Alcohol consumers in South Africa are getting plastered on pineapples after the nationwide alcohol ban in lockdown sparked a craze of turning the tropical fruit into powerful home-brew. Supermarket bosses have revealed that TEN times as many pineapples are being sold at TWICE the price since off-licences and bars were closed down 5 weeks ago […]

In a salute to the frontline workers in the fight against the Coronavirus the members of the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra have created an incredible video of Cape Town seen from a drone while they play the “Intermezzo” from the opera “Cavalleria Rusticana.” It is part of a series of lockdown concerts by the […]

The South African wildlife crime documentary STROOP – journey into the rhino horn war, by director Susan Scott and television presenter Bonné de Bod, scooped the award for Best Natural History and Environmental Programme at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) on Wednesday night. This is the 28th award for the film which […]

An orphaned baby zebra spent the night in its rescuer’s childhood bedroom last night, as lockdown regulations and other challenges in Zimbabwe meant it was too late to get the newborn to the Free to be Wild Sanctuary where it is headed. Baye Pigors, who founded the sanctuary in 2014, said at 9pm last night […]

The Drakensberg Boys Choir in KwaZulu-Natal has produced a wonderfully fun and light-hearted parody of Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’… starring not only the boys, but their teachers too. Deidre Alcock, from the famous South African school, told SAPeople: “Our school campus is a bleak and miserable place when there are no boys around and when […]

The Kiffness has given us so many fantastic songs during Lockdown, but this heartwarming video will be remembered as one of the most special – a duet with his father. Watch below as the father and son team sing (via Skype) a Cat Stevens (Yusuf) Lockdown Parody – based on, of course, ‘Father and Son’… […]

A beautiful heartfelt initiative by a teacher in Johannesburg, South Africa, who wanted to help her learners not miss out during Lockdown, has gone viral around the world. (Watch video below.) Pamela Kantor, who teaches at a government school attended by many kids from Alex (Alexandra township), was devastated that during lockdown (because of coronavirus) […]

What started as a dream holiday in the Maldives turned into a mega repatriation mission as South Africa and the world began to lock down borders… writes Jenna Berndt. A Flight Centre customer and his travel agent started a rescue mission that involved three weeks of sleepless nights, a US$104 000 charter flight, government approval […]

A conservation biologist from South Africa has won a prestigious Whitley Award worth £40,000 to support her quest to save threatened amphibians… in a “giant leap for amphibian conservation”. Jeanne Tarrant, known locally as the “Frog Lady”, works for the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), where she manages the Threatened Amphibian Programme. EWT is the only […]

Springbok rugby captain Siya Kolisi is making international headlines again, although this time the man who helped feed the spirit and soul of SA when he led his team to victory in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, is literally helping to feed the stomachs of fellow South Africans during the coronavirus pandemic. Siya told CNN: […]

If the Springboks’ 2019 Rugby World Cup triumph was a heroic tale, the story behind the famous win is even more remarkable It’s an adventure that will be given life in the coming months with SuperSport and SA Rugby’s six-part documentary, “Chasing the Sun”, deep in production ahead of release, planned for August. A SuperSport […]

Multi-talented classic South African tenor Etienne van der Nest has been bringing Berlin to a stop each evening, as he sings magnificently from his balcony. As word has grown in the German city about Etienne’s performances, crowds have gathered to watch, to listen, to record, to applaud and to appreciate. To feel connected and in […]

If you’re a South African living abroad, and can spare just £20… that could help feed 200 kids back home with sandwiches and fruit for a week! Gordon’s Bay resident Inge Andrea Meischke Elliott, who herself was a former expat living in the USA, is calling on expats worldwide to please help (if you can) […]

In celebration of Freedom Day 2020, which was yesterday 27 April, a Nelson Mandela quote was emblazoned proudly across a building in New York city. The SA Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) posted a photo, saying “this amazing wrap is displayed in all its glory in Time Square, New York.” The quote used […]

The performing arts is one of the sectors hit hard by COVID-19, with tens of thousands of gigs cancelled across the world. While pop and electronic music has evolved with online platforms like YouTube as their natural habitat, jazz has remained more strongly tied to live performance, using social media and online videos mainly as […]

About 1.5 million more South Africans will from 1 May return to work as government begins to lift a fraction of COVID-19 lockdown regulations. This comes as government gradually eases the economy back into activity as announced this week by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The regulations were introduced last month as government sought to counter the […]

South Africa has 4 793 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 90 deaths as of Monday, according to Health Minister, Dr Zwelini Mkhize. “We regret to report a further three deaths: two from the Western Cape and one from KZN. This brings the total cumulative COVID-19 related deaths to 90,” said Dr Mkhize. Among the three deceased […]

The South African flag has today been projected onto the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai – in honour of Freedom Day, 27 April 2020. This comes just days after the SA flag was projected onto the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. On Monday, the Burj Khalifa page said: “Burj Khalifa […]

No one knows what is going on. So many versions of Level Four have circulated that we all have whiplash, and if you didn’t have an anxiety disorder before, you sure as shit have it now… writes Kim Nicola Stephens. Runners got their shoes all ready and prepped and then someone said NO JOGGING and […]

As South Africa went into Covid-19 lockdown in late March, over 50 performers encouraged the nation to do something powerful –  “to reflect on the lyrics of our anthem, as a source of inspiration and optimism, and to bravely sing it out loud.” Yesterday the man behind the concept – James Bassingthwaighte – announced: “1000+ […]

Here follows the message by President Cyril Ramaphosa on the occasion of Freedom Day in South Africa, during Lockdown, 27 April 2020… in full: Fellow South Africans, Sanibonani. Dumelang. Inhlekani. Molweni. Lotjhani. Ndi masiari. Goeie dag. Good afternoon. On this day twenty-six years ago, a new nation was born in Africa. On the 27th of […]

2020 was going to be a great year for everyone… writes Ari Seirlis, an advisor to the President on disability matters and strategy. I remember reading many friends’ Facebook comments about how this new decade was going to be groundbreaking – vast opportunities, wealth, health and relationships were all going to flourish. A Black Swan […]

South Africans who are stuck in Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand – and who would like to be repatriated home – are urged to submit an online form to book a seat on a private Australian charter plane this coming Friday 1 May 2020. According to Julia Kerr Henkel, who has been stuck in Indonesia for […]

A delegation of 217 Cuban Medical specialists arrived in South Africa in the early hours of Monday, just after midnight. The Cuban Medical brigade includes infectious diseases specialists, and has come to South Africa to support the country in its efforts to deal with #Covid_19, said the National Department of Health South Africa. The group […]

A surprise drive-by baby shower in South Africa has moved social media users to tears on social media. The video was posted on Facebook by Dinika Rooy from Buffalo Flats, East London. She said: “We are truly blessed. ?Drive by – Drop off Baby Shower… ??” One of her friends replied: “Your heart is made of […]