An overjoyed Ladysmith Black Mambozo announced their Grammy Award on Twitter with capitals: “WE WON THE GRAMMY AWARD FOR BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM!! SHAKA ZULU REVISITED. Our 5th Grammy Award. Such an honor. Thank U Grammy Awards. Thank U fans and friends. Thank U South Africa!!” The South African band was performing on stage in […]

Here are the latest hot topics due for broadcast on Carte Blanche this Sunday, and available for South Africans living abroad from Tuesday – 30th January 2018, if they’re a subscriber of Showmax International. Life Esidimeni Hearings Continued Former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu was finally in the hot seat at the Life Esidimeni Arbitration hearings […]

Legendary South African musician Johnny Clegg has proudly shared his new music video today, directed by a very special person. “I am so happy to share with you my brand new music video for “King Of Time” which was directed by my son, Jaron Clegg!” he said on social media. Watch Johnny Clegg: King Of […]

The Drakensberg Boys Choir School has paid tribute to “the late great” South African musician, Hugh Masekela, who passed away earlier this week – at the age of 78 – after a long battle with prostate cancer. During the video – performing ‘Stimela’ (Coal Train) – a young boy can be heard saying: “Dear Mr […]

YAY! Revolting Rhymes is one of five animated short films nominated for an Oscar! The announcements were made in the USA on Tuesday. https://www.instagram.com/p/BeTNnRwFtvK/?taken-by=art_of_revoltingrhymes Revolting Rhymes is an adaptation of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake’s classic book of surprising fairy tales. Produced by Magic Light Pictures, Revolting Rhymes was animated at Magic Light’s Berlin studio […]

Trumpeter, flugelhorn-player, singer, composer and activist Hugh Ramapolo Masekela has passed away after a long battle with prostate cancer. When he cancelled his appearance last year at the Johannesburg Joy of Jazz Festival, taking time out to deal with his serious health issues, fans were forced to return to his recorded opus for reminders of […]

Here’s this week’s Carte Blanche line-up, available for South Africans living abroad from today Tuesday – 23 January 2018 – if you subscribe to Showmax International. Watch the trailer at the bottom of page. Please note this is a 90-minute extended broadcast. First Strike From The AFU This week the Asset Forfeiture Unit launched their first strike […]

South African animators from Triggerfish are waiting with bated breath for the Oscar nominations to be announced on Tuesday. Revolting Rhymes – animated by Cape Town-based Triggerfish – is one of 10 animated short films shortlisted for an Oscar, selected from 63 qualifying films! The five finalists will be announced this Tuesday, 23 January 2018, with […]

The Afrikaans internet sensation Radio Raps, as portrayed by Jonathan from the East Rand (Rikus de Beer), will now not only be available on smartphone and computer screens, but will also have his own reality TV programme, Die Radio Raps Show – available in South Africa and abroad. Fans of Radio Raps’s popular videos and voice notes can look […]

Here’s this week’s Carte Blanche line-up, available for South Africans living abroad from Tuesday – 16 January 2018 – if you subscribe to Showmax International. (You can try their free 14-day trial first.) Watch the trailer at the bottom of page. The State Capture Inquiry State Capture: it’s the story of one shocking revelation after another, […]

SOUTH AFRICA – Yesterday was the 115th anniversary of the birth of the author Alan Paton, who was honoured in a Google doodle that showed him looking pensively out of a train window at hills that are lovely beyond any singing… writes Gus Silber. The doodle quite brilliantly captured Paton’s flinty, thin-lipped severity of countenance, […]

For Showmax overseas subscribers, January just got better. South Africans living abroad are able to tune in to all their favourite shows from home by subscribing here… with a host of top new series launching this month! From travel shows to historical documentaries to hilarious sitcoms to real-life, deliciously juicy talk shows, the new kykNET […]

