We were having a late lunch at Montego Resort in Xai-Xai, Mozambique, when the manager turned to us and asked: “Have you been to the haunted hotel?” I could see the mix of excitement and hesitation in the eyes of every person on our team. Who doesn’t like a good ghost story… and to have the […]

The difference between celebrating Christmas the UK or South African way is massive when you’re used to the other. Watch two bloggers from the UK and SA compare the differences they have found… (See the video below.) Even though we share so many traditions from decorating Christmas trees to singing Christmas carols… the experience of a cosy indoor […]

Conflict on campuses, hint of justice for miners, a heated election, our most successful Olympics, and other stories on GroundUp this year Accusations against police are commonplace in South Africa. Police work under stressful conditions for mediocre pay. Accusations of brutality are often too glibly made. However a description of officers assaulting a homeless man and […]

Bloemfontein, situated in the middle of the bucolic countryside of the Free State in South Africa, was originally a British outpost in an area of turbulent warfare. The history of Bloemfontein is inexorably linked to the complex history of the now-named Free State province of Africa. And the history of the Free State in the […]

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies has welcomed the R150-million Chinese investment at the Dube Trade Port which will build local capacity in the manufacturing of fibre optic cables and generate employment opportunities for locals. Yangtze Optics Africa Cable  is a R150-million investment to set up and operate a modern optical fibre cable manufacturing plant […]

A lot of people will have already made up their mind about whether humans need dairy in their diet and will be thinking that the answer is obviously “yes” or obviously “no”. But nutrition is based on science not opinion – so, here’s the latest research on the matter. Milk is an interesting foodstuff. The […]

Johannesburg resident David Shields has posted a story that’s going viral about true go-getter Sibusiso Nkosi who humbly asked him for help in getting an internship, after he had spent six years studying against all odds to attain a Communications Degree. David – co-founder of the awesome GEM project (a mobile payments platform which rewards volunteer […]

Thuli Madonsela’s successor The Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, paid a courtesy call to President Jacob Zuma yesterday morning at his Mahlamba Ndlopfu residence in Pretoria.  It was their first meeting since Adv Mkhwebane was appointed as the Public Protector on the 6th October 2016. President Zuma congratulated Adv Mkhwebane on her appointment and pledged his and […]

Suzelle DIY’s latest video has some top tips and tricks for going to the beach. South Africa’s do-it-yourself Goddess includes beach hacks like how to put an umbrella up so it stays up, how to make a head rest, a table for your drinks, a no sand zone, how to keep cool and how to […]

“Love Thy Neighbour… But Don’t Get Caught!” is the catch phrase behind a brilliant new South African movie, ‘Keeping Up with The Kandasamys’. Shanti Naidoo and Jennifer Kandasamy are matriarchal rivals of neighbouring families in the South African film, whose young adult children become romantically involved. And the last thing these two Chatsworth mothers need […]

Somewhere far away in the Czech Republic is a young graffiti artist whose artwork on the walls of Prague show how his heart bleeds for Africa and the plight of its wildlife. In May this year, Pavel Cisarovsky from Prague happened across the story of Satao on the internet. Satao was the well-known Kenyan elephant, with tusks […]

An accident in South Africa involving an offshore supply vessel – Go Regulus (in orange) – and what appears to be a fishing trawler (in blue) has been caught on video and shared on social media. Mike Schuler, who uploaded the video, said the accident reportedly occurred at the Sturrock Dry Dock in Cape Town on […]

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma narrowly escaped a call from some senior members of the governing party’s national executive committee for him to step down. The first stern action from inside the African National Congress’ (ANC) leadership against Zuma, while quelled by his supporters, is reverberating far and wide. The economic cluster of government is […]

The anti-poaching war in South Africa just got a new recruit – a wide area surveillance system, known as the Postcode Meerkat, which was launched in Kruger National Park (KNP) on Wednesday night. And the funding behind it is thanks to lottery players in the UK! The Postcode Meerkat comprises a suite of radar and electro-optic […]

If provinces were people, who would be the best in the country? Would it be the ‘know it all’ Western Cape or laid back Limpopo, straight to the point Gauteng or the Free State who nobody can understand? South African student, photographer and YouTuber Sibu Mpanza (21) poses this question in his latest video, which […]

Following the awesome Mini Cape Town drone video, LUKE BELL and friend HLONI COLEMAN have made a second in the series: Mini South Africa… and it’s one of the best videos showcasing SA that you’ll ever see. It covers everything from major towns around the country to townships, from safaris to the sea, andfrom rugby stadiums to […]

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma and most of his Cabinet received an ‘F’ rating for their 2016 performance on their Cabinet Report Card. The report was presented by opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane in Parliament on Wednesday. Maimane said it is “a comprehensive assessment of President Zuma and his Cabinet, which reflects a wholly unaccountable […]

Top female referee Aimee Barrett-Theron is living her dream – as the first female to be included on the SA Rugby National men’s panel, she will continue to break new ground when she makes Women’s Test debut later this month. Barrett-Theron was included on SA Rugby’s National B Panel for the first time, the only […]

Hey South Africa – “Black and white. Young and old. Right now’s the time to break the mould!” That’s the message from South African YouTube creator Daniel Rademeyer, calling on South Africans to love more. Check out his video below, an entry into the finals of a local YouTube competition, in which he’s gathered South […]

The whole economically-aware population of South Africa is celebrating that the three main ratings agencies held off on junking the country’s financial reputation in the past two weeks. I am celebrating too. But a closer look is needed. The statement by Standard & Poors – more strict than Fitch and Moody’s – lacked logic and […]

Reflecting on the third anniversary of the death of Nelson Mandela, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said we need to question whether we have the same calibre of leaders today, and emphasised that there is an urgent need to redistribute wealth. He was speaking at a Nelson Mandela Foundation event. Ramaphosa said: “Despite the progress of the […]

Young drama student Caleb Swanepoel, who lost his right leg in a shark attack last year in Buffel’s Bay, has dived straight back into the ocean and become a surf champion! Watch video below. The 21-year-old – from Prince Albert in the Karoo – was recently crowned South African disabled surfing champion, and is on his way to […]

Towards the end of each year hundreds of thousands of people escape dark, cold, rainy winters in Europe and North America for a break in sunny South Africa. Many are drawn by the country’s wide array of outdoor attractions: nature reserves, beaches and adventure activities like skydiving and water sports. All of these are reliant […]

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is urging the public to please donate suitable dogs to SAPS to work alongside police officers, increasing their operational K9 capacity, and helping in the fight against crime… to make all South Africans feel safer. SAPS is improving its K9 capacity and needs the dogs to help in crime detection, law enforcement and wildlife […]

Research in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, shows that ivory poaching leads to higher proportions of tusk-less elephants. The findings by Elephant Voice Co-Founder Joyce Poole have made headlines around the world, featured by mainstream media from National Geographic to the London Times. In a Facebook post a few days ago, Elephant Voice – a non-profit elephant research and […]