Table of contents for Issue 313 2022 in The Big Issue

CHATTING WITH BRENT: Good Things Guy (GTG) has gone viral The GTG ‘universe’ is quite a vast one. I have the website, which is the big guy, where all the incredible stories live. It’s the go-to for everything good in South Africa. That content is then posted to all of social media … Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube. I then have a weekly podcast (which is eight years old already … WHAT?) and a weekly feature on 947 Radio [formerly 94.7 Highveld Stereo] and Radio 702. I’m often invited to other radio stations to chat about the good things; happening in SA, and every now and then I write pieces for News24. Daily Maverick, and IOL. Oh, I also have an app. See? Vast. LOL. Before GTG ……

SOURCE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE PENGUIN POST, A MAGAZINE ABOUT BOOKS FOR BOOK LOVERS, FROM PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE SOUTH AFRICA. “Naspers is this century’s biggest business story, certainly for South Africans. One astute investment in a Chinese technology business turned a newspaper publisher into the JSE’s biggest company and created trillions of rands of wealth in the process. Yes, that’s trillions with a capital T. It also earned Koos Bekker, who was CEO from 1997 until 2014 and board chair since 2015, multiple billions. But would you be able to recognise him in a crowd? Probably not. Despite being a high-flyer in the business world, Bekker prefers to stay under the radar. He declined to be interviewed for Koos Bekker’s Billions, saying that he could still go to a shop…

20 things to do today (and every day) to create a better you. Trust your instincts. Learn to say no. Remember that fortune favours the brave. 1. Trust your instincts — that feeling in your tummy is a real 6th sense. 2. Follow your bliss. Do everything in your power to create happiness. 3. Make plans but be open to change. Nothing is set in stone. Change is also as good as a holiday. Remember that. 4. Work hard. Play hard. I like to say, “Work like a captain, party like a pirate!” 5. Learn to let things go. This is a big one. Don’t hold on to things so hard. A teacher once told me that you can’t move into your future if you’re holding onto something from the…

WORDS: ARTICLE AND EXTRACT PUBLISHED WITH PERMISSION FROM PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE. A business deal gone wrong… ‘“Mr Angabi,’ I say in a conciliatory tone, ‘I’m sorry, but I am very confused. Can you please explain the problem? I’ve never given you any reason to mistrust me. If you want to cancel the contract, then we need to follow the proper procedures.’ I lean across the table and place the contract in front of him, pointing to the section that covers cancellation. He grabs it, glances at it briefly pretending to read, then rips it into pieces, flinging it into the air. ‘I told you, if you want to leave this country and see your family again, you need to repay my money,’ he says, his tone ominous. ‘That’s the end…

Gavin Evans takes a look at how former boxer and South African liberation struggle icon Nelson Mandela adapted while incarcerated in a tiny cell on Robben Island. February 15, 1990: Nelson Mandela wakes as always at 5am and begins his hour-long exercise routine. The difference this time is that instead of a prison cell, his gym is the front room of his ‘matchbox’ house — so-called for its small size — at 8115 Vilakazi Street, Soweto. And soon he’ll be besieged by journalists, well-wishers, diplomats and family members. I get to interview him a few hours later to ask about his plans. His answers are clear and concise and I’m too nervous to probe deeper. But towards the end I toss in a question about boxing, and his stern demeanour…

JOY FROM AFRICA TO THE WORLD Make your way to the V&A Waterfront to see what over 130 local designers, crafters, makers and artisans have in store this festive season. Recycled and upcycled materials will transform the V&A Waterfront into a wonderland that tells an African festive story of peace and kindness. The display showcases local talent while demonstrating just what’s possible with ‘waste’. Alongside the installations, there’ll be myriad free activities throughout the holidays. Venue: V&A Waterfront, Tickets: Free www.waterfront.co.za Western Cape SOUL AND JAZZ GREATS Fans of soul and jazz get ready for the first Annual Gauteng Soul and Jazz Concert featuring multi award-winning artists. For one night only, experience the hottest soul and jazz music Gauteng has to offer. The evening will showcase superstars such as singer…

