Table of contents for Issue 339 2025 in The Big Issue

The Big Issue was registered as an NPO in 1997 to allow homeless adults living on the streets to generate an income so they could afford to be housed in more robust structures and thereafter move into more formal housing units. Fast forward to May 2025, and we are proud to announce that NONE of our vendors are living on the street or are homeless. That milestone could only have happened through your continued, and continuing support over all these years. We have the data to back up this achievement as we are in the midst of a comprehensive lifestyle audit of our vendors and their families. Yes, a “lifestyle audit”, like all politicians and high-level government officials are supposed to undergo. Our version of a lifestyle audit is focused…

A recent longitudinal study shows that Numeric’s afterschool programme significantly improves learners’ chances of passing matric, taking higher-level maths and science subjects, and staying in school. Early intervention in primary school therefore is crucial to fixing South Africa’s ongoing maths crisis. In a country where fewer than 4% of children who start Grade 1 leave school with strong enough mathematical skills to pursue a maths or science degree, Numeric is making an impact that lasts. Since its inception in 2012, the organisation has been on a mission to transform mathematics education in South Africa, ensuring that Grade 6 and 7 learners from low-income areas build solid foundations in the subject. Now, a recent longitudinal study conducted by Ros Clayton of the Research on Socioeconomic Policy (RESEP) at the University of…

Africa’s rangelands cover 43% of the continent (13.2 million sq kilometers) and support an estimated 50 million pastoralists. 90% of these rangelands are degraded, however, destroying water catchment functions and driving poverty traps for livestock farmers throughout Africa. The continent currently has over 700 million hectares of degraded lands, which serve as a challenge for the climate and for food security. For communal farmers in Africa, livestock is both a livelihood and a key economic asset. These pastoralists have two key challenges: diminishing access to healthy land to support their animals, and limited market access. Most small-scale pastoralists do not have access to the more lucrative formal meat market, which requires animals to be fed a balanced diet and have veterinary records to demonstrate their health. Most rural pastoralists do…

Wendy Cochrane conducted in-field videotaped research for little issue. She interviewed learners, teachers, parents and a principal at school and in homes. Derek Carelse: What makes Big Mama’s Truth Shop’s model unique in the space in which you operate? And tell me, is it research? Is it impact? What is it? Wendy Cochrane: What makes us different is that we are a research agency with a big heart. And we really believe that research and impact start with understanding people. Understanding your audience and doing the kind of research that takes you into their world in a way that your audience actually starts feeling like family. So, you get to know people as intimately as your own family. I have experienced over three decades of working in the marketing, advertising…

Derek Carelse: As someone who is familiar with your business, I am keenly interested in the origin story of Xolani Mawande. Please explain how your business started. Xolani Mawande: We began our journey in 2013 after learning the basics of sewing at Learn to Earn in Khayelitsha. With just a R450 loan, we set up a tiny workspace in a shack, using a ceiling board as our first cutting table. That same year, we got our first break – creating matric jackets and tracksuits for a nearby high school. After years of learning, refining our craft, and growing through word of mouth, we officially launched our fashion brand, Xolani Mawande, in 2017. DC: How does your past work experience help you in a business environment? XM: When we started in…

Recently, I’ve found myself in conversations about an oddly universal experience: middle-age friendship attrition. There’s no other way to describe it. One day, you’re surrounded by friends who pop up at your door unannounced with wine and cheese (and dreams). The next? Silence. Literal pin drop. It could be the stillness of contentment or the sound of too many group chats gone stale. Either way, in my twenties, friendship seemed effortless. Now, it seems to require a four-step plan, Google Maps, and sheer bravery. In our twenties, making friends was almost automatic. There was always someone up for a spontaneous drink or a wild night out. We’d have those glorious weekends where a lazy brunch seamlessly morphed into dinner, then drinking, then… who knows? Ah, those were the days. Life…

The Travelling Classroom initiative was started by wine producer and distributor DGB. At a recent Travelling Classroom event held to unveil a second mobile learning facility, Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen said: “South Africa faces three major challenges: unemployment, inequality and poverty. I think education is the key to the remedy for each of those three particular problems facing us.” He emphasised that ensuring every child in the country has access to quality education is one of the easiest ways to level the playing field. “The reality is that the government cannot do it on its own. Limited resources mean that we have to partner with the private sector, with organisations like DGB and others, to be able to meet the huge need that we have to make sure that…

When it comes to sugar, you can have too much of a good thing. This has been well-documented over the years, with sugar being linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. This is dangerous for children’s health, but beyond the physical implications are the neurological ones, with sugar negatively impacting cognitive function, mood, and behaviour in children. “The danger of excess sugar consumption is well-known, with the South African government implementing the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) to limit our daily intake,” commented Mbali Mapholi, Laager Rooibos partner dietician. “But parents and caregivers also play a vital role in limiting children’s sugar intake because there are so many hidden sugars in children’s food and drinks. Without taking necessary precautions, little ones can consume excess sugar incredibly easily.” This…

CROSSWORD Across 1 ‘Rope rot’ is an anagram for a soldier in a cavalry regiment (7) 5 Humorous entertainer on stage (5) 8 Rotating helicopter blade (5) 9 Creature with the torso of a man and the lower body of a horse (7) 10 Cowboy hat has a wide one (4) 11 Citizen of Italy’s canal city (8) 13 Largest African desert (6) 14 State of near-unconsciousness (6) 17 Drink before turning in (8) 19 Sudden illegal overthrow of a government (4) 22 Examine carefully (7) 23 Oval fruit used to make healthy oil (5) 24 Roller-coaster features (5) 25 The state of being unhappy (7) Down 1 Beat or pulsate steadily (5) 2 Source of material for a feather duster (7) 3 Area of land for recreational use by…