So there are LOTS of wonderful South Africans who do some pretty awesome things, many of which go unnoticed or which we have no time to thank the person for at the time. Like when a Gauteng doctor takes the time to explain  – with a rare and kind compassion – that your husband may never wake […]

South African expat, Major General Bernadus Groenewald, is making headlines in Fiji, Australia and New Zealand with his bravery. Groenewald, who happens to be the Commissioner of Police in Fiji, confronted five thugs at a Suva restaurant, armed only with a chair! In a story headlined “Heroes of the Night”, the Fiji Times said the […]

The Springboks have officially launched their Rugby World Cup Campaign with a launch video and a new website. The message for the campaign is clear: Give the Springboks #HomeGroundAdvantage …anywhere in the world. The video includes some classic lines that are sure to give fans goosebumps. Sentences like “2015 is our year. We are the ones we’ve […]

Latest South African comedy ‘Stone Cold Jane Austen’, which opens in SA movie theaters tomorrow, was presented at the Cannes Film Festival in the South of France this week. It’s a brilliant mockumentary about an English rock band from South Africa trying to break into the increasing profitable Afrikaans music market…without being able to speak the […]

A former Amanzimtoti resident has had her greatest dream come true, thanks to the guys at East Coast Radio (ECR) and Netcare 911. Eighty-five year old Martie van Staden’s dream was simple – to spend a few minutes watching the waves and smelling the fresh breeze of the ocean. But it was not so simple to execute. Martie […]

It must be said: I’ve been blessed. For a blonde whose claim to fame used to be jumping out of helicopters (for a TV show called Treasure Hunt) I got to meet and appreciate so many great men and women in this well-talented country of ours. Yes, the opportunity to hunt down treasures of the […]

The photographic exhibit ‘On the Frontline’ couldn’t be more timely. With the xenophobic attacks on nationals from other African countries barely off the front pages of the news, the show focuses on the role numerous countries – what were called the Frontline States at the time – played in the battle against apartheid. Speaking at the […]

Against all odds, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI-Kirstenbosch) was yesterday awarded a Silver Gilt at the Chelsea Flower Show for what is its 40th exhibit at the famous Royal Horticultural Society show!  Congratulations to designers David Davidson and Ray Hudson and the team of SANBI staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to achieve […]

There is hope for the rhino. South Africa’s youth are making their voices heard, and in the latest #RhinoShoutOutChallenge two fierce school rivals have come together to shout out in one voice: Save Our Rhino. Hopefully other schools will follow the example set by Kearsney College and Maritzburg College in KwaZulu-Natal. The boys came together […]

Ever since the South African power supplier, Eskom, has been struggling to cope with its capacity, regular blackouts have become a part of South African life. This year these blackouts – or ‘load shedding’ as they call it – have been intensified, and hit districts and areas at certain times, alternating throughout the week. For this, Eskom […]

As the issue of canned hunting of lion becomes more and more publicised, let’s give a thought to one of the first, if not the first, private organisations to get involved to stop it – SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary. Canned hunting, for anyone who doesn’t know yet, is the managed hunting in confined spaces of lion […]

Meet Lennox, the latest South African to be turned into an overnight sensation on social media thanks to a fellow citizen appreciating his kind deeds after he made her day. In South Africa, where crime and poor service can seem too common at times, it seems no good deed goes unnoticed. Capetonian Facebook user Kelly […]

The evidence is on the pages of SAPeople’s Facebook page daily – the incredible, heart-stopping, gobsmacking beauty of South Africa, from Cape Town to KwaZulu-Natal, from the Kalahari to Namaqualand. People send us the pictures they take of Table Mountain, jacarandas sprawling across Johannesburg and Pretoria, the Valley of a Thousand Hills, the heartbreaking sunsets of […]

A time-lapse video about a Great Dane, uploaded by South African director Dave Meinert, is fast approaching 1-million views on YouTube. Meinert, who is based in Cape Town, uploaded the video about his Great Dane Pegasus just eight days ago.  Dave, who is one of the few movie makers who actually enjoys working with animals, rescued […]

South African marine conservation photographer, Jean Tresfon, captured the following spectacular photos yesterday showing South Africa’s ocean bursting with  life…on what he calls “the last day of summer”. Jean, who specialises in aerial and underwater photography, says “yesterday dawned perfect and still – no wind, no clouds, flat calm seas and warm sunny conditions. Flying […]

A very happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there – how very special you are, not only to your own children but for the key role you play in building a nation of decent, upright, caring souls! How appropriate that today has been chosen as a National Day of Prayer for a Crime-Free […]

Democratic Alliance Federal Leader, Helen Zille, delivered her final speech as DA Federal Leader this morning. Below is the full transcript of her address to the DA’s Federal Congress delegates at the Boardwalk Convention Centre in Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth (PE). Writer Suzanne Brenner ‏summed up the speech with the following tweet: “And so endeth the reign of […]

When I first started telling folks I was heading to Johannesburg, you would have thought I said I was headed to war. “Girl, be careful out there!” “I hear it’s dangerous. Don’t go out at night!” “It’s sorta hood. Kinda like Brooklyn.” What? Have you been to Brooklyn lately? I mean sure, if you wander […]

After the announcements, postponements and outrage from some…the date is almost upon us when it will be mandatory for all minors to travel with an Unabridged Birth Certificate.  From 1 June 2015, the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa will require all passengers under 18 to travel with an Unabridged Birth Certificate. Travelstart.co.za have kindly provided […]

Here’s a BIG shout out from the students of Pietermaritzburg College in KwaZulu-Natal to save our rhino. It’s better than Chinese Whispers. It’s the Rhino Shout Out Challenge… South Africa’s rhino faces extinction if poaching is to continue at its current alarming rate. Yesterday it was announced that 550 rhino have already been poached in South Africa […]

South African artists present a unique South African identity to the world, and the high prices many local artists fetch internationally are testament to the growing interest in the calibre of local artists – as well as in that identity. South African art is finding its place in the global art market, and several of […]

A herd of 12 African elephant who were in urgent need of a new home in South Africa have been saved in the 11th hour. Louise Joubert, founder of SanWild wildlife and rhino sanctuary, had posted a plea on Facebook for help in sourcing a new home, ideally a private reserve, for the small herd who […]

Previously, I mentioned several unique things South Africans do that I got to observe in the time spent living in this country (away from my homeland, The Netherlands). Recently, I saw some people walking barefoot in the local supermarket. This phenomenon comes along quite often, and my initial reaction was to offer assistance. “Did someone […]

In celebration of the 22nd New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) an exciting line-up of over 25 films from more than 15 countries from Africa will be screened 6-12 May 2015. It is thrilling to see how the vision for Africa – from Burkina Faso to Botswana, from Ghana to South Africa – is being […]

Rhino Poaching arrests got a boost during April with the assistance of a couple of tourists in the Kruger National Park (KNP), helping to bring the total poaching suspects arrested in the Kruger in the month of April to 28. South African National Parks (SANParks) announced this week that they had arrested a further six suspected […]