Buyisiwe Sondezi started her academic life at a simple rural school near Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal. She had nine siblings and a burning desire to cure Aids. Today she is Dr Buyisiwe Sondezi, mother of two children and the first woman in Africa to be awarded a doctoral degree in experimental physics of highly correlated matter. […]

Apart from the Protea, there’s probably no other plant that evokes as much emotion in a South African as the sight of a Jacaranda tree in full bloom – and it’s not just because of its beauty.  It’s thanks to the memories it triggers: The times your family drove to Pretoria so that your mother could take photographs […]

Congratulations to South African golfer Lee-Anne Pace who won the  Blue Bay LPGA Championship in Hainan Island, China, this morning! It’s her second worldwide win in less than ten days! The tournament at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course was besieged by four days of torrential rain (forcing the organisers to reduce the competition to 54 holes), […]

That South Africa punches well above its weight in the global luxury travel market was again confirmed with the release of this year’s prestigious Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards.The country garnered the top spot in the best 100 hotels and resorts, and Cape Town was voted fourth out of the world’s 25 must-see cities. […]

President Jacob Zuma has reacted to rumours that he cancelled his trip to the UK because he was refused an audience with British Prime Minister David Cameron. In a media statement released today the Presidency said it has noted these reports, and that they are “incorrect and mischievous”. President Zuma was scheduled to open the […]

As the competition’s heating up for the big event that kicks off at 5 pm today in Cape Town, social media is alive with the jokes that are being shared. Here’s just a sample of some that have been sent in to SAPeople from rugby fans, including a Lion’s video that has been dug up […]

A wonderful production of Thumbelina opened at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town last night, presented by Cape Town City Ballet as part of its 80th Birthday Celebration. Local photographer Robyn Gwilt had the “privilege of shooting rehearsals” earlier in the week. Her photographs are on this page. “Do yourself and your kids a favour and go […]

The US Department of Justice revealed yesterday that two South African brothers who own Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris have been charged with conspiracy to sell illegal rhinoceros hunts in South Africa in order to defraud American hunters, and engage in money laundering and the secret trafficking of rhino horns. UPDATE JULY 2021: Dawie Groenewald and AB […]

Students in South Africa surprised a homeless man in Cape Town with an act of kindness, after being inspired by a popular video on YouTube of three German students playing music for a homeless man. But there was one big difference between their videos…(watch both videos below). The German video was actually a short film to […]

One of the most popular videos on social media this week is one filmed in Cape Town by a tourist…who may have inadvertently broken the law. The video shows the stunning beauty of Cape Town and its surroundings including Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, Cape Point, Seal Island, Hout Bay and Simon’s Town…and also stars a shark […]

Dr Buyisiwe Sondezi, a student at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), is the first woman in Africa to be awarded a doctoral degree in experimental physics of highly correlated matter. Sondezi graduated as a Doctor of Physics at UJ in September this year. The title of her thesis was “The physical properties of ferromagnetic CeTX […]

If you recognise these words – “Alan! Alan! Alan! Oh wait, that’s not Alan. It’s Steve!” – you’ve probably watched the BBC’s ‘Funny Talking Animals – Walk on the Wild Side’ before. In fact you’ve probably watched it a few times! The show was aired on BBC One back in 2009…but is still as popular […]

So this is a true Karoo Moment… Jules and I are sitting on the front stoep of the Karroo Theatrical Hotel. We’re spending the entire afternoon on this stoep, drinking much wine and shooting the breeze with the innovative hotel owners, Mark Hinds and Jacques Rabie. But lest you think we’re a bunch of old […]

Four friends from the UK won the trip of a lifetime to South Africa earlier this year. The two couples flew out to South Africa in April for a fortnight of exploring the country – from Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal, and then to the Western Cape. Married couple Lucy and Andrew (both Project Managers and both […]

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has wished a Happy Diwali to all. In a message published on The Presidency website this morning, Zuma says: “We would like to extend good wishes to the Hindu, Tamil, Gujerati and other communities who celebrate Diwali or Deepavali, as it is also known. “Diwali honours the triumph of light over […]

The travel experts at Lonely Planet have placed South Africa second in their list of the world’s best-value destinations! In an article by Tom Hall, much of this value is attributed to “currency fluctuations” – the fallen Rand has made the hidden and unhidden treasures of South Africa more affordable to more foreigners than it has been […]

Good Morning, Mr Mandela is a memoir verging on a romance of sorts between Zelda la Grange and her boss, Nelson Mandela, a man who she served with dedication for 17 years as his personal secretary. It is a fiercely honest account of her emotional metamorphosis – from a conservative and prejudiced white racist South African, […]

Here’s photographic proof it’s not just humans who like whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears! Award-winning South African photographer Rob Tarr captured this tender scene during a trip through the Kruger National Park. “We’re so spoiled to have such a magnificent nature area available to us,” said Rob. “And every visit to the Kruger always […]

A UK couple who fell in love with South Africa during a holiday here last year, have captured the scene of an eagle with its prey in the Kruger National Park…and would appreciate it if a wildlife expert could identify the prey for them. “We saw this large eagle drop from the sky ahead of us,” […]

A very cool art installation has been erected on the Sea Point Promenade in Cape Town. It’s called Rhinosaur, and when you first see it you won’t know why.  Bev Tromp,  a South African expat who recently holidayed in Cape Town from her new base in the UK, took these photos and said, “At first it looks like a […]

As the developers of the super-cool Maboneng Precinct in Johannesburg, led by Jonathan Liebmann, take hold of Durban and transform the Rivertown district into a similar wonderland of galleries, restaurants and boutiques…it’s worth noting that Durban already has some pretty cool places, with three restaurants having been launched in the last month or so that are sure […]

A week ago today a fire spread through the Kya Sands Settlement in Johannesburg, destroying 500 shacks and leaving approximately 2,000 people homeless. Photojournalist Brett Field visited the site a couple of days later, once the rest of the press had packed up and left, and what he found was the true story of Africa that […]

Fashion designer, pop star, wife of the world’s most famous football player – and now UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador – Victoria Beckham has pledged to help the “wonderful” young women  in Soweto and to raise awareness about the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV. The former Spice Girl was moved to make the announcement during her […]

Over the years, there is one observation I’ve made about black people in various social situations. Amongst fellow black people, we don’t feel the need to explain ourselves; we just ‘get’ each other, even if we’re from different cultural backgrounds. When you’re a black person amongst white people though, there seem to be a million […]

A South African-born Australian teenager, Troye Sivan, has been named as one of the 25 most influential teens in the world! The 19-year-old internet sensation, who lives in Perth when he’s not travelling the world, was listed on Time Magazine’s annual list of the 25 Most Influential Teens on the planet…alongside such notables as Pakistani youth activist Malala […]