The Lunch Break

Teresa Ulyate is a cook, recipe developer and content creator, with a popular blog also called “Cupcakes and Couscous”. Her work has featured in print and digital media, and she appears regularly on the SABC3 Expresso Morning Show as a guest cook. In Cupcakes & Couscous, Teresa Ulyate spoils us with a treasury of tempting dishes. Varshan caught up with the food blogger to get all the details a...

'The Wife' director Luthando Mngomezulu shares his journey as a film maker.  The SAFTA Award winner hails from the province of KwaZulu-Natal and had humble beginnings in Umlazi before setting out to achieve his dreams

Theatre veteran Aaron Mcilroy joins Varshan in studio for a chat about 'A Vegan Killed My Marriage', a Theatrical production in which he plays the lead character

Young dance professionals, Pavishen Paideya and Cameron Govender chat about their dance collaboration festival "Chal Naach Let's Dance"

Master of Laws (LLM) in Tax Law graduate, Ms Prajna Hiralall and her brother, Pranav, who was awarded a  cum laude  Bachelor of Laws degree, chats about the Hiralall family's law legacy

Magdalene Reddy (co-director of the European Film Festival in SA) chats to Varshan about the celebratory 10th edition of the European Film Festival in South Africa

Mo Magic joins Varshan in studio for a chat about his innovative, pop-up theatre concept show titled 'Stage of Wonders'

Sharney Blackwell's narrative commenced as an ordinary one. She and her high school sweetheart, Rowayne, were joyfully raising their charming three-year-old daughter. However, life took an unexpected twist when Sharney received her life-altering cancer diagnosis. The local TikTok Influencer chats to Varshan about her brave battle against Triple Negative Breast Cancer. 

In recent years, charitable behaviors among South Africans have seen a steady decline. Only 62% of people now report having helped a stranger, down from 72%. Volunteering has decreased to 28% from 34%, and the number of those making donations has fallen from 28% to 16%.  Deb Zelezniak, CEO at the Santa Shoebox Projects chars to Varshan about the Santa Shoebox initiative and how South Africans can...

Statistics show that 80% of people with a heart problem could save their lives with regular health check ups. Dr Iftikhar Ebrahim, a qualified interventional cardiologist discusses the importance of regular health checks

In a world where knowledge is power, the recent PIRLS assessment has underscored South Africa’s literacy crisis, where only 19% of our 10-year-olds can read for meaning.  This has dire implications for their future, increasing their risk of dropping out of school early and the probability of perpetuating intergenerational poverty. Samara Barrange, educational and literacy specialist chats to Varsh...

SATMA nominated songstress Dr Luanga Choba speaks about her music, mother tongue, and heritage day in SA

She put the 'nasty' in Dynasty ... Joan Collins played the role as Alexi Colby on the 1980's soapie Dynasty with so much conviction that she got love and hate from the viewers.  TV Talkies paid tribute to the scheming and conniving character

IT Executive Malose Mabusela discusses load shedding delays the deployment of 5G and the impact for South Africa 

Trailblazing social entrepreneur Bianca Naidoo gets candid about achieving success at a young age

Gauteng based Bharatanatyam veteran, Shrimati Subashni Naicker chats about her dance institute Natya Anjali's silver jubilee commemoration concert 'Dakshina'

September is SA Tourism Month and Heritage Month.  Its a great time to explore the cultural and historic sights and sounds of our beautiful country.  In this feature, Tour operator and Guide, Shelldon Wells takes us on an educational journey of the forts and museums of KwaZulu-Natal 

Young entrepreneur Zareef Minty gets candid about responsible leadership and shares motivation for the Youth

In the past decade, the alarming surge in kidnappings has surged by an astounding 183%, a stark escalation from 3,832 reported incidents in 2012/13 to a staggering 10,826 cases in 2021/22. Bianca Van Aswegen (National Co-Ordinator for Missing Children South Africa) chats to Varshan about the rising tide of kidnappings and human trafficking in South Africa. 

Experienced tour guide operator Shelldon Wells explores the cultural and heritage sights and sounds of KwaZulu-Natal.  The Isithumba rural village and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Centre feature on Shelldon's list of recommendations

In 2022, South Africa welcomed some 5.7 million international visitors. That represented a 152% increase on the previous year’s numbers. While those aren’t quite 2019 numbers, they do show that the sector is well on its way to recovery Joel Browkownski (E-commerce Expert) chats to Varshan about the role that technology plays in driving tourism

Selvan Naidoo (Curator, 1860 Heritage Centre) chats to Varshan about the Heritage Food Festival hosted by the 1860 Heritage Centre

The world of motorsport is on the cusp of a revolutionary transformation as the inaugural Elite World Cup was officially announced in August 2023. Event Cofounder and Racing veteran Stephen Watson speaks to Varshan about the Inaugural Elite World Cup for Hyper Cars

Former Miss India SA and Author, Maashi Ramdutt Rampersad kicks off Tourism Month in SA on The Lunch Break with a discussion about her book 'Your Basic isiZulu Guide to the Kingdom of the Zulu'

As part of The Lunch Break's 'Power Women in Television' series, Varshan chats to the popular face of television, Zoe Brown, about her career and guidance for young television aspirants