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 […]

A semi-retired South African expat has stepped up to become an unlikely hero in the Ukraine where he is working tirelessly to rescue thousands of zoo animals – affected by the revolution – from starving to death. Lionel de Lange (48), who has lived in the Ukraine since 2006 and still has a business in South […]

It’s been less than three weeks since Brent Lindeque uploaded his ‘South African NekNomination’ video and changed one thing…which changed everything. Today he spoke to SAPeople about optimism, South Africa and his day job. On 31 January Brent uploaded his Neknomination challenge in which he had changed the social media game’s rules and done something […]

While some of us wait to get nominated to do a good deed (like a #raknomination), there’s a 17-year-old teenager in Cape Town who’s doing everything she can, on a shoestring budget, to raise the confidence of kids in Joe Slovo/Phoenix and help them and herself follow their dreams. Kimite Cancino lives in Milnerton with […]

Like many young South Africans, Tanja Kappler had dreams of a life in Hollywood’s film industry, but after a six-month stint in Los Angeles, she realised it wasn’t for her. And so she moved to Barcelona and started taking beautiful photographs. Here she talks to SAPeople about life in a non-English country, her passion for photography […]

Zarni de Wet has a beautiful voice. American musician John Mayer says  “I just want to hear it again”. And we thought you may want to hear it too.  The 24-year-old singer-songwriter tells SAPeople about the inspiration behind her song ‘Feel Something’, her move to America, and the bittersweet importance of feelings. So, what was […]

Award-winning South African author Marie Williams talks exclusively to SAPeople about love, loss, Green Goblins and discovering what makes your heart sing. Marie was recently awarded the Finch Memoir prize in Australia for GREEN VANILLA TEA, a heart-wrenching and inspiring memoir of the loss of her  husband Dom, a fellow South African. The two had […]

Johannesburg-born make-up artist Lana G has become one of South Africa’s hottest exports in the make-up field with a list of bumper-to-bumper celebrity clients in the USA. As a child and teenager in Johannesburg, Lana modelled for Killarney Film Studios, until 1971 when she moved, at the age of 19, to New York City to […]

South African teenager Bernard Pieterse (16), who recently won a top prize in the Sony World Photography Awards, found some time – in between his school studies – to talk to sapeople about his photography, his passions and the photo ‘Sossusvlei’ which won him first prize in the youth Environment category. (See the photo below.) […]

Singer songwriter Josie Field has just launched her third album 1984; she’s opened for James Blunt at the Dome in Jo’burg, Ziggy Marley in Soweto..and played for Madiba on his birthday. She was born 27 years ago at the Jo’burg Gen; lives in Melville, South Africa; and is organizing a fantastic blues/folk concert – The Drake […]

Capetonian Jo Maxwell – also known as ‘The Queen’ by those close to her – talks to sapeople about her brilliantly unique sleeping  bag invention…which tends to put a smile on everyone’s face. Jo invented The Good Night and God Bless Waterproof sleeping bags back in 2005 as a temporary emergency measure for night shelters, […]

Sandton-born Odette Warder is a model turned actress who’s currently carving an acting and film production career for herself in the USA. Odette grew up in Margate on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, but emigrated to New Zealand with her husband in 2007 before relocating to Manhattan, New York in order to pursue her dream […]

Brilliant South African bass baritone Vuyani Mlinde answers questions about his amazing voice, a family photograph and the importance of remembering your heritage. Vuyani will be appearing in London tomorrow night (Tuesday 28th June) at the Rosenblatt Recitals, London’s only world-class concert season of opera and song… 1. Your career started a few years ago […]

Andrew Newman is a South African (well, Afro-Celtic now) healer and PoemCatcher. He has a geography degree in army avoidance (!) from the early ’90s and has just published ‘Royal Wedding Poems’, an anthology of donated poems inspired by Prince William and Kate Middleton. After working in the family jewellery business for many years, Andrew […]

Amanda Tsinonis co-founded SAReunited seven years ago. Within weeks it became South Africa’s largest social-networking site. She talks to us about nuns, plump purple figs and how to pick your battles. Read more…

South African expat and triathlete Lisa Roberts recently won the European  Championships for her age group (running under the British banner). Lisa and her husband, former South African TV presenter Jason Roberts, live in the Alps where they own a ski chalet (Chalet Shiraz), run a transfer business, take care of their two children and […]

Capetonians Ralph Mothes and Paloma Werner made international headlines a couple of weeks ago when a breaching Southern Wright whale crashed onto their 32-foot yacht Intrepid during a balmy Sunday afternoon sail. The ensuing publicity and controversy shook their world. Here Ralph and Paloma talk exclusively to sapeople about their whirlwind experience with a whale […]

As Johnny Clegg kicked off a tour of Europe and South Africa, he talked exclusively to sapeople about his message, his exercise regime and what you’ll find at the top of a mountain. Together with Jaluka, and then Savuka, Johnny sang of freedom, equality and cultural unity in a time when our country was drowning […]

An sapeople interview with member Sibongile Greetar Mondalamo (23): So where do you live? Mafikeng Where do you wish you lived? Pretoria Proudest achievement? When i was awarded the best academic performance student in high school for 3 years; and also obtaining my degree in Bcom Operations Research. Your most useful character trait? My creativity […]

South African wildlife photographer Hannes Lochner recently returned from two-and-a-half years in the Kalahari Desert, capturing breathtaking images for his latest book ‘Colours of the Kalahari’.  Here the Capetonian talks exclusively to sapeople about ‘TV Monkeys’, the smell of the Kalahari and the 15-year journey he took to be able to make his dreams of […]

South African business coach Themi Stergianos (38) was born to be an entrepreneur. He has owned and operated over eight businesses including a restaurant, estate agent franchise as well as online ventures. And now he’s sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with other entrepreneurs in his new venture as a business coach. In this interview the […]

An Interview with sapeople Person Ditaba Rantsane  (30)… So where do you live? Mafikeng Where do you wish you lived? Bloemfontein Proudest achievement? Getting my LLB degree Your most useful character trait? My beautiful smile and soft personality. Most interesting person you’ve met (or know)? My mother – despite her being my mother she always […]

Grant Bushby is sapeople’s featured blogger in London, as well as Head of Marketing for BBC Worldwide’s Sales & Distribution division. 1. Proudest achievement to date? Organising a party for 10,000 children in Moscow’s Red Square to launch the Teletubbies on Russian television 2. So why do you live in London? Theatre, music gigs and […]

interviewed by Jenni Baxter Melanie Walker is sapeople’s featured blogger in Johannesuburg. She also has a ‘few’ other jobs – which include writing  for SA Garden and Home, presenting a gardening show, “Grounded” on 1485 am Radio Today; scriptwriting and researching for a couple of shows on DSTV (including Studio 53 – lifestyle and entertainment […]

Wendy Knowler is sapeople’s featured blogger from Durban and is a syndicated consumer columnist for Independent Newspapers. Her Consumer Water column is published twice weekly in The Star, Pretoria News, Daily News and Cape Times. She also presents a weekly consumer show on East Coast Radio. 1. Proudest achievement to date? As a B.Comm drop-out, […]