We must apologise to all our readers for the trouble we have been experiencing with the SA Times website, which has been down for the past few days. Our host 1and1, decided to block our database without warning for no apparent reason, citing “increased activity” (we secretly hope it’s all you readers out that there, but in all honesty, we haven’t been able to find any proof of the massive increase of demand they are referring to!). 1and1 refuses to deal with the problem over the phone - not that speaking to some clueless person reading off a script in the Phillippines is much use anyway - and can provide no constructive solution on their tardy emails. Nonetheless, we are doing everything in our power to resolve the issue as speedily as we can. (Perhaps some of you out there have your own frustrations with 1and1 you would like to vent here.)

The good news is that we are moving to a new web server and will soon be launching a new look website! So please stick with us and accept our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience.

South Africa magazine is inviting everyone out there to contribute their favourite photos of South Africa’s beaches for publication in our December issue. We are looking for images that capture South Africa’s beautiful beach scenery or fun, relaxing or adventurous beach life. We want to show off South Africa’s coastal treasures to the world!

Add your images at http://www.flickr.com/groups/southafricamag/

The annual Springbok Dinner will be a red carpet affair this year as we welcome the World Cup winning squad and coach Jake White to London to celebrate our recent victory with South Africans in the UK. This year the Springbok Dinner will be held at Madame Tussauds on 29 November - when our real life celebrities will stand alongside waxworks of the world’s most famous icons, including our own Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Tutu.

The evening will be filmed for South African television. Don’t miss this chance to dine with the Boks! Book at Springbok Supporters Club UK website.

It is with great sadness that we learned that South African actor Patrick Mynhardt passed away yesterday due to natural causes. Mynhardt was in London with his one-man autobiographical show Boy from Bethulie at the Jermyn Street Theatre in the West End

SA Times had the honour of meeting this wonderful theatre icon and helped promote his play in the UK. One of our journalists, Lamese Abrahams, was the last to ever have the opportunity to interview this great actor. Read her article here.

Please pay your tributes to Patrick by commenting on this article.

This letter from our inbox:

Dear Editor

En route back from Stade de France this weekend we were amazed to see that ‘The French Roadsign Department’ are really on the ball. We duly captured the moment and thought it might look good in print.

Thanks for your continuing wonderful news coverage.

Regards

Jonathan Beames and Richard McCarthy

So tonight is the big night and everyone is wondering who will who will be rubbing victory under the noses of their British and South African colleagues and friends at the office on Monday …

In his column for News24 Chris Roper gives 10 reasons why its better to be a Bok fan than a Pom fan:

10 reasons it’s better being a Bok fan than a Pom fan:

1. Bok fans aren’t surprised and grateful when their team wins matches, they’re surprised when their team loses.

2. Green and gold jerseys look cool on all kinds of South Africans, but white jerseys make England supporters look like the love children of unhealthy Zombies and dead fish.

3. We actually have 15 players in our team, rather than just Jonny Wilkinson and 14 old guys.

4. The South African sports media might be a self-serving, sycophantic bunch of freeloaders, but at least they aren’t staked out outside the team hotel hoping to get a picture of Monty’s wife tanning topless.

5. Our coach has got a chin (okay, more than one when he speaks Afrikaans).

6. The Boks’ traditional rivals actually come from different countries like New Zealand and Australia, as opposed to being English provinces, like Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

7. Fans of other teams hate the Boks because they’re hard bastards - they hate the English because they’re hypocrites who won’t admit they’re hard bastards.

8. Instead of wanky names like Jason, Jonny, Martin and Phil, our players have cool names like Os, Bakkies, Wikus, Akona, and, uh, Percy. (Dammit, trust Percy to ruin everything again).

9. Bok fans don’t mind being hated, because of all the practice we had during the apartheid years. English fans, on the other hand, can’t seem to understand why the rest of the world loathes them.

10. Win or lose on Saturday, Bok fans are flying back to a summer of hot babes and beaches. English fans are doomed to a winter of sleet and clogged M1.

11. (Everyone knows South Africans can’t count) Schalk Burger pushes the earth down when he does press ups. Martin Corry sticks his bum in the air.

Sasol is cashing in on Bok fever ahead of the World Cup final with a viral ad that is zoomig around the world.

Watch it and let the Pommies weep!

We’ve been real quiet here at SA Life as we’ve all been working hard on getting two of our publications to press:

The second issue of South Africa magazine is rolling off the press right now and will soon be in a Borders or WHSmith store near you. If you can’t wait, register at www.southafricamag.com where you can view the digital version of the magazine.

We’ve been overwhelmed by the response to the first issue - hearing from British and American tourists who shared their travel stories, to South Africans who gained new insight into their home country. The second issue is jam-packed with adventure, including an article on South Africa’s top 10 adrenaline adventures, a thrill-filled drive down the Garden Route and an in-depth look at wildlife filmmaking in South Africa.

The second publication is our annual Going Home Guide, which we have rebranded Smooth Landing South Africa. It will be of interest to anyone intending on relocating to South Africa - whether you are a South African taking the big decision to return home, or a foreigner investigating emigrating. Smooth Landing South Africa will be launched at the Homecoming Revolution expo to be held in London at Kensington Olympia on 13 and 14 October. If you’re investigating job opportunities in South Africa or interested in buying property there, don’t miss it!

SA Times has just secured two tickets to watch South Africa play England in the Rugby World Cup in France on Friday. We are offering these tickets to one lucky winner in Wednesday’s edition of SA Times - don’t miss it and keep an eye on the SA Times website for details on how to enter!

You just have to love our Archbishop Desmond Tutu! He has just become patron of South Africa’s Braai Day.

“There are so many things that are pulling us apart, this has a wonderful potential to bring us all together,” Tutu told reporters.
“We have 11 different official languages but only one word for the wonderful institution of braai: in Xhosa, English, Afrikaans, whatever.
“We’ve shown the world a few things. Let’s show them that ordinary activities like eating can unite people of different races, religions, sexes… short people, tall people, fat people, lean people.”

Braai Day takes place on 24 September - so wherever you are, get out your tongs, get some good boerie at your local South African shop and don’t forget to send SA Times pictures of your braai!