Every story so far
4 stories · Local stories with a national mood.
A new study of South African households found that years of rolling blackouts permanently changed how families cook, eat and spend evenings together. Gas stoves, one-pot meals and earlier dinners have stuck around even as the grid has stabilised, and many parents say the candle-lit evenings became the best conversations they'd had in years. The researchers call it an accidental national experiment in slowing down.
A sixteen-year-old in a small Free State town mapped every pothole on his cycle to school, logged them with photos and dates, and emailed the list to the municipality every Monday for six months. The council eventually repaired the lot and has now asked him to help build a public reporting tool. He says the hardest part was not the data but getting anyone to reply.
A South African recruitment firm says candidates who list braaiing as a hobby are more likely to be shortlisted for client-facing roles. Hiring managers described it as shorthand for patience, hosting and the ability to hold a conversation for three hours. Critics say it quietly favours a very specific kind of applicant.
What is believed to be the last DVD rental store in South Africa has reported its best year in a decade, with a waiting list for membership. The owner credits a curated wall of staff picks and the fact that nobody has ever spent forty minutes scrolling his shelves without choosing something. Streaming services have not commented.