Table of contents for Issue 328 2024 in The Big Issue

In October 2023 when The Big Issue announced the loss of all its very limited funding (R600 000) after a ‘hacker scam,’ staff rallied to keep the show on the road. With help from the public, donations have enabled us to stay afloat. We support more than 120 vendors and +-720 family members through sales of the magazine. WE ARE AN NGO What many don’t realise is that The Big Issue magazine, itself, is a product of the larger Big Issue operation, a vehicle for our vendors to earn a living. Making up the heart of the NPO are our Vendor Training and Social Support programmes. Here our vendors and their families have access to guidance counselling, and to social support services. The Big Issue also assists vendors to move…

“I was feeling a little creatively exhausted when I fi rst approached this book, so I really wanted to write something that would excite and inspire me. Voyage of the Damned was very much a product of me embracing all the things I love to write and combining them together. For a start, I’ve always adored fantasy stories. Ever since I was little, I’ve read anything I could get my hands on that had any aspect of magic. But I also have a morbid curiosity in murder mysteries, both fictionalised and real-life ones. Adding magic to that felt like opening up a whole new realm of murderous possibilities and fiendish twists. I wanted to lean in hard to the sort of classic set-up that I love – a load of…

A young Rich Mnisi got into the habit of cutting up clothes, wrapping curtains around his body, and cutting up magazines to make paper clothing. This is his first distinct recollection of his interest in fashion, art, and design. His first creative inspiration, however, was his sister, Memory. “She was so adventurous and creative in the way she looked – from the clothes she wore, to her make-up and ingenious hairstyles,” Rich shares. There are subtexts in the collision of what home is and the ideas behind what it represents. If home is an “irrevocable condition” as James Baldwin suggests, then for Rich, home is a constant state of pride. An ongoing celebration of his culture and heritage. Since its inception in 2015, the Rich Mnisi brand has influenced popular…

Non-profit organisations such as the Spirit Foundation play a crucial role in addressing societal challenges, from poverty alleviation to environmental conservation. However, ensuring their sustainability is essential for them to continue making a meaningful impact. For 30 years the Spirit Foundation has been a catalyst for change, empowering scholars, communities, and wildlife conservation, championing these causes with unparalleled fervour. While we continue to lead in the sector, sharing of our successes has become part of our work. In this section I provide five key factors which all nonprofits should consider impacting on organisational sustainability. DIVERSIFICATION OF FUNDING SOURCES Non-profit organisations often rely heavily on grants or donations from a single source, making them vulnerable to fluctuations in funding. To enhance sustainability, non-profits should diversify their funding sources. This can include…

The Spirit Foundation has been a pillar of strength to the Upper Liesbeek River Garden (ULRG). Without its involvement, we would simply not survive and as this is our 20th Anniversary, this is no mean feat! Together with the Spirit Community Foundation we are able to protect and preserve an upper reach of the Liesbeek River and cultivate a garden on its banks for the enjoyment of the whole Cape Town Community, specially those who have no ready access to green spaces. Through SCF funding, ULRG is able to provide a meaningful social impact to the lives of children and their families as they visit and explore this piece of paradise. This garden is well used and loved by people from all walks of life and is regularly utilised as…

[ THE BIG ISSUE ] OPEN LETTERS TO GOVERNMENT Dear Mr President, What will your legacy be? Before the parliamentary sitting where you were elected as president of South Africa, the Chief Justice of this country prayed to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit for wisdom and for this country. During your investiture you stated that you will preserve the country’s Constitution as the person responsible to do so, and you declared this with the words: ''SO HELP ME GOD'' We believe that many people fully realise the scope of the responsibilities you have taken upon yourself. Firstly, you have given an undertaking before the God of Heaven and Earth and to every citizen in South Africa, including minority groups, that you desire to be president…

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…

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: Cynthia Nomntu Gogotya Vendor number: 2376 Find Cynthia at: Corner of Mill and Orange streets, Gardens About: Cynthia (58) lives in Nyanga East. She is a single mother of three children, and cares for her four grandchildren. The four boys attend primary school at Nyanga East and Cynthia’s daughter is at a college studying hospitality, while the other is unemployed. Her salary is the sole source of income for her entire extended family. She stays in a dangerous area with an exceptionally high crime rate, so life is a challenge for her. Ambitions:…

Congratulations on winning! What does it mean to receive it for this book specifically? It is an honour because the prize has been around for more than two decades and I was short-listed with some incredible writers, whose work I read and respect. For this book in particular … I did not expect to receive quite so much generosity in the reading, to be honest. It isn’t always advisable to write things that are better left unsaid: about corruption in South Africa, race in China and in the USA too – especially in a novel; we have more tolerance for these subjects in non-fiction. So, I do feel privileged to be in a position to write, and astonished to be rewarded for it. What sources did you use to investigate…

As The Big Issue South Africa, our partnership with the Spirit Foundation has been truly remarkable and one of a kind, changing our vendors’ lives as well as those of their children. Our collaborative success is built at the intersection of the market and civil society, amplifying the strength of each for the benefit of others and meets, literally, where the rubber meets the road. The Big Issue vendors sell our magazine around the metros of Cape Town, wearing a Spirit-sponsored Big Issue bib adorned with Spirit’s asset investment brands providing high visibility for thousands of commuters. We contribute to improving the homes of economically vulnerable families by marrying private sector funding with an NGO which has deep knowledge of the life conditions of their beneficiaries resulting in a tightly…

