South Africa’s beleaguered power-provider Eskom has suspended four executives including CEO Tsediso Matona while it commissions an independent enquiry into the running of its business. The move was announced today by Eskom Chairman Zola Tsotsi following a board meeting yesterday. Tsotsi said the board has “resolved to commission an independent enquiry on the current state of the […]

Police in Finland have confirmed today that they have found the body of a missing South African businessman on a beach in Finland. While Herc Croeser is not mentioned by name,  he is identified in Finnish newspaper reports as a 60-year-old IT manager from Metso Minerals. Croeser was reported missing after he failed to return on a flight home this weekend. […]

South African President Jacob Zuma returns to the National Assembly in Parliament today to answer more questions. The last time Zuma answered oral questions was in August when the EFF changed ‘pay back the money’. Today he has already skirted questions about his relatives being given top positions by saying “I am not a businessman” […]

Good news for those living in the States, or visiting South African family and friends in the US – South African Airways (SAA) has announced that it will no longer stop in Senegal on its route from Johannesburg to New York, cutting the route by 90 minutes and making it the fastest way to get […]

Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) has requested food for the firefighters and donations of paper plates and other items needed to fight the advancing fire in Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, near Stellenbosch. VWS reported less than an hour ago that the fire is spreading towards the mouth of Jonkershoek Valley. (Please see update for Thurs 12 March below.) On […]

After battling raging fires in Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch since Monday afternoon, firefighters tonight thought they had managed to douse most of the flames and successfully contain the fire…but latest reports reveal that the fire is spreading. Christine De Villiers, who lives in the area, wrote to SAPeople late tonight saying “Sad news. The wind has blown the fire from Jonkershoek […]

Check out this incredible GoPro footage of South African BASE jumpers Jean Jacques Wallis and Max (Andy) Hunt…racing to the top of an abandoned building in Pretoria to see who can jump off it first. Phew! The guys base jump regularly from the building. “We have an agreement with the building owners to go play there […]

There’s a certain delight South Africans abroad take in sharing their SA treats with foreigners. Their faces. Their reactions! If you’ve never seen it – this is priceless. Check out four Americans trying out South African food for the very first time… By the end of the video, which was compiled by BuzzFeed, their responses […]

Along with biltong, Mrs Balls and Ouma rusks, Lunch Bar is another one of those uniquely South African treats. Developed by Cadbury specifically for the South African market back in the 1960s, Lunch Bar was created as a “fill me up sweet snack that offers MUCH MUCH MORE.”  And so have their ads. Everyone has a […]

The release in the United States today of ‘Chappie,’ the latest movie from Neill Blomkamp of ‘District 9’ fame, has been accompanied by a flurry of videos, most of which feature a duo who could upstage the movie’s titular robot. Namely, Ninja and Yolandi Visser of Die Antwoord. Probably the most publicised of the new […]

First the dress went viral – was it blue and black or white and gold? – and now the hardhitting ad by a South African agency to fight women abuse is doing the same. In an ad created for the South African chapter of the Salvation Army #StopAbuseAgainstWomen, the tag line above a picture of […]

As the ‘Lion Opens Car Door’ video spreads rapidly around the world – attracting a massive 1.4-million views in less than 48 hours – animal behaviourist Kevin Richardson has confirmed that he’s seen this type of incident happen himself. Richardson, aka South Africa’s legendary Lion Whisperer, says “Seen that happen at the park I used to work […]

Cinematographer/Photographer Calvin Munhuweyi has compiled a beautiful video tribute to the brave men and women in the fire services who have fought against the raging fires in Cape Town these past few days; while participants and spectators in Sunday’s Cape Town Cycle Tour are being urged to wear Red in solidarity. Calvin shot the footage […]

For anyone who’s looking to move back to South Africa or ‘semigrate’ to Cape Town from other parts of the country, The Foschini Group is looking for I.T. Talent to join their dynamic team in Cape Town, and will be in London later this month to discuss career opportunities. Here is a message from TFG: TFG […]

Many South Africans from around the world have said how difficult it is to be watching the #MuizenbergFire from afar, so we asked three photographers in Cape Town to allow us to share their experiences this week, so that others can feel a little closer. Thank you Tammy Lieberman, Shawn Benjamin and Andy Nix. Tammy Lieberman, Tammy […]

To the relief of some – and disappointment of others – the Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday 8 March has been drastically shortened because of the raging fires on the South Peninsula. The race (which some still call the Argus even though Momentum and Pick ‘n Pay are major sponsors too) is renowned as the largest […]

A video from the Ad Council in the USA is spreading a lot of love on the internet. The Public Service Announcement (PSA), which was uploaded just yesterday, has already received over 1.5-million views on YouTube! The video, ‘Diversity & Inclusion – Love Has No Labels’, attempts to show that love has no boundaries, no […]

As the City of Cape Town welcomed the drizzling rains that began to fall this morning, a new fire started up at the Cape Point Nature Reserve at Gifkommetjie and – although contained by National Parks – helicopters were grounded because of strong winds and poor visibility. Thirteen properties have now been damaged in the #MuizenbergFire. This is […]

As today is declared the hottest day in Cape Town’s recorded history the fire that began in the early hours of Sunday 1 March 2015 continues to ravage the mountain, with firefighters now battling over 14 separate fires. Temperatures today reached 42 degrees Celsius, according to the Weather Office, making Cape Town the hottest it’s been in at least […]

Swimmers competing in the Wildside to Pollock Swim in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, this last weekend were joined by a playful pod of dolphins – not to mention a two-metre shark! – in a long-distance challenge that is destined to become a bucket-list swim in years to come. The intrepid bunch of swimmers, from the Eastern Cape, […]

Loadshedding, Hippo Crossing warning signs, beautiful homes with high fences (to keep people in or out?), Chop & Dop, Bakuzzis (!) and packed mini-taxis… These are just a handful of things that make South Africa unique. In a brilliant advert that uses the astonishment of foreigners to showcase the best (and worst) of South Africa […]

The Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) has announced in the last hour that “it’s going to be another long night on the fire line as fresh firefighting crews move in to relieve tired, sore and thirsty brothers and sisters.” The NSRI has appealed to the public to please keep away from the fire regions. Access roads for […]

The fire, which started yesterday in Muizenberg, continued to rage through the night as firefighting efforts have been challenged by strong winds which rose up again at 2 am. Many roads are closed and smoke is visible over much of Cape Town. In a message to SAPeople in the early hours of the morning, local resident Rebecca Prinsloo said “I’m watching […]

A massive fire in Muizenberg has kept firefighters busy all day and into the night as gale force winds have been blowing, hampering their efforts. Half an hour ago SAPeople received this moving message from a local resident, Sandra Lexie Sono-Nkosi‎: “Wish I could go out and take a picture but the smoke is too much for me. Ou […]

The Tulip Hotel in Cape Town was demolished today (1 March 2015)…and has given rise to a spate of videos on YouTube showing the demolition from all angles, at all speeds and with a range of soundtracks. Here are some of the best… Residents in the area are reportedly relieved that the hotel, which was […]