Charlize tops the news

South African-born Oscar-winner Charlize Theron is topping news lately – from her supposed engagement to her beau Sean Penn last December to teaching the world some Afrikaans.

When arriving in Cape Town to shoot The Last Face in 2014 the papparazzi has tried to catch a glimpse of the screen queen while filming the flick directed by fiance Penn. The film, currently in post-production, is about an aid worker stationed in Africa. Penn has previously directed acclaimed movies such as Into the Wild.

The Last Face stars another Oscar-winner: Javier Bardem.

Her stint back in the Mother City must have stuck, because since then the star has shared Afrikaans words with her nearly seven million Facebook fans with the hashtag #LearnAfrikaanswithCharlize.

Words ranged from “Lag hardop” (laugh out loud), “Gelukkige Vrydag” (Happy Friday) to “Geseënd” (blessed). She has also been hailed a terrific mother by tabloids, for how she has been able to include her South African-born son Jackson into her jetsetting life. For instance, during the family’s stay in Cape Town, her tot even received some pre-primary schooling.

But this year Theron is setting a precedent of equal salaries in Hollywood, after the star allegedly negotiated an extra $10 million (R116 million) for her role as the evil queen in the prequel to 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsmen.

This came after the Sony hack scandal, which made public various documents that proved a divide between what male and female stars in Hollywood earn. Documents show Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams did not make as much money as their male co-stars in 2013’s American Hustle. It also showed this was far-reaching practice at Sony, with female employees earning less than their male counterparts.

Theron has since gone into negotiations to earn more after it was made public that co-star Chris Hemsworth earned more than her. Hemsworth has no major awards to his name. The exact amount Theron will be paid is still unknown.