After a day in which members of the public were upset that the police didn’t do enough to prevent a student protest in Johannesburg from turning into a looting fiasco, a different story has come out of Cape Town, reminding us of the good work that so many police officers in South Africa are doing. One of the […]

The popularity of South Africa’s super-successful expat, Elon Musk, continues to grow as his ability to turn his (massively huge) visions into realities helps inspire others to believe dreams are worth pursuing! Some in the media have hailed him as the next Steve Jobs, a man whose visions will change how the world works. Fans on […]

Here it is – the official trailer for Mad Max: Fury Road – starring South Africa’s Charlize Theron and filmed in Namibia. We all saw the photos of Charlize during the filming of the movie, hanging out in Camps Bay on her off-days, with her hair shaven off. Now we can see the results that […]

Johnny Clegg need look no further in his search “for the spirit of the great heart under African skies” – check out this little rhino in the video below. With the soundtrack of South African singer songwriter Clegg’s ‘Great Heart’ playing in the background, Wendy Howard has captured – on film – a brave moment in […]

On Thursday I witnessed three kite-surfers risk their lives to save a dog that was caught by the waves and no longer able to paddle back to the shore in Big Bay, South Africa… This beautiful Border Collie had swum out, realised he couldn’t get back to shore, and then managed – after a long struggle in these […]

South African opera singer Pumeza Matshikiza stunned the audience at the 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Glasgow this week with her rendition of “Freedom Come All Ye” (watch video below). Pumeza’s performance of the 1960’s Scottish protest song was significant to the people of Glasgow, who have a strong connection with South Africa. Glasgow gave Mandela […]

Wow – he did it! South African salvage master Nick Sloane – with the help of an international expert team – has successfully raised the Costa Concordia in the Mediterranean. The 52-year-old, who was born in Zambia, said this was his most challenging task to date – and he knows challenging! Sloane has previously rescued an […]

There’s a feeling in the country that South Africans have had enough of the relentless violence and corruption, and a tragic toddler may become the emblem of hope that brings the majority of citizens together to fight for a better, safer country for all. Four-year-old Taegrin Morris became the latest victim this weekend in yet another crime that […]

Oscar Pistorius broke his silence on Twitter a week ago. It had been five months since his previous tweet on Valentine’s Day when he wrote “a few words from my heart” and linked to a tribute he had written to his former girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, whom he tragically killed a year previously on 14 […]

Here are three of our favourite Mandela Day moments from today: 1. These fantastically colourful photos of the guys from the DMG team doing their thing for Madiba Day in Moruleng, North West: 2. “A 67 Second Read” – by Kwenzokuhle Maphumulo “I stand here,before you not as a prophet,but as a humble servant of you,the people.Your tireless […]

As South Africa mourns the tragic loss of Durban-born Cameron Dalziel (43) in the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 crash yesterday, his friends and former employer have spoken of a man who was a popular, talented, helicopter rescue pilot who lived life to the full. Cameron was on board the Boeing 777 flight, returning home to […]

South African comedian Trevor Noah has announced today that he will be returning to Australia and New Zealand in 2014, much to the delight of many expats who have been begging him to head back after his previous sold-out shows. The South African comedian, who has been embraced by foreigners abroad as well South Africans everywhere, has […]

Search engine giant Google is honouring Nelson Mandela today with an interactive doodle on its home page. The doodle celebrates different stages in the life of Mandela – from the village he grew up in, to his prison cell and his ultimate role as the first black President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. […]

Today is the first International Mandela Day that the world will celebrate without the man that inspired this day, Nelson Mandela. But judging from the outpouring of love and efforts that South Africans around the world are making today – he would be so proud that his legacy lives on in a new generation. “The greatest free […]

South African playwright Athol Fugard, the creator of anti-apartheid masterpieces such as Blood Knot, The Island and Master Harold … and the Boys, has been named as the first African recipient of a Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award, Japan’s highest honour in the arts. The five winners of the 2014 awards – Fugard in the […]

Here’s an interesting video from a UK-based organisation which brings a new perspective to the belief that the world generously aids ‘helpless’ Africa. According to their report, it is the rest of the world that benefits from and is aided by Africa more than the continent is aided by the world. The organisation, Health Poverty Action, works […]

Fatherland is sure to be one of the more controversial films screened at this year’s Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which kicks off tomorrow. The 71-minute documentary follows a group of Afrikaans boys during a 9-day military-style camp where they train in the SADF-apartheid spirt of their fathers before them. This is not a Hollywood […]

It is an extraordinary dream come true. Like music to Mandla Maseko’s ears, this part-time DJ will blast off into space, literally. No-one in Maseko’s family has ever stepped outside South Africa, but now the 25-year-old is preparing to rocket into space in 2015. Maseko won the global Axe Apollo Space Academy competition for an […]

A wonderful story of the spirit of ubuntu has emerged in South Africa over the last couple of days, involving a thoughtful taxi driver, his passenger who was witness to the events, and a job applicant who was the recipient of the driver’s kindness. It all started on Wednesday 9 July when columnist and author […]

The J-Bay Open started yesterday in great 4-6 foot surf with South Africa’s hopes stacked on Jordy Smith who won the event three years ago.  And Jordy did not disappoint… Jeffrey’s Bay was taken off the ASP tour for the last 3 years but it’s back on. Jordy said he was so “stoked” when he heard it […]

As news came this week of another poacher being fatally injured during a skirmish, the relentless and gruesome poaching of South Africa’s precious rhino continues unabated. We have lost 558 rhino this year to poachers. That is 100 more than this time last year! One hundred. It is tragic and horrific. South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs […]

Lately a lot of South Africans abroad (and expats who’ve moved back) have woken up to discover that without even knowing it, they’ve relinquished their South African citizenship. Dylan Hainsworth, who now lives in the UK, phoned the South African High Commission in London to find out more. This is what she was advised… “The […]

Coca-Cola have relaunched their hugely successful ‘Share a Coke’ campaign in Europe this summer with a fantastic video that was filmed in South Africa. The ‘Share a Coke with Bobby’ advert was filmed on the streets (and a roof or two) of Johannesburg, and is currently playing in some European cinemas…to the delight of any expat […]

For many South Africans abroad who hold dual citizenship (or maybe thought they did…and have subsequently discovered they relinquished it without knowing!), the question about which passport to use when heading back to South Africa on holiday has becoming slightly confusing. So we turned to legal experts for the facts. UPDATE October 2020: Please sign the petition for a […]

Many South Africans abroad, particularly in the UK, have been confused by recent rumours and misguided articles about retaining one’s South African nationality. We have been inundated at SAPeople by worried expats who would like some clarification on South African dual citizenship, so we turned to the experts for advice… An immigration consultant in the […]