“Let backyard food gardens mushroom! Let there be enough food for all to eat.” So says the Facebook profile picture of Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA) facilitator and Agroecologist Tim Abaa, who is fast becoming the poster boy for all those in South Africa who are keen to start growing their own; and whose […]

So in my little housely enclave, I’ve been thinking about what my thoughts are IRO the lockdown, about the changes around the world, about freedom, and how it’s – if at all – changed much in my life… Here’s what I’ve come up with!… writes well known South African radio and TV personality Melanie Walker. […]

Johannesburg is famous for having one of the largest urban forests in the world, but now the South African city faces losing much of that extraordinary and beautiful 10-million tree canopy as a tiny beetle threatens to cause one of South Africa’s largest ecological tragedies. ‘Garden Style’ author Melanie Walker reports on the current crisis, […]

We often think of Proteas as being Proudly South African (afterall, the King Protea is South Africa’s national flower), but how many of you knew that they’re actually widely distributed throughout the southern hemisphere… in places such as Australia, Tropical Africa, South America, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Malaya? This family apparently dates back […]

“Land expropriation without compensation.” So… what does that phrase actually mean? And how does it affect all the peoples of our country? Melanie Walker reports, as South Africans have 24 hours – until Friday 15 June 2018 – to make their voices heard for or against changing the Constitution. (See bottom of the page for […]

I first met Julia Albu, one of the Grand Dames of the PR industry, some 25 years ago… writes Melanie Walker. Larger than life with a voice to match, Jooooolia was definitely one person who I would always say yes to whenever she asked me to get involved in the ‘Hat Day at the Races’ […]

It’s a very difficult thing on occasion to ignore what’s going on around you. Or at least, not to react too negatively towards it. Being one who doesn’t read the newspaper or watch the news on TV, I pretty much get wind of happenings on social media (cue Facebook and Twitter…) With everything that’s been […]

The drought continues apace in South Africa. It’s hot as hell everywhere, including obviously Hotazel. Water shortages are a reality (even if some people in Joburg still think it’s cool to water their gardens during the day, despite the water restrictions that have been in place for a while). The Mother City isn’t taking the […]

It was fast. It was fun. It was clearly something people in our lovely country should do. And thanks to Kia SA for making it possible after my trusty SUV broke down just in time to not leave! Read about the trip down memory lane – Part One and Part Two. Despite all the bad […]

Well, that was a whistle-stop tour of the country. And yes, would have loved to have been able to take much more time doing it, revisiting every little fun thing I’ve seen over the years, but alas, time constraints and a couple of pre-teens (my twins, the Pixies) filled with ennui precluded that from happening… […]

Sometimes things come about because you’re tired of the fast pace of life, the continual “mission mission mission, get there quickly,” rush around…and then you come back from a holiday feeling like you need one. And dragging two fractious Pixies around while you do it is no fun. The Pixies are my daughters. Twins. So […]

It must be said: I’ve been blessed. For a blonde whose claim to fame used to be jumping out of helicopters (for a TV show called Treasure Hunt) I got to meet and appreciate so many great men and women in this well-talented country of ours. Yes, the opportunity to hunt down treasures of the […]

Move over other cities in sunny SA. We have better weather, nicer people, and more money 😉 This. I love this. The definitive guide. Although there are many places I wouldn’t frequent, given my horror of anything trendy or in fashion. But if Hipsters (which as far as I’m concerned are SOOOOOO 2 years ago) […]

It’s a sad day when you wake up and realise you’re seriously considering leaving a place you’ve called home for the better part of 45 years. So it’s all the more poignant when you discover someone writing enthusiastically about what I believe could be a great city… In an article on Conde Nast Traveller – entitled […]

  For those of you who have been following the Oscar trial (I have to admit, I’ve steered well clear of it, watching nothing, listening to nothing, reading nothing, other than telling people that there’s only one person who actually knows what happened – ‘And you’re not it, let alone a lawyer’ – mainly because […]

Proposed new immigration regulations have not only upset South African expats whose foreign partners and children may be affected by the new laws…but have caused even greater outrage at home, with experts predicting widespread consequences and that the biggest casualties of these new restrictions will be local industries and the very people in South Africa who the […]

The more I listen to the radio, or read social media outpourings, honestly – the more I’d like to pretend I’m a big brown bear in Siberia and it’s hibernation time. There’s the dire state of affairs in other parts of the world, which seems to be foremost in many a Seffrican’s mind. Whereas I […]