The double-hulled Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokulea – or Hōkūleʻa – has arrived in Cape Town, halfway around the world from Hawaii on a 60,000-mile journey. And there to greet the boat was one of its most famous supporters, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. On the Hokulea website, it said the visit to Cape Town was helping to celebrate ancestral connections and renewed friendship […]

Former South African supermodel Josie Borain and her teenage daughter Willow invited Superbalist.com into their log cabin overlooking Klein Leeukop. For two decades now Josie Borain has lived in a thatched roof log cabin filled with the type of curious things you pick up when living a life as full as hers is. Weird hats from countries […]

While many of us whinge about them, or swerve to avoid them, a South African man – Lymen Mlambo – has taken it upon himself to start fixing potholes in roads near Hartbeesport Dam without even being asked. And his efforts have been warmly and gladly received, with several people on Facebook offering their help and assistance. Local resident Vanessa […]

The people of Joburg were celebrating today as rain finally fell…although some complained it came too fast and left too soon. And, according to one Facebook user, the hail hitting her car felt rather like being trapped on a golf range. Here are just some of the videos and pics that were posted as the skies […]

Nothing like spending a Sunday morning doing a walkathon with your pooch. Which is what some 1,000 Capetonians did this weekend, with dogs of every shape and size and breed. The 22nd annual Wiggle Waggle, held in Constantia in the shadow of Table Mountain and with an impending rainfall, was in aid of the Society […]

This weekend two dedicated British mothers arrived in South Africa to complete their 5,795 Challenge to raise funds for orphaned children in Joburg. Since January, Jenny Chapman and Helen Thornhill (along with a friend), have run the equivalent air mile distance from Manchester to Johannesburg to raise funds for the Winnie Mabaso Foundation – a UK charity supporting […]

As superheroes hit the movie and TV screens of the world, South Africa is getting one of its own. And going from this trailer, it looks pretty special and amazing. So does Johannesburg! Director Gareth Crocker introduces clips from the series, “Jongo” https://vimeo.com/124604413 Based in the City of Gold and the Cradle of Humankind, the eight-part series “Jongo” […]

With so many countries lighting up their buildings to stand in solidarity with Paris after the attacks on Friday night, many expected South Africa to do the same. Imagine Table Mountain draped in blue, white and red to show support… Or the Hillbrow Tower… But so far…no famous South African landmarks have been lit up (apart […]

“Nomvula” is a very chill, very catchy Xhosa song by up-and-coming singer Nathi – he’s been called “a breath of fresh acoustic air” – in a gorgeous video shot around his home province of the Eastern Cape. The song is from his debut album, “Buyelekhaya”, and has already been viewed over 300,000 times on YouTube in less […]

On Saturday AB de Villiers will become only the seventh South African to play his 100th test! The 31-year-old was honoured at a special function last night, although – in typical AB fashion – he has played down the awesome achievement and says he would rather focus on tomorrow’s match against India in Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) […]

If every cloud has a silver lining, The Telegraph in Britain is pointing it out – 25 silver linings, in fact (and we’ve added a 26th – see the end of the story). When so many things seem to be going wrong in South Africa – with a drought to boot – it’s nice to […]

A South African company has made a medical breakthrough with the development of a special machine that could make breast cancer diagnosis so much more simple, accurate and quicker for women. The Aceso machine, as it is called, has been designed and developed by Cape Town medical technology company Cape Ray. It was officially launched […]

The previous two years have been turbulent times in international aviation: two Malaysian airliners, and their full complement of passengers, lost in the span of four months and a Russian airplane performing a fatal nosedive over the pyramids, on Halloween – its deadly descent possibly expedited by explosives. With this current spate of deadly aerial […]

Andrew Smith certainly thinks so, but he would. He is the founder of a South African solar company NVmyPower. But listen to what he says to a class and then judge for yourself. “Some people say buy a Ferrari,” Smith says. “Some people buy exclusive whiskey or a collectors item. This (solar) way, you’re not only saving […]

The horror novel ‘Day Four’ by South African Sarah Lotz has reached the semifinals of the 2015 Goodreads Choice Awards, which brands itself as the only major book awards chosen by readers. A book about South African Elon Musk has also been nominated, in a non-fiction category. Goodreads, which started in 2007 and has apparently got 40 […]

JOHANNESBURG – The remains of a dinosaur 50 percent larger than a T-Rex, found near Clarens in the Free State, are being pieced together by the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits University, it was announced on Tuesday. The plant-eating dinosaur, still to be named but which goes by the nickname ‘Highland Giant’, would have weighed about […]

Congratulations to Jared Houston from Cape Town who was crowned the official 2015 APB World Bodyboard Champion yesterday in Puerto Rico. It was an incredibly emotional (and stressful) final day of the Encanto Pro Cultura as the 26-year-old South African, who now lives in Puerta Rico, won his first world title. After an unfortunate knock out in the […]

The already well-known three-year-old DJ Arch Junior has won the ‘South Africa’s Got Talent’ competition, and picked up a half a million rand in prize money in the process. The tiny DJ, Oratilwe Hlongwane from Alexandra, Johannesburg, who was clearly a favourite with the judges even in the semifinals, was one of six acts who reached the final, […]

Anyone sitting in London or Ottawa, Canada, or Scandiinavia – well, anywhere with a colder climate right now – might be thinking of sunnier climes. With the rand  hitting its lowest level ever against the US dollar, consider what these properties on offer in Johannesburg and Cape Town this weekend could be bought for in foreign currency. […]

Jeremy Loops has taken to Facebook to reveal just how challenging it can be for a South African musician to fill concert halls around the world. Many South Africans abroad – in other professions – will relate to that higher hurdle you sometimes have to jump to prove, to those at home and abroad, that you […]

Cape Town was treated to a beautiful formation of Lenticular clouds on Sunday (8 November). From the Blouberg side it looked like the legendary pirate Van Hunks truly was smoking a pipe! (According to myth the ‘tablecloth’ cloud sometimes seen over Table Mountain is caused by a smoking contest between the devil and Van Hunks.) Capetonian Enid Burt said: […]

Anyone visiting Johannesburg – especially Jeppestown – might notice some new art decorating its walls, garage doors and basically any space flat and vertical worth a spray can. That’s because the fifth annual City of Gold Urban Art festival took place at the end of October. Graffiti artists from South Africa and abroad took part in painting up the place, […]

Cape Town and the Winelands are famous for their stunning scenery and outdoor activities, but they are also a treasure trove of art, culture and history. Travel writer and tour guide James Bainbridge shares his cultural highlights of the Mother City area. 1. Babylonstoren  This 17th-century wine farm south of Paarl is a total gem, […]

Time to get our calendars out for next year as South African Rugby Union (SARU) have announced the Springboks’ home fixtures for 2016. Current Six Nations champions Ireland will play a three-test series against the Springboks in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth in June 2016, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) announced on Friday. SARU […]

This week, after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, Trevor Noah discovered what many Americans already know – that their “health system sucks” (in the words of some US media). After being admitted to hospital on Tuesday with abdominal pain, the South African comedian got his first real taste of the US health care system…and it was just like […]