South African music legend Johnny Clegg was taken by “complete ambush” (his words) when he joined Martin Bester Drive (MBD) radio show in November 2013. The Jacaranda FM radio team had a surprise in store for him…that turned into a tearjerker for both Johnny and the studio team themselves! MBD had contacted Johnny’s musician son […]

Like having babies, you forget the pain, says super athlete Jeannie Dreyer, referring to her astonishing first-place finish in the 2 300km Freedom Challenge mountain bike race. The route starts in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, and ends in Wellington in Western Cape, and takes place at the end of June. Thirty-three-year-old Jeannie, a housewife and mother of two […]

Known to many as the man who liberated South Africa from apartheid, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, whose clan name is Madiba, is a world-class icon recognised for his integrity and his will to fight for the freedom that we relish today. One way of understanding the man is to explore the countryside in which he grew […]

Happy Valentine’s Day to South Africans everywhere! (Update: 14 February 2015) Durban sunrise. If love was a teardrop, I’d send you an ocean… February’s full moon at Paternoster Beach Sent in by: Christopher Bettany – “Happy Valentine’s to everyone from Azura Benguerra Island Mozambique. This picture is of a stunning sandbank close to the island.” The […]

“Searching for Sugar Man”, about two South Africans who set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, is picking up awards and new fans for 1970s rock ‘n roller Rodriguez all over the world. The title of the documentary takes its inspiration from one of the tracks off Rodriguez’ Cold Fact album, […]

South African documentary “Punk in Africa” has been selected for the 50th New York Film Festival. The explosive documentary about the role of 1970’s South Africa punk music in the war against Apartheid has been chosen for the Film Festival’s new “On the Arts” section. “Punk in Africa” is produced by Keith Jones and Deon […]

From an email doing the rounds… Why is Curry so popular? Please take time to read this excerpt slowly. If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third judge is even better. For those of you who have lived in Natal, you know how typical this is! They actually have […]

From an email doing the rounds: If the words are a little too blurry for you, here’s a transcript: The real Africa is the one they never show you. The real Africa is hidden beneath veneer of poverty and hunger and death,a cancerous mass on the face of the earth that the rest of the […]

From an email doing the rounds… Why is Curry so popular? Please take time to read this excerpt slowly. If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third judge is even better. For those of you who have lived in Natal, you know how typical this is! They actually have a Curry […]

From an email doing the rounds: If the words are a little too blurry for you, here’s a transcript: The real Africa is the one they never show you. The real Africa is hidden beneath veneer of poverty and hunger and death,a cancerous mass on the face of the earth that the rest of the […]

Stunning photographs of South Africa in the Seventies by renowned South African photographer Steve Bloom, are being presented by The London Festival of Photography this month. And on Monday (11th June), Steve will be giving a talk at the Guardian about photography in South Africa during the apartheid years. In 1977, aged just 24, Steve […]

If you remember Paul Simon’s epic album Graceland (a whopping 25 years ago!), then you’re going to love his new documentary “Paul Simon: Under African Skies” which celebrates this special anniversary. The 102-minute documentary sees Paul Simon reminisce and return to South Africa for a reunion concert. (Scroll down to view the trailer.) The hotly […]

From an email doing the rounds: Here’s a classic South African email doing the rounds at the moment. Some pics are distressing, some may offend, and some are just funny…

The film A Million Colours: e’Lollipop II, depicting the lives of child actors Muntu Ndebele and Norman Knox during the years following the success of their iconic 1975 South African box office hit e’Lollipop, will be released locally in April. The two child stars of e’Lollipop, which movingly portrayed the friendship between a white and a black […]

Four South African paddlers are participating in the Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon to raise money for the Paddle for a Limb initiative, which provides prosthetic limbs for underprivileged people living in the Dusi Valley near Durban in KwaZulu- Natal. The Dusi Canoe Marathon, considered the world’s most prestigious kayak race, takes place every year between Pietermaritzburg […]

PREVIOUS VALENTINE MESSAGES For: Milla Be my Valentine! Anonymous   For: My Love My Angel, I love to drive down our driveway every afternoon and I see your car.  I still get so excited that my heart skips 10 beats. I will always want to hold your hand forever. Love Guess who?????   For: Nick […]

PREVIOUS VALENTINE MESSAGES | NEXT VALENTINE MESSAGES For: Blondie Hi Blondie, When I’m with you my heart beats faster,When you touch me it’s like an Angel has passed by. When you kiss me it’s like time stands still, and when we make love it’s like we are the only people in paradise! Your secrete admirer […]

From an email doing the rounds… A FUNNY SOUTH AFRICAN STORY  …. On Sunday I popped down to the local convenience store at the Engen service station to return some DVDs and pick up a few things.  On the way I passed a scrap metal cart being pulled by a donkey.  Whenever I see this […]

PREVIOUS VALENTINE MESSAGES | NEXT VALENTINE MESSAGES   For: Antoinette Happy 35th Valentines day. All my love. Adrian   For: Mandy Gorgeous Mandy,   Since I have kissed you a hundred times in my dreams, I think I can perform it most perfectly for real with you by now. XXX Secret Admirer   For: Bev […]

PREVIOUS VALENTINE MESSAGES | NEXT VALENTINE MESSAGES For: Wanda Naude baie geluk met valentynsdag, mag daar nog baie wees tussen ons, wou vir jou n ou bommeletjie stuur maar hy pas nie in die skerm nie ekke   For: Nellis Grobbelaar Ek het uiteindelik die moed bymekaar geskraap om vir jou te sê hoe ek […]

PREVIOUS VALENTINE MESSAGES | NEXT VALENTINE MESSAGES For: Lawrence Van Rensburg, Tzaneen Thank you for being my special valentine! I love you lots!! Chantel   For: Boela. The one and only. When I found you I used to dream that someday I might find a lover who would be tender, kind, and passionate… I used […]

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! Check below – or on the following pages – to see if someone special has sent YOU a secret Valentine: 1 (this page) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 The top three message senders have each won a R250 Gift Voucher from NetFlorist to send a gift or […]

HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco and HSH Prince Albert II visited the new premises of the Princess Charlene Children’s Home, where Princess Charlene unveiled the plaque for the Home. The former South African Olympic swimmer enthusiastically accepted that the Centre be given her name, since it corresponds to a major role of society, the protection […]

Voetsek! 2012 – Do Your Bit To Help Man’s Best Friend The 3rd annual Voetsek! Music Festival is set to take place on Saturday the 17th of March at The Bohemian in Richmond. Doors open at 17h00 with the first band starting at 18h00. Admission is R70.00. There is a discount rate based on items […]

‘From an email doing the rounds’ Why coloureds can’t be terrorists: by MARK LOTTERING – Ons is altyd laat. We would have missed all 4 flights. – We talk loud and would bring attention to ourselves. – Met free kos en cooldrink oppie plane, we’ll sommer forget why we’re there. – We praat with our hands, […]