Democratic Alliance (DA) Chief Whip John Steenhuisen, had strong criticism for President Jacob Zuma, the Speaker and several members of the ANC, at today’s 2017 SONA (State of the Nation) Debate. He said that Zuma, in his monotonous voice with a speech written by Luthuli House, had put his own benches to sleep and made […]

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane delivered the following speech to the National Assembly at the State of the Nation Address (SONA) Debate in South Africa on Tuesday… and it’s been causing a buzz on Twitter ever since. Users described Maimane’s speech as ‘profound’ and ‘to the point’. Maimane said the ANC has “turned from liberator […]

Trevor Noah‘s outspoken comments – on Trump, Twitter, similarities between Trump and Hitler’s rhetoric, and his own upbringing in South Africa – during an Al Jazeera interview, have gone viral since airing on Saturday. Noah joined interviewer Dareen Abughaida on Talk To Al Jazeera one day after his autobiography, Born a Crime, won the Debut Author and Outstanding Biography / Autobiography […]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Jazz and R & B singer Al Jarreau, a seven-time Grammy winner whose hits included “We’re in This Love Together” and “Moonlighting,” died on Sunday in Los Angeles at age 76, just days after announcing he was retiring from touring because of poor health. (Scroll down for South African Arts Minister’s comments.) […]

You’ve probably seen at least five of these videos. As we mark a week since  Springbok scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen passed away, these are seven videos worth watching… 1. Joost Tribute – You’ll Never Walk Alone: Amor and the children’s tribute, with photos from the family album 2. Tribute from Amor Vittone, mother of […]

Tributes to South Africa’s rugby hero, Joost van der Westhuizen, were paid at all Six Nations’ Championship matches  in Round Two of 2017 – with a minute’s applause in Cardiff, Rome and Paris. The organisers said the tribute was to mark “the passing of the great South African scrum-half”, and called him a “rugby legend”. […]

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Whale rescuers in New Zealand linked arms in neck-deep water on Saturday to try and prevent about 200 pilot whales from stranding themselves again in a remote bay, where 300 of the animals died this week. The incident, in the shallow muddy waters of Golden Bay, at the northwest tip of South […]

If you missed it earlier, these are the two videos most people have searched for on SAPeople, following rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen’s public memorial service at Loftus Versveld in Pretoria on Friday. Tribute from Amor Vittone, mother of Joost van der Westhuizen’s two children Tribute from Sumari (Sumi) Botha, Joost’s Niece MORE Video, […]

Virginia Machpelah suffered from Alzheimer’s. She was fun-loving, a good person, a fellow South African… and tragically she was also one of the 94 victims of the Gauteng Health Department’s #LifeEsidimeni blunder. On Wednesday night her sister Christine Nxumalo said: “She loved kids and was just generally a very good person who didn’t do nothing wrong, really. […]

The State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa, was a lot of the same old same old. Chaos. Brawls. Political parties kicked out of parliament (EFF). Parties walking out (DA). Buthelezi wearing his feather. Lots of pointing, and even more ‘points of order’. Swearing, insults and fists being thrown. And although […]

Last year we promised that we will find rhinos in need of urgent help and give you the opportunity to help rescue them 1 by 1, writes LOUISE JOUBERT, founder of SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa. Our Saving Big Boy appeal in 2016 helped to save a beautiful white rhino bull from falling victim to a […]

The South African Hall of Fame has today launched the Official SA Hall of Fame Legacy Song to the public. The song – sung by Corlea Botha (with an incredibly powerful voice) and written by Johan Vorster – is called ‘100 Years from Now’ (and is similar to Celine Dion’s ‘The Power of Love’). The […]

The question many South Africans are asking today, is why President Jacob Zuma has authorised the employment of 441 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) for service in cooperation with the SA Police Service (SAPS) “to maintain law and order” at the Opening of Parliament, where Zuma will deliver his State of the Nation Address (SONA) […]

The Joost van der Westhuizen tribute song – first featured by SAPeople on Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Day in 2014 – will be performed by his niece Sumi Botha on Friday, at the Springbok rugby player’s public memorial in Pretoria. (Update, 10 Feb: Watch Sumari Botha sing Mr Number 9 tribute song at Joost’s Public […]

eNCA are calling it ‘the moment of the day’ – when President Jacob Zuma laughed – and laughed off – their TV journalist’s question about reshuffle rumours. The South African President was briefing the press following a business meeting luncheon in Cape Town today, ahead of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday. The […]

Some rains have been falling down in Free State, South Africa… to the joy of farmers in the area who have been praying for the heavens to open up and irrigate their fields, nourish their starved animals and drench their desperate souls. And finally it happened! Remi Coetzee captured the following footage of Vals River, Kroonstad, over the weekend… […]

Heartbreaking footage has been taken of a tame rhino calf – an orphan – who was shot and seriously wounded by poachers in Polokwane, South Africa, over the weekend. The little rhino, called ‘Vrystaat’, was shot twice. And while his horn was being brutally hacked off, he tried to stand and escape… and was shot again […]

There’s an old Super Bowl commercial that’s gone viral amongst South Africans today. It was filmed in and for Americans… and it’s from way back in 2013, but it strikes a chord with the hard-working, long-suffering South African farmers… especially as they’ve just seen their way through one of the toughest droughts in history. The […]

One of the most searched for videos on SAPeople today is the one below, when New Zealand rugby great Jonah Lomu went to South Africa and visited his rival and close friend, Springbok player Joost. Jonah Lomu passed away in November 2015. Joost van der Westhuizen died today. Watch the wonderful video below of the […]

A Dutch cinematographer, Jeroen Schrage, has captured breathtaking scenes of majestic South African landscapes from the Western Cape to Free State, Mpumalanga to Eastern Cape. Watch his video below. Jeroen spent three weeks in SA last year to capture the mainly aerial shots… using drones and helicopter trips. In December he published the video on […]

Teachers have been inspiring students and adults around the world this week – from South Africa to the USA. Riaan van Straten melted hearts when photos were uploaded to social media of the sports teacher giving a piggyback to a young girl (with both legs amputated) who was desperate to participate in an athletics race at a school […]

South Africans have long LOVED Nando’s for its brilliantly conceived advertising campaigns… let alone its tasty peri-peri chicken. And now Americans are catching on quickly too with the fast food restaurant chain’s latest political statement even making it yesterday to the pages of esteemed national newspaper, The Washington Post. Nando’s grabbed attention – and customers – in Washington […]

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer credits much of his success on and off the court to his mom, Lynette, and to the family’s trips back to her homeland of South Africa when he was growing up. According to Roger’s dad, Robert, Roger inherited his athletic gifts from his mom… whom he admits is a better tennis player and golfer […]

Trevor Noah had the privilege this week of telling Hollywood actor Laurence Fishburne about the very first time he saw him in real life – in Soweto, South Africa… and “nearly drove his car off a cliff”. To be exact, it was an embankment. But it was steep enough to cause the crowd that had gathered around […]

Two movies with South African themes have generated a lot of interest at the famous Sundance Film Festival in Utah, United States. They are ‘Trophy’ and ‘The Wound’ – shining a spotlight respectively on hunting’s role in wildlife conservation, and on sexuality and masculinity. Trophy is a documentary about poaching, wildlife conservation and the complex role […]