At the southern tip of South Africa, two great oceans meet - the Atlantic and the Indian - and visitors can say they have stood at the very tip of the African continent after viewing this majesty from Cape Point. It’s an incredible country: Warm weather lasts most of the year, and big game roams just beyond the city lights. Humanity began here, and traces of our ancestors are still evident in fossilised footprints 80 000 years old, and in the world’s oldest rock paintings. South Africa is also the powerhouse of Africa, and the most advanced, broad-based economy on the continent, with an infrastructure on a par with any first-world country.

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By Dianne Tipping-Woods

This is not a post about the South African judiciary. No, the bench I’m referring to is an actual bench in Amsterdam. The bench became the focus of my attention recently, by virtue of a group of exceptional South Africans who have been invited to ‘own’ a portion of it. (more…)

By Kenneth Davison

Visiting South Africa can be a daunting task for many people around the world, but many people make the long flight here for work or holiday and typically they will stay in one of the main cities (Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban).

Surviving in South Africa may seem daunting at first, but most tourist destinations or business hosts will give you a small run down on how to avoid becoming a victim of crime. There are the general big city rules you should apply, such keeping vigilant, don’t walk around alone at night and don’t show off anything valuable. Once you are fully into this mode of awareness, you can proceed to do all the fun things that South Africa has, some of which are very well known around the World.

I have recently had the privilege of working with two people from China who are in South Africa for three months. Upon arrival, the usual introduction to safety was given and they managed to relax once they realised that there are no armed gangs haphazardly wandering the streets of Sandton. But then a new problem arose, how do they travel around Gauteng if they cannot hire a car?

This problem was a first for me, and I quickly told them not to catch mini-bus taxis as we don’t want to put them under unnecessary stress, or run the risk of them getting lost. It would be possible to call a taxi-cab, but these can be very expensive if you want to travel long distance. The buses are another problem faced as many of the companies that operate bus routes do not make it easy to find them.  Eventually, an idea to use the Gautrain was made.

The Gautrain runs from the centre of Johannesburg to Hatfield in Pretoria. Conveniently, they have a number of stations spread between these points, making it easy to travel around the province. The price of travelling between Johannesburg and Pretoria is also fairly reasonable, so it seems like an ideal solution. Best of all, our Chinese guests would be able to walk or catch buses between the stations and the tourist attractions.

The idea was grand, they could catch a train to Hatfield in the morning, take a bus to the Union Buildings, explore some of the shops, maybe go to Loftus (China doesn’t play rugby, so a little unlikely) and then catch a train to Rosebank, have dinner and then go back to their flat/hotel. After much excitement about this plan, we went to www.Gautrain.co.za to download the maps, only to read that the buses do not run on weekends.

The trains run on weekends, but not the buses. I thought this was a bit ludicrous. Surely the buses run whenever the trains run, or you will get to the other station and then need to catch a taxi or phone a friend? I do understand that Gautrain is targeted at business people, and they must make a profit, but I would have assumed that the buses would run, even if there are far fewer trips on the weekend.

By Kathryn Fourie

Port Elizabeth. Pretty much splat halfway between Durban and Cape Town, PE really does get a bum rap. For some people, PE simply means ‘the arse end of the Garden Route’, and that’s not just because it’s far away from the nice parts like Natures Valley. It actually happens to smell funny from the sewage plant on the outskirts of town. However, this blog is 100% in PE’s defence, because I happen to think its pretty damn cool. (more…)

By Kenneth Davison

Johannesburg is such a diverse city when it comes to cultures and the people that live in the area. Travelling only a few kilometres can take you from informal, relaxed society to the sophisticated, artistic and flamboyant. There is one area that is aiming to become the number one hotspot for these sophisticated people, Fourways.

Fourways already has a number of attractions which root it firmly in the eye of all people that enjoy sleek surroundings, and in some cases a bit of opulence. The shopping centres and malls in Fourways set it apart from rivals, with centres such as Cedar Square, Montecasino, Fourways Crossing and Fourways mall to name a few. However, there is one place that I have spent a little time at recently which manages to concentrate some of the best features of those centres and provides a stellar atmosphere and it is Design Quarter. (more…)

By Dianne Bayley

It’s the city those who don’t live here thinks is “bland and boring” - but Egoli, the City of Gold, is far more than just a business hub. Johannesburg is a vibrant and bustling city, with a melting pot of cultures that offer both locals and visitors a kaleidoscope of entertainment and learning. Here are some facts you may find interesting about the city called Johannesburg . . . (more…)

By Dianne Bayley

In January 2013 it was estimated that the festive season death toll was around 1 465, according to Minister of Transport Ben Martins who said that between December 1 2012 and January 8 2013, 1 221 fatal accidents were recorded on South Africa’s roads.

Before every long weekend and major holiday, road safety agencies warn South Africans to get their vehicles checked for safety and to obey the rules of the road, be courteous, drive within the speed limits at all times - and don’t drink and drive. (more…)

By Jacqui Thompson

It was only lack of time that stopped us from waffling home via Karoo towns with intriguing names like Hondefontein, Tontelbos, Commissioner’s Pan, Pampoenpoort and Vlieëkraal. We were en route, or rather off route, from Cape Town to Johannesburg on our two motorbikes, and avoiding the madness of the N1.

We left tiny Fraserburg and set off into the vast space of the Great Karoo. Massive farms demarcated only by skinny barbed-wire fences and the occasional plaas name boards were home to dusty sheep nibbling on the sweet-scented Karoo bushes.

Again the semi desert vistas were spectacular and traveling the slow winding 181kms between Fraserburg and Loxton to the north east we passed only two vehicles. Both bakkies of course. The Karoo is not for sissies, but for real cars and real people. (more…)

Home of the world-famous Ndebele artistic tradition, this province glories in creativity and feasts on its mysterious and glamorous past. (more…)

By Dianne Bayley

South Africans love to eat. Not only that, we’re more than adequate cooks. From the lady on the street corner braaiing mielies (read “barbequeing corn on the cob” if you’re American), to the construction worker frying eggs on a clean shovel atop a fire, to the gent firing up his Weber on a Saturday afternoon, we’re all fairly inventive when it comes to filling up. (more…)