It is not easy to own a gun in South Africa

At the heart of the Firearms Control Act is the protection of the constitutional right to life and bodily integrity. This means that getting a licence to own a gun is an arduous undertaking; it is not given lightly. But it's a process gun enthusiasts like Oscar Pistorius are willing to go through, more than once.

Blackboard Africa is changing the views of African youth

Two young women from Gauteng were prompted to create Blackboard Africa by the negative portrayal of young Africans. Their goals include inspiring youth through...

South Africa’s musos dish on being a woman in music

It's tough being a woman in any industry; women are treated differently and some say they need to work twice as hard. Singers like Toya Delazy speak about the women who inspired them, and share their experiences in the music industry.

Prince Harry’s royal tour of South Africa and Lesotho

Britain's Prince Harry is on a tour of South Africa, following a visit to Lesotho. He has presented Archbishop Desmond Tutu with an honour in Cape Town, visited a youth centre, and played in a polo match. He will also go to the Kruger National Park, and spend a day each in Durban and Joburg.

Tinariwen sings the story of the vanishing Tuareg

The African-influenced, bluesy rock music of the band of tribesmen is born out of nostalgia. It is music that refuses to allow a culture to fade into the shadows – all sung in the extraordinary poetry of the Tamasheq language. But it is also a voice of the anger and hope of a generation of youngsters forged in the desert.

Dr Ncumisa Jilata: Africa’s youngest neurosurgeon

At the age of 29, Mthatha-born Dr Ncumisa Jilata has become Africa's youngest neurosurgeon following her Fellowship graduation in Durban on 18 May 2017....

Blecher changes the education paradigm

From Cida to the Maharishi Institute, Taddy Blecher is taking his inside-out approach to education and philanthropic philosophy to a whole new level. There are no hand-outs at this business school – each graduate pays for another student who takes his place in a cycle aimed at improving the community as a whole. We can end poverty, he says.

A dash towards literacy

Book Dash brings together volunteer creative professionals to create new, African storybooks for people to freely translate and distribute to budding young minds. (Image:...

Kathrada wants to live on South Africa’s Robben Island

At a talk about his book, Triumph of the Human Spirit, struggle veteran Ahmed Kathrada said that he would like to make Robben Island his home. He spent 18 years imprisoned on the island, and since his release from prison in 1989, has visited the site 300 times.

South Africa’s population

South Africa is a nation of diversity, with over 50-million people and a wide variety of cultures, languages and religious beliefs. Find out about our population groups, their distribution across the country's nine provinces, and more.