Culture Archives - Pop Pulse SA

Eric Benét, Chanté Moore, and Changing Faces Join Expanded Lineup for Ndlala Grandeur Season 1 in Pretoria

7Oct

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Culture, Music

Eric Benét, Chanté Moore, and Changing Faces Join Expanded Lineup for Ndlala Grandeur Season 1 in Pretoria

R&B Royalty: Chanté Moore The star-studded lineup for Ndlala Grandeur Season 1 has expanded as R&B icons Eric Benét, Chanté Moore, and legendary vocal group Changing Faces join the multi-night concert series. Originally framed as a four-night affair, the premier event running at Ndlala Arena in Pretoria from 16 to 20 December 2026 has officially extended to five consecutive nights of live music, red-carpet moments, and fine dining. Actor and media personality Ricco Ross will host the red carpet and main stage proceedings on opening nights. A Star-Studded Night-by-Night Breakdown The expanded schedule brings together heavyweight local and international R&B acts across the five-night run: Wednesday, 16 December 2026 (Opening Night): Multi-Grammy-nominated R&am...

SABCA to Make History as First Woman Enters Hall of Fame Alongside South African Icons Matthews Phosa and Sisa Ngebulana

7Oct

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Culture

SABCA to Make History as First Woman Enters Hall of Fame Alongside South African Icons Matthews Phosa and Sisa Ngebulana

History will be made at this year’s South African Builders & Construction Awards (SABCA) as the organization prepares to induct its first-ever woman into its Hall of Fame, alongside two of South Africa’s most recognized figures in business, property, and nation-building. The 19th Annual SABCA Gala Awards—taking place on Saturday, 7 November 2026, at the Premier Hotel in Umhlanga Rocks, Durban—will gather more than 200 leading executives and stakeholders from the construction, property, engineering, architecture, infrastructure, finance, and public sectors under the official theme: "Building Legacies, Honouring Icons." A Glass-Ceiling Moment for Women in the Built Environment In a landmark milestone for the organization's 19-year history, Mrs Thoko Tshabalala-Shandu—winner...

Sunscreen Is No Longer a Luxury: Altruist Challenges How South Africa Views Sun Protection

7Oct

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Culture

Sunscreen Is No Longer a Luxury: Altruist Challenges How South Africa Views Sun Protection

As South Africa heads into another summer of intense sunshine, the conversation around daily sun care is evolving. Effective sun protection is no longer viewed as a seasonal luxury—it is a non-negotiable health daily habit that requires generous and consistent application. That ethos underpins Altruist, the UK dermatologist-developed sun care brand founded by consultant dermatologist and skin cancer specialist Dr Andrew Birnie. Following its exclusive South African retail debut via Clicks, Altruist enters its second local summer with a clear mission: making high-performance, medical-grade SPF accessible and affordable for every skin type and tone. High-Performance SPF Without the Premium Price Tag Altruist was created in the UK over a decade ago to address a major barrier ...

Groove Biennale Unveils ‘The Post Eco (Sound) System Installation’ and Full October Lineup

7Oct

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Culture

Groove Biennale Unveils ‘The Post Eco (Sound) System Installation’ and Full October Lineup

Groove Biennale returns this October with The Post Eco (Sound) System Installation, presenting a multidisciplinary line-up of artists, DJs, and sound creators for a two-day gathering running from Thursday, 8 October to Friday, 9 October 2026 at Smoking Kills in Melville, Johannesburg. Conceived as an extension of Groove Biennale’s commitment to experimental culture, the installation moves past traditional clubbing formats to transform sound into an immersive, multi-sensory environment where music intersects with visual art, spatial design, and community exchange. Rather than positioning attendees as passive spectators, the installation invites participation and conversation, exploring how nightlife platforms can serve as spaces for collective expression and grassroots collaborat...

24 Hour Jozi: Johannesburg Joins Global Photography Project to Document the City Through Local Eyes

30Sep

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Culture

24 Hour Jozi: Johannesburg Joins Global Photography Project to Document the City Through Local Eyes

Local civic initiative Jozi My Jozi has extended an open invitation to all Johannesburg residents—from professional photographers to smartphone enthusiasts—to join 24 Hour Jozi on Saturday, 3 October 2026. Forming part of the international 24HourProject, the annual global challenge tasks participants from around the world with capturing and sharing one photograph every hour from midnight to midnight ($00\text{h}00$ to $23\text{h}59$) local time. Now in its 15th year, the global initiative supports Action Against Hunger, bringing together thousands of storytellers across 96 countries to document a single day in global city life. A City Seen From Thousands of Local Perspectives Moving beyond last year’s pilot team of 20 photographers who traversed Soweto, the Joburg Market, ...