HOW DID YOU BECOME AN ART FACILITATOR? I loved art and crafts as a child and art was always in the background of my life. I then worked in areas associated with art, advertising and design. Just before I turned 40, I had a recurrence of malignant melanoma in a lymph node. While waiting to hear if the surgery was successful, my only solace was drawing; I worked with black pen and linework and from feelings and memories, especially of places in nature. Drawing helped to keep me calm and prevented me from being overwhelmed by fear and sadness. Fortunately, I recovered and that was when I decided to do Waldorf Kindergarten training at the Centre for Creative Education. It was there that the process art facilitator training, Bridging Polarities…

Good Things Guy exploded onto the scene in 2015, thanks to Neknomination in 2014 — a viral drinking game that started in Australia and has since trended around the world. It revolves around a digital concept to do something silly such as downing a bottle of alcohol - you then nominate someone else to outdo the trend. Watching this, Brent believed that SA had much bigger fish to fry than downing bottles of booze. And an idea was born - instead of drinking, what about starting random acts of kindness and becoming more responsible on social media, leaving a better impression of yourself there? Then Brent was Neknominated … He decided, instead of joining the game, to turn it around in a game-changing duel. Out to fetch some lunch one…

One day out of the blue, a little after I turned 40, I found myself unable to go to work. I wasn’t having any issues with work or personal relationships, but rather it was as if my internal battery had died, my body couldn’t muster the strength to move.” Mr Ueda, 57, who sells The Big Issue Japan at Osaka’s JR Ibaraki Station, is the one behind this story. After growing up in the southern part of the Hyogo Prefecture, and studying mathematics at a prestigious government university, he landed a job in an up-and-coming IT company. He was thriving at his job as a system engineer and was even entrusted as a leader to manage many subordinates in his 30s — but he couldn’t change the sudden state of…

SOURCE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE PENGUIN POST, A MAGAZINE FROM PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE SOUTH AFRICA. “It was a moment with actress Laura Linney that inspired me to write Oh William! Laura had played Lucy Barton in a one-woman show in London, and then on Broadway, and one day during a rehearsal, she murmured something about William, and pushed her glasses to the top of her head. I suddenly thought: Oh, William! I realised then that he had his own story — of course he did, who doesn’t? — and that certain parts were already there in My Name is Lucy Barton. So, I was off and running. The book is set between New York and Maine. Though I spent much of my childhood in Maine, the area in the book…

Koos Bekker has amassed one of the largest fortunes ever by a South African. Just how did he do it? Under Bekker, Naspers made several bad investments, a few mediocre ones, a few good ones … and one that shot the lights out. A modest bet on Chinese technology startup Tencent changed Bekker’s destiny. Was this genius, strategy or just plain old good luck? In Koos Bekker' Billions, T.J. Strydom delves into Bekker’s life, career and business decisions. He identifies 15 winning strategies, each calculated and effective, that catapulted a Heidelberg boerseun into unfathomable wealth. This is a fascinating look into the life of a very private billionaire.…

The police officers who used to search his belongings looking for drugs are now among “the shoe doctor” Eric Poku’s best customers.. “The police thought I was selling drugs and using the shoe business as a cover,” said Poku, a cobbler who has been running his shoe-stitching business at Bosman Street in Pretoria Central, Tshwane since 2002. He arrived in South Africa from Ghana in 2000, with the cobbling skills learnt from his father, and little else. He says that when he began his business, metro police would regularly come and search his belongings at the intersection where he works. “They did not believe that I am just fixing shoes.” With the help of his South African wife, he secured a trading permit that kept the police from confiscating his…

Hitesh’s speciality is, of course, the poochka, a lovely crispy golden fried orb, hollow in the middle and stuffed with spicy potatoes or lentil fillings. The street treat is novel in that there’s a twist to the preparation before the eating — the poochka is submerged into chilled, spiced water then popped into the mouth for a taste sensation. Word has spread fast about these unusual and authentic Indian street specialities, with customers returning regularly to get their fix. Hitesh has gained 4 539 organic followers on Instagram, and has had the pleasure of serving celebrities and influencers alike. HITESH SAYS I met my wife, a South African, in my restaurant back home in India. She brought me to South Africa and I made the big move from Mumbai in…

