South Africa is experiencing an explosion in the sales of craft gins… made exclusively from fynbos, the plant which is unique to the Western Cape. According to a BBC Africa report, sales have increased sharply in recent years as distilleries race to capture South Africa’s burgeoning middle class. Fynbos is one of the key ingredients […]

South Africa’s launching its first ever Garden Day on 9 October 2016… and SuzelleDIY has chipped in to help locals get inspired, with her tips on how to make a pallet swing. South Africans are encouraged to Get Inspired (like visiting the local nursery and watching Suzelle), Share (invite friends and family into your garden) […]

American blogger Jayne Zakheim recently visited South Africa and came away with a couple of facts South Africans may or may not know. For anyone wanting to brush up on their local general knowledge, here goes: 1. Four of the five fastest land animals in the world live in South Africa: the cheetah, the springbok, the wildebeest […]

In South Africa we love the diminutive and the shortened word as much as the next far-flung English-speaking country – arvie for afternoon, mozzie for mosquito, and so forth. A recent video by Australian friends Josh and Rhys explains “How to Speak Australian – Abbreviate Everything” (see video below) that strikes the same note. Many of the words […]

The successful US coffee shop chain Starbucks opens its first store in South Africa on Thursday, and then another before the end of the month, both in Johannesburg. But possibly the most South African coffee doesn’t seem to be on the menu (besides moerkoffie, that is). The two stores, in Rosebank and the soon-to-open Mall of […]

When Winter comes around in the Northern Hemisphere, we Southern Africans don’t know exactly how to cope with the spine chilling weather and that weird icy stuff these people call snow. I grew up in Swaziland, was at boarding school in South Africa, and now find myself in Geneva… so lately I’ve been taking what you could […]

The coffee chain Starbucks is to open its first two stores in South Africa in April, one in Rosebank, Johannesburg, and the other in the massive Mall of Africa between Johannesburg and Pretoria, according to news reports on Thursday. The stores will be Starbucks’ first in sub-Saharan Africa. The chain will reportedly adapt its menu […]

Even though the news from South Africa these past months has been alarming – the Rand having fallen to record lows, unemployment as high as ever, and the worst drought in years gripping the land – there is a silver lining: 2016 will possibly be the best year ever to travel to the country if […]

High tea – that sumptuous invention credited to the Duchess of Bedford to quell the pangs of hunger between lunch and dinner – is still part of the culture at a range of hotels in Cape Town. So settle back and raise your pinkie as you enjoy the savoury and sweet treats found at some of the best high tea spreads […]

Here’s a delicious collection of South Africa’s fabulous and unique recipes for the #ProudlySouthAfrican at home and far away who’d like to celebrate their heritage this weekend! Or any weekend for that matter… [vc_button title=”1″ color=”default”] Milk Tart There is nothing like a proper homemade South African milktart (melktert in Afrikaans). Quick and easy for tea […]

Dear Friend, It has been an eerie thing for me these past few years: sort of a déjà vu experience to watch the news and read about Ferguson, Eric Garner, Baltimore riots, McKinney and, most recently, the horrific shooting in Charleston. I’ve been watching #blacklivesmatter trend on Twitter: grief and outrage and opinions from every corner. […]

My name is Lovelyn Chidinma Nwadeyi. I am a Nigerian. Born in Nigeria to two Nigerian parents. Raised in Queenstown, Eastern Cape by those same Nigerian parents right up until I completed my Bachelors at Stellenbosch. Growing up in South Africa, I was always reminded by those around me that I was different to everyone […]

I live in Australia and over the past two weeks I heard and read two unrelated comments, but during the last day or so, they became quite related. The first was a comment directed at myself. I took my son to his sport and drama class and had a conversation with one of the facilitators. […]

Capetonian Bruce Marais left South Africa in 2009 to pursue a career as a (self taught) chef. Since then he’s worked in chateaux in France, villas in Spain, super yachts in the Med and settled in New York two years ago…but wherever he roams, he always returns home in the festive season for his annual SA fix… The […]

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 […]

The Franschhoek Literary Festival is one of the Groot Menere of all South African litfests. As authors of the Karoo Keepsakes series, my wife Jules and I normally hang out at smaller gatherings, like the Richmond Boekbedonnerd affair, the Schreiner Karoo Writers Festival at home here in Cradock and WordFest in Grahamstown. In fact, we’ll […]

Submitted by Audy Peters You call a bathing suit a “swimming costume”. You call a traffic light a “robot”. You call an elevator a “lift” You call a hood a “bonnet” You call a trunk a “boot” You call a pickup truck a “bakkie” You call a Barbeque a “Braai” The employees dance in front […]

A South African fynbos conservationist has taken the lead to establish Cape Town’s first ever public-private environmental stewardship programme to preserve the country’s valuable fynbos heritage. Fynbos is a term given to a collection of plants, mainly shrubs, which form part of the Cape Floral Kingdom. This is the smallest of the world’s six floral […]

Archbishop Desmond Tutu is retiring from public life, he announced in Cape Town today…while also praising South Africans for their contribution to the world. “We surprised ourselves in how we accomplished the World Cup with panache,” said Tutu, during a press briefing today at Cape Town’s St George Cathedral where he announced that he intends […]