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TikTok mom encourages mother tongue learning for South Africans

TikTok mom encourages mother tongue learning for South Africans

"THE struggle is real", reads the caption of one TikTok video in which South African mom Lungile Zenda tries to teach her daughter how to say a sentence in their native language, Zulu. It took 11-year-old Luyanda several tries before she correctly pronounced the phrase "I have a dog" ("Ngi nenja"). The video has over three million views, with many laughing emojis in the comments. But Zenda's humorous home Zulu teaching videos have also gained a following because viewers can relate. In South Africa, where English is the dominant language of work and education, some children are losing proficiency in…
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South Africans are opting to go off-grid: how they’re being helped, and hindered, in their efforts

South Africans are opting to go off-grid: how they’re being helped, and hindered, in their efforts

ESKOM, South Africa’s state-owned power utility, struggles to generate and supply a stable flow of electricity to meet demand. In 2023, there were times when households and businesses had no power for up to 11 hours a day. Eskom has warned that load shedding will be worse in 2024. GERMARIÉ VILJOEN, Associate Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law, North-West University, North-West University FELIX DUBE, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, University of Pretoria The result is that many South Africans are choosing to end or reduce their dependence on the…
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South Africans seek out Black Friday essentials as crunch continues

South Africans seek out Black Friday essentials as crunch continues

JOHANNESBURG'S Mall of Africa was buzzing with bargain hunters pushing trolleys laden with groceries such as cooking oil, boxes of milk and multi-packs of diapers, along with household items such as pillows and detergent. This year's Black Friday sales come as South Africans grapple with soaring interest rates and steep rises in food, transport and health costs, leading them to spend strategically on products they need the most amid a cost-of-living crisis. "There is no money for electronics this year. We're basically just working for food now," Trevor Abrahams, 42, told Reuters while queuing to pay for his groceries at Shoprite's Checkers supermarket at…
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Embracing Diversity and Inclusion: Lessons for Universities from the Springboks

Embracing Diversity and Inclusion: Lessons for Universities from the Springboks

 UNIVERSITIES across the globe can draw valuable insights from the World Champion Springboks regarding the power of diversity and inclusion. In clinching their fourth world title, the Springboks defeated the formidable All Blacks in an epic final that harked back to their iconic 1995 victory – a moment celebrated as one of the most significant nation-building milestones worldwide. Upon the Springboks triumphant return to Johannesburg, Siya Kolisi, the victorious captain, passionately declared, “This one is for every single person in South Africa, rich or poor - it doesn't matter. This win will inspire a lot of people, but it won’t…
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South Africans call for holiday as they revel in World Cup success

South Africans call for holiday as they revel in World Cup success

SOUTH Africans woke up in a jubilant mood and with some sore heads, basking in the glory of back-to-back Rugby World Cup wins following their nail-biting 12-11 victory over old foes New Zealand in the 2023 final in Paris. Rugby arguably means more in South Africa than any other nation in the world as a unifying force between people of all races, and with the power to lift those with talent out of a life of poverty. Their record fourth World Cup victory from the eight tournaments they have played was won the hard way and with no shortage of…
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Zulu land dispute: Ingonyama Trust furore highlights the problem of insecure land tenure for millions of South Africans in rural areas

Zulu land dispute: Ingonyama Trust furore highlights the problem of insecure land tenure for millions of South Africans in rural areas

THE recent fallout between the Zulu king, Misuzulu, and his now late traditional prime minister, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, over the running of the Ingonyama Trust highlights a pervasive problem in South Africa: insecure land tenure in rural areas. The Ingonyama Trust administers about a third of the land in KwaZulu-Natal province. Buthelezi insinuated that the king – or those around him – wanted to corruptly sell the land for profit. He also questioned the competence of the board chairperson appointed by the king. The king denied the charge, saying the board would “never allow the sale of the land”. ANTHEA-LEE SEPTEMBER-VAN…
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Sindiwe Magona’s new book of essays tackles issues South Africans aren’t talking about

Sindiwe Magona’s new book of essays tackles issues South Africans aren’t talking about

SINDIWE Magona – who turns 80 this year – is a celebrated South African writer, storyteller, speaker and activist. In 2022 Magona, once a domestic worker, received her PhD in creative writing. Best known for her novels, autobiographies, short stories, poems and children’s books, she’s also a writer of essays. Now a new collection, I Write the Yawning Void, has been published. The essays in the book mostly deal with becoming and being a writer in a country like South Africa with a violent past that lives on in painful social and economic inequality. We asked her about the book.…
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Milisuthando: a powerful documentary that will get South Africans talking about identity

Milisuthando: a powerful documentary that will get South Africans talking about identity

MILISUTHANDO is a debut feature-length documentary film by Milisuthando Bongela. Taking the form of a personal essay, it’s an intimate story about family and ancestors, about “inside apartheid’s experiment” and negotiating the complex world of post-apartheid South Africa. Bongela, born in 1985, offers a version of her life story in five parts organised poetically and thematically. The film is built on her experience of being born in the former Transkei “homeland” – one of the “independent states” designated by the racist apartheid government to institutionalise “separate development”. It explores what it means to have grown up in this society. JULIA…
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Africa’s extraordinary distance running prowess: South Africans dominate the 96th Comrades Marathon

Africa’s extraordinary distance running prowess: South Africans dominate the 96th Comrades Marathon

SOUTH Africans Tete Dijana and Gerda Steyn shattered records and set new ones and, in the process, showed off Africa's capacity for extraordinary distance running performances at the highly rated 2023 Comrades Marathon on Sunday (June 11). The race on Sunday, June 11, 2023, attracted over 17,000 passionate runners who embarked on the gruelling 87 km challenge. Starting from the iconic Pietermaritzburg City Hall and culminating at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium in the coastal city of Durban, more than 2300 international athletes participated in this 96th edition. In a breathtaking display of sheer determination and athleticism, Tete Dijana claimed a…
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South Africans blame city as cholera cases rise

South Africans blame city as cholera cases rise

SOUTH Africans blamed their local government for failing to provide clean water as deaths from cholera rose to 15 in the country's most populous province. The health department in Gauteng province declared a cholera outbreak on Sunday in Hammanskraal, an area about 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of the capital Pretoria, in the City of Tshwane. Almost 100 people have been seen at the hospital, and 37 have been admitted to wards, the city government said on Monday, warning residents of Hammanskraal and surrounding areas not to drink tap water. "We are drinking that water, but they don't want to…
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