The Big Issue is available from vendors in the suburbs of Cape Town, and from select Spar, CNA, and Pick n Pay stores nationwide. GET IN TOUCH! Email our social worker Tsephi at placements@bigissue.org.za V&A Waterfront, Cape Town Vendor name: Florence Godongwana Vendor number: 2599 Pitch: Buitengracht Street About Florence: Florence is a single mom of five from Khayelitsha Town Two. She’s sold The Big Issue since 2009 and has been able to send her children to school and put food on the table this way. However, over the years, her sales have decreased, making it difficult to provide for her family. She says that customers mostly buy when the magazine is new. She also encounters problems with rude customers who can be demeaning. Florence is undergoing treatment at Tygerberg…

[ THE BIG ISSUE ] I am Sameera Failla. I’ve been living in Switzerland for 21 years and I value my life here a lot. One may not expect that as I cannot express myself so well in German. Especially with some of the German pronunciations and sounds, which are still challenging for me. But when someone takes a bit of time and speaks to me slowly, they quickly realise that I have much to talk about. Often, Italian words slip in while I am speaking as I learnt Italian at school as a child. That was normal 50 years ago in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. Unfortunately, I could only attend school until sixth year. I got married before my 16th birthday, also a tradition from the past. SURVIVING…

Lucy Barton is a successful writer living in New York, navigating the second half of her life as a recent widow and parent to two adult daughters. A surprise encounter leads her to reconnect with William, her first husband — and longtime, on-again-off-again friend and confidante. A luminous novel about the mysteries that make up a marriage, about discovering family secrets late in life that rearrange everything we think we know about those closest to us, and the way people continue to live and love, against all odds.…

WORDS: ARTICLES AND EXTRACTS PUBLISHED WITH PERMISSION FROM PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE. As told through the lens of his children, in the days leading up to his murder, there were anomalies in Taliep Petersen’s behaviour, as this extract from a new book on the legendary entertainer reveals: “It was Reconciliation Day [16 December], and Taliep and his children headed to Adderley Street where the Coons were performing. They were soon stopped by a police roadblock. But Taliep was beloved of Cape Town, and the freedom of the city was his. “Ah, it’s Taliep Petersen!” the traffic cops exclaimed, and let him through. The Coons were performing Taliep and David’s song “Welcome to Cape Town”. Taliep promptly jumped out and began to dance in the street, playing the voorlopertjie for the Coons…

Two large wheelchair wheels and two dustbin wheels. Wooden planks, bearings, rods and nails. These are the materials children have used in Gugulethu to build gokarts to race through the township’s streets. They did so as part of a recent two-day competition called New Race Go-Kart Tournament, which ran over a weekend. Hosted by Nulife Activities, the non-governmental organisation got permission from residents to divert traffic and lay rubber tyres on the streets as safety barriers.. “I grew up playing with go-karts,” says Elethu Nkala, co-founder of Nulife Activities. As a child, Nkala would take the train to Mnandi beach [Cape Town], and return with bunches of mpepo (an indigenous herb). He would then sell it to the community, transporting it on his go-kart. Growing up, Nkala says he built…

In an ‘antique’ store on Ontdekkers Road, West Rand, Johannesburg, the owner pops her head out of a tiny office, no larger than a closet, to offer help. Behind her desk a painting in an ornate gold frame commands attention — a burly self-portrait of Dutch 17th century painter, Frans Hals. Peering closely, it is impossible to discern as a fake, but the owner swears it is real, with a price tag of R36 000. Ontdekkers Road two decades ago was infamous for special ‘finds’, and unscrupulous dealers would sweep original impoverished mining homes on the reefs of old Johannesburg for new discoveries. Calculating buyers back then, without the naked internet, might have reckoned that the Hals was real, perhaps having made its way from Europe to post-World War II…

The vendor art programme supports social development at The Big Issue. The healing and transformative aspects of art and colour develop confidence and reveal new talent and skill. VENDOR ART ISN’T SKILLS DEPENDENT I conduct one art session a month for our Big Issue vendors before the monthly vendor meeting. All development and training happens on this one morning due to the financial costs of time away for vendors from their pitch. The vendors are invited to join in and create, and they arrive from 8.30am until 9.30am before the general meeting begins at 10am. Art sessions must be contained in one process so works can be completed, and as attendance is erratic, each exercise allows for exploration. This is focused on working from inner experience and is not skills…