The brilliantly talented, insightful and always frank Viv Vermaak has perfectly summed up the feelings of so many people in South Africa (and the world) who suffer from anxiety and depression. Responding to Viv’s words, posted Tuesday morning, one parent said “you wrote this today for my daughter, who is very dear to my heart. Thank […]

I am writing this story for me. I have always written, and it has always helped to offer insight and gain perspective. It is cathartic and, right now, I know that I need it to heal. I am writing this story for Mick, Alessia and Claudia. I had never, ever wanted to live as much […]

When we were young and the days were long, the corner cafe was the place to meet and greet and make up and break up… writes South African expat, author and motivational speaker Trevor Romain. It was the place where you stole at least one piece of liquorice or one of those yellow plastic sherberts […]

Canada, as everyone knows, is awesome… writes Phil Maloney from Maple and Marula. We invented all the best stuff in the world, like the internet, steak, clothes, and Beyonce. OK, like, maybe we didn’t INVENT all that stuff, but we HAVE it in Canada. And, to America’s constant surprise, we also have running water, electricity, and […]

So the story I’m about to tell you is so New York and one of the reasons people love this place… writes author and former South African expat Ted Botha, who now lives in Joburg, but was back in New York for a couple of months. It all centres around a stray one dollar bill. I […]

While statistics reveal the sad state of so many households in South Africa where children are growing up with absent fathers, there are men like 27-year-old Sabelo Malusi Thabethe whose greatest dream is to hold down his job so that he can buy a home in a safe area and take care of his daughter. […]

I have been in South Africa for 12 weeks nearly now and I’ve been trying to think of a way that I can express how my feelings towards this country are, as there are so many things to talk about both positively and negatively so I think a good old-fashioned letter may well do the […]

Meet Martha Hester Sehao, perhaps one of the last people alive from the 1800s… The 121-year-old South African woman has had seven children, of whom she has outlived three. Hailing from Ventersdorp in the North West province of SA, Martha says there’s only one secret to her long life… https://www.facebook.com/BrightVibesAfrica/videos/983504248500688/

As South Africa marked Youth Day on Saturday 16 June 2018, Sophia Kapp – an author and language practitioner from Pretoria – wrote the following moving message for Hector Pieterson, the 12-year-old boy who was fatally wounded during the Soweto Riots 42 years ago, and whose image was immortalised in the iconic photo by the […]

Playing international rugby for your country is a wonderful thing, writes Trevor Romain. I loved representing the Springboks. My friend who was an All Black, felt the same. We played against each other a number of times. He was a little stronger than me but I was a little faster. And although we were good […]

Rupak Hattikudur moved to South Africa from India three years ago. In that time he has taken beautiful photographs of South Africa’s wildlife in the bush… BUT yesterday he witnessed the other side of what’s happening in the bush to our wildlife. The tragedy of poaching. This is his story… My mother and I woke […]

Pieter and Nelia are newly wed farmers living near Parys in a region of South Africa known as the Free State… writes Jenny Wallace. Here sheep are known as “Free State takeaways”, referring to how often and easily sheep are stolen to feed the desperate. However the level of violence associated with these thefts has escalated. […]

Over 30,000 people have liked a post praising the exceptional service that a South African Police Service (SAPS) officer offered to a distraught passenger, on Sunday night at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Gauteng resident Isma Theron-De Witt posted a grateful message and photo on Sunday night, asking her friends to “meet officer Vincent from […]

For a number of reasons, round about this week every year, I share this life-changing experience… writes Trevor Romain. One reason I post it annually is so that I remember to read it again because it’s something I don’t ever want to forget: It happened a long time ago. A time when people actually did […]

The Knysna community has been rallying behind talented musician – Xolane Marman – to ensure he can fly to Germany to undertake a prestigious opera training programme. And this week he will be giving two unmissable benefit concerts to raise further funds. Recognising his talent and potential, Xolane was chosen from numerous gifted international students to […]

A Durban-born company has come up with an amazing concept. Perhaps a cure for the ails of entrepreneurship and a way to kick-start some amazing businesses into South Africa’s economy. Big Box has only been around for just over a year. But this team is taking no prisoners in their goal of igniting an entrepreneurial […]

South Africa’s Chris Barnard stands out in medical history as the heart surgeon who became a global household name after transplanting the first human heart on 3 December 1967. The historic surgery captured the world’s imagination and was hailed by 20th-century historians as socially and scientifically of equal significance compared to the moon-landing in 1969. I examined […]

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“Why on earth would you do that?” It was the question that surprised me from many Australians who thought I was mad to move to South Africa… writes Ed Charles. After all, isn’t Australia full of South Africans trying to escape that terrible country (and crime-ridden Johannesburg in particular)? Well, not quite. But let’s rewind […]

My father and his three siblings were orphans. They lived in the Abraham Kriel Orphanage in Langlaagte, Johannesburg, but he was moved to Kimberley at the age of four after he contracted polio, and only saw his siblings again in adulthood… writes GILDA SWANEPOEL. He attended Goudstad Kollege after school, but holidays proved to be a […]

Johnny Clegg is embarking on his final world tour – The Final Journey… after nearly 40 years enjoying one of music’s most remarkable careers. Below one of his biggest fans – whose life has been shaped by his music and anthropological background – pays tribute… In a statement Wednesday, it was revealed Johnny was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 […]

As some SAPeople followers may recall, regular SAPeople contributor MARGUERITE DE VILLIERS met someone through the site two years ago, on Heritage Day, after she shared photos with SAPeople’s Facebook page. And now, two years later – also on Heritage Day – the couple got engaged! Here are the photos set to Johnny Clegg’s ‘Spirit of the Great Heart’… A […]

Last year Nic Udal from KwaZulu-Natal married the love of his life, Dace. Six weeks ago she gave birth to their first child, Leo. They were based in Riga, Latvia, making their dreams come true, and looking forward to a life filled with love and adventure ahead of them. But last Friday evening it all changed… Nic was […]

I come home to find Samson under the big tree in the front garden. He’s made a fire and looks disgruntled that I am so late. Those were the days before I installed the security gate. The days only schizophrenic dwarfy hobos with a moerse houding would dare to sneak onto your property while you […]

From slavery to colonialism and school rules: a history of myths about black hair… “Your hair feels like pubic hair.” That was one of the first insults that someone hurled at my hair. She was a junior at my school. She would touch my hair and repeat this sentence to all present. I had to […]