Table of contents for Issue 327 2024 in The Big Issue

Many of our readers have admitted they currently face hardships of all kinds. South Africa herself faces all kinds of trials and abuse. When the odds are stacked against us, keeping on with minimal fuss trumps all. Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius wrote, “To live a good life: we have the potential for it if we learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference.” Women, specifically, are challenged with various extended responsibilities such as being breadwinners, mothers, partners, spouses, employees, business owners and carers. But combine these responsibilities with daily ups and downs and suddenly responding indifferently and rationally to hardship isn’t always in our pandora’s box of tricks, as tactical and victorious as this is. In this issue we investigate women empowering women and most importantly, the mother that…

Fresh from school armed with my Social Work degree, I was so scared to be practising as a social worker for the first time. Like every fresh graduate, I’d always wondered what my first job would be like, and where I would be working, and I’d really hoped that my colleagues would be kind to me and understanding. I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined that my social work journey would start at The Big Issue. I was delighted to join as the social work intern at the beginning of 2022. Being an intern was helpful to me because I had the guidance of the social worker at the time. She really guided me and made sure that I never felt alone, which is one thing about the…

All artworks featured on this page are for sale. Email info@bigissue.co.za to buy a specific piece or to donate items for art classes. For more information visit www.bridgingpolarities.co.za…

Are there specific elements that you believe define your approach to storytelling? My interest in writing novels is to explore human behaviour and to provide entertainment for my wonderful readers. I’m an intensely curious person, and have been so for as long as I can remember. Ghost Orchid explores psychological and emotional depth. Can you share your inspiration behind delving into these themes? Inspiration, implying a sudden epiphany, doesn’t apply to how I write books. The ideas coalesce gradually and evolve, eventually taking form as a coherent plot. I do a lot of thinking and outlining. Some stories take months to develop, others take years. Your Alex Delaware series often involves intricate psychological mysteries. How do you balance the suspenseful elements with the psychological complexities in Ghost Orchid? There’s no…

ABOUT DR NTOMBIFIKILE MTSHALI Dr Ntombifikile Mtshali is the Chief Executive Officer of Shout-It-Now, a South African NPC that delivers youth-friendly, community-based HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health and related services in the Gauteng and North West provinces. As a medical doctor, she obtained her MBChB at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and she holds an MBA degree from the Wits Business School. In addition, she has a Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Leadership from CETAD, University of Lancaster in the UK, and serves as a chairperson of the Church and Business against HIV and AIDS Trust Board, and as a hospital member at Edenvale Hospital. Young children learn by imitating the behaviours of those around them, especially adults in their immediate environment. What they see and hear – they do. While…

THE SIN DRINKERS - ENGROSSING THEATRE Broadcasting legend John Maytham and acclaimed actor Emma Kotze star in a story of shattered lives and dark truths that will slither under people’s skins. The haunting tale in Writer, Director Louis Viljoen’s The Sin Drinkers may not be for the marginally sensitive or the easily offended, but it promises to move and surprise, revealing the darkest transgressions. Will the characters’ journey lead them to a point of redemption or are they forever doomed to just pour another drink to soothe their scarred souls? Keith Bain (Daily Maverick) has described Viljoen’s style as “terrifyingly intimate… with clever turns of phrase and prose that borders on poetry” as “dark comic twists and turns… invariably take us into a universe of upside-down morality”. Veteran journalist, author…

Buy The Big Issue from vendors in the suburbs of Cape Town, or from select Spar, CNA or Pick n Pay stores nationally. MAKE A VENDOR’S WISH COME TRUE Get in touch with us at placements@bigissue.org.za Vendor name: Bongani Pholo Vendor number: 1280 Find Bongani: in Fish Hoek at Long Beach Mall. About: Bongani is 39 years old and lives in Khayelitsha’s Site C in a two-bedroom shack with his wife and children. He has sold The Big Issue for 21 years. His eldest child is 20 and currently in Grade 12 at school. His four-year-old goes to a crè che and he also has an eight-monthold baby. Bongani’s 32-year-old sister lives with the family, too, and is currently unemployed. Bongani has no other business besides selling magazines. Ambition: He…

“A story sings when there is a plot twist that is emotionally devastating for the characters and completes their journey. It’s what I always aim for. And I think that if the reader feels the same emotions as the characters, the twist works. It’s that emotional impact, which, to me, is paramount. In her biography of Agatha Christie, Laura Thompson says that Christie’s best twists are those when the plot twist and the characters’ emotional resolution occur in the same beat. Five Little Pigs is a great example of that, and something I think about a lot, actually. Christie is a huge influence on me when I craft a plot. When diving into a new project, I always try to start with the plot twist. With the kind of novels…

I first met Shado at the SAfm studios in April 2013. The moment I clapped eyes on her, I instinctively knew I had to know more. Our interview addressed the very first Fashion Revolution campaign and we arranged to meet again shortly after. Fast forward eight years, we’ve dialogued several times on-air, exploring the merits of sustainable fashion. We also attended hot-ticket events such as the Cape Town Jazz Festival, Fashion Week, and numerous fashion shows. Most recently, we cooked together – Shado adores Indian food. The hotter and spicier, the better! But who is this incredible being, really? This compelling woman who left me awestruck for nearly a decade. Through the years, Shado’s invaluable wisdom has blessed me both personally and professionally. To this day, she unfailingly encourages me.…

WOMEN EMPOWERING WOMEN [THE BIG ISSUE] South Africa has notoriously high levels of violence against women. The latest police figures show that 10,818 rape cases were reported in the first quarter of 2022. [Statista reports almost 53 900 South Africans reported being a victim of a sexual crime, 2023]. The country has among the highest rape incidence in the world. HOW CAN GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN THE COUNTRY BE REDUCED? It’s important to first understand the causes of gender-based violence – with a focus on sexual violence – globally and in South Africa. There are many contested theories. 1. Many men were involved or caught up in apartheid or liberation struggle violence. Yet, women were also victims of that violence. They very seldom commit sexual violence. 2. Poverty and loss of breadwinner…