UPDATE: News out earlier today raised hopes that the five-month strike on the platinum belt would soon be over but, according to Eye Witness News (EWN), the Association of Mineworkers and Contruction Union (AMCU) have rejected the deal and the strike continues … This morning we wrote that Reuters was reporting that the end to […]

South Africa is often lambasted for its labour relations environment and it has become common cause around SA boardrooms that if you want business to hire more people you, paradoxically, have to make it easier to fire them. This is borne out by several studies. The World Economic Forum, for example, placed it in 147th […]

Zola Budd, who recently had an incredible Comrades Marathon run placing 7th lady home at the age of 48, has been dealt yet another harsh blow by sporting authorities. Budd, who ran in honour of captured Pierre Korkie, was also the first lady veteran runner to cross the line, but this has now been disallowed because she […]

The latest South African version of “Happy”, inspired by Pharell Williams’ hit song, makes us truly HAPPY! Not only was it shot on locations all around South Africa…but the country’s legendary Sunlight brand is offering to donate R10 to the SA Ubuntu Foundation for each time this “Happy” video is shared on YouTube! The “Happy […]

To celebrate CNN listing Durban as one of the Top Ten Most Underrated Cities in the World…and therefore one that tourists should book as their next holiday destination for more than just a pop-in, we’ve put together a photographic feast… Those of us who grew up in or near Durban have always known it’s South Africa’s […]

The Comrades is always something I have loved shooting, the all round vibe is amazing to be a part of. This year I was again following lead men from the back of a bike as a part of the MMPhoto team – you cant have a better seat than that to witness what unfolds! Earlier […]

A mountain biker has uploaded a video on YouTube which shows an armed gunman in South Africa brazenly hijacking his bicycle…all caught on camera because the guman and his two accomplices didn’t realise what the GoPro camera on the biker’s helmut was (which shows how important it is to keep up with technology, no matter […]

The top three positions in the Comrades Marathon 2014 down-run, which kicked off successfully at 5.30 am this morning from Pietermaritzburg, have been won by South Africans! Bongmusa Mthembu came first in 5:28, followed by Ludwick Mamabolo (5:33) and Gift Kelehe (5:34). Zimbabwean Stephen Muzhingi came in fourth position. South African Gert Thys, who was […]

The war on rhino poaching in South Africa, particularly in the Kruger National Park, scored several successes in the last fortnight, culminating with the arrests this week of a former South African National Parks (SANParks) field Sergeant and two police constables. Hopefully these arrests will go some way towards curbing the escalating poaching figures – currently standing […]

Princess Charlene and Prince Albert are expecting their first child. The Monaco royal couple made the following short announcement on Friday 30 May: “T.S.H. the Prince and the Princess of Monaco are delighted to announce the pregnancy of H.S.H. Princess Charlène. The birth is expected at the end of the year.” This will be Princess […]

Many of us get exhausted just watching the legendary 90-km Comrades Marathon on TV…but three incredible athletes set out to run the distance of TEN Comrades Marathons in 10 consecutive days. Heartbreakingly two have had to pull out…but wow, we applaud them for their selflessness and bravery in pushing their physical boundaries to the limits to raise money […]

South African professional surfer Jordy Smith pays it forward in this video ‘Today is Perfect’ proving he’s a champion in and out of the waves. The short online film explores the tough circumstances for many underprivileged kids in Durban and how surfing can change their lives. (Scroll down for video.) Jordy,  who’s currently ranked tenth in the 2014 […]

I peer through a yellowed lace curtain onto a township street with the unease of an obvious newcomer. Children are hurried indoors and women hasten their pace to get home before all light is lost. The last of the sun disappears behind a sea of silver shacks, thin dogs and rusted clothes lines. Darkness once […]

An urgent petition to halt mining plans that could threaten the rhinos in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi park has been set up on Avaaz, the online global campaigning community…and they need your signature. According to the petition, plans are underway to build an open-cast coal mine only 40 metres away from the game park. Conservationists, scientists and […]

Maya Angelou – poet, author, activist, playwright, historian, director, producer and actor (the list is endless) – sadly passed away this morning at the age of 86. Apart from her mountain of accolades and achievements, Maya also enjoyed a passion for dancing throughout her life, was mentor and friend to American talk show host Oprah […]

Labour unrest, slow growth in developed countries, high levels of youth unemployment and low levels of consumer and business confidence all pose challenges for the South African economy, but the country remains an important regional hub for mining, the automotive sector and financial markets. The latest Africa Economic Outlook report for 2014 paints a picture of […]

Community spirit in Ballito  is high, with a thriving online community on Facebook…and a new video celebrating just how happy they are. The beachside town on Kwa-Zulu Natal’s North Coast recently created their own version of Pharrell Williams’ hit song “Happy” (watch below). The video features the best of Ballito including many members of the community who […]

South Africans around the world are grabbing for the tissues to get them through a breathtaking new video that showcases South African scenes and scenery at its best. The new SA Tourism brand video is aimed at tourists, telling them that “when you #MeetSouthAfrica you’ll reconsider what you think you know”…but it’s many of South […]

South African cabinet ministers named yesterday by President Jacob Zuma were, in the main, not chosen because of their technical knowledge, skill or sector experience. Rather, Sunday’s promotions, demotions and new appointments reflect the need to reward the loyal, appease some opponents and punish others, and perhaps most importantly, reflect the myriad ethnic and class […]

It’s been a year to the day since South African expat Gela-Marie Williams won the Finch Memoir Prize in her new homeland Australia for her inspiring and heartbreaking ‘Green Vanilla Tea’. At that moment she was at a crossroads in her life and career, a self-described “woman in the process of reinvention”. Twelve months later and […]

Congratulations to Mayenzeke Shweni and Zweiliwile Hans from South Africa for coming first and second in the Individual Finals of the Blade Shearing category at the World Sheep Shearing Championships this weekend in Ireland! Together Shweni and Hans also scored a first for South Africa in the Teams Final for the same category. Jim Cully, […]

SA Tourism has launched a new video ad campaign which showcases South Africa with breathtaking cinematography…coupled with a fairly sombre message asking potential tourists to “reconsider” South Africa. The video, with a British voice-over, begins by posing the question: “what is beauty?”. After  answering with a stream of stunning visuals of SA scenes, as well as using sentences […]

Today’s inauguration of President Jacob Zuma, which marks the start of his second and final term as state president, will be attended by around 20 000 people who will feast their eyes and ears on the best pageantry that South Africa has to offer. But amidst all the pomp and ceremony that marks one of the biggest days […]

Some of South Africa’s hottest young surfers will be riding it out next weekend in the second leg of the Quiksilver “Takes One to Know One” event in Umdloti. The KZN North Coast event – which will be held on 31 May to 01 June – will feature close to 90 surfers and offers over […]

Since the National Elections, many of those South Africans overseas who made a massive effort to vote have raised questions about the election process from the mysterious VEC10 form to the lack of voting stations and the distressing news for those in four cities that their votes were never even counted in the end. In a blog post […]