Society
What’s it like to be gay or lesbian in Khayelitsha?
On 14 December, the Desmond Tutu Foundation will host a beauty pageant called Mr and Miss Gay Ekasi in Salt River. Most participants will be from Khayelitsha and other Cape Town townships. Does the popularity of events like these mean it is becoming easier to be gay or lesbian in Cape Town’s largest township?
Pharie Sefali
News | 28 November 2013
“We’ve lost hope in our government”
Several houses in Gugulethu were damaged by the heavy rainfall this weekend. Hombazi Fiphaza, a resident from Kanana Square informal settlement, said, “We go through the same thing everytime there is heavy rainfall … What pains me the most is watching the children suffer because of it, and there is nothing you can do to protect them from it.”
Nwabisa Pondoyi
News | 21 November 2013
Parow soup kitchen offers vital service to hungry and homeless
Louis Titus, a 60-year-old married man from Elsies River, was introduced to the Vineyard soup kitchen in Parow four months ago by a friend. Titus worked for the City of Cape Town for 20 years. He currently receives a R1,500 monthly pension. His wife is unemployed. Titus takes the food he receives home to his four children.
Tariro Washinyira
News | 20 November 2013
The Sculptors of Mapungubwe: an extract from Zakes Mda’s latest novel
Zake Mda’s lyrical novel is set in the mists of time, in the Southern African kingdom of Mapungubwe. (Mda has based his story on a wealth of archaeological evidence and research into oral tradition.) It is a tale of the rivalry between the two artistically gifted sons of the royal sculptor; rivalry in love and rivalry for two competing visions of what society should be.
Zakes Mda
News | 18 November 2013
Lingua Franca poets celebrate first anniversary
On 9 November, Lingua Franca, a spoken word and music movement, celebrated their first anniversary. At a sold out show at the Baxter Theatre, more than 15 poets graced the stage to recite their work.
Nwabisa Pondoyi
News | 13 November 2013
Parents take out loans for matric dances
Parents every year complain about the demands grade 12 learners have for their end of the year matric dances.
Pharie Sefali
News | 13 November 2013
Blowing fortunes on weddings
Weddings today have become more about flaunting status and wealth than tying the knot. Couples are left with financial debt and worse.
Nwabisa Pondoyi
News | 13 November 2013
A man who is not a man
It is not every day that a book like A man who is not a man comes along. Thando Mgqolozana's debut novel is a courageous book. It is a sensitive but merciless interrogation of the Xhosa custom of male circumcision today. What happens to the boys--emotionally, spiritually and socially--when things go wrong, the fault of which is not of their own making?
Thando Mgqolozana
News | 12 November 2013
Planet Savage: an extract from Tuelo Gabonewe’s book
Tuelo Gabonewe's is an exciting, new young voice in South African literature. His first novel, Planet Savage, is narrated by Leungo, a nine-year old with an unusual, often sacrosanct, outlook on life.
Tuelo Gabonewe
News | 4 November 2013