Barbara Hogan, former cabinet minister under President Jacob Zuma, said Zuma had crossed a line by sacking finance minister Nhlanhla Nene and that the ANC must be taken back from “the thieves” in the organisation. Hogan was talking at the Claremont Mosque on Friday, and her quotes featured on the news site Groundup. “I have not […]

To celebrate International Mountain Day today, Friday 11 December, here are a few awesome and random facts about the Mother City’s 260-million year old iconic landmark…like did you know that Table Mountain is the only mountain in the world to have a constellation (“Mensa”) named after it? Or that there are over 350 trails you could […]

South Africa is known for its beaches – and its cold water in Cape Town – but there are plenty of other places to plunge in. This is only a small collection, but we thought it might get you in the mood. Arathusa Safari Lodge, Sabi Sand Game Reserve Sea Point Pavilion Pool, Cape Town Mac […]

On a day Tanzania would normally be celebrating its independence, its newly elected president wasn’t attending any fancy celebrations. He was out cleaning up the streets of the city. On Wednesday, John Magufuli – who was elected five weeks ago and inspired the hashtag movement #WhatWouldMagufuliDo because of his no-nonsense, clean-up-the-government, anti-corruption attitude –  was outside State House in Dar […]

Cape Town’s Clifton beach was host to a chilled and magical evening on Sunday – a silent concert by Ard Matthews from Just Jinjer. ANGELA GORMAN was there to listen to the music, and take photos. The unique and stunning concert took place on 3rd beach Clifton. Ard performed to a laid back crowd who were all wearing bluetooth headsets! […]

South African musicians Jack Parow and Freshlyground have got together to make an action-packed Bond-esque music video with all the makings of a great spy thriller…including explosives planted in Table Mountain! Exquisitely directed by Jon Savage and Craig Hunter Parker, the five-minute mini-movie follows our South African secret agents of #zefspionage – Jan Bont (Jack Parow) and Geldpenni (Zolani Mahola) […]

The family of the American surfer, who was rescued by South African bodyboarder Andre Botha on Sunday at Pipeline in Hawaii, have reached out to thank him for his heroic efforts. Evan Geiselman’s brother Eric wrote a message on Instagram saying it had been “such a scary scary day” and “I can not thank @andre_botha_662 enough […]

Hollywood actor Samuel L. Jackson says he’s moving to South Africa if Donald Trump becomes the next US president! Samuel’s quote came during a skit on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show last night, Monday, where he was promoting his latest movie – Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” (see trailer below). During last night’s televised show […]

Here’s some ‘get fit’ inspiration from Carte Blanche’s Derek Watts! Normally more famous for being on our TV screens on Sunday nights, Derek demonstrated just how strong his core muscles are on the Dan Nicholl show. Dan joked: “Veteran television presenter Derek Watts is best known for anchoring Carte Blanche for 27 years – but […]

Twin brothers from Khayelitsha township in Cape Town have surmounted considerable odds over the years, and this week they will do it again by both graduating as doctors from Stellenbosch University. And their message: Believe in yourself. Wandile and Wanele Ganya grew up in J-Section of Khayelitsha, the sons of a domestic worker, Sylvia, who […]

Two South Africans have an ambitious plan to turn the  Cape-to-Rio Yacht Race – which is known as one of the toughest yacht races in the world – into an even tougher venture! They plan to row unassisted all the way from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro! That’s 6,700 km! And to do so […]

Two-time world bodyboard champion Andre Botha, from South Africa, has been praised for his fast action in rescuing a pro surfer who was knocked unconscious during huge conditions in Hawaii. Witnesses said Evan Geiselman (22) probably owes his life to Andre after the former bodyboarding champion lifted the American surfer’s lifeless body from the surf and gave him […]

The gorgeous exhibition of the Natural History Museum’s 51st Wildlife Photographers of the Year (WPY) has reached Cape Town, and includes the works of several South Africans among the winners. Its opening was attended by HRH Prince Harry during his visit to the country. The WPY says it champions ethical photography, where images are chosen for their […]

Plettenberg Bay in South Africa has always been the cool place to hang out. And it just got even cooler. A local supermarket has launched a healthy – and generous – campaign for parents with children! On Saturday shoppers at Beacon Isle Kwikspar in Plett were (pleasantly) surprised to discover a sign in the fresh produce aisle […]

As holiday makers descend on Cape Town, the choice is to be quickly identified as an out-of-towner – whether it is by wearing khaki shorts and sensible shoes or holding a camera – or to fit in and act like a local. For anyone choosing the latter, here’s a handy guide to being a Capetonian. Dislike Johannesburg […]

Johannesburg and Cape Town won two of 10 environmental leadership awards during a ceremony that took place at the same time as the COP21 summit in Paris last week for their efforts to tackle climate change. The awards were given by C40 Cities, a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change. The C40 Cities Climate […]

High tea – that sumptuous invention credited to the Duchess of Bedford to quell the pangs of hunger between lunch and dinner – is still part of the culture at a range of hotels in Cape Town. So settle back and raise your pinkie as you enjoy the savoury and sweet treats found at some of the best high tea spreads […]

While South Africans spent the day paying tribute to their beloved former president, Nelson Mandela – who passed away two years ago today at his Houghton home – people around the world also paused to praise the former statesman and reflect on his incredible legacy. International celebrities paid tribute (see below) and Shimi Braude, from […]

Whilst many of us dread the looong drive between Joburg and Durban, a South African man – TJ Njozela – has just walked the entire 1,290 km…to raise money for those who can’t walk. And yet he feels he hasn’t done enough. TJ embarked on the 30-day mission during the month of November, raising money for […]

Whether you call it shweshwe, shoeshoe or isishweshwe, the indigo cloth or Germanic print that has been a part of life in Southern Africa since missionaries gave some to Lesotho’s King Moshoeshoe I is probably trendier now that it’s ever been. Many young designers are tapping into the designs and motifs used for shweshwe cloth for postmodern inspiration. […]

Everything from unidentified flying objects over Durban’s UFO-like stadium to women taking to the roads of Cape Town – to fix them, no less – to reminiscences about walking the famed “camino” trail across northern Spain, those are a few stories you might not have seen this week. 1. Good grief, green light a UFO? The […]

It started with one picture of shoes lined up against a wall, posted on Facebook by Fish Hoek High School in Cape Town, and another two pictures of students walking away from them shoeless. And it quickly grew into a storm of good news across the country. “As our Matric class of 2015 finish writing […]

As the two week strike from Pikitup draws to a close today in Johannesburg, here’s a shout out to the hardworking guys at Carlton Zambesi Butchery who’ve been doing their best to clean up the mounting rubbish. Mario Pregueiro from Carlton Zambesi captured these photos of the scene on Tuesday after the Pikitup March. “The march […]

South Africa, how do I heart thee? Let me count some of the ways. 1) The Constitution Because you need a strong constitution to get by in this country. 2) Table Mountain You rock. 3) Joburg The gold below, the sky above, the forest in-between. But more than all of that, people make this city. […]

Jenny Crwys-Williams, the well-known talk show host, was driving home in Johannesburg this week when she saw something that took her totally by surprise… “How fabulous is this?” Crwys-Williams wrote on Facebook. “Driving through Craighall Park I thought I saw a scarecrow. So I turned round, parked & walked down the road and sure enough, it […]