SPAR Women’s Challenge Amplifies Year-Round Fight Against GBV and Period Poverty

30Sep

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Culture

SPAR Women’s Challenge Amplifies Year-Round Fight Against GBV and Period Poverty

Thousands of runners and walkers gathered for the SPAR Women’s Challenge in Gqeberha on 26 September, using one of South Africa's largest female-focused sporting platforms to take a unified stand against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and period poverty. The event took place against a sobering national backdrop. Between July and September, multiple women's bodies were discovered across Ekurhuleni, while the national Gender-Based Violence Command Centre processed over 6,000 calls in the first 16 days of September alone. Ahead of the starting horn, participants observed a two-minute moment of silence to honor lives lost to violence, wearing black bandanas as a visible symbol of solidarity with survivors and affected families. Moving Beyond Campaigns to 365-Day Interventions SPA...

Dis-Chem Releases “Freedom” Anthem for Heritage Day to Inspire Movement and Better Health

29Sep

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Culture, Music

Dis-Chem Releases “Freedom” Anthem for Heritage Day to Inspire Movement and Better Health

Healthcare and retail group Dis-Chem has officially released “Freedom,” an original Heritage Day anthem created to inspire South Africans to move more and prioritize health and well-being. Composed by acclaimed South African producer and conductor Ralf Schmitt (co-founder of the Ndlovu Youth Choir), the track was built directly from social media responses submitted by everyday South Africans answering the question: "What does Better Health mean to you?" From Internal Staff Auditions to Commercial Collaboration The anthem features the Dis-Chem Freedom Choir—a 40-member choir composed entirely of Dis-Chem employees from Gauteng (32), the Western Cape (3), and KwaZulu-Natal (5), who were chosen out of more than 100 entries in national internal auditions. First performed at Di...

Milk + Cookies Festival Returns to South Africa for 3rd Edition in 2027

29Sep

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Culture, Latest News

Milk + Cookies Festival Returns to South Africa for 3rd Edition in 2027

Global cultural platform Milk + Cookies Festival has announced its highly anticipated return to South Africa. The multi-disciplinary festival—combining music, gastronomy, fashion, and design—will land in Cape Town on 29 January 2027 and Johannesburg on 31 January 2027. The announcement follows two massive editions that together drew over 50,000 attendees and generated significant economic impact, supporting more than 3,500 jobs across local production, hospitality, venue, and vendor teams during last year's run alone. Unpredictable Lineups Driven by "The Feeling" After teasing the country with unbranded street posters bearing the tagline "Never the same sound, always the same feeling" across culture hubs like Braamfontein, Maboneng, and Woodstock, organizers confirmed that th...

Oskido Brings Durban’s Dance Music Legacy to Big Day Out

29Sep

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Culture

Oskido Brings Durban’s Dance Music Legacy to Big Day Out

Oskido’s Big Day Out is turning up the volume ahead of its anticipated third edition this November, announcing additional headliners alongside an official partnership with FNB. Joining the 2026 lineup are legendary duo Durban’s Finest (DJ Tira and DJ Sox) alongside pioneer DJ Cndo. Reinforcing the festival's commitment to local music diversity, this year’s edition pays homage to Durban’s rich dance-music legacy—spanning from the foundational Kwaito era to modern house and electronic sounds that have defined Mzansi culture over the past three decades. Celebrating a Musical Legacy & the Order of Ikhamanga Taking place on Saturday, 28 November 2026, at Huddle Park in Linksfield, Johannesburg, the two-stage festival serves a dual celebration: Oskido’s Birthday: A miles...

SPAR Celebrates South Africa’s Women Entrepreneurs as Her Perfect Pitch Season 5 Crowns Its Winner

29Sep

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Culture

SPAR Celebrates South Africa’s Women Entrepreneurs as Her Perfect Pitch Season 5 Crowns Its Winner

South African entrepreneur Tshaamano Mabuba, founder of Buddy Learning, has been officially crowned the winner of Her Perfect Pitch Season 5. The Jacaranda FM initiative—supported by SPAR and 1st for Women—provides a dedicated platform for women entrepreneurs to showcase their enterprises, access crucial business networks, and unlock strategic growth opportunities. Mabuba secured top honors for Buddy Learning, an innovative online tutoring platform inspired by the educational gaps she witnessed growing up in a rural village, where many children lacked access to learning support in their mother tongue. Mother-Tongue Learning Meets Safety-Conscious Tech Buddy Learning's primary mission is to make quality academic tutoring accessible by enabling children to receive support in...