The lady looked pensive. Her head turned this way and that; too quickly, like a meerkat on the lookout for snapping snakes in the veld.

Back in the 90s… school lunch was a mountain of butter on brown bread and a sliver of marmite. And then there were the kids with ham sandwiches or strawberry jam on white bread. I hated those kids.

My mom, who knew nothing about rugby (she shouted for Australia in the opening game until we told her that South Africa wore GREEN not GOLD #facepalm), was an absolute legend; scouring Shell garages for World Cup collectors’ memorabilia.

Jis, I miss home when the rugby’s on. It’s just not the same here in London. Today is Friday and I know the people back in SA will be rocking up to school and work in their bokke jerseys, and if they can’t afford one they’ll rummage for green or yellow, or a flag or something (anything!), to represent.

Remember when we didn’t have to wear seatbelts. When we’d curl up in the back of our parents’ Passat on the all the way from Joburg to Durbs, or ‘Maritzburg, in the school holidays.

I grew up in Limpopo. Fat Baobabs cast shade in dusty daytimes, giving way to drawling Acacia silhouettes and bright orange sunsets. Before the evenings succumbed to bright starry skies that expanded for eons, we went foraging. I’d tag along with the older kids and grownups as they headed into the bushveld on the prowl […]

The robber’s grave was turned the other way. A scarlet letter on the landscape. On our school trip to Pilgrim’s Rest in the Eastern Transvaal (now Mpumalanga) we learnt about the gold rush, did some panning, bought some guinea fowl curios, saw the majestic Mac Mac, Horse Shoe and Bridal Veil Falls—but the robber’s grave. Legend […]

Not that many years ago – in fact, the day before the RWC 2019 final – I sat in my daughter’s school assembly wearing my Springbok rugby jersey (couldn’t resist taunting, just a little)… writes writer, wife, mother and dreamer ANDREA ZANIN, who now lives in the UK and is author of Our Fireside Stories.  […]

If you fell on the ice, you had to make fists because some super-jock speed skater would almost certainly skate past you at that exact moment and chop your fingers off. An arm if you were super unlucky. Everybody said so. It happened to people who knew people. No, really. No matter. We were in. […]

We pile in the bakkie and hit the road to Kruger, stopping along the way to buy all our essentials – food (chips and rusks—the important stuff), firelighters for the braai, charcoal; the cooler box is in the back with meat and other bits and pieces in it. We’re ready. After some hours on the […]

Have you ever wondered about the personal life of the man at the traffic light (or robot)? A post is going viral on SA social media pages, about one such man – his name is Lucky, and he got lucky when one motorist, decided to do a u-turn and find out more. Kind-hearted Lana Brunner […]

Big, fat, yellow writhing blobs dropping off trees, carpeting the floor like a panoramic sea of black-speckled, custard-infused dog turd. Mopane trees…mopane worms. We were visiting my grandpa Ray at his plot in Ashburton, Natal. And it was raining caterpillars—thousands. No, millions. Look down and a worm could drop on your head, look up and you’d burst […]

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Health has distributed assistive devices to more than 3 300 beneficiaries, thanks to a donation by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. ALSO READ: Disabled people in Musina lack adequate housing The church handed over a variety of assistive devices worth more R5.4 million that will be rolled out to the […]

Watch news in a minute for a summary of NMU security guard graduates while working 12-hours per day story. Ntombovuyo Happy Ntshangase, 38, who works a 12-hour shift per day at the Nelson Mandela University (NMU). Image: Pixabay NEWS IN A MINUTE: Listen or watch the full versions of the ‘‘NMU security guard graduates while working […]

When I was growing up my family took plenty of road trips, from Grahamstown to East London or King William’s Town (where my sister and I were at boarding school) or Port Alfred, Kent-on-Sea and Port Elizabeth. On those roads during pineapple season, would be African mamas, men, teenage girls, young boys, sometimes whole families […]

Watch as a man recently jumped into action to save a woman who was caught in a rip current in Salmon Bay. WATCH: Man saves woman caught in a rip current at Salmon Bay Photos: Screenshots/Video/NSRI A man recently jumped into action to save a woman caught in a rip current in Salmon Bay in KwaZulu-Natal. SALMON […]

A video went viral after a lion woke up unexpectedly and gave a group of unsuspecting men a huge fright. Here is the video. WATCH: Lion wakes up and gives men the fright of their lives Photos: Video/Twitter A video of a group of men getting the fright of their lives when a lion unexpectedly […]

Graduation day is a day of celebration, and for most parents it is one of the proudest days of their lives. ALSO READ: Two senior Orlando Pirates stars celebrate graduation EMOTIONAL GRADUATION MOMENT One Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) father held back tears as he accepted his late daughter’s degree from Nelson Mandela University graduation on Thursday. The day […]

Zintle James, a 24-year-old pig farmer from Sterkspruit in the Eastern Cape, has embarked on a journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur. Image: GCIS Vuk’uzenzele. Young pig farmer Zintle James (24) is on an inspired journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur. Originally from Sterkspruit in the Eastern Cape, James began her enterprise in 2020 when […]

If you’re over 60, on a Wednesday you have privilege of appointment to renew your driver’s license at the licensing department in Edenvale. My license was due to expire so I decided I would take up the offer… writes Clare Paterson. I devised the perfect plan… …the department opens at 9am and I had a […]

All South Africans know that a trip to Home Affairs is one of the most stressful outings that you can undertake. One never knows what the queues will look like, whether the doors will close due to loadshedding, and what the service will be like. Here’s a blow by blow account by Stefanie Minnaar of […]

Meiring De Clercq, a 33-year-old sports enthusiast from Nelspruit, had his life changed forever in 2019 when a reckless taxi driver caused him to crash into a stationary truck while training for the Ironman 70.3. The accident left him with a broken back, ribs, sternum, and concussion, and he was later told by doctors that […]

The Zimbabwean government says it has put in place a range of measures to help Zimbabweans returning from South Africa. But many say they are battling to make ends meet. With the expiry of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit system looming in June, many Zimbabweans in South Africa are returning to Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe government says […]

My dad came to South Africa in his early twenties. As a British guy, he didn’t speak ‘die taal’ but as an electrical engineer employed on the power lines he worked with a lot of Afrikaans people—making life ripe for misunderstandings. Often, my dad worked out in the gramadoelas. At the end of one of […]

Nontsikelelo Zwedala, an activist at the forefront of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) protests in the early 2000s, died this month at the age of 52. We asked Zackie Achmat, TAC leader at the time that Nontsikelelo was active in the organisation, to write an obituary for her. Our soft Ntsiki, with a will of […]