Table of contents for Issue 6 in Destiny

“What compels you to pick up a magazine? Who would you like to see on the cover?” I HAVE A CONFESSION – I’m an ardent follower of the Real Housewives franchise. I find some more entertaining than others, which means I don’t follow them all. This sucked me into Bling Empire and Bling Dubai. I’m astounded at the wealth these people are wrapped up in. I’m watching it through half-closed eyes because I’m not a follower of reality television shows, since many of them are so scripted and so ratchet, and it seems they either represent the worst of human behaviour or the most unattainable lifestyles of the rich and famous. I like to catapult myself to the moral high ground but find myself glued to the delusions of many…

For 31-year-old Wawira Njiru, this year’s recipient of the Icon Award by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, charity has always started at home. Her parents, who grew up in poverty, were prominent healthcare workers in Ruiru, a town on the outskirts of Nairobi, and instilled the importance of education in their three daughters, of which Wawira is the eldest. “Growing up, our house was a place where community members would stay if they were finding their feet or needed healthcare or food,” she explains. “Many people depended on my parents. Looking back, our entire lives were centred around service.” FOOD FOR EDUCATION Wawira, named UN Person of the Year in 2021, caught the attention of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants for her work…

Mmabatho Molefe’s modern Zulu restaurant, Emazulwini (“the heavens” in IsiZulu), located at the V&A Waterfront’s Makers Landing, has been raking in the accolades. Not only has Emazulwini won the African Restaurant of the Year title at the 4th annual Luxe Restaurant Awards, the 27-year-old chef’s visionary culinary interpretations scored her a spot on The World’s 50 Best Next list earlier in 2022. The second-ever list of 50 Next celebrates 50 people aged 35 and under who are shaping the worldwide gastronomy scene, giving their work recognition on a global stage. Winners from around the world are drawn from the entire food and drink ecosystem and divided into categories: Game-changing Producers, Tech Disruptors, Empowering Educators, Entrepreneurial Creatives, Science Innovators, Hospitality Pioneers, and Trailblazing Activists. Earlier this year, Mmabatho, attended the awards…

Watches and Wonders Geneva, the watch industry’s largest annual event, took place in-person earlier this year, much to the delight of invited international media, clients, and retailers deprived of the privilege since Covid-19 lockdown. The fair showcased novelties by 38 brands, many of which favoured elegance above ostentation, differentiating themselves through responsible sourcing, artisanal skills, vertical manufacturing capabilities, innovative movements and new materials. According to the Deloitte Swiss Watch Industry Study 2021, 72% of watch brands are investing more in sustainability, and 16% say they plan on doing so. Ethical sourcing and environmental impact of materials and packaging are their main focuses. This is partly a response to ongoing pressure from consumers, roughly 60% of whom make buying decisions based on ethical and sustainable practices from brands. Karine Szegedi, Head…

The Lexus RX now in its fifth generation doesn’t lose sight of its heritage as the world’s first premium recreational SUV and the luxury market’s first hybrid-electric model. Design simplicity takes the lead with a ‘less is more’ approach, with the thinking that lavish details and flourishes are not necessarily the best way to express luxury. Lexus South Africa will introduce the new RX in line with its global release in early 2023.…

Today, architecture in the traditional sense is the plodding practice of rules cast in mortar and stone. The design languages heard most in architects’ corridors are Western. Primarily, these dominant design languages accommodate Western ways of living, gathering, keeping knowledge, and practising rituals. In turn, the structures that people worldwide stay, meet, archive and praise in, are mostly makings of this perspective expressed in solid form. In a simultaneously soft and steely voice, Sumayya Vally articulates design languages that place people at the margins of architecture and their ways of being, at the centre of the conversation. Her practice includes the creation of structures, but her speculative research, pedagogy and installation don’t necessarily aim for expression in the built environment. “Part of what constitutes the realm of architecture is building,”…

One look at the credits from some of the film industry’s box-office hits and you will notice that most of the roles and responsibilities are still fulfilled by men. Eileen de Klerk, a film editor who is making a name for herself in Hollywood, is using her influence and skills behind the camera to balance the scales. Eileen grew up in Pretoria and later moved to Cape Town to pursue her film studies at AFDA, the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance. Despite society telling her otherwise, it was always her aim to reinforce the idea that a woman can be anything she dreams, including excelling in the creative arts industry. “As a young girl, I absorbed as many movies and TV shows as I could.…

I was delighted by the chance invitation through a dear friend to meet and host the magnetic Phumi Körber for a recent sunset dinner. Currently studying data analytics, Phumi traded her high-profile corporate job in pursuit of a dream. Recently founding WISI-Oi, a popular online marketplace where new and preloved fashion can be bought and sold, her aim is to declutter closets nationwide and empower communities to earn additional income by turning their closets into cash. Arriving at my apartment bearing beautifully wrapped gifts, including exotic spices and chutney from Bo Kaap’s beloved spice emporium, Atlas, what struck me most was Phumi’s beaming smile and quiet gravitas. As dinner progressed and conversation flowed, I got to grips with her infectious personality and her enduring passion – circular fashion. With circular…

In the past few years, black figuration, the artistic genre characterised by representations of the black body, has grown unabated in the contemporary art scene of Africa and its diaspora. Artists of African descent living and working in various corners of the world have focused on reimagining the black figure and breaking free from traditional portrayals of blackness or its actual obliteration. These figurative artists are revising the historical art canon. They are producing images of black lives that are miles apart from the misery and desolation previously depicted, while others are inscribing the black body in historical and pictorial scenes where none was shown before. Artists are representing themselves and their peers in lavish interiors and portraying intimate scenes of domesticity – moments with family and friends that exude…

Litchi & Titch’s THE Serum suggests that this botanical-based serum may be the only one you need. The cruelty-free, locally made, vegan, and sustainably produced product works for every skin type, covering everything the epidermis needs. Made from antioxidant-rich plant extracts and ingredients, it forms a lightweight gel lotion specifically designed to fight skin concerns at a cellular level. Some of the powerhouse natural ingredients include bakuchiol (a natural alternative to retinol), rosehip, baobab, hyaluronic acid and aloe ferox.…

Siphesihle (Siphe) November has lived more than half his life away from his family. At the age of 11, he packed his bags and set off in pursuit of a dream. His destination? Canada’s National Ballet School, more than 12 000km from the dusty streets of Zolani in the Western Cape. His story is captured in the 2019 documentary Beyond Moving, directed by Vikram Dasgupta, in which his cannery-worker mother, Sylvia, says, “Dancing is in his blood. He danced everywhere. That’s when he was spotted by Fiona”. The late Fiona Sutton Sargeant was a former British ballerina who brought ballet to the townships through her work with Cape Town-based non-profit Dance for All (DFA). “[Siphe] had everything technically. He had an ability to move people,” she said. It’s a quality…

The first time that I met Khensani Nobanda she commandeered the lunch table inside the wine cellar that is tucked inside the executive suite at Nedbank’s Grayston Drive offices, just prior to the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) Auction in 2018. The dark, wood-panelled walls were lined with wines from some of South Africa’s most renowned winemakers. The executive offices that lead into this sacred space have walls that bear portraits of the executives who have served Nedbank over time. Over a three-course lunch inside the wine cellar, Khensani and Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Group Sponsorships and Cause Marketing, relayed their passion for the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme. She described Nedbank and The Guild’s commitment to push the needle forward in service of the South African agricultural industry…