There are many forms of hatred and exclusion in our world. There is fear of strangers, fear of foreigners, fear of other races, fear of people with other languages, cultures or religions… says former ConCourt judge Edwin Cameron. On the basis of many of these fears, we build exclusions. We ostracise people. We push them […]

To SAA Airlines, I flew out of LAGOS / NIGERIA with your airline last night – writes Louis de Jager – and I just wanted to say it was unbelievable!!! THE SERVICE WAS INCREDIBLY GOOD!!!! My back was hurting and I couldn’t walk, so I had to get help between flights – I had a […]

Three years ago, I had just survived an extremely rare form of brain cancer that put me in a group of less than 120 recorded survivors in the history of the planet… writes renowned South African speaker, endurance athlete and stage four cancer survivor Richard Wright. Earlier that year when I was told that I […]

At the end of winter 2019, we have a lot to be negative about… writes Steve Hall. And not just in South Africa. Europe has no clue, Britain has no plan, and The US, it would seem, has no morals. If there was a single country doing well right now, their celebration will be short […]

I am not sure how to tell this in a FB-length post, at least at the level of emotional turbulence with which this happened… writes award-winning South African novelist, playwright and journalist Steven Sidley. On Friday night we have a dinner party [in Johannesburg, South Africa]. A few friends over for chicken and wine. Seven […]

A talented young rugby player in Grade 11 has been selected to compete in Argentina with the South African Apcan team… but his ‘rainbow’ family – who adopted him when he was a baby – sadly don’t have enough money to pay for the trip. He’s not giving up on his dream though. Tim believes […]

Cindy September, Western Cape creator of the Fallen Angels’ List (which pays tribute to those who have been killed in South Africa), has compiled another List today – on her 40th birthday – that celebrates life. As she reached this latest milestone in her life, Cindy asked herself: What lessons have I learned? “Here’s my […]

My name is Cindy September and I am the woman behind The List of Fallen Angels. I hail from Robertson, a small town in the Western Cape, and I was raised by two very socially conscious parents, both teachers, who during the Teachers’ strike in 1993, would rally my sisters and I to attend marches… […]

Dear South Africans – many of you have had enough with the crime, corruption, and lack of opportunities you face every day… writes Canadian expat, living in SA, Phil Maloney. Nobody can fault you for wanting to leave. I’ve had several friends already pull the trigger, several more who are in the middle of planning […]

A Port Elizabeth woman, Lindi-Mae Humphreys, has shared the harrowing details of her near abduction on Tuesday 27 August in the hope that her reaction will help prevent at least one abduction, one rape, one hijacking or one murder. In a Facebook post on Thursday evening, Lindi-Mae (who owns a swim school in PE), revealed […]

Kindness is contagious. Especially with children, writes South African expat, best-selling author and motivational speaker Trevor Romain. It’s amazing how empathetic children can be, especially when inspired to be so. Over the years of working with children, I have discovered that sometimes all a child needs, to be empathetic and kind, is permission and a […]

It’s been exactly two years since local residents spotted a black and white cat being callously placed into a storm water drain by an unidentified man, near to the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha, South Africa. The clinic had already closed for the day… but luckily two members of staff were still on site when […]

A group of Capetonian firefighters who saved the life of a little baby in South Africa two weeks ago, enjoyed a tearful reunion with the baby and her grateful mom last week. The firefighters, based at Belhar fire station, made national news on 1 June with their lifesaving heroics… when they were called on to […]

Lizzy was born on the other side of town, on a farm called Noorspoort, owned by the legendary Craven family. “I learnt from my mother how to bake and cook. She in turn learnt it from old Mrs Maria Craven, [rugby legend] Doc Danie Craven’s wife. “Later on I worked on another farm at Baroe, […]

This post will serve as a reminder of how our lives were blighted by apartheid whose graffiti was everywhere. And I mean everywhere! Also every day! It was relentless… writes author Shadley Fataar. The pictures used to represent a small selection of the many signs we were exposed to on a daily basis. A picture is worth a thousand […]

82-year-old South African-born Elsa Perez stars in the documentary called “Get Riel” featuring Perez dancing as well as footage sent through by South African riel dancers. The Sunnyside Up Film Festival in Ardmore Oklahoma, USA will be screening ‘Get Riel’ next month in its competition, and you can show your support by voting on their […]

Stefan Graunke aka Coastal Ghost is a man on a mission: to stop at as many beaches as he can to collect as much rubbish as possible – a trip that will take him 2780kms around the South African Coastline. And you’re invited… “The more hands the better so come and join us for some […]

Government’s Infrastructure Fund is set to receive a R100 billion over the next decade as the state steps up its infrastructure programme by partnering with the private sector. “Government is stepping up its infrastructure build programme by partnering with the private sector, development finance institutions and multilateral development banks to create an infrastructure fund,” said […]

Work is afoot to reconfigure the South African electricity sector by addressing challenges faced by Eskom, with the board of the first subsidiary of the power utility to be appointed by mid-2019, Treasury said on Wednesday. Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) last month in which he announced government’s plan to […]

BP employee Beverley Plaaitjies has taken it upon herself to beautify the ladies restroom at BP Buffeljagsrivier with flowers. According to BP Buffeljagsrivier Manager Maraine Klein, it was all her idea and so she brings flowers from home or borrows from locals to create her floral bouquets – and as if that is not enough, she […]

South African George Knoke visited Sethare Lodge in Botswana and came across this astounding piece of art by Angus Van Zyl Taylor called Reflective Resonance. Georg commented on his Facebook page: “The logistics to get this sculpture here from South Africa- across the border into Botswana- must have been a massive challenge! The stone sculpture […]

People from around the world, including international celebrities Joanna Lumley, Evanna Lynch and Jan Leeming, pleaded with the Johannesburg Zoo to have a heart on Valentine’s Day and agree to free Lammie, a 39-year old female elephant who lives a lonely existence since her mate Kinkel died in September. Animal protection groups Humane Society International/Africa, […]

Would you wait if it was your child or someone you loved? Robbie Eddles – an incredibly special and courageous 17 year old from Durban, South Africa – has just relapsed for the third time. He was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was 5 years old and fought so bravely for so […]

On this day in 1990, Nelson Mandela left Victor Verster Prison in Cape Town a free man, after spending 27 years in prison. Accompanied by his then-wife Winnie, Mandela was enthusiastically received by the throngs of people who gathered to see him outside Cape Town’s City Hall. Mandela spent 18 years on Robben Island and […]

For the best part of a decade, South African artist Nelson Makamo has had a deal with his 11 year-old cousin, Mapule Maoto. He pays for her studies, and she agrees to model for his colorful paintings. Today, with fans all over the world praising his work, including the likes of Oprah Winfrey, it’s turned out […]