It was May, 1976…and as a lowly young reporter for the Pretoria News, I discovered that Siberia comes in many forms. Because I had disgraced myself and gotten a TV review horribly wrong, I was assigned a new position in life: Magistrates Court reporter. The position was seen as the grubby, greasy little bottom rung in the […]

Groot Marico, 1979 – It’s a lovely Saturday out here in the Bushveld…I’m sitting under a fever tree on a farm in the Western Transvaal (now Northwest Province) talking to a Marico family and drinking their mampoer very slowly and, if I may say so, quite thoughtfully. It’s all so very Herman Charles. [The late […]

Hillbrow, Jo’burg’s inner city Tenderloin district, was never a nest of angels… In the late 1970s and 80s, it was the most cosmopolitan piece of real estate in South Africa. You had your excellent Hillbrow Records, your Mi-Vami shawarma place, Estoril Books, your globe-trotting tattoo artist down in the basement shopping area on Pretoria Street […]

Here’s a shout out from Carina McAlpine for her neighbour who bravely risked his life to rescue her during an assault…even though at that stage they were just polite neighbours who barely knew each other. Carina posted the following message to Facebook with the photo above: “Ladies and gentlemen…please salute my neighbour, Joseph Hlengane Hlongwane, who […]

It’s International Women’s Day – #IWD2015 – and sadly, it’s as important today as it was when it began over 100 years ago in New York in 1909. Women today are still struggling for true equality, and are still subjected to shocking sexual and physical abuse around the world, including in South Africa. Here, a young […]

Last Sunday night, after yet another weekend of South Africa’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) being called out repeatedly to attend tragic – and avoidable – scenes, one of their paramedics sent us the following heartfelt letter. THEN I CAN CRY…by Alan Rudnicki We choose our career for many reasons. And from Day One we know it’s chosen us. It’s not […]

Karoo towns are never the first choice for those seeking the bright lights. Prince Albert, though, is an exception. It’s worth waiting until dark to drive down the main road and wait until the magic moment just after dusk, when the neon outside the Showroom Theatre flickers to life, highlighting its distinctive Art Deco lines. […]

Today I met a very friendly family in Durban, while I was shopping. My eye got caught by the adorable toddler that was peacefully sleeping in the trolley, his head laying heavy like a stone on his mom’s handbag. I asked his mom and aunt, Patience and Thembe, if I could take a picture of him. […]

Today I’m celebrating my FIRST YEAR in South Africa. I arrived in Durban, from my homeland France, exactly a year ago. Who would have guessed that I would end up in South Africa, in Africa even? I left my friends, family, work, flat, shops, food… everything, and accepted to change my life completely, but I […]

If you’re South African and of a certain age, chances are you’ll be familiar with the Silver Creek Mountain Band. Text & Pictures by Chris Marais The Creek is South Africa’s longest-surviving bluegrass band. Forty years ago, they were a live music force to be reckoned with. Two fiddlers, banjo, lead guitar and a big old […]

I peer through a yellowed lace curtain onto a township street with the unease of an obvious newcomer. Children are hurried indoors and women hasten their pace to get home before all light is lost. The last of the sun disappears behind a sea of silver shacks, thin dogs and rusted clothes lines. Darkness once […]

Zarni de Wet has a beautiful voice. American musician John Mayer says  “I just want to hear it again”. And we thought you may want to hear it too.  The 24-year-old singer-songwriter tells SAPeople about the inspiration behind her song ‘Feel Something’, her move to America, and the bittersweet importance of feelings. So, what was […]

Many know Graça Machel as Nelson Mandela’s wife and the former first lady of both Mozambique and South Africa, but perhaps few recall that she was once a fiery young freedom fighter. Born Graça Simbine on 17 October 1945 in Gaza, Mozambique, Machel went to a Methodist mission school and then to the University of Lisbon on […]

Sixty-five years ago today Mahatma Gandhi, one of the 20th century’s great spiritual leaders, was assassinated in India, at the age of 78. On 30 January 1948 Nathuram Godse pushed through a crowd around Gandhi, and fired three shots at point-blank range. He died on the spot. Gandhi’s 21-year South African sojourn nurtured the creation […]

Marinda Botha is a a professional voice over artist currently living in Centurion, South Africa. She studied Performing Arts in Pretoria and then swiftly jetted off to London, where she lived for eight years. She gained experience in the British voice-over field but also did some theatre performances, created a one-woman show and collaborated with […]

Submitted by Karen Rademeyer, Treasure Karoo Action Group Dear South Africans This letter is important to you, your family and the South Africans that you know – please read it and forward it to people that you know. Should I care whether or not South Africa is fracked? This précis is aimed at people who […]

From an email doing the rounds… A FUNNY SOUTH AFRICAN STORY  …. On Sunday I popped down to the local convenience store at the Engen service station to return some DVDs and pick up a few things.  On the way I passed a scrap metal cart being pulled by a donkey.  Whenever I see this […]

About eight years ago, a South African couple left their home comforts to set out on a journey of a lifetime that would be the envy of many spirited adventurers. Now they are making their way back home, and they have many stories to tell. Iain Manley and Claire van den Heever have written an absorbing travelogue […]

The response to the closure of SAReunited’s social networking section has been incredible, and we are now doing our utmost to reintroduce some of those features – more announcements within the next few weeks. But for now – here are just some of the many emails you so kindly sent to us. To keep updated […]

Submitted by Tracey C Smith I am a simple South African girl who has dreamed of Hollywood all my life. When I moved to Johannesburg, I joined a casting agency and received many opportunities to audition for mostly television advertisements and then the call came to say that I had been chosen to play the […]

The patriotism has been overflowing in South Africa. Despite South Africa’s hopes of winning the World Cup rapidly dwindling, spirits are still high. Here are some of the comments we’ve received on Facebook in the past week: Went for a walk on Durban Beach at ten this morning and came home at 5.30 pm! The […]

Submitted by Jimmy, from George in Port Elizabeth Hi everyone, Over the past weekend 12 of us from the Greek community of George drove through to P.E. to watch a soccer match between Greece and Korea. Other than the fact that we were beaten and that Greece played a terrible game, it was an experience […]

by Philippa Garson, New York There is no discernible “little South Africa” in New York, the melting pot of the world, but on Friday 11 June the country claimed its piece of the pot when pockets of South Africans exploded with jubilant national pride onto the surprised streets. Madiba Restaurant, a South African eatery and […]

I taught flamenco (Spanish dancing) since 1995 at a studio in Houston… writes Lee Schneider. In 2003 I moved to the D.C. area and struggled to find a similar opportunity. My very large house had a huge basement with three unfinished rooms. One of those rooms was always considered as a potential dance studio. In […]

Submitted by Callia, Johannesburg Last night was amazing. I was just as excited to be going into Soweto as I was for the concert. We hired 2 mini busses and got Soweto locals that my friend knew to drive us. That was really just for convenience sakes. I would have felt completely comfortable driving in […]