Having been here for six months now, here’s 85 things you may want to know about immigrating to the UK, writes South African abroad Dene Botha: ???? You need a vehicle if living outside of London. Also there are no stop-streets, only roundabouts and there’s enough of them to make you dizzy… it seems to […]

Nicci Lombard and her family are hoping for a miracle within the next 24 hours so they can return home to South Africa from Vietnam, or they will face a heavy fine which they can’t afford when their visa runs out on 2 July. Like many SA expats in Asia, their dreams came tumbling down […]

The tenth anniversary of the royal wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco, to former South African athlete Charlene Wittstock, is being commemorated in the principality with the issue of three new stamps. The first features a photo of the couple on their wedding day 10 years ago, in July 2011. The second is a […]

South African born and raised chef and businesswoman, Prue Leith (81) is set to be made a dame in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. The ‘Great British Bake Off’ star was made an OBE in 1989 and a CBE in 2010, and will now receive a damehood ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday this month, according […]

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, most processes in South Africa were significantly slowed down, with some Home Affairs services even being suspended throughout higher levels of the national lockdown. Although South Africans were relieved when the country moved to relaxed levels of lockdown, the difficulties in obtaining documents such as police clearance certificates […]

South Africa’s multi award-winning Restaurant Mosaic has found a fabulous new home far from its Pretoria roots… in France! Chef Chantel Dartnall announced on Facebook yesterday: “This is where our story will continue and our new chapter will start.” Chantel, who won the Best Female Chef in the World title in 2017, announced the closure […]

There are calls for DIRCO (South Africa’s foreign affairs department) to fire David Kweli Nkosi, after revelations that the South African diplomat has allegedly destroyed not one, but two apartments that he has lived in abroad, whilst representing SA. Nkosi apparently caused damage worth €42 000 (R714 0000) to his apartment in Vienna, Austria last […]

Princess Charlene of Monaco will be missing the famous Monaco F1 Grand Prix this weekend, because she’s fallen ill in South Africa and cannot travel home to the European principality. The former South African Olympic swimmer has been back in SA to raise awareness about rhino poaching. Photos on her Instagram page, posted on Thursday, […]

Ten diplomatic missions abroad are to be closed, due to South Africa’s “fiscal constraints” which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 Pandemic. This will come as a blow to South Africans living and travelling abroad in those areas, who have already been suffering long waiting periods due to the under-staffing of many SA embassies and […]

The South African government has welcomed the R3-billion commitment, to transfer the latest technology for producing vaccines and biological therapies to South Africa, announced by SA expat Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong on Wednesday. Dr Soon-Shiong, who is a South African born biotechnology entrepreneur, now based in the United States, made the exciting announcement during a meeting […]

South Africans around the world, and kind strangers, have rallied to help the family of a young SA Civil Engineering student who tragically died whilst studying abroad in Qingdao, China. On the 30th of April 2021, Kgothatso Mdunana (24) allegedly fell to her death from the window of her friend’s apartment, on the 13th floor […]

The DA yesterday presented its arguments to the High Court on behalf of thousands of South Africans who have lost their citizenship without their knowledge. Home Affairs claims this loss of citizenship is being done by personal choice, but in fact many South Africans – unaware of the stipulation that they have to apply for […]

We South Africans may be super proud of the ‘Faf speedo’, which Faf de Klerk made famous during the Rugby World Cup, but it turns out not everyone in the world understands it! A young South African, proudly posing in his Faf speedo in a park in Croatia, was fined on Sunday for “public indecency”! Whilst […]

A South African woman who is devoting her life to helping animals in Mexico is pleading for help after her mother was robbed of all her money this weekend. Claudia Mamet is an angel in Puerto Angel in Mexico. She lives on a shoestring, teaches English at the local university and spends her humble salary […]

As Elon Musk’s SpaceX sent more astronauts into orbit this week, his family have rallied to congratulate him for the historic achievement – using a ‘recycled capsule and rocket’. As Endeavour arrived at the Space Station today, SpaceX confirmed the safe docking and said “second time at the space station for this Dragon”. NASA said […]

There’s finally hope on the horizon for many thousands of South Africans around the world who inadvertently lost their SA citizenship when they applied for another country’s passport… without knowing they had to request permission from the SA government first and receive a Letter of Retention (which at the moment is not even possible due […]

A South African expat living in The Netherlands is on a mission to gain legal guardianship of her late sister’s children. The two young children from Boksburg – Kebi (12) and Khanyi (10) – tragically lost their mother two years ago when she died after an extremely short illness, suspected to be meningitis. The children […]

South African mother Meryl Knox has bravely paid tribute to her 40-year-old son Adrian Nel who was tragically killed by insurgents in Palma, Mozambique, during an attack on the town. Speaking from her home in Zinkwazi, north of Durban, Meryl told Sky News her son was a contractor building an accommodation camp in Palma, and […]

The South African Home Affairs office at 15 Whitehall London is due to re-open on 29 March 2021, the SA High Commission in the UK has announced. This will come as welcome news to the many South Africans in the UK who have been desperate to renew their passports, knowing that the process can take […]

Twelve-year-old Tiaan Hall has been a Springbok supporter since he was a baby, like the children of many South Africans now living abroad. Although Tiaan was born in Wales, he was dressed in Springbok gear as a baby, and is named after Springbok legend Tiaan Strauss. Despite only ever visiting SA, “he loves biltong and […]

A South African expat living in the UK, who was paralysed three years ago after falling out of a tree, now has dreams of competing in the Paralympics and was “super stoked” to be featured by the BBC this week. Xander Van Der Poll has managed to find a way to focus on the positive… […]

It’s a big night for Trevor Noah and music tonight, Sunday 14 March 2021… as the South Africa comedian hosts the Grammy Awards, live at 8pm ET, 5PM PT and available in SA to watch on DStv’s 1Magic (103) at 3am (Mon morning). DStv will repeat it again at 20h30 on Monday evening. This is […]

For those desperate South Africans in the UK who have been unable to get hold of the High Commission in London during the past few months, we got in touch on their behalf and the SAHC has kindly responded to some of the many questions. 1. SAHC in the UK is still closed with staff […]

A talented and largely South African team, headed by Capetonian Chef Jean Delport, has retained its Michelin star at Restaurant Interlude in the UK, for the second year in a row! SAPeople spoke to Jean about the move, his awesome team and how much he still misses SA… The restaurant – in Horsham, just an […]

Hildah Magaia, South Africa’s awesome 2020 COSAFA Women’s Cup Player of the Tournament, has signed a two-year deal with Sweden’s Moron BK club. The 25-year-old striker, who was also National Women’s League Player of the Season and top goalscorer, said she is over the moon following her dream to move overseas. “I am so delighted […]