to abuse a motorist – which went viral on Facebook Tuesday – has led to positive action. Within 12 hours of being uploaded by fellow motorist Carmen Bell, the post had been viewed over half a million times. Bell who didn’t know the motorist – Raymond van der […]

In the midst of twitter wars and political sparring – and during Anti-Racism Week – comes an inspiring tale from South Africa of the real SA people who are quietly getting on with building a caring and harmonious society…going beyond the call of their jobs to help others. True Ubuntu! The two heroes are Tumi Selau and Clement Molemela, employees in MiWay’s […]

The seventh annual Cape Town Carnival rocked Greenpoint on the weekend, festooning the fanwalk between the city centre and Cape Town Stadium with singers, dancers, puppets, oiled-up firemen, scenes of District Six and more. Under the theme “Street Life”, there were more than 2,000 costumed musicians and performers from communities and schools across the city, including the […]

South African bass-baritone Simphiwe Simon Shibambu sang for the Queen yesterday at a a Celebration of  the Commonwealth service which took place at Westminster Abbey in London. Shibambu delivered an incredibly moving performance of the traditional Xhosa song ‘Qongqothwane’, which clearly touched Queen Elizabeth II, who is head of the Commonwealth. She paused to chat with Shibambu for a […]

A month-old baby in dire need of heart surgery in the war-torn country of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula has been evacuated by a South African mercy flight and flown 16,000 kilometres to safety and surgery after other countries were unwilling to risk going into the area. A team of South African medical aviation evacuation specialists […]

Springbok wing Bryan Habana will return to France to resume his club commitments with Toulon after the club released him to play for the Springbok Sevens in two rounds of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Habana, holder of the Springbok record for the most Test tries, played on the World Series circuit for the […]

Following a vigil in Khayelitsha to support the family of murdered teenager Sinoxolo Mafevuka (19), one of the township residents sent Capetonian organiser, Kerry Nelson, the following email tonight… Bongiwe Mnyamana’s letter from Khayelitsha: “I just wanna thank you not only for what you did for the community and for the Mafevuka family…but you have touched me […]

Within days of a social media campaign being mobilised to raise awareness and show support for the family of murdered teenager Sinoxolo Mafevuka, two men – aged 21 and 26 – have allegedly been arrested in connection with the crime. Nineteen-year-old Sinoxolo was brutally raped and murdered two weeks ago in Khayelitsha, a township in the […]

South African-born, Los Angeles-based film director Gavin Hood, who made “Tsotsi” and the newly released thriller “Eye in the Sky” with Helen Mirren, said the entire movie was shot in South Africa, even though it “takes place” in Nairobi, London and Las Vegas. He said the movie, which is a tense drama starring Mirren, Alan Rickman […]

The Cell C Sharks – who this weekend became South Africa’s only unbeaten Super Rugby side – have put their might behind the Rhinos without Borders initiative… to increase awareness of the poaching crisis and raise funds to help 100 rhino be safely translocated to Botswana. With rhino poaching in South Africa reaching epic proportions, Botswana is […]

Anywhere in the world, the Labia Theatre would be a gem. The independent, quirky, fabulous, one-of-a-kind movehouse in Cape Town has to be seen and experienced to realise just how special it is. Recently turned 65 years old, the iconic four-screen cinema in the heart of the city  takes you back to the years when going to the […]

South African athlete Wayde van Niekerk made sprinting history on Saturday in Bloemfontein when he became the first man to ever run faster than 10 seconds for 100m, 20 seconds for 200m and 44 seconds for 400m after smashing his PB (personal best) in the shorter sprint at the Free State Championships in Bloemfontein. Ever humble, […]

South Africa’s gorgeous Candice Abrahams was crowned Mrs World in Dongguan, China, tonight! Watch video below. Candice – who hails from Honeydew in Johannesburg – competed with 45 other married women from countries around the world to make it to the semi-finals with Mrs Poland, before winning the title. Candice is a model, fashion blogger, wife to […]

There’s something so exquisitely special about South Africa that creeps into your soul…and never leaves. We all know it. Those South Africans who can never tear themselves away because their roots run too deep. Those expats who have left but who see visions of ‘home’ wherever they look – in potholes, tea stains and the […]

If you’re far from the ocean today, take a virtual ride with hot young South African surfer Shane Sykes in this awesome video, ‘Silence of Eyes’, which just won the inaugural ZigZag Short Film Competition. Directed and filmed by Steven Michelsen, the 4-minute video took about three months to make and features KZN North Coast’s Sykes […]

The New York Times last week promoted a house for sale high above Clifton, Cape Town, for a cool $4 million (or R65 million) in its regular feature “House Hunting in … “, which looks at property for sale around the world. The house it publicised was a four-bedroom on the slopes of Lion’s Head. A […]

A former policeman who was kicked off the force has appeared in court in Bushbuckridge along with three accomplices after being caught in Kruger National Park – in full view of holiday makers – allegedly on the way to poach rhino, according to news reports on Friday. A spokesman for the Hawks reportedly confirmed that the […]

It was like a South African reunion in Las Vegas last weekend as SA expats from around the USA made the trek to support – and in some cases – meet their favourite team, the Springbok Sevens. And it’s sure to be the same this weekend as the Blitzbokke look to make an impact in Vancouver, […]

Sometimes the first few notes of a song will take you back in time. A time you may not have thought about in 20 or 30 years. One minute you are sitting in traffic on a congested freeway in the stifling Texas heat. Or in London in the drizzle, or Perth or Prague. The next second you […]