Four South African adverts scooped prizes in the Film category of the 2015 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the South of France. The awards ceremony was held in the south of France last night. South Africa won in the Silver and Bronze categories while the top Grand Prix prize went to the Leica Gallery ad from […]

It’s load-shedding time again in South Africa, this time because of strikes. This compilation of loadshedding jokes was first published on a Saturday night in June 2015)… and here we are three years later! It was updated on Monday 18 June 2018. For more of December 2018’s loadshedding jokes, view here: Top 10 South African Loadshedding […]

An advert featuring Julia Anastasopoulos – better known as her beloved DIY character Suzelle – is one of the finalists in the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the South of France. The advert – which features the artist and actress as an overwhelmed and busy South African mom – was aired in South Africa in January 2015. […]

Along with about 500 global words like photobomb, twerk and crowdfund, several South Africanisms have made it into the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in its latest quarterly update. According to Katherine Connor Martin, Head of US Dictionaries, although the OED normally doesn’t add words that haven’t already been around for some time to establish themselves, times have changed […]

Congratulations to South African entrepreneurs Jeff Paterson and Oliver Du Toit who won a major business competition in the UK today, and are now poised to revolutionise the way the world exchanges foreign currency! And thanks to all those South Africans who voted to ensure they secured a spot in the top three and were able to pitch […]

Thanks to South Africans abroad, there are a lot of Greeks, Aussies and various other nationalities who know what a ‘braai‘ is and can say “gaan kak in die mielies” (ja, that’s the most popular Afrikaans phrase we teach our foreign friends!)…but when they visit our shores they don’t know the more important words…like babelaas, bakkie […]

Some of it is obvious, like the view from Table Mountain, and some of it is not, like street vendors and school uniforms. I grew up in Germany and now live in the USA. Here are the 30 things I remember most fondly from our expat life in South Africa: [vc_button title=”1″ color=”default”] Hadedas Hadedas […]

If you’re a South African abroad and don’t have the time or the budget for a holiday to South Africa this summer/winter (depending where you are)…pull on your favourite South African rugby shirt, turn up the volume and enjoy a 12-minute holiday vicariously through SA expat Kimberly Aldworth. Kimberly recently got back from taking her […]

Congratulations to Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) Johannesburg for being awarded a Gold Radio Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity last night. The award was for the ‘Night Before the Project’ radio advertisement for Suntory Lucozade South Africa. Mariana O’Kelly, co-ECD of O&M Johannesburg, said “Cannes this year has been incredibly tough so […]

Trevor Noah isn’t the only South African ‘Trevor’ export to hit US shores. First there was Trevor Jones (now 66), an orchestral film score composer from Cape Town whose credits include ‘The Last of the Mohicans’. And then there was fellow musician and film score composer Trevor Rabin (now 61) who is again making news this […]

The big question being asked in South Africa today is “where were you on that epic day 20 years ago?” Yes, it’s been two decades since former President Nelson Mandela walked on to that rugby field in his #6 Springbok jersey with the chants of the crowd accompanying him…”Nelson…Nelson…Nelson”. South Africans are being invited to […]

Check out the compilation (above or below) of photos and video of Johnny Clegg performing at two recent concerts…including footage where he’s joined on stage by his old Juluka partner Sipho Mchunu. Earlier this month Clegg reminisced about the old Juluka days when “our music was banned or restricted on national radio, as well as shows being […]

It’s been four months since young filmmaker Howard Fyvie traded in his rental home in Woodstock for a bunk bed in DuNoon, a township on the fringes of Milnerton. And now that the “Honeymoon period has officially worn off”, he has some insider tips on how to navigate a township… The 27-year-old says: “I’ve started to see […]

Dear Friend, It has been an eerie thing for me these past few years: sort of a déjà vu experience to watch the news and read about Ferguson, Eric Garner, Baltimore riots, McKinney and, most recently, the horrific shooting in Charleston. I’ve been watching #blacklivesmatter trend on Twitter: grief and outrage and opinions from every corner. […]

A well-deserved congratulations to Cape Town photographer Eric Nathan whose shot of the Mother City at night has earned him the top prize at the International Earth & Sky Photo Contest. But, as exquisite as his photo is, it also highlights the effect light pollution has on our skies and the need to reclaim and reconnect […]

Check out South African professional skydiver JeanJacques Wallis – in the white wingsuit – as he explores the Drakensberg mountains in KwaZulu-Natal like never before. The skydiver from Pretoria Skydiving Club, who last brought us incredible GoPro footage of base jumping from a derelict building in Pretoria, has this time teamed up with fellow South […]

Check out the video below from Durban comedian Carvin H Goldstone tuning the “ou’s” and joking about the “chow”. The homegrown talent jokes about losing weight, KFC and the difference between various South African cultures. This skit comes from his latest one-man stand-up show “Coloured President”. Durban-based comedian, Carvin, is becoming one of the country’s most […]

Kevin Anderson will face Scottish Andy Murray in the Finals of the Aegon Championships at Queens Club in London this afternoon. The South African, with the legendary big serve, has enjoyed a great tournament this week – triumphing over Australian Lleyton Hewitt in the first round before making world headlines when he knocked out recent French […]

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers out there, young and old – may you always be an inspiration to your kids! If there’s anyone who for any reason doesn’t see or call their dad as often as they might, I pray that this little poem will serve as a gentle reminder that time isn’t always […]

Well done to swimmers in the Western Cape who braved the winter waters for a full 30 minutes today in the Annual Polar Bear Challenge at 4th Beach Clifton. It was a “stunning day, with ‘pleasant’ 11 degree water,” according to Fish Hoek professional photographer Robyn Gwilt. Here are her (and friend Jennifer Anderson’s) photos to […]

Hillbrow, Jo’burg’s inner city Tenderloin district, was never a nest of angels… In the late 1970s and 80s, it was the most cosmopolitan piece of real estate in South Africa. You had your excellent Hillbrow Records, your Mi-Vami shawarma place, Estoril Books, your globe-trotting tattoo artist down in the basement shopping area on Pretoria Street […]

Unilever has launched a #BrightFutureSA campaign which features a video that starts with a child saying “you’re never too young to make a difference” before introducing us to several inspiring kids, from all over the world, who have ideas that truly could make a difference. The campaign then invites others to get involved and to help create a brighter future […]

Here’s a shout out from Carina McAlpine for her neighbour who bravely risked his life to rescue her during an assault…even though at that stage they were just polite neighbours who barely knew each other. Carina posted the following message to Facebook with the photo above: “Ladies and gentlemen…please salute my neighbour, Joseph Hlengane Hlongwane, who […]

An artisanal beer-making tsunami has hit South Africa in the last few years and resulted in 135 craft breweries that have popped up throughout the country (see infographic below). The below quote is the top definition of what constitutes a craft beer in the tongue-in-cheek Urban Dictionary. [quote_center]CRAFT BEER – “An explosion of art and science coming together to build […]

Many of us probably think of Hillbrow in Johannesburg as a no-go zone, but Nick Bauer and Mike Luptak are making a point of taking people to its very heart. And to Ponte City too. And beyond. Through their company, Dlala Nje, Bauer and Luptak offer two increasingly popular tours – This is Hillbrow and The Taste […]