[ THE BIG ISSUE ] OPEN LETTERS TO GOVERNMENT A plea to Cyril Ramaphosa Your Excellency, As we approach the 29th annual Freedom Day celebrations in South Africa, it is a time for us to reflect on the progress our nation has made since the end of apartheid. However, it is also a time for us to acknowledge the many challenges that we still face. As an elected official, you have a duty to serve all who call South Africa their home, and it is time for you to take a hard look at the concerns of the electorate. Freedom Day marks the anniversary of the first democratic election in South Africa, and it is a day to celebrate the hard-fought struggle against apartheid and the triumph of democracy. However, we…

[ THE BIG ISSUE ] OPEN LETTERS TO GOVERNMENT Dear Mr President 2024 is a watershed moment for South Africa. This year marks the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s constitutional democracy and the seventh time South African citizens will exercise their democratic rights in a general election. As you finalised your recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), your last to be delivered to this sixth democratic parliament, we do not doubt that you too were reflecting on these milestones. In this historic year, we call on you to align government’s policy and implementation efforts behind the needs of the country’s marginalised people and place these at the centre of your post-SONA activities. We call on you to ensure that government speaks with one voice, coherently advancing and funding stated policy…

With three months to go, three more ladies had contacted me to ask whether they could join the ‘Crazy Chicks Climb Kili’ challenge. One, a good friend from Italy, another from Port Elizabeth and the other from Dutywa, Eastern Cape (I had to use a map to see where that was). The women were from completely different backgrounds, each with their own reasons for wanting to climb. Angiola, my friend, is the Principal of an English language school and mother of two young children from Siracusa in Sicily. She decided on a whim to join me because she believes in what we are doing. Then there is Barbara, from Port Elizabeth, a mother as well, who is inspired by her sister who uses a wheelchair. Barbara got in touch after…

ROM-COM READING “I came up with the idea for The Catch back in 2019, even before I wrote Set on You and Exes and O’s. I love a fish out of water kind of story where a high maintenance city person meets their small town, rugged counterpart. I guess you could say I love the opposites-attract dynamic. Similar to Exes and O’s, The Catch was truly inspired by a mashup of rom-coms, namely The Proposal and While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock. I’ve always been enamoured with the premise of While You Were Sleeping, where a lonely woman gets mistaken for the fiancée of a guy in a coma and gets adopted into his off-beat, yet loving family. I find the family aspect so compelling, because I think today’s…

Together with millions around the world, in 1994 I had a vision for a new, democratic, non-racial South Africa in which all our people enjoyed a better, more prosperous, peaceful and harmonious life. Together we have come a long way since those heady and turbulent earliest days, and the path ahead will not be easy, nor without its challenges. But I am even more confident today than I was thirty years ago in the future of our unique and beguiling land. I am equally sure, however, that this brighter and better future can only be achieved through our collective efforts and by that, I mean civil society, business and governmental all pulling together to achieve our shared goals and vision. Talk of a failed state has become a creeping narrative…

In partnership with LOFOB since 2018, Spirit Foundation has helped enable access to therapeutic and education support services for at least 210 children from disadvantaged backgrounds through the financial support of LOFOB’s vehicle costs and occupational therapy programmes. The support received from Spirit Foundation has helped us as an organisation to further extend our reach into the rural communities of the Western Cape and in so doing, we have ensured that children have access to the required therapeutic services, education support, and assistive devices. This support has also ensured that communities and relevant stakeholders have an increased awareness of the abilities and needs of blind and visually impaired children. With Spirit Foundation support we have travelled to at least 37 towns across the Western Cape, including Beaufort West, Hermanus, Saron,…

Wildlifevets.com and the Spirit Wildlife Foundation have forged a powerful alliance in the realm of wildlife conservation, particularly in their efforts to safeguard the future of African carnivores. The collaboration between these two entities exemplifies a synergistic approach that combines wildlife veterinary expertise with a deep commitment to environmental stewardship. At the heart of this partnership lies a shared vision: the preservation of Africa’s iconic carnivores, which face a wide variety of threats ranging from habitat loss to human-wildlife conflict. Wildlifevets.com has partnered with several organisations and government organisations to conserve carnivores such as lions, cheetahs, leopards and African wild dogs. The Spirit Foundation has assisted Wildlifevets.com with field projects, such as assisting in the capture of male wild dogs, which are currently being held in the Spirit boma facility.…

Dear Ms Angelina Matsie Motshekga My name is Louise Martin, and I am the CEO of Estate Living, a company deeply entrenched in the residential property sector, from land acquisition to property management. Today, I write to you with a heavy heart yet hopeful spirit, hoping to shed light on a matter of utmost importance. STUDENTS SKILLS' CRISIS Having spent nearly 15 years in the industry, I am intimately familiar with the myriad of challenges facing small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. From navigating financial crises and unpredictable power supplies, to deteriorating infrastructure and weathering the storm of political instability, our journey has been anything but smooth. Instances such as the riots in Durban and other areas of unrest serve as a poignant reminder of the significant influence…

[ THE BIG ISSUE ] OPEN LETTERS TO GOVERNMENT Dear Minister Zulu The recent announcement in the Budget Speech of significant budget cuts by the Department of Social Development poses a grave threat to the essential services and support provided to the most vulnerable members of our society – persons with disabilities (PAD). The Western Cape Network on Disability’s summary report paints a stark picture of the devastating impact these cuts will have on our community. KEY POINTS FROM THE REPORT: 1. Budget cuts: National Government has slashed R642.4 million in conditional grants provided to the Western Cape Provincial Government Department of Social Development (DSD). This will directly affect funding non-profit organisations (NPOs) that play a vital role in serving PAD. 2. Immediate impact: NPOs were caught off guard by a…