When the famed Outeniqua Chootjoe stopped doing its breathtaking run from George to Knysna, over the Kaaimans Bridge, many lamented the passing of another famous train trip in South Africa. Truth is, there are still a bunch of fantastic train trips available (and even the George-Knysna route might operate again soon). 1. The Blue Train Started […]

The Proteas have finished their innings in spectacular fashion at Mumbai’s Wankede Stadium where they are currently playing the decider One Day International (ODI) against India to see who will win the Freedom Series, after each team secured two ODIs. AB de Villiers and his team have displayed incredible batsmanship and #ProteaFire with three centuries scored – […]

It’s not often that the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers are thanked for the tireless work they do. In fact, often rather than being thanked, they bear the brunt of our anger, shock and heartbreak after a loved one is injured – or worse – in an accident. But this week, car crash victim Kenrick McCallum […]

It’s about 160km, give or take a metre or two on either side, from the House of Light & Shadow in Richmond, Northern Cape, to the Karoo Roos padstal outside Middelburg, Eastern Cape. That’s if you venture out on the R398, a dirt road that embodies all that is intriguing about the Karoo: big spaces, […]

As emotional as we South Africans are tonight, after the Springboks came so close to making it through to the Rugby World Cup (RWC) final, so too are those from other countries who have witnessed this rivalry – and friendship – between two of the strongest teams in the world. On more than one occasion RWC’s official site […]

South Africa and New Zealand are on the field…again. The two teams share probably the greatest rivalry – and greatest friendship – in rugby union history. Even the coaches Steve Hansen (New Zealand) and Heyneke Meyer (South Africa) – who both took over as head coaches in 2012 of their respective countries – share a close friendship. The All Blacks […]

South African fans around the world – from New Zealand and Hong Kong to the UK and DRC – are standing behind their Bokke today, hoping for a victory against the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup semi-final match at Twickenham, a victory that would see South Africa go through to the finals! Fans were […]

The scenes in London this morning were emotional as South Africans gathered for the 3km run through Central London with Springbok members from the 1995 team that led South Africa to victory against the All Blacks. (See #JogYourMemory photos here.) Brett Levin captured the singing of the National Anthem in this video which is sure […]

Twenty-one year old BUSI SKINN’E MJIYAKHO caught a lot of people’s attention with her three letters to black people, white people and the South African government back in April. Now she’s back with two powerful letters – to white and black people – that have been shared thousands of times on social media. The University of […]

South Africans in London jogged down memory lane with members of the 1995 Springbok rugby team this morning. Bok fans gathered from early in the morning to take part in the special occasion. Those running met outside the National Gallery at 07:30. The jog was intended to help recreate the same winning formula as 20 years […]

On her fourth out of 13 Durban curry hot (!) spots, Sarah Khan had some bunny chow, which she had heard from local food author Erica Platter people get as worked up about as they do about soccer. “Bunny followers are as fanatical as football-club supporters,” said Platter, co-author of ‘Durban Curry: So Much of Flavour’. “Once […]

In preparation for Shabbat, or the Sabbath in Hebrew, no less than 1,700 women gathered in Cape Town on Wednesday to knead dough for the Great Big Challah Bake, part of a worldwide event started in South Africa only three years ago. One of the prime movers behind the project has been South Africa’s chief rabbi […]

I’m not going to get into this much as most people out there already know the #FeesMustFall situation…but instead I will rather show visuals of today’s peaceful march to City Hall in Durban. The protests started last week at the prestigious University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg (with #WitsMustFall), and have since spread to at least […]

All South Africans (or fans of South Africa) in London are invited to join the Springboks of 1995 for a jog down memory lane tomorrow morning! The jog, it’s hoped, will help the Springboks to victory against the All Blacks at Twickenham tomorrow afternoon, just like a similar jog in Sandton occurred on the morning of […]

Many travellers to and from South Africa will be elated to hear that changes to the immigration regulations have been announced this morning in Pretoria. The changes include a relaxation of the stringent Unabridged Birth Certificate (UBC) requirement as well as new postal options for those who don’t have a South African embassy or mission office […]

Watch Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer in the video below as he discusses the special relationship he and New Zealand coach Steve Hansen share, and why he can’t wait to buy Steve a beer on Saturday night after the Rugby World Cup semi-final between the two teams. The two have a tradition of meeting for dinner […]

In its regular feature ’36 Hours in (Name a Place)’, the New York Times focuses on a great city or part of the world. This week it’s Cape Town’s chance to be in the spotlight. From museums to a revival of life in the city centre, from going up Table Mountain to eating at local markets, […]

Popular radio and TV personality Darren Scott has been given a good prognosis today, following his operation last week to remove melanoma cancer from his lungs. In an update on Facebook this evening Darren revealed that doctors gave him the good news today that they’ve “got whatever melanoma and potentially infected nodes in the excised lobe of […]

The six rescued lions who arrived “home” in South Africa last week, after being maltreated by their previous owners in Romania and the Netherlands, are settling in well according to their new custodians. The animals landed in South Africa on Friday, after being flown over by the rescue organisation Four Paws. They are now enjoying grass […]

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer on Wednesday named an unchanged starting XV to face New Zealand in the first Rugby World Cup semi-final, on Saturday at Twickenham in London. The only change to the match-day squad is at replacement lock, where Victor Matfield has overcome his hamstring injury and takes over from Pieter-Steph du Toit, bringing […]

South Africans who live in the UK have had a wonderful month of being able to celebrate their “South African-ness” and proudly show their support for the one rugby team they will always support and believe in…the Springboks, as their new country hosts the Rugby World Cup (RWC). Here’s a song, a video and photos […]

We couldn’t resist posting another page full of petals from Pretoria and Joburg…as the Jacaranda trees blossom so spectacularly this year, and shower the pavements with a carpet of purple petals. Blossoms & Blessings from Pretoria RIA VILJOEN took most of these photos in Brooklyn, Pretoria where the tree-lined avenues are so beautiful she has already […]

A musician from Durban has created a Jacob Zuma remix with electronic dance music and those now famous words the South African president uttered ten days ago at an ANC conference. The Durbanite Kyran Garton calls it “a Melbourne bounce mix featuring our president”. In an attempt to compare the current ANC membership figures with those […]

Italy got a double dose of Carina Bruwer last week when the South African’s pop group gave its first concert there and then she swam an epic 21 kilometres solo for her charity back home the very next day! Bruwer’s swim in Bergeggi, Liguria, was part of the annual SwimTheIsland race, Europe’s largest open-water event, with over 2,000 competitors swimming between 800m and 6km. […]

A video has emerged of South African prop Trevor Nyakane doing the macarena a la Welsh flyhalf Dan Biggar. In a friendly, good-humoured skit, the SA rugby player “gets his dancing shoes on and does the Dan Biggar dance” (according to the YouTube description). Dan has become renowned for his goal-kicking ritual (see video at […]