Table of contents for Issue 317 2023 in The Big Issue

For those who are in business, selling goods and services competitively will never be enough in a world where sustainability is at stake. Corporate social investment (CSI) or rather, corporate social responsibility (CSR), is a call to businesses to self-regulate and take responsibility for their impact on society and the environment. This edition focuses on the philanthropic efforts of Spirit Invest, whose CSI efforts directly assist our Big Issue vendors with the funding of their blue identifier bibs. We welcome Ian Kilbride, Chairman of Spirit Invest and the Spirit Foundation, and Honorary Professor at the Stellenbosch Business School, as our Guest Editor. Enjoy!…

Daily, we are reminded of how high the cost of living has become in South Africa, where most people are struggling to make ends meet for themselves and their families. In addition, unemployment has become rife in the country as many people are battling to secure jobs. With the population severely affected by this current situation, I cannot help but always think about our vendors whose backgrounds and economic situations are way below the average South African citizen. Out monthly vendor meeting in March covered an educational segment on diabetes and high blood pressure. We focused on food that puts people at risk, and healthier choices to make. To cover the topic properly, we needed a professional in the field of nutrition, capable of speaking to the vendors in a…

"Small Miracles follows three unforgettable nuns as they try to save their convent from ruin, an idea that came to me after watching a programme about a convent in York. The Sisters there were struggling financially, so they started buying lottery tickets in the hope that by some miracle, they might win and be able to save their convent. I thought this could be the beginning of a story, and I started to build on it by using some of my own memories and experiences. Now, I am no nun, but I did go to convent school, and I was very religious as a child. At one point, I actually wanted to be a priest, but, having been told that girls couldn’t be priests, I decided from the age of…

Despite advanced laws and guidelines, the results of corporate initiatives for inclusivity have failed to reach the expectations and needs of the disabled community, as unemployment within this minoritised group rises. South Africa’s high unemployment rate for the general population currently hovers conservatively at 40%, while unemployment rates for people with disabilities (PWD) are estimated at 90% in urban areas and close to 100% in rural environments. Where gainful employment is achieved, the underrepresentation of people with disabilities at various levels of employment across sectors is alarming. In the latest Commission for Employment Equity annual report, people with disabilities only represented 1.6% of top management, with no movement beyond the 2% mark at all other levels. If people with disabilities are to overcome exclusion within our society, they must have…

Brazilian skateboarding sensation Leticia Bufoni recently joined forces with Johannesburgbased artist Fhatuwani Mukheli for a special collaboration. Together, they have designed custom skateboard decks in true African style. Leticia kicked off the project by hosting a workshop at Pimville Skatepark, alongside local skating star Brandon Valjalo. The event featured demonstrations of skateboarding skills, sharing of knowledge and giveaways of many signed boards. Fhatuwani is the Co-founder and Director of I See a Different You, a collective of Soweto-born creatives. Leticia’s collaboration with Fhatuwani also included members from Island Gals Shred, a community built by women in skateboarding to embrace and increase the female scene in Africa. The finishing touches on their new custom boards were added by Leticia and two young skaters, who contributed a splash of their own identity,…

DESIREE JOHNSON A myriad of questions and considerations are conjured when it comes to business owners ‘giving back' to communities. Conscious decisions must be made based on values, uses, assistance, and perhaps profit. As custodians of CSI budgets on behalf of companies or corporates, what are the deciding factors on how to spend CSI budget allocation? Questions of the mind Is it because companies ace compelled to give by law that the attitude is to make it a win-win situation both ways? How, by giving to a cause, can we get something in return for our companies? Is this the expectation? Do we have trust issues about who we are giving to? Are we worried about how the beneficiary will spend our CSI investments? What is the percentage that they…

