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Valentine’s Day has a habit of tipping into cliché. The same red roses, the same gift cards and teddy bears, and the same rush to demonstrate romance in a single evening. But this year, wine-led experiences are poised to quietly steal the spotlight. As couples push back against over-curated celebrations and predictable gifts, many are choosing slower, more grounded ways to connect through sharing a delicious meal and a few good bottles. Narina Cloete, Head Winemaker at Blaa

By Mark Watt, Partner at Heidrick & Struggles South Africa South Africa is lagging global peers on leadership development investment despite rising pressure to retain top talent. Effective leadership development improves retention when it is aligned to organisational needs and culture. Organisations with stronger retention outcomes embed development across multiple levels. Johannesburg, February 12, 2026 : As global companies continue to increase investment in leadership de

History sits lightly at Blaauwklippen Wine Estate, but it runs deep throughout the property. And with the reopening of its iconic Manor House and adjacent Jonkershuis this week, it marks the return of one of the Cape’s most enduring landmarks, restored with painstaking care and a deep respect for its past. Founded in 1682 and recognised as the first registered company in South Africa and the oldest wine farm in Stellenbosch. The Manor House itself dates back to the mid-1700

Written by: Extraordinary At Clifftop Exclusive Safari Hideaway, the most impressive moments are rarely the ones that make it onto Instagram. Instead, it looks like someone remembering how you take your coffee. It sounds like your name being used before you introduce yourself. It feels like a problem being solved before you even realise you have one. That kind of service isn’t instinct. It’s learned. Recently, a group of Clifftop’s butlers and duty managers completed speciali

Mrs South Africa, powered by iME, has officially begun unveiling its 2026 semi-finalists following a series of high-energy live casting events across the country, kicking off one of the most competitive entry seasons in the programme’s history. Entries for the 2026 season closed on Monday, 26 January, drawing hundreds of applications nationwide. According to organisers, the overwhelming response reflects both the strength of the Mrs South Africa brand, as well as the growin

Written by: Extraordinary In the rolling hills of Bushbuckridge, a small veranda once stood as the modest beginning of a life that would later inspire generations. It was there that a young Reuel Khoza and his wife, Mumsy, began their journey together. Converted by his aunt into a single room when they married, it was barely large enough to hold a single bed. “However, a single bed is conducive to intimacy,” he says with a smile. In that confined space, the seeds of purpose a

The short-term insurance industry recorded a Customer Experience (CE) Index score of 69.5 in 2025, placing it behind banking (73.0) and life insurance (74.1), but slightly ahead of medical schemes (68.8), according to the 2025 CE Index for the Short-Term Insurance Industry. The results, compiled by Professor Adré Schreuder, Head of the Industry Chair in Customer Experience at the University of Pretoria (UP), are based on a national sample of 6,384 consumers across product a

New leadership to drive next phase of growth in South Africa and Africa, leveraging firm’s global capabilities and insights. Leadership advisory services are increasingly key to organisations as they face significant technological and geopolitical disruptions. Agility, rather than experience alone, is becoming the defining leadership capability, says Legoete. Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc, a premier provider of global leadership advisory and on-demand talent solut

15 January 2026: January is often seen as a time to reset health goals, but it is also when crash diets and fads flood social feeds and friends and family share well-meaning advice without proper medical backing. Dr Tommie Smook, Medical and Holistic Wellness Expert at Dr Smook and Partners, managed by RxME, cautions that sustainable weight loss and wellness are not built through deprivation or harmful quick-fix solutions. “A meaningful reset starts with understanding your

14 January 2026: As the Class of 2025 celebrates its matric results, South Africa is again facing a problem that has little to do with learner performance and everything to do with system capacity, warn education experts. In 2025, over 900,000 learners wrote the National Senior Certificate examinations. With a national pass rate of 88%, more than 656,000 learners successfully passed – one of the largest cohorts of successful candidates the country has produced. But while

Mrs South Africa, powered by iME, has declared 2026 the year of the formidable woman, with entries for this year’s pageant season now open and applications from married women across the country already pouring in. The past three queens embody that formidable spirit. Tshego Gaelae made history as the first Black woman to be crowned Mrs World, Erin-Jane Miller emerged as a powerful force for change in the lives of women and vulnerable children, and Verushka Singh, crowned in

January 2026: Two of the happiest moments of matriculants’ school careers are the day they receive favourable matric results, and the day they are accepted into the tertiary institution of their choice. But for many, one of the hardest is realising that attending may not be possible due to financial challenges. For Andrew Stoltz and Jandre de Lange, residents at the Bethany House Trust children’s home in Krugersdorp, that dream is still alive today thanks to the Academic Inst