More than half of South Africa’s population is urbanized – as much as 64 percent, in fact – and most of these people are under the age of 40, according to recently released figures. Based on the 2015 City Brand and the Mastercard African Cities Growth indices, South Africa’s five major cities are home to over 15 million residents. Johannesburg, […]

As South Africa commemorated National Human Rights Day on Monday, and remembered the 69 people who were shot and killed by apartheid police during the Sharpeville Massacre 56 years ago… Here are 21 human rights that were denied to the majority in the past…but which are enjoyed by all South Africans today: 1. Black Land Act […]

One of the oldest houses in Johannesburg is in Emmarentia and was built in about 1886 by a city pioneer Louw Geldenhuys, after whose wife the suburb was named. Set in a beautiful garden towered over by massive palms, the first thing that catches your eye is the gorgeous, wide, red polished-floor stoop, with columns the size […]

Four days ago there was a terrorist attack in Côte d’Ivoire (the Ivory Coast), in a resort town called Grand Bassam not far from the capital city of Abidjan. About 19 people were killed, plus the six gunmen who were reportedly affiliated with Al-Qaeda. My friend Henrike Grohs was one of the people killed… I hadn’t spoken with Henrike in […]

South Africa is weeping. I am weeping. There have been too many terrible incidents too close to home recently for me to ignore. It has been impossible not to be profoundly affected. Just in my little circle here in Cape Town: A month ago, a friend arrived home to find her beautiful, sweet and innocent 17-year-old daughter […]

Springbok wing Bryan Habana will return to France to resume his club commitments with Toulon after the club released him to play for the Springbok Sevens in two rounds of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Habana, holder of the Springbok record for the most Test tries, played on the World Series circuit for the […]

The Springbok Sevens moved to within one point of leaders Fiji at the top of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings despite suffering a close-fought 19-14 loss against New Zealand at the inaugural Canadian Sevens tournament in Vancouver on Monday morning (SA time). New Zealand led 14-7 at halftime and successfully starved the Blitzboks […]

Amidst the chaos and flooding during yesterday and today’s welcome downpour in Gauteng, one man’s selfless actions have made some hail him a ‘hero’. The country, which has been suffering what some say is the worst drought in a century, received such a heavy rain yesterday that some roads from the Kruger National Park (see video below) to […]

In the wake of the tragic death of Franziska Blöchliger, the teenager brutally murdered in Tokai Park on Monday 7 March, a remarkable and inspiring event took place on the evening of 9 March. (Watch video below.) The mothers of Westlake Village, who had come together to clean up their community and effect the arrests […]

A rare and beautiful orchid – that was last seen in the Western Cape 50 years ago  – has been discovered in the Fernkloof Nature Reserve. According to Fernkloof Indigenous Nursery the species was last seen in the Western Cape in 1966. On their Facebook page yesterday, the Nursery announced that the plant had been […]

For the second time in two months an employee of South African Airways based at OR Tambo International Airport has been arrested for extorting money from a foreign national who was denied entry into the country due to invalid papers.   Gloria Ntombi Sidumo (42), an SAA employee, was arrested together with a security officer […]

Here’s a beautiful poem written yesterday by one of the pupils in a Grade 6 class at Cedarwood School in Glenferness (north of Lonehill in Gauteng). According to Gen Andrews, who works at the school, the class was set a task in English to write a poem entitled ‘Love for my country’ in which each line had […]

Local residents and parents have been paying tribute to a life tragically lost yesterday when 16-year-old Constantia Waldorf schoolgirl, Franziska Blöchliger, was murdered in Tokai Lower Forest in Cape Town, South Africa. And the support of the community for the family was evident today during a radio interview with her father. Andreas Florian Blöchliger said he is Swiss and came […]

Known for travelling the world with great cars and adventure in its heart, the hugely popular Top Gear not only has two new hosts including “Friends” actor Matt LeBlanc but shot its first episode in the highlands of South Africa and Lesotho. With the departure of the original hosts – Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May […]

Chill out with SuzelleDIY’s latest video. The South African DIY Goddess proves just how cool she is… and how cool you could be… with her latest DIY invention – airconditioning. “Because sometimes there is a heatwave guys,” she says! At one point – with a stream of gorgeous cool locations behind her – SA’s beloved […]

Good news for braai-loving South Africans in Nashville, Tennessee. South Africa’s fastest growing franchise – Chesa Nyama – is heading stateside. The take-away restaurant chain, which boasts food that’s “flame grilled the traditional way”, has grown from just one store to 300 in just three years! Just over two weeks ago, on 12 February, Chesa Nyama’s holding […]

In this week’s episode of The Listening Post on Al Jazeera, Nicholas Muirhead examines whether the news media in his native South Africa have transformed since the end of apartheid over two decades ago. “Under apartheid, the media – like every sector – were, for the most part, white-owned and operated,” says Muirhead. “In 1994, when the African National […]

Lucky Masinya sure is lucky…and hard-working and talented. The young South African pastry chef, who has lived in a care home in Johannesburg for a number of years, is currently undergoing an incredible work experience programme in London that’s included working with the best at the Ritz, Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons and Pretty Sweet; and meeting […]

It’s voter registration next weekend, Saturday and Sunday 5-6 March 2016, for South Africans – and a good time to make sure you are still registered in the ward that you live in – for the 2016 local government elections. On Thursday, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba urged all eligible South Africans to register during the dates designated by the […]

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s successful restaurant chain, Jamie’s Italian, is heading to Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, and will open sometime in 2016. The famous chef’s first restaurant opened in the British university town of Oxford in 2008 and now there are 40 branches around the world, from India to Brazil and from Russia to Scandinavia. Watch […]

Searching For Freedom: Beautiful expression is often borne of hardship. The art that emerged out of Apartheid South Africa is no exception. If anything — given the limited freedom of expression enforced by the state — the sheer existence of such work created by artists of colour during Apartheid is nothing short of miraculous in itself. […]

Experienced Springbok wing Bryan Habana has been selected for the Springbok Sevens squad to play in their tournament in Las Vegas and Vancouver, SA Rugby announced today. Habana, South Africa’s prolific Test try scorer, joined the squad on Tuesday in Stellenbosch to make himself available for selection, following an agreement with his French club side, Toulon. The […]

South African Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan presents the 2016 budget speech to Parliament today, Wednesday 24 February 2016, at 2pm. Watch a live feed here…

Last year LLOYD KOPPEL was invited along for both the local and international #meetsouthafrica bloggers’ road trips… to film and capture their experience on video. “What a privilege to travel around South Africa with some of the best travel bloggers and travel writers in the country. Amazing people! Amazing road trip!” says Lloyd of the first video. […]

The murder of a British pilot, Roger Gower, shot down by elephant poachers near the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania on January 28, highlighted the scale of the threat posed by armed crews of poachers. Tanzania’s elephant population has crashed from 109,000 to 40,000 in the past seven years. The threat to the African rhinoceros […]