One of South Africa’s toughest endurance races is the Berg River Canoe Marathon, which starts in mid-July. It’s tough because paddlers sit in their boats for some 60 gruelling kilometres each day of the four-day race, paddling in the middle of winter in a river that is at times blocked by trees and requires paddlers […]

South African playwright Athol Fugard, the creator of anti-apartheid masterpieces such as Blood Knot, The Island and Master Harold … and the Boys, has been named as the first African recipient of a Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award, Japan’s highest honour in the arts. The five winners of the 2014 awards – Fugard in the […]

There is a common misconception that feminists are hysterical, man-hating women who burn their bras. But the reality is far different; in fact, one of the world’s greatest leaders, Nelson Mandela, was a passionate feminist. He believed fervently in the ideology’s core commitment to the social, economic and political equality of women. When Mandela became […]

Here’s an interesting video from a UK-based organisation which brings a new perspective to the belief that the world generously aids ‘helpless’ Africa. According to their report, it is the rest of the world that benefits from and is aided by Africa more than the continent is aided by the world. The organisation, Health Poverty Action, works […]

Fatherland is sure to be one of the more controversial films screened at this year’s Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which kicks off tomorrow. The 71-minute documentary follows a group of Afrikaans boys during a 9-day military-style camp where they train in the SADF-apartheid spirt of their fathers before them. This is not a Hollywood […]

It is an extraordinary dream come true. Like music to Mandla Maseko’s ears, this part-time DJ will blast off into space, literally. No-one in Maseko’s family has ever stepped outside South Africa, but now the 25-year-old is preparing to rocket into space in 2015. Maseko won the global Axe Apollo Space Academy competition for an […]

Text and Photographs by Chris Marais We marched up the hill early one morning and settled into the old British blockhouse. Down below, the N1 highway between Jo’burg and Cape Town was churning with freight trucks and the Free State mists were dissipating. The blockhouse – one of 8 000 erected all around the country […]

TRIBUTE FROM SAPEOPLE: “I happened to be thinking of Nadine Gordimer on the day she passed away. I was sitting in a movie theater in London, watching ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ in which teenage cancer victim Hazel is on a quest to find out from the author of her favourite book what became of the […]

Everyone has a memory bank of images: Nelson Mandela, fist clenched, walking to freedom from Victor Verster Prison; the limp and lifeless body of Hector Pieterson being carried by a fellow pupil; the queues of South Africans waiting to vote in 1994. For sports mad South Africans there is the picture of Mandela handing the […]

A wonderful story of the spirit of ubuntu has emerged in South Africa over the last couple of days, involving a thoughtful taxi driver, his passenger who was witness to the events, and a job applicant who was the recipient of the driver’s kindness. It all started on Wednesday 9 July when columnist and author […]

For many of us the only safari we get to go on is Apple’s browser. So…knowing that we don’t all have the budget or time to enjoy an incredible South African safari, some very kind SAPeople members have sent in the following wildlife photos for the rest of us to sit back and enjoy. Expat Jarryd […]

The J-Bay Open started yesterday in great 4-6 foot surf with South Africa’s hopes stacked on Jordy Smith who won the event three years ago.  And Jordy did not disappoint… Jeffrey’s Bay was taken off the ASP tour for the last 3 years but it’s back on. Jordy said he was so “stoked” when he heard it […]

Lately a lot of South Africans abroad (and expats who’ve moved back) have woken up to discover that without even knowing it, they’ve relinquished their South African citizenship. Dylan Hainsworth, who now lives in the UK, phoned the South African High Commission in London to find out more. This is what she was advised… “The […]

Coca-Cola have relaunched their hugely successful ‘Share a Coke’ campaign in Europe this summer with a fantastic video that was filmed in South Africa. The ‘Share a Coke with Bobby’ advert was filmed on the streets (and a roof or two) of Johannesburg, and is currently playing in some European cinemas…to the delight of any expat […]

For many South Africans abroad who hold dual citizenship (or maybe thought they did…and have subsequently discovered they relinquished it without knowing!), the question about which passport to use when heading back to South Africa on holiday has becoming slightly confusing. So we turned to legal experts for the facts. UPDATE October 2020: Please sign the petition for a […]

Many South Africans abroad, particularly in the UK, have been confused by recent rumours and misguided articles about retaining one’s South African nationality. We have been inundated at SAPeople by worried expats who would like some clarification on South African dual citizenship, so we turned to the experts for advice… An immigration consultant in the […]

Three South African brothers are involved in a really cool venture with a group of young Swiss entrepreneurs who have created a really cool video showcasing just how their African Handmade Shoes are made (with soul!)…and how awesome South Africa and South Africans are. The aim of African Handmade Shoes is to create a bridge between Africa and […]

South African expat Samantha Gross is organising a get-together for all South Africans in Europe next weekend. She left SA in July 2004 at the age of 33 to move to Germany with her German husband and has been back on holiday regularly. Samantha says since moving to Germany she feels the “need to promote South […]

While most kids around the world are playing on their computer devices – from the streets of New York to beneath the baobabs of Tanzania (where Masai kids can be seen tapping on their cellphones) – a South African couple has made a conscious decision to expose their son to a simpler non-electronic life. And […]

The SanWild Rhino Sanctuary will soon be launching some really cool straps that people can buy to wear…and in so doing support the protection of South Africa’s precious rhino population. We are experiencing an ongoing tragedy in South Africa. Every single one of our rhinos risks being poached. According to the SanWild Rhino Sanctuary our […]

Around about the time that we we’d just moved to Cradock from Joburg, I was debriefed on the art of shopping in a small Karoo town by our friend Elaine Hurford. She lives in Prince Albert, which has scores of restaurants and guesthouses but limited retail. The first thing I learnt was not to underestimate […]

The next best thing to actually being in the Karoo, South Africa’s semi-desert Heartland, is to have access to the just-launched Karoo Space eBookstore. Download the Karoo Collection Sampler on your tablet or smartphone, find a shady spot somewhere and settle in for a tour of the most phenomenal people-friendly desert in the world. Travel […]

With President Jacob Zuma signing the new Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Act into law, it is clear that the battle over the land is heating up. The latest change to the legislation will, among other things, change the cut-off date for lodging a claim for restitution and change the rules around the appointment, tenure, […]

I received an email from a South African friend in New York yesterday in which he asked what was “potting” and said that he was “holding thumbs” for me to find a new house. If I couldn’t find my dream home, he said, “come to my pozzie and kip here. It’ll put a smile on […]

English has been spoken in South Africa for over 200 years, evolving into a distinct dialect with a vocabulary strongly influenced by indigenous languages. Learn to understand the locals with our comprehensive guide to Mzanzi taal.   English has been spoken in South Africa for over 200 years, at least since the British seized the […]