Crossroads took Bianca more than eight years to write and draws on her experiences while growing up in Durban where she has lived her whole life. A light-hearted, fun romance novel for teens, the story follows challenges faced by the main characters, Kyle and Lia, as their relationship is tested by the lies and actions of the people closest to them. Bianca explains: “I started it eight years ago when I wrote 30 A4 pages. It was too long to be a short story and too short to be a novel. Life happened and I stopped writing for a while. But I had time during Covid, so I started again. A friend pushed me, saying ‘it is now or never' to have it published. So, I pulled it out again…

thevaluesattitudes and norms within your organisation to align with the commitment to offer an inclusive environment to people with disabilities. companypoliciesprocedures and rules that encourage or discourage attitudes towards people with disabilities and adjust them accordingly. aseriesofinformationsessions over time, ensuring that both non-disabled and disabled employee perspectives are considered. Consider how you can make such sessions more informal and interactive. thattheorganisationsetsup an effective process to hire, place and retain employees with disabilities. Identify the turnover rate of employees with disabilities and regularly measure variances in this rate as your inclusivity policy is rolled out, implemented, and gains in maturity. acorporatemindsetacknowledgingemployees' needs, and implement a safe speak-up system. This will widen the notion of what it is to be ‘normal' and included within the workplace.…

Panorama. Cape Town Vendor name: Nokubonga Nyaniswa Vendor number: B86 Pitch: Platte kloof Road, Panorama About Nokubonga: Nokubonga is a 37-year-old mother of five — one son and four girls — aged four to 19. She has sold The Big Issue for 12 years, and really enjoys her job. She has a bubbly personality and therefore doesn’t find it difficult to interact with her customers and sell the magazine to them She stays in Town 2 in Khayelitsha with her children, who she is raising as a single parent. Work experience: Nokubonga used to work as a cleaner a few years ago, but she lost her job when her contract wasn’t renewed. She says she enjoyed this work because she knew at the end of the month she would get…

"We All Want Impossible Things is my first novel for adults. I write a lifestyle column, and have penned books on my parenting experience and books for kids on important skills to learn, so this is really my first real endeavour into fiction. While I was writing the novel, I had to keep reminding myself that I could fictionalise stuff! It gave me a kind of vertigo, the bottomless possibilities afforded by fiction. With a memoir, you’re bound by the truth, but writing the novel, I was suddenly, like, "Oh, wait, what if she doesn’t die?” But We All Want Impossible Things is similar to a memoir in that it’s inspired by my own experience of losing my best friend. She passed away in hospice some years ago and I…

FTFA is a Non-Profit Social Enterprise working towards a healthier, food secure future through developing programmes and initiatives that address climate change and greening, promote natural resource management, organic farming and food security, and sustainable enterprise development. Through FTFA, over 4.7 million trees have been planted, thousands of schools and community gardens have been developed and hundreds of market gardens and farms are supported. FTFA has been in South African Social Development for more than 32 years and is a pioneer within climate change response and food security.…

To the best of my knowledge, no other publication in the world delivers such 1 immediate and direct benefit to its vendors as The Big Issue. It’s a simple, yet brilliant business model as much as it is a good monthly read. This is just one of the reasons the Spirit Organisation [a privately owned family organisation which operates its corporate activities under Spirit Invest and its philanthropic activities under the Spirit Foundation] has supported The Big Issue and its vendors over many years. We simply respect and appreciate what the publication stands for, how vendors are given a hand up and frankly, it’s an uplifting experience to be associated with it. This month, it is my distinct honour to serve as the guest editor of The Big Issue. I…

While race and culture still impact access to our educational system, the main challenge faced today is financial access. The effects of pre-1994 apartheid and access to adequate jobs and a fair education system still impact the employability of many South Africans. This selffulfilling cycle of poverty is a structural issue that non-profit organisations in the education sector are working desperately hard to address. The other more corrosive challenge is that as South Africans we have lost our sense of community. Having worked in education for 10 years in various phases, schools and education services, it has become apparent that we are often overwhelmed by the challenges we see, and perhaps too often a lot of the blame is placed on ‘the system’. I want to challenge this general assumption…

ABOUT ELAINE'S ART CLASSES Elaine works with individuals and groups exploring themes, patterns, and new ways of seeing. Her art philosophy developed from her training in Bridging Polarities through Art — a healing approach to art focusing on moments of wonder and enthusiasm, of silence and feeling deeply connected. This form of art facilitation which is 'Process based’ (it’s not art therapy), places emphasis on the experience, rather than the end product. Entering into an experience with art materials encourages a deepening of self-awareness where thinking does not override the process of creative expression. Exploration is the key. This process ensures your inner voice is heard. No art experience is necessary. For more information, visit Elaine’s website at www.bridgingpolarities.co.za All the artwork on this page is for sale. Email info@bigissue.co.za to…