If you’ve never been sand boarding… take a virtual ride with this video to see how it feels! All to the wonderful soundtrack of Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka’. The footage was shot three weeks ago on the North Sand Dump in Krugersdorp, South Africa. The trip to the mine dump was organised by Eddie from Mintails […]

It’s one of the most spectacular drives in the world – Chapman’s Peak Drive – and features in the Top 10 of most global lists of beautiful coastal drives. Take a look at this drone footage, filmed by Stefan Bamberger from Global Traveler TV… showcasing the beautiful Western Cape scenery. Watch Video: Chapman’s Peak Drive, […]

The Springboks bounced back with exhilarating play to beat Ireland in the second Test in the Castle Lager Incoming Series in Johannesburg, South Africa, today. After last week’s 20-26 loss to Ireland in the first of three Tests, the Springboks outwitted and outscored the Irish today with four tries to two, and a final score of 32-26. […]

I am one of those old-fashioned people who loves going by train. Give me a choice between a plane, bus, car or train, and I’ll take the choo-choo. And I blame that preference on the Trans-Karoo. Actually I’m not sure it was ever officially called the Trans-Karoo, but that’s how I came to know it. I used to travel cross-country as a schoolkid, […]

The names of a selection of South African products – including Rooibos and Karoo lamb – are now protected under a new agreement with the European Union (EU). It follows from a bilateral protocol on geographic indicators negotiated between SA and the EU. Under the new agreement, 102 wine names would be protected and three agricultural […]

Award-winning British rock band Mumford & Sons have released their new mini-album ‘Johannesburg’ today, inspired by – of course – South Africa. In February this year, the band visited South Africa for the first time ever. They collaborated with Senegalese singer Baaba Maal, London/Malawi DJ duo The Very Best, and South African pop band Beatenberg to […]

You are never too young to raise awareness – and money – for the plight of Africa’s big cats, as the kids at a Durban primary school have proved. They raised R2,000 and had a great time doing it. Kerry McNevin, principal of Tree Tops School (which has kids from age 3 to grade 3), […]

If there’s one movie you watch today – make it Sarafina! In South Africa movie theatres across the land are commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising on 16 June 1976 with free screenings of the film. (Watch trailer below.) There have been scenes around the country today – #YouthDay – of old people […]

As we all know, there are so many fantastic, wonderful South Africans who don’t make it into the news… but sometimes we can forget when the headlines are dominated by the corrupt and criminal. So here’s a shout out to some awesome South Africans: From Bridget Reynolds in Gauteng: “I was at the cinemas at […]

The Test Kitchen in Woodstock has been voted one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants in New York City on Tuesday, for the second year in a row, with the Cape Town’s La Colombe making the top 100 list for the second time. Chef Luke Dale-Roberts’ Woodstock restaurant came in at position No. 22, after coming […]

A young Grade 7’s random act of kindness in Johannesburg, caught on camera, is not only inspiring for our youth… but adults too. The youngster in question is named only as Johannesburg Mini Councillor, Jason. In a post on Facebook, the Johannesburg Mini Council said that on Saturday “a group of Councillors were celebrating a […]

I love old signs when I’m on the road. They tell me where I’m going, who lived here, what brands were promoted and what the travelling salesmen flogged to the locals over the decades. Sometimes, on a dusty Karoo trail in the back of beyond, they’re all I have for company. I run across old […]

As the winter’s first snows fall on South Africa’s mountains, lots of us remember something we often forget – ours is a land of amazing mountains. Here are 10 of them, many covered in snow (with a surprise 11th at the end). We also remember that the Mountain Club of South Africa has this year been hiking these […]

Jesse Clegg launched his new album “Things Unseen” earlier this month at the Goodluck Bar in Johannesburg. Music is both entertainment and escape. It captures moments of experience; fragments of life. It embodies the unseen. It is in darkness that we see the stars, that we dream, that the emptiness consumes shadows and hidden truths. Sometimes […]

Talented Cape Town chef and photographer Bruce Marais is one of four competing chefs on the latest episode of the hugely popular US channel Food Network’s show “Chopped”. In the show the chefs are given a less than obvious combination of ingredients to quickly transform into an appetiser, an entree and a dessert, with one of the four being eliminated after […]

For anyone who has been on a South African Airways flight – sitting way back in economy like many of us maybe – here’s a glimpse of what it’s like to be in the cockpit during take-off. This flight was a recent one from Johannesburg to Perth, Australia, on the A340-300. “Our long history of filming […]

The predicted cold front has arrived in South Africa, transforming the landscape into a beautiful winter wonderland. The following photos have been sent in to Snow Report SA‘s facebook page from Lesotho, the Free State, Eastern Cape and KZN. More on SnowReportSA:

The hashtag #LoveRugby will appear emblazoned on the back of the Springbok jersey in the first Test against Ireland in Cape Town, South Africa, today as SA Rugby (SARU) reclaims the “good story” they have to tell but which is not always heard. The Springboks kick off at 17h00 against Ireland at DHL Newlands in […]

A diamond found in South African in 2014, the Cullinan Dream, has become the most expensive Fancy Intense blue diamond sold at auction, according to Christie’s. The diamond sold in New York this week for $25,365,000. In the audience was Mark Cullinan, an international jewelry dealer and the great-grandson of Sir Thomas Cullinan, who discovered the Cullinan […]

Refentse Morake, a Vereeniging youngster, didn’t find success overnight, but pretty close. Just over a year ago the high-school student was overheard singing by someone who recorded him on her cellphone, the clip quickly spread, and now, just over a year later, Refentse has a CD out and several professional tracks on YouTube. His latest video is a […]

When you become an expat, there’s no better holiday than the one back home! As Leonie B-T packs her bags to head back to the UK after a fab holiday in her beloved South Africa, here’s a selection of the places and scenes that make going home so special… Leaving a grey Schiphol Airport in […]

Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of Muhammad Ali’s hometown Louisville, Kentucky, for his memorial today as a procession takes his body past sites that were significant in his life. Outside of America, there was perhaps no other continent as significant in his life as Africa. The American boxing legend had a deep connection with […]

As Johannesburg celebrates one of its big birthdays (that’s one of the questions), the city is showing off its stuff more and more. It was recently called one of the “coolest” cities in the world (that’s another question, by whom?) and travellers are spending more than just one night there. In honour of all that – and […]

I gotta say – South Africa is not a bad place for a holiday. The Aussie dollar went a long way. Let’s look at the good and the bad… The Good. Great service flying Qantas, food great etc etc The Bad. It was 14-hour flight and the guy in front of me was farting for 12 of […]

It started – as so much of my research has – with a hunch. For many years I have been completely overwhelmed by the high walls that South African suburbanites have created around their dwellings. They have always struck me as confronting, offensive and aesthetically unappealing. But, more than this, I couldn’t shake the feeling […]