South Africa’s athletes will be walking out in style at the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics in London, in a kit created by Durban designer Leigh Schubert. It was up to South Africans to decide which kit makes it onto the field, and the public voted overwhelmingly in favour of Schubert’s striking […]

Jonathan Shapiro has been taken to court over some of his most controversial cartoons of the past few years – the most notable being a depiction of several African National Congress leaders in a compromising situation with Lady Justice – but his doggedness has won him the 2012 Freedom to Publish Award. Zapiro, as Shapiro is more […]

The team heading off to the 2012 Olympic Games in London at the end of July has been finalised. The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) announced the full team of 125 athletes on 4 July, with 13 extra names added to the initial 112 publicised in June. “Finally, we have a complete squad!” […]

What does it mean to be a South African? Brand South Africa, together with the Department of Arts and Culture, is trying to find the answer. In a world first, the search is on for the Formula of a South African (FormulaSA), a unique equation that looks at the country’s progress since the inception of democracy and into […]

WELCOME HOME Debbie Calitz and Bruno Pelizzari! The two South Africans are finally back in SA after being kidnapped by Somali pirates for 20 months. The couple was captured by the pirates at the entrance to the Mozambique / Madagascar Channel as they were on their way to meet their first grandchild in South Africa. […]

Zenobia Baumgarten is not only a woman with a zest for life, but she loves to share that zest with others. Baumgarten is the 2012 winner of Total South Africa’s Eco Pioneer competition – and a handy R20 000 (US$2 400) – for her use of natural and recycled materials to decorate her home. In her […]

Three young people from Soweto in the south of Johannesburg have begun an enterprising journey to uplift and inspire the young people of South Africa, in memory of late student activist Hector Pieterson. Sina Molefi, a half-sister to Pieterson, together with Zuza Mbatha and Tera Gaju, call themselves “activists of Hector Pieterson”, and say they […]

Stunning photographs of South Africa in the Seventies by renowned South African photographer Steve Bloom, are being presented by The London Festival of Photography this month. And on Monday (11th June), Steve will be giving a talk at the Guardian about photography in South Africa during the apartheid years. In 1977, aged just 24, Steve […]

Stunning photographs of South Africa in the Seventies by renowned South African photographer Steve Bloom, are being presented by The London Festival of Photography this month. And on Monday (11th June), Steve will be giving a talk at the Guardian about photography in South Africa during the apartheid years. In 1977, aged just 24, Steve […]

It all started with a tweet on 1 May 2012 notifying people using the social network site of a campaign that was geared not at book lovers, but those who needed to get into the habit. The first objective of ReadaBookSA was to secure 4 000 Twitter followers by the beginning of June 2012, when it […]

The first group of athletes who will be representing South Africa at the London Olympics next month was announced by South Africa’s Olympic governing body, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc), on Wednesday 6 June in Johannesburg. A total of 112 sportsmen and women made it into the initial list, with the […]

The premiere of Kanye West’s slickly stylised short art film, “Cruel Summer”, created a major buzz at the Cannes Film Festival – partly because he was joined by girlfriend – and reality star – Kim Kardashian at the Palm Beach launch party…but largely because of the pioneering 7-screen experience that was brought to Kanye’s Cannes […]

Zola Budd-Pieterse is no longer the naïve young darling of South African athletics, but the 46-year-old still has what it takes. She finished her first ultramarathon in April 2012, running a cold and rainy Two Oceans in Cape Town in under 4 and a half hours. At 56km, the Two Oceans was the longest race Budd-Pieterse […]

The story of Sonja Kruse – aka “The Ubuntu Girl” – will be aired on South African TV this weekend, highlighting the incredible journey that Sonja embarked on across South Africa, discovering a spirit of goodwill and oneness that connects its people beyond the divisions of culture and mistrust. It’s a beautiful and uplifting story, […]

Although his childhood dream was to become a professional football player, it was his unexpected triumph at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 – in the men’s marathon – that won Josiah Thugwane his long-standing fame and glory as one of South Africa’s greatest sport achievers. Thugwane, who was only 25 years old at the time, ran […]

Sifiso Dlamini, has always been a sneaker fanatic. By the time he was 12, he owned 12 pairs of footwear because he knew that in Soweto, that was how one was judged. Dlamini is the founder and CEO of an aspiring streetwear brand named Eish Hade, which is currently focusing on footwear. Eish Hade loosely […]

Check out the photos of the South African networking event at the Cannes Film Festival, held on Saturday 19th May. It’s the annual event at Rado Plage on the Croisette that has every journalist begging for an invite, and throngs of hopefuls standing at the top of the staircase trying to talk their way past […]

South Africa is proudly showcasing 12 Feature Films and eight documentaries at this year’s Cannes Film Festival! At least a hundred South African film-makers have gathered in Cannes this weekend to promote their projects, and seek funding, co-production or distribution deals, which is what the Cannes market is all about. South African’s Minister of Arts […]

Another brilliantly blue day in Cannes. Just been ensconced in the divine red velvety Grand Theatre Lumiere. That’s where all the BIG movies are shown. When you see the movie stars in Cannes walking up the red carpet…that’s where they’re going – the Grand Theatre Lumiere, the heart of the Cannes Film Festival. Every morning at […]

Charlize Theron smouldered in black tonight as she attended the world premiere of her latest movie, ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’. The South African Oscar winner stars in the film as the evil Queen Ravenna opposite Twilight actress Kristen Stewart (as Snow White) and Australian hunk Chris Hemsworth (the Huntsman, of course). Both Charlize (36) […]

Veteran runner and South African Olympian Wally Hayward was one of the great characters of the sport.   Although he never won an Olympic medal, his name became synonymous with endurance running over the course of his 60-year career. Hayward is forever linked with the gruelling Comrades Marathon, one of the world’s toughest long-distance races at […]

Up and coming South African actress Vanessa Zachos has joined acclaimed Hollywood director Ron Howard’s new movie Rush, acting opposite ‘Thor’ and ‘Avengers’ star Chris Hemsworth. Appearing in three or four scenes as a love interest of James Hunt (played by Hemsworth), this is another triumph for South African actors who are breaking into the […]

Charlize Theron has finally let the world catch a glimpse of her beautiful baby boy Jackson, as she stepped out to catch a flight in Los Angeles, California yesterday. The 36-year-old actress, who is single at the moment after breaking up with long-time boyfriend Stuart Townsend two years ago, recently adopted Jackson, joining the ranks […]

As malicious rumours swirled around Princess Charlene concerning the state of her marriage to Prince Albert II, the royal couple of Monaco put on a brilliant display of togetherness in Portugal.   Princess Charlene positively radiated happiness as she and the Prince flew in to Porto, in Portugal, on Friday to be inducted into the […]

“I have a dream that one day a student from the Soweto Equestrian Centre will compete for South Africa in the Olympic Games.” This quote stands out on the homepage of the website for the centre, run by former show jumper, Olympian and horse groomer Enos Mafokate. Mafokate (66) is a man in love with […]