Hello, Weekend.
It’s going to be a busy one. We’re on the ground at the Cape Town E-Prix and also off to the Tankwa for the News24 Karoo Burn mountain and gravel bike race. We’ve got plenty of reading to keep you entertained in the meanwhile. Bronwyn McKay meets South Africa’s own Tarzan – a story starting in George and stretching all the way to Hollywood. It’s a must-read! Our wine editor Daléne Fourie unpacks the economics of wine and it’s a truly mind-blowing read. If you need some escapism in your life, then I definitely recommend Barbara Ludman’s double-bill review of two mystery thrillers to add to your book collection.
Happy reading. Herman.
Meet DeWet du Toit, South Africa's Tarzan with big Hollywood dreams
By Bronwyn McKay
"I was about six years old when I started reading Tarzan comic strips," says aspiring actor DeWet du Toit. "But after high school, in my early twenties, I started to realise my passion for the character." The South African bodybuilder has nurtured one dream – to play Tarzan on the big screen.
DOUBLE REVIEW | Mystery thrills from Botswana’s Detective Kubu – and a talking cat
By Barbara Ludman
You’re sitting with mates round a firepit at a small private game reserve in Botswana. The braai was brilliant, the wine flowed remarkably well, and now it’s close to midnight. Beyond the fence you can hear a lion cough and the whoop of a hyaena. Could life get any better than this?
Wine Economics 101: We explore the business of wine at Botha Kelders
By Daléne Fourie
Wine prices are going up on 1 March, with some premium wines up to 45%. These price hikes account for everything from load shedding, glass shortages, and the hangover from our Covid alcohol restrictions (they haven't recovered). When I ask Simon if this is unique to South Africa, he responds emphatically: "Join the club."
OPINION | South African rapper AKA’s murder video went viral - it shouldn’t have
By Franz Krüger
In the days after the killing of rapper Kiernan Jarryd Forbe, known as AKA, and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motoane, the murders kept playing out on social media. Again and again, leaked CCTV footage of the two being gunned down was viewed and shared – some 490,000 times in the version of just one Twitter account.
OPINION | Renault Koleos is a terrific SUV, but it's a wallflower no one notices
By Tyrone Paulsen
In 2006 Renault introduced the Koleos to the world; in 2008, it was launched here in South Africa. It was marketed to have the stability of a saloon car but with more space than most MPVs. This was all before the plethora of SUVs we see today, and even though it shared its platform with the very popular Nissan X-Trail, it didn't quite dominate the market like its cousin. Fast forward to 2016, and the second generation Koleos was introduced. Now looking a lot more stylish, premium and euro-centric than the previous generation; however, this time, it was not just up against its platform-sharing Japanese relative but every other manufacturer out there. Sadly, it still gets overlooked in the current market.
Unleash your inner power: Psychologist shares 10 instant confidence boosters to try today
By Jennifer Garth
Anyone who has been for a job interview or on a first date understands the importance of confidence. It's an essential life skill that can make or break how successful you are at work or in your personal relationships. It's confidence that empowers you to maximise your personal potential and present with a positive belief in yourself. But confidence doesn't come naturally to all of us. Most of us are far more familiar with sweaty armpits, nervous giggles and pesky eyebrow twitches when our confidence is being tested. Psychologist Jennifer Garth explains how you can take the leap and become confident.
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How do South Africans cope with the death of the ‘rainbow nation’ dream of 1994? That’s the question Eve Fairbanks asks in The Inheritors (Jonathan Ball).
WATCH | 'Completely different from tattoos' - The revival of nearly extinct Japanese body art hajichi: The once-banned tradition of hajichi body art of the Indigenous Ryukyu people of Japan's Okinawa region is being revived by a new generation.
Meet the Breedekloof Makers, a group of 14 winemakers from the area championing Breedekloof wine and helping redefine it as a premium wine-producing region.
(Photo: Supplied by kykNET. Design: Herman Eloff)