Tabla de contenidos para Issue 310 2022 en The Big Issue

Welcome to the social justice edition of The Big Issue. The Oxford English Dictionary cites ‘social justice’ as the fair distribution of wealth and opportunities within a society, with taxation being an instrument of social justice to redistribute wealth. Like ‘world peace’, the term is superlative. An ideology. The former infers that there’s injustice in the world, and the latter, that there’s strife. Both are true. We herald our cover, aptly, with former public protector Prof. Thuli Madonsela and revisit her biography, a most fitting book for this issue. While Thuli is currently busy as a judge for the Miss South Africa pageant, she continues to make her mark as a crusader against the ills of a corrupt SA with her timeous legacy and her role as Professor of Law,…

“My grandchildren will grow up knowing not to give up on their dreams,” says 66-year-old Olga Mhlontlo from Mfuleni. Olga was among 11 grandmothers (gogos) who received tablet computers earlier this year after completing two weeks of training on how to use technology to access digital applications and online government services. This was part of a project called goGOGOgo, piloted in Alexandra, Johannesburg, which teaches older people in townships to be more tech savvy. In most cases, the gogos are the sole providers for their families and are raising their grandchildren using their Older Persons Grant. During lessons, they were taught the basics of using the internet, emails and some commonly used social media apps. The gogos from different townships were dressed in traditional attire. One by one they shared…

Q In essence, your book opens a door to the curious reader, providing a wide window through which to view and understand township life differently. South Africans can get a visceral sense of township cultural identity and understand why people there behave a certain way. Your book can help shift old attitudes, and long-held beliefs because your experience and research have helped de-mystify the unknown by providing carefully researched information and in-depth knowledge of the workings of the townships. Thoughts? A One of the advantages of indepth qualitative research is that it tends to expose how varied and complex people and situations are, making it harder to pigeon-hole individuals and lump them into neat groups. It also humanises and portrays members of society as three-dimensional beings, even when they may…

Claremont, Cape Town Name: Goodman Zenani Vendor number: 1654 Age: 46 Find him at: the robots at the corner of Bowwood and Main roads, Claremont, near the Lotto offices. About: Goodman joined The Big Issue in 2008. He has four children (two boys and two girls) ranging in age from 9 months to 11 years. A resident of Gugulethu, Goodman is a talented pencil artist, and he gets his inspiration from nature and other things he sees around him. He is also a house painter, and does waterproofing and plastering. Wish list: Goodman is appealing to readers for painting or waterproofing jobs so he can earn extra income. He also needs help buying clothes for his children. Name: Odwa Ntlanganiso Vendor number: 2106 Age: 21 Find him at: Bowwood Road…

Thulisile Nomkhosi ‘Thuli’ Madonsela, South African advocate and professor of law, holds a chair in social justice at Stellenbosch University. She conducts and coordinates social justice research, and teaches constitutional and administrative law. She served as the Public Protector of South Africa from 19 October 2009 to 14 October 2016. In her final days in office, Thuli compiled the explosive State Capture Report and, before that, the report on past President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla residence. Praised and vilified in equal measures, she has frequently found herself at centre stage in the increasingly fractious local political scene. It could be argued that her success has been down to timing, dealing with some of the biggest political scandals in SA. Yet, despite the intense media scrutiny and criticism, Thuli remains something of…

A round the middle of 2013 a series of stories appeared in the South African press about a new phenomenon called ‘plasma gangs’, presented as the latest iteration of the country’s crime crisis. Journalists, broadcasters, police and government spokespeople, social media users and local residents shared tales online and in mainstream media of the frightening exploits of these gangs, said to be located in Alexandra (Alex) township in the north of Johannesburg. Alex like other South African townships, is an underdeveloped and sometimes precarious area, blighted by the inequality and racial segregation that were central to apartheid spatial engineering. Developed in the early 20th century to house around 30 000 people, it is now home to an estimated 700 000. This density creates intense pressure on infrastructure and resources, as…

Noluthando Batayi – Warmth of friendship Cynthia Gogotya – Loadshedding Nomthintelo Cele – My home Lizo Qatase – Dreaming of summer Xoliswa Ntunta – Crocodile A READER’S STORY Reader Sue de Hutton says: “I met Solomon selling The Big Issue in Fish Hoek. He was very friendly, and somehow we got chatting about his art lessons. He mentioned that a picture of his was in the current edition of the magazine, and so I looked, and then bought one of his pictures. It was obvious that what Elaine Millin offers is so enriching. As everyone who has done anything creative will know, art materials are expensive. Even a small donation can help enormously. Perhaps we could all donate a few brushes, paints, whatever to this incredibly vital cause. All of…

Watching a new, trendy movie is a delightful experience for any teenager. More so for the vendors’ children, especially because such opportunities don’t knock on their door often. On 16 July, we took the vendors’ kids on an outing to watch the movie Minions: The Rise of Gru. This was an exciting day and for most of the children, their very first experience watching a movie at the cinema. It delights us to know that we were able to afford the kids an experience that will form part of the significant memories of their lives. The kids in the group were aged between 13 and 18, but it’s worth noting that the average first cinema experience for children in more privileged settings is between three and four years old, according…

Those who have never set foot in a township will develop a new and educated view about the enormous part townships play in South African society, as Vanya Gastrow unpicks a sub-strata of systems that work parallel to local laws. Her book transports the reader to the heart of the townships that evoke fear in many of us, appalled and horrified by the levels of poverty and crime, often preferring to look away. Some have forgotten, others not old enough to know, but Steve Biko was sceptical about black assimilation into society. He believed black South Africans couldn’t escape their predicament by trying to assimilate into white society. Biko was adamant that only when blacks and whites could openly discuss issues about race, would there be true unity. His statement…

Buy YOUR copy of little issue at select Spar, CNA and Pick n Pay stores NATIONWIDE excluding the greater metros of Cape Town YOU ARE THE BOSS OF YOUR BODY NO MEANS NO! STAYING SAFE WHAT IS CHILDLINE? Enjoy your free sample of the little issue magazine Stories • Activities • Recipes • Jokes • Riddles • Competitions YOUR BODY, YOUR RULES 1. You are the boss of your body. You do not have to hug or touch if you do not want to. 2. Nobody has the right to play games with or touch your body, especially the area that is covered by your bathing costume. 3. We do not look at, touch or play games with anyone else’s private parts. 4. We use the right words for private…