Nat Nakasa finally started his journey home today, fifty years after he didn’t want to leave. At a church in the north of Manhattan, not far from where Nakasa jumped out of a seventh-floor window of a building near Central Park in 1965, a service was held to mark the beginning of the repatriation of […]

Every day, I hear the cries of media people – journalists, graphic artists, photographers and copy editors – who have just been kicked out onto the street by their long-time employers. Many of them have given decades of faithful service – with little remuneration – to their newspapers and magazines. Most of us do this […]

The fabulous South African rusk has been a staple of Karoo travel, going back to the 1700s. Here’s the story of SA’s famous Ouma Rusks… If you were an explorer, a hunter, a prospector, a trekboer or simply a wandering remittance man crossing the great Thirstland, you always carried a bag of rusks in your […]

Following Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies’ visit to Hollywood last week, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will be leading a delegation of South African film makers to Los Angeles to engage with the major studios, the minister announced on Tuesday. Briefing reporters in Pretoria, Davies said his visit had sought to strengthen […]

The government will invest billions of rands in South Africa’s transport infrastructure over the next three years in a bid to reduce road deaths and traffic congestion in the country, says Transport Minister Dipuo Peters. Addressing a seminar on road safety at the Southern Sun Hotel in Cape Town on Tuesday, Peters said that commuter […]

The latest column by well known South African author, columnist and documentary filmmaker Max du Preez has resonated with many of his fellow countrymen as South Africa (and the world) seem to be living through tumultuous times. Here, with kind permission (thank you!), we republish his column: Finding Hope beyond the Screaming Headlines by Max du Preez […]

Today I’m celebrating my FIRST YEAR in South Africa. I arrived in Durban, from my homeland France, exactly a year ago. Who would have guessed that I would end up in South Africa, in Africa even? I left my friends, family, work, flat, shops, food… everything, and accepted to change my life completely, but I […]

Joburg Zoo is distraught by the death of Wang, Africa’s last polar bear. In a media statement issued by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, a spokesperson for Johannesburg Zoo said that the Chief Veterinarian, Dr Brett Gardener had to make the “very tough decision” at 11.49 today. “Africa’s last polar bear Wang had to be […]

A new concept in filmmaking funding emerged a few years ago through crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to independently fund films. South African filmmakers, Susan Scott and Bonné de Bod are using this new development to try fund their documentary film on the rhino poaching. In Afrikaans and for the big screen, ‘STROOP die […]

Grab your oversized non-prescription glasses and find out whether you’re a Mother City trendster… 1. You’ve taken a ‘pelfie’ That’s a selfie at the Cheers of hipster bars, The Power & the Glory. Chances are, your photo is on the infamous (but still cool enough to be on) ‘Wall o’ Trendsters’. 2. You’ve had a stick-and-poke […]

Today is the third annual World Elephant day when people around the globe are encouraged to take part in actions and activities to help save our increasingly threatened elephants, both in Africa and Asia. This special day, dedicated to the Elephant,  was launched on August 12, 2012 by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and Canadian documentary filmmaker Patricia Sims […]

A South African movie director has created a romantic marriage proposal for his Trekkie boyfriend with the help of legendary British actor Sir Ian McKellen! And the video is now going viral around the universe. Brett Lotriet Best turned to McKellen for help in making his proposal after McKellen’s frequent co-star and best friend Patrick Stewart was unavailable. […]

The challenges of social integration were increasing, and it was essential to update democracy. “We must take on the challenges of the future, not just consolidate our wins.” Chilean President Michelle Bachelet expressed these sentiments in delivering the 12th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, in the City Hall, Cape Town, on Women’s Day – 9 August. […]

On 4 July Americans celebrate their independence, their freedom from the yoke of British colonialism. Even in Las Vegas – a city without clocks or calendars – the residents party in celebration of their freedom from oppression. On that day in 1983 South African David Ross Patient found himself in the desert outside the city. […]

South African singer songwriter Duncan Faure was inducted into the RockGodz Hall of Fame in a star-studded performance and awards ceremony in Las Vegas, USA, on July 30, 2014. Duncan, former singer with one of the most famous bands to ever come out of South Africa – Rabbitt – said he was “very honoured to […]

On World Lion Day we couldn’t think of anyone better to lead the celebration of this majestic creature…than South Africa’s own ‘Lion Whisperer’ Kevin Richardson. Here – republished with kind permission – is Kevin’s list of 10 Signs Your Best Friend is a Lion: 1. You’re constantly taking selfies together 2. They give the best welcome hugs 3. They’re […]

As we celebrate Women’s Day in South Africa today, a movie director has undertaken an interesting journey to throw some light on the silence that surrounds the abuse of women and children in a country where there are reportedly 3,600 rapes per DAY. That’s 1.4-million per year. Meg Rickards is the director of ‘Whiplash’, a story […]

The more I listen to the radio, or read social media outpourings, honestly – the more I’d like to pretend I’m a big brown bear in Siberia and it’s hibernation time. There’s the dire state of affairs in other parts of the world, which seems to be foremost in many a Seffrican’s mind. Whereas I […]

All has been revealed and South African swimmer, author and ocean advocate Lewis Pugh has set off on his latest mission – to swim the seven seas! He will be the first person to undertake long distance swims in each of these seas. In a press conference in London this week, it was announced that […]

Registration for Rhino Run 2014 is open, and this year the run is going global with an official run being held in Mississippi as well. “We are SUPER stoked to announce the first officially-sanctioned Rhino Run taking place outside of South Africa on the same day as our local events – Rhino Run Mississippi, being held […]

We could not disagree more with Conde Naste Traveler’s latest list of the Friendliest and Unfriendliest Cities in the world! They have placed Johannesburg at the TOP of the Unfriendliest list! But if you read the blurb on why they chose Johannesburg, sadly it shows that it’s the crime that placed it at the top […]

As investors pour into Africa, chasing returns from resources, agriculture and the goods and services demanded by its growing and increasingly wealthy population, the need for good quality information is growing too. However, countries and companies remain opaque and this makes it very difficult for investors to decide where to put their money. That is […]

By Chris Marais & Julienne du Toit  In the big desert spaces of the world, an overland driver often encounters interesting objects along the road. Sometimes it’s a novelty object, a ‘world’s largest’ something or other. Other times, it’s a road sign full of bullet hotels. And you park next to it and wonder: what […]

A fusion of African and European cuisine will be a feast for the eye and a temptation for the taste bud at the inaugural Mzansi International Culinary Festival, taking place from 7 to 10 August. It has been planned to celebrate the culinary expertise of female chefs from across the globe – Europe, the Americas, […]

A South African expat in the United Kingdom has started a wonderful initiative to allow South Africans abroad to donate second-hand clothes to help those in need back home. And right now she’s looking for ‘carry on buddies’ to carry some of the clothes back to South Africa. “I started Carry On 4 Babies a year […]