Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden has done it again. The diverse Cape floral kingdom has been awarded top position in the  2015 International Garden Tourism Awards. This comes just a couple of weeks after Kirstenbosch’s suspended walkway, the Boomslang, was declared Most Beautiful Object in South Africa at Design Indaba Expo 2015. These awards highlight the significant role that Kirstenbosch […]

South African dentist Jaco Marx from Bethlehem, Free State, has today been named the winner of the South Africa National Award, part of the prestigious 2015 Sony World Photography Awards. Marx captured his winning image during a rare sighting of a Brown hyena in Namibia. The image, named ‘Strandwolf’, was selected as the single best photograph taken […]

A humble car guard made newspaper headlines in Durban on Friday thanks to both his integrity and that of those who benefitted from his principles. This story is republished here with kind permission of journalist Mariclair Smit and the Northglen News in uMhlanga: Residents Surprise Selfless uMhlanga Car Guard by Mariclair Smit It has often been said, […]

If you haven’t heard the name Michael Andrew, stay tuned. He could be the next Michael in swimming after Michael Phelps, except this Michael has roots in South Africa. In fact, the 15-year-old swimming sensation has been on a three-month trip to South Africa visiting family, but also taking part in several competitions, such as […]

The thing with solar-powered cars is that you can only drive them during the day. It’s a problem solved by Nigerian student Segun Oyeyiola, who added a wind turbine to his Beetle. Now he can drive all night, too. It cost the Nigerian man more than R70 000 to fight his personal battle against global warming […]

Congratulations to writer and editor Ivan Vladislavić who has won the prestigious Yale University Windham-Campbell Prize for fiction.  Vladislavić says he has been “in a bit of a daze” since hearing the news, and that he will use the $150 000 (almost R1.8-million) cash prize “to pursue my own work in a way that’s never been possible […]

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government has allocated R12.060 billion to spend on various infrastructure projects in the province during 2015/16 financial year.   “The province is budgeting to spend R12.060 billion in 2015/16, R11.804 billion in 2016/17 and R12.196 billion in 2017/18 on various infrastructure projects. This equates to R36.060 billion over the 2015/16 MTEF,” said […]

With their long trunks, elephants have a remarkable sense of smell. Now, a South African is training a group of the pachyderms to smell out explosives and narcotics. The US army hopes to understand the biology and turn it into science. You’ve heard of sniffer dogs and rats trained to detect landmines; now get ready […]

We just love these photos of South Africa that Derrick Watterson has taken during his trips back home to Durban. Like so many others who’ve left South Africa’s shores, there’s no greater appreciation of the uniqueness of SA than when you no longer live here. Derrick, who moved to the UK 14 years ago, takes regular trips back to South […]

Last month the Department of Home Affairs announced plans about the rollout of its new Smartcard IDs and passports. It also said that in order to alleviate queues at its offices – which many have been complaining about – it had come to an agreement with several banks to have kiosks at their branches (and also […]

After yet another tragic and cruel poaching incident near to Graaff Reinet, Wilderness Foundation and private game reserve owners have clubbed together to offer a R150,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest that is associated with any rhino poaching incident on Mount Camdeboo. (Please be warned. The pictures below are graphic…but this is […]

The daughter of a man who could be lost at sea between Cape Town and Thailand has joined the families of his fellow crew members to launch a campaign that all South Africans – and anyone around the world – can take part in to try track them down. England-based Storme Robertson and the families […]

Fresh off ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,’ Irish actor Jamie Dornan will soon be heading to South Africa to shoot a biopic set in the Congo. The 1960s-era movie, ‘Jadotville,’ will be filmed in Ireland and South Africa starting in April, according to Netflix, which has bought the worldwide rights for $17-million. The movie is based […]

From teacher to broadcaster and now back to working with youth, news anchor Pat Pillai has come a long way. In his new home at LifeCo UnLtd SA, he plans to help young South Africans live lives more in the spirit of Nelson Mandela. Pat Pillai, the veteran anchorman of eNews, has left the programme […]

As hoped by so many people who have been following the story of Thandi – the brave rhino who survived a cruel poaching incident exactly three years ago today – her little rhino calf, whom she miraculously gave birth to recently, has been named Thembi. The name is meaningful for two reasons. Firstly, Thembi means Hope in isiXhosa. And […]

Kirstenbosch’s suspended walkway, the Boomslang, was today declared Most Beautiful Object in South Africa (MBOISA) at Design Indaba Expo 2015. This award comes hot on the heels of the announcement that Cape Town’s Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden attracted more than one million visitors last year, securing it as one of the most important tourist attractions in South […]

Ardmore Ceramic Art, a studio based at the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains in KwaZulu-Natal province, marks its 30th anniversary this year. Best known for its work in clay, Ardmore pieces can now be found in prestigious public and private collections around the world. The pieces are highly prized and have been given as state […]

Initial reports that China had banned ivory imports for a year got a severe dousing later today after it was clarified that this ban only referred to ivory carvings. The ban, effective immediately from today (Thursday 26 February 2015), was reported by various media around the world. The New York Times quoted international conservation organizations […]

What she did for him 19 years ago was amazing. What he does for her now is awesome… Bernina RSA posted the following story a couple of days ago about one of their employees. The story has – unsurprisingly – gone viral. It captures the essence of what often goes unnoticed but which happens daily in […]

An exquisite series of photographs taken in Pondoland of the local Xhosa cattle – the ones that are famous for hanging out at the beach – will be the focus of an exhibition in New York in April. And all South Africans in New York are welcome! The 20-large scale works were taken by professional photographer and South African expat […]

As South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma sends warm New Year wishes to the Chinese community in South Africa and around the world, here are some facts about this event and the Year of the Sheep/Goat (see Fact #2)! The South African President said the Chinese Year of the Sheep is a “symbol of peace, harmonious […]

The savage poaching epidemic in South Africa – that has seen over 54 rhino poached in the first six weeks of this year in the Kruger National Park alone – has an impact on not only the rhino, but on the humans who work tirelessly to protect them and are faced with excruciatingly difficult decisions. Karen […]

Five South Africans have made it on to the shortlist of 100 candidates being considered for the Mars One space programme. Initally, more than 200 500 people applied to be trained as astronauts to stay on Mars. Mars One aims to establish a permanent human settlement on the Red Planet. Funding for the project has […]

Even though actor Aaron Paul was exposed to a lot of surreal stuff during the filming of the popular TV series Breaking Bad, he was still blown away by some of the scenes South Africa had on offer during his recent holiday to the country. Speaking on the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show in December, Aaron discussed the lions he saw at […]

Since their ignominious defeat in the 1999 Cricket World Cup final against Australia, the tag “chokers” has hung over the Proteas. But with a mix of formidable experience and exciting new talent, the squad that takes to the field this Sunday may have a chance to throw off the jinx.   South Africa begins their […]