Elders, the best-selling Afrikaans book about the Camino pilgrimage in Spain by writer, journalist and TV presenter Erns Grundling, is the inspiration behind Elders: Die Camino, a documentary series launching on KykNET and Showmax this January (and available to South Africans abroad – subscribe here!). The book is based on Erns Grundling’s personal experience along the […]

Oprah Winfrey’s received a standing ovation after delivering an incredibly powerful acceptance speech at the Golden Globe Awards last night in the USA. Watch below. Winfrey became the first black woman to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award, an honour which is bestowed on a “talented individual who has made an incredible impact on the […]

This year’s annual Tweede Nuwe Jaar (Second New Year) celebration – on Tuesday 02 January 2018 – was as brilliant as usual… providing a colourful display to the crowds, as over 13,000 dancers took to the streets of Cape Town to celebrate what’s known as the Kaapse Klopse Carnival. Oday Mtour captured these spectacular photographs… The Carnival’s […]

American movie critic Jesse Knight has voted South Africa’s ‘Meerkat Maantuig’ (Meerkat Moonship) as the number one film on his 10 Best Undistributed Films (in the U.S.) of 2017. Let’s hope his vote will make some US distributors change their minds in 2018! Meerkat Maantuig changed their Facebook status to “feeling thankful” and said: “Go […]

I finally got around to watching Tali’s Wedding Diary, the South African mockumentary series now screaming on ShowMax… writes Gus Silber. I say screaming, because Julia Anastasopoulos, who plays the titular Tali, so perfectly nails – as in nails skritching down a blackboard – the voice, accent, mannerisms, persona and neuroses of the northern suburbs […]

After going viral a year ago with a brilliantly choreographed video that caught the attention of US star Meghan Trainor, Capetonian choreographer Rudi Smit has created a new video that showcases the best of South African dance moves. This time the moves are made to the sounds and beat of Dutch artist Dopebwoy’s ‘Cartier’, released […]

Talented South African choreographer, dancer, actor and teacher – Lungelo Ngamlana – who grew up in one of Cape Town’s oldest townships, has been choreographing shows around the world. Nan Melville caught up with him in New York… I met Lungelo at New York Tisch Drama School where he, together with fellow South African music-maker, […]

We love our local gems on Showmax… especially since they’re available to watch anywhere in the world, bringing a little bit of home right into South African expats‘ living rooms!  These two stunning Afrikaans movies are shining at the moment and racking up plenty of views! Trouvoete and Mossie van Wyk  are fun, feel-good films, […]

Groundbreaking South African movie – ‘The Wound’ – has been shortlisted for a nomination in the Oscar Foreign Language Film category! The Wound filmmakers said: “We are so proud to announce that The Wound has made it to the Oscars shortlist! This is unreal! Thank you so much to everyone for their support! Enkosi!” The filmmakers […]

South African actress Julia Anastasopoulos proves how incredibly talented she is in this DIY Wedding Cake video – as she takes on her successful YouTube character SuzelleDIY AND her new Showmax TV series character Tali. Of course the two characters don’t get on. There’s a little rivalry and while Suzelle is all about positivity ‘Tali babes’ […]

South African musician Don Clarke has released one of the most politically incorrect Christmas carol videos you’ll ever watch! Don told SAPeople, it’s “an amusingly accurate version of Jingle Bells for the current South Africa this season… 🙂 SHARE FAR AND WIDE!” The video introduces Don’s new artist Rosie Doring. “That’s Rosie with the Afrikaans […]

Here’s this week’s Carte Blanche line-up, available for South Africans in SA on Sunday and for expats from Tuesday through Showmax International… The fight for ANC leadership The ANC is preparing for its 54th national conference which takes place in December, where the delegates will vote in a new leader. As Jacob Zuma’s time as president of the […]

South African group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, has scooped two nominations for the 2018 Grammy Awards! The isicathamiya group has been nominated in the Best World Music category, for ‘Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration’ and in the Best Children’s Album for ‘Songs Of Peace & Love For Kids & Parents Around The World’. The South […]