Welcome to SA Connect UK! This week, we celebrate Mothering Sunday, honouring the strength of South African mums in the UK. Let’s make it special, together! Spoil your Mum’s!
REMINDER: Clocks go forward tonight. Bad news; less sleep tonight. Good news; longer days going forward.
SA vs UK: Mothers day versus Mothering Sunday
Mother’s Day in South Africa falls on the second Sunday in May, aligning with the global celebration inspired by the U.S., a day to pamper and honour moms with gifts and love.
In contrast, the UK’s Mothering Sunday, observed on 30 March 2025, stems from a Christian tradition tied to Lent, originally about returning to ‘mother’ churches, now a heartfelt tribute to mothers with flowers and cards.
For South Africans in the UK, it’s a chance to blend both—celebrating roots and new traditions in our vibrant community!
Tip from Sarah: Do you live in the UK with a mom or mother-in-law in South Africa? Buy her Mother’s Day card now for May!
UK shops focus on Mothering Sunday (30 March), so don’t wait, you won’t find one here in May.
Expat Life Hack: Eating Out in the UK
If you’re counting your pennies here in the UK, make Wetherspoons your friend. You’ll find a Wetherspoons nearly everywhere and the toilets are usually good.
On Mondays, get a pint of beer for as little as £1.49 versus £5 at your local.
Hit Steak Club Tuesdays for discounted steaks (we love our steaks).
Chicken Club Wednesdays for cheap wings, or Curry Club Thursdays with 150+ drink options.
Fish Fridays are available every day of the week and best of all, All-Day Brunch on Sundays.
Saffa Spotlight: Cape Town is #1
Cape Town’s been crowned the world’s best city in 2025! With 18,500 locals raving—97% say it sparks joy, 95% love the food, 82% call it stunning-it beat London and New York.
Remember the penguins at Boulders Beach, Table Mountain, Blue Flag beaches, and top restaurants. A proud win for South Africans everywhere! Read the article here.
Sport: Race Horse Lovers
The Grand National Festival 2025, from 3 to 5 April at Aintree Racecourse, is a thrilling three-day event peaking with the iconic Grand National steeplechase on Saturday, 5 April, at 4 PM.
Featuring 34 horses tackling 30 fences over 4 miles, it’s a global spectacle of endurance and excitement!
Fun Stuff: Who doesn't love a fantastic bobotie?
Here’s a recipe we use:
Ingredients (Serves 4-6):
500g minced beef or lamb
1 onion, chopped
2 slices white bread, soaked in 125ml milk
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp apricot jam
2 tbsp vinegar
1 handful raisins
2 eggs
250ml milk (for topping)
Salt and pepper
2-3 bay leaves
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Fry onion until soft, add meat, and brown.
Mix in curry, turmeric, jam, vinegar, raisins, salt, and pepper. Squeeze milk from bread (keep milk), crumble bread into meat, and stir.
Spread into a greased dish. Beat eggs with reserved milk and 250ml more, pour over meat, top with bay leaves.
Bake 40-50 mins until golden. Serve with yellow rice and /
Enjoy a slice of SA heritage!
Tip from Sarah: If you’re short of time, just buy the mix from your local South African Shop (hope you enjoyed the FREE SPECIAL REPORT on Tuesday).
Over to You
Loads of you have told us on social media and in the website comments how tricky it is to find a job in the UK as a South African. Jobs are down to 818,000 (Sep-Nov 2024), with 1.7 people chasing each one. Visas, more competition, and nervous bosses aren’t helping. It’s stressful!
Keep an eye out for our FREE SPECIAL REPORT—it’s packed with easy job-hunting tips to help you out.
Also, Visa fee increases were brought to our attention (thanks), and so we’ll have the specifics on that next week.
Our PREMIUM SPECIAL REPORT goes on Tuesday- all about the Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) between the UK and South Africa for those of you with lots of money.
