Loyiso Bala may be known unofficially as South Africa’s king of R&B, but now the much-loved entertainer has added an official title to his name: he has been appointed South African UNAids Goodwill Ambassador. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids) made the announcement on 21 October. As a goodwill ambassador, 34-year-old Bala will […]

Three South Africans are in the top 10 of the overall rankings of the Fina Swimming World Cup after back-to-back events in Dubai and Doha, which ended on Monday, with Chad le Clos in first place. The 21-year-old from Durban enjoys a convincing lead at the top of the standings, with 332 points to his […]

  Mokgoro Ntshieng, creative director of the Olive Tree Theatre, is passionate about her art form and its ability to transform society. She believes that if given an opportunity to tell your story, you can change perceptions. In South African theatre, women’s voices have been muted, so she and her business partner, producer Kerryn Irvin, […]

Tucker Vorster and Japie De Klerk are on cloud nine after both players received a call from South African Davis Cup captain, John-Laffnie De Jager, requesting their availability for the forthcoming Davis Cup tie against Russia. Vorster and De Klerk jetted into the Russian capital on Sunday with the rest of the South African Davis […]

The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has unveiled the nominees for the 41st International Emmy Awards, and two popular South African shows are on the list. SA represents Nominated in the comedy category the satirical news series Late Nite News (LNN) is in its eighth season. The show is hosted by stand-up comedian, Loyiso Gola, and […]

South African surfer Jordy Smith is in with a chance of winning the Moche Rip Curl Pro at Supertubos in Peniche, Portugal today! After four lay days, competition resumed yesterday in firing 1-1,5 metre waves. Earlier today Australia’s Mick Fanning was knocked out in the quarter finals which allows Jordy, Joel Parkinson (Australia) and Kelly […]

Celebrated South African playwright, director and producer, Mokgoro Ntshieng, is hoping to bring the magic of theatre a little closer to home by inspiring women to play a major role in performance art. Already established in performance art, Ntshieng has founded her own women’s theatre, Olive Tree Theatre Productions, in Alexandra township, in Johannesburg, Gauteng. Ntshieng has […]

A team of South African scientists and international collaborators has discovered the first evidence of a comet entering Earth’s atmosphere and exploding, “raining down a shock-wave of fire which obliterated every life form in its path”, Johannesburg’s Wits University announced on Tuesday. According to the university, the discovery “has not only provided the first definitive […]

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, the big-screen dramatisation of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, won the Audience Favourite Feature award at the Aspen Filmfest in the United States, it was announced on Wednesday night. The film beat a number of heavyweight contenders, includingThe Fifth Estate,August: Osage County,NebraskaandOne Chance, to emerge as the most popular film at the […]

Charismatic human rights champion and Nobel laureate Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu turns 82 today. Archbishop Tutu – or the Arch, as he is fondly known – is often considered the moral conscience of South Africa and the world. A passionate opponent of the apartheid government and “rabble-rouser for peace”, he retired as archbishop of the […]

An outrageous interview with a South African student  took the internet by storm last month, receiving almost half-a-million views on YouTube within a day of being uploaded. And it was soon all the buzz on Reddit, Facebook and forums with people calling the student “the coolest guy ever in South Africa”.  In the hilarious video […]

South African supermodel Candice Swanepoel has put a smile on many faces in the past week – modelling for Operation Smile charity and posing in video clips. But the biggest  smile  was the one on her own face…when she spotted her mom at the airport in South Africa. She described it, on Instagram, as “that […]

Princess Charlene has recently been the toast of Paris (where she outshone the supermodels at Paris Fashion Week), New York where she and Prince Albert II dined with the President and First Lady…and, with barely a moment back home at the Palace to unpack, she and her husband are on their way today to the […]

Richard Branson broke a Guinness World Record in South Africa this morning by squeezing 25 women into a Mini Cooper! Yes, you read that right! And all 25 ladies were each over five-foot tall. The inimitable entrepreneur, who has a penchant for Guiness World Records, published a post today on his Virgin website headlined “How […]

Feel-good South African film FELIX – which carries  the message that ‘in every one of us lies a talent waiting to be shared’ – has aptly had its own talent recognised by winning the Best Children’s Film at a Festival in Germany. FELIX was selected from over 400 worldwide entries for the €7 500 award at […]

Proving princesses do a lot more than simply pose for magazine covers, Princess Charlene  packed a variety of activities in to her recent trip to America with her husband, Prince Albert II of Monaco.  The royal couple’s September visit to America culminated in a dinner reception hosted by President Obama and his wife Michelle Obama […]

South African paddlers excelled at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Copenhagen on the weekend, with Hank McGregor and Andy Birkett both claiming titles. They were not alone in standing out, however, with two silver medals also being won, while in the Masters World Championships, which preceded the elite competition, South Africa came away […]

A nine-foot (three-metre) statue of Nelson Mandela – showing him with fist raised as he walked out of Victor Verster prison a free man on 11 February 1990 – was unveiled outside the entrance to South Africa’s embassy in Washington, DC on Saturday. The statue, a copy of one that stands outside the Drakenstein Correctional […]

Researchers at South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have developed a world-first digital laser that could be a game-changer in the field, paving the way for new laser applications in areas ranging from medicine to communications. A team based at the CSIR’s National Laser Centre has shown that, instead of resorting to […]

A powerful South African team will mount a serious challenge for medals at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships, which start in Copenhagen, Denmark on Friday and run through until Sunday. The K1 battle will see 35-year-old Hank McGregor, a two-time K1 world champion and former under-18 K1 world champ going up against his protege […]

South African 3D animated feature filmKhumba, which had its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last week, has been bought by three major international independent distributors – Australia’s Transmission, UK’s Kaleidoscope and Italy’s Eagle Pictures. Khumbais the second 3D animated feature from Cape Town-based Triggerfish Animation Studios, whose Adventures in Zambezia […]

South Africa’s Olympic sailors made an impressive return to the podium, claiming bronze in the SB20 World Championships in France over the weekend. London Olympians Roger Hudson and Asenathi Jim joined forces with Sibu Sizatu and Wadi Xamimpi to claim two race wins, one second-place and three third-place finishes during the week-long competition in Hyeres. […]

  He is a man who has brought tears of joy to an entire nation, a man who has inspired the world to create a better place, a man who has given true meaning to the concept of ubuntu; he is a man and a legend – he is Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, known fondly to […]

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has issued a statement admitting that referee Romain Poite DID make a mistake when he showed Bismarck du Plessis a yellow card during yesterday’s rugby match between the All Blacks and the Springboks. The incident occurred when the South African hooker tackled the All Blacks flyhalf in the 17th minute […]

Walter and Albertina Sisulu: Parenting a Nation explores the private and political lives of the Sisulu family during the apartheid struggle. The exhibition, at the Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu, in Eastern Cape, gives the viewer a deeper understanding of their role in the emancipation of South Africa, as well as of their deep love and abiding […]