A wonderful production of Thumbelina opened at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town last night, presented by Cape Town City Ballet as part of its 80th Birthday Celebration. Local photographer Robyn Gwilt had the “privilege of shooting rehearsals” earlier in the week. Her photographs are on this page. “Do yourself and your kids a favour and go […]

The US Department of Justice revealed yesterday that two South African brothers who own Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris have been charged with conspiracy to sell illegal rhinoceros hunts in South Africa in order to defraud American hunters, and engage in money laundering and the secret trafficking of rhino horns. UPDATE JULY 2021: Dawie Groenewald and AB […]

Students in South Africa surprised a homeless man in Cape Town with an act of kindness, after being inspired by a popular video on YouTube of three German students playing music for a homeless man. But there was one big difference between their videos…(watch both videos below). The German video was actually a short film to […]

One of the most popular videos on social media this week is one filmed in Cape Town by a tourist…who may have inadvertently broken the law. The video shows the stunning beauty of Cape Town and its surroundings including Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, Cape Point, Seal Island, Hout Bay and Simon’s Town…and also stars a shark […]

If you recognise these words – “Alan! Alan! Alan! Oh wait, that’s not Alan. It’s Steve!” – you’ve probably watched the BBC’s ‘Funny Talking Animals – Walk on the Wild Side’ before. In fact you’ve probably watched it a few times! The show was aired on BBC One back in 2009…but is still as popular […]

Four friends from the UK won the trip of a lifetime to South Africa earlier this year. The two couples flew out to South Africa in April for a fortnight of exploring the country – from Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal, and then to the Western Cape. Married couple Lucy and Andrew (both Project Managers and both […]

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has wished a Happy Diwali to all. In a message published on The Presidency website this morning, Zuma says: “We would like to extend good wishes to the Hindu, Tamil, Gujerati and other communities who celebrate Diwali or Deepavali, as it is also known. “Diwali honours the triumph of light over […]

The travel experts at Lonely Planet have placed South Africa second in their list of the world’s best-value destinations! In an article by Tom Hall, much of this value is attributed to “currency fluctuations” – the fallen Rand has made the hidden and unhidden treasures of South Africa more affordable to more foreigners than it has been […]

As problems with the South African postal system drag on, some expats are getting frantic about how to send gifts and cards to family and friends in South Africa for Christmas. And vice versa. Lindsey Groom, in the Eastern Cape, said she’s “desperate” to get some gifts to Dubai. “I also have two paid-up overseas […]

There remain no suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease in South Africa or any of its neighbouring countries, and the country is fully prepared for any outbreak, should it occur. The disease remains largely confined to the small West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, with Liberia the hardest hit. Globally, […]

South Africa’s beachside resort Durban experienced rough sea conditions over the last couple of days which truly rocked the ‘boat’ and left much of the beachfront in chaos. Naina Rajput captured these photographs (and the video below) this morning in Durban as the high tide came in. The beachfront was left devastated with lots of “mopping […]

Here’s photographic proof it’s not just humans who like whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears! Award-winning South African photographer Rob Tarr captured this tender scene during a trip through the Kruger National Park. “We’re so spoiled to have such a magnificent nature area available to us,” said Rob. “And every visit to the Kruger always […]

A UK couple who fell in love with South Africa during a holiday here last year, have captured the scene of an eagle with its prey in the Kruger National Park…and would appreciate it if a wildlife expert could identify the prey for them. “We saw this large eagle drop from the sky ahead of us,” […]

A week ago today a fire spread through the Kya Sands Settlement in Johannesburg, destroying 500 shacks and leaving approximately 2,000 people homeless. Photojournalist Brett Field visited the site a couple of days later, once the rest of the press had packed up and left, and what he found was the true story of Africa that […]

A South African-born Australian teenager, Troye Sivan, has been named as one of the 25 most influential teens in the world! The 19-year-old internet sensation, who lives in Perth when he’s not travelling the world, was listed on Time Magazine’s annual list of the 25 Most Influential Teens on the planet…alongside such notables as Pakistani youth activist Malala […]

One of the most popular videos on Facebook at the moment features a brilliant water park in South Africa, although most people don’t realise it’s in SA. They think it’s in Wisconsin, or Tennessee or even Brazil, maybe Sweden. The video, which has been shared by over a quarter of a million Facebook users in the […]

The Oscar Pistorius trial resumed this week. Watch live, or follow Suzanne Brenner’s tweets (see below for both), as Judge Masipa sentences the athlete in a trial which has captivated the nation, and much of the world, for the past seven months. UPDATED Tuesday 21 October 2014: Video below. Pistorius, known also as the Blade Runner (because […]

Saxby Superspar staff, with the help of South African singer Kevin Leo, surprised shoppers in Centurion last weekend with a Flash Mob performance of “Shosholoza” (watch video below). Kevin wrote the following message on Twitter and Facebook last Saturday (October 4, 2014): “Kom gou oor na Centurion Saxby Spar toe. Gaan 11:00 saam met die […]

Congratulations to South African comedian Trevor Noah who has just been appointed as one of the newest members of Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’, in the USA. Trevor posted the following message for his fans on Facebook a couple of hours ago: “Thank you so much for all your love and support. Being a […]

South African athlete Themba Madima is coming second in an international Paco Rabanne Invictus competition…and needs us to vote for him every day for the next four days to help push him into first place! If he wins, a foundation for underprivileged communities in South Africa will benefit. The winner of the Invictus Award, which is in its second […]

The #ProteaFire campaign was launched tonight with a moving TV commercial that’s guaranteed to give goosebumps to most South African cricket fans. (See below.) After the live television broadcast, South African cricketer Lonwabo Tsotsobe tweeted a photo with the proud message “We are South Africa, we represent each and every individual in SA! We play fr […]

Suzelle, the DIY Goddess who has taken YouTube by storm with her lekker South African accent, fab humour and brilliant DIY tips, has released the latest video in her “bitesized DIY webseries”. This one’s about batteries. Boring? No! First, she teaches her fans how to check if your battery is dead or alive. Take the battery […]

There was barely a dry eye at Ellis Park Stadium last Saturday (4 October) when former Springbok rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen walked out on to the field at half-time. If you missed it, the video is below… Last year, Joost – who was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND) in 2011 – told BBC […]

As dignitaries, celebrities and fans around the world wish Archbishop Tutu a happy 83rd birthday today, one of the most fitting tributes comes from a fellow South African, Gauteng businessman Tshepo Motsitsi who published the following message on Facebook. It is republished here with his kind permission. Happy Birthday Desmond Mpilo Tutu – by Tshepo […]

South Africa won’t be very nice without white people, according to EFF leader Julius Malema. In an address to the Cape Town Press Club in Kelvin Grove, Newlands, last month, Malema joked “This country is not going to be very nice without you guys. We complement each other. We need each other. We’re now even beginning […]