In this article Peter Ball jumps across a few borders and looks at some of the history and politics of the Benguela Railway which runs for over 1300km across Angola.

In 1910, Sir Hugh Lane, famous art collector, philanthropist and dominant figure in the establishment of the Johannesburg Art Gallery penned his thoughts and vision for the new gallery. Below are a few powerful passages.

In the previous installment of the History of Southern African Railways series Peter Ball looked at the role of the railways during the South African War. In this piece he looks at post war reconstruction, the completion of various lines and the contribution of the railways to political union in South Africa.

Following hot on the heels of the 'Race to the Rand' here is the third installment of the History of Southern African Railway Series by Peter Ball. The article looks at the role of the railways during the South African War (the Second Anglo-Boer War).

A number of inner city commentators have argued that the reuse of the Johannesburg Sun and Carlton Hotel will signal to the country that the CBD is truly back. In his 2011 book Johannesburg Ten Ahead, Gerald Garner emphasised that mothballed properties such as the Johannesburg Sun 'must be prioritised for the inner-city to be truly regenerated'. We cannot wait for the day when either or both of these properties reopen! In the meantime we thought it would interesting to look back at the Johannesburg Sun during its planning stage.

Recently my family and I had an absolutely magical night time visit to the Zoo – Grandson Cayde’s 8th birthday party (some time after his actual birthday). We were a large group of about 49 people – maybe half kids and then all the parents, 4 grandparents plus cousins, aunts and great aunt. It was an amazing experience. The 20 plus children were all under the age of ten.

Malcolm Wilson returns to tell the fascinating story of an historic road just a few kilometres from the Sandton CBD. He unpacks the layers and personalities associated with Panners Lane and reveals the big changes that have happened in the area over the last few decades. [Originally published in 2014)

Max Weber was born in 1874 in Switzerland and trained as a manufacturer of scientific instruments. In his early 20s, says researcher Avril Reid, he decided to go to America but on the dockside of Marseilles harbour, he impulsively changed his mind and jumped aboard a ship for Cape Town.