Tag: South Africa

Ordered clothes from overseas? How to work out customs fees.

A few months ago I patiently had a long conversation with a very helpful SARS official who spelled out how those damn fees actually work. I wrote down the formula, but for those who didn't pass mathematics I've put it into an example below using the amount of R1000 as a base.
Read more...

January 23, 2013
The magic of Franschhoek

South Africa is my country, but I've felt a kinship with certain places that is not based on language, culture or nationality. One of them is the island of Ithaca in Greece, where some of my ancestors are from. The other is Franschhoek, another ancestral home, but unfortunately one with no ancestral land. Alistair and…
Read more...

April 3, 2011
Spud & John Cleese

I went to the Spud premiere on Saturday night. It was a completely last minute invitation that saw Gaby and I throw on playsuits and GHD our hair into submission in the space of 5 minutes. Later that night I met John Cleese. The premiere event at MonteCasino was fantastic – a free tuckshop where…
Read more...

November 17, 2010
A Capetonian in Joburg: First impressions

I've been here nearly two weeks after our “semigration” from my home city, Cape Town. Most of it’s been spent unpacking boxes, drinking too much whisky and driving around the megalopolis trying to find decent furniture. The GPS has taken me through Mayfair, similar to the rougher parts of Woodstock with its seedy slum feel,…
Read more...

July 30, 2010