MAMA ABIGAIL KUBEKA TO BE HONOURED IN STAR-STUDDED VAN TOEKA AF TRIBUTE CONCERT
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, under the banner of the Van Toeka Af Living Legends Recognition Series, will host a powerful tribute concert in honour of Mama Abigail Kubeka, celebrating her 68 years of excellence in the South African music, arts, and cultural industry. Taking place on Friday, 5 July 2025 at 18:00 […]
“A DANCE FOR FEYA” – AN EVENING WITH KHAYA MAHLANGU AT SEVENTY PLUS ONE
The music began even before a note was played. It was in the room. In the air. In the walls of the Library Café, a place that knows stories and knows the weight of returning to a sacred place for a second act. It was from this very café, a few months ago, that I […]
WHY PRIDE MONTH IS STILL A PROTEST, NOT A CELEBRATION
In South Africa, the month of June is not only Youth Month, it is also the international Pride Month. This is a commemorative month-long observance dedicated to the celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, celebrating the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in local and international cultures and communities. South Africa is not only […]
FREEDOM PARK TO HOLD A SYMPOSIUM ON YOUTH ACTIVISM TO COMPARE AND REFLECT ON DIFFERENT EPOCHS
Freedom Park, in collaboration with Keeloz Global Entertainment, will on Saturday June 21 hold a symposium to focus on the role of youth activism through different political eras, before and after the advent of democracy in 1994. The main theme of the day for the engaging intergenerational dialogue will be titled: Youth Activism: Then and […]
REFLECTIONS ON YOUTH DAY 2025 – THE POWER OF OUR HISTORY AND IDENTITY
This year’s Youth Day commemorates 49 years since the June 16 Student Uprisings (also known as the Soweto Massacres), a crucial turning point in the liberation struggle of South Africa. In 1976, Soweto, the unbridled bravery of tens-of-thousands of schoolchildren ignited a countrywide rebellion, setting in motion a transformation that would define the future. The merciless killing of […]
THE USNESS OF US: A TRIBUTE TO SOUTH AFRICA’S FOREMOST STRUGGLE POETS
There are verses that do more than speak. They breathe. They march. They bleed. They return across generations like incantations passed from mouth to ear, from prison cell to refugee camp, from jazz club to the guerrilla front. For those of us who came of age in exile, navigating the uncertainties of borders, belonging, and […]
SOWETO’S NALEDI HIGH SCHOOL MOULDED MEN AND WOMEN OF INTEGRITY
Having scaled the heights of life, a summit of which I reached having climbed the ladder of success step-by-step, I look back at the role that my township Alma Matar Naledi High School played in shaping me to be a kind of man I became. Naledi High School was a place of growth and discovery. […]
AFRICAN LITERARY ICON NGUGI WA THIONG’O DIES
Africa’s literary giant Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o is no more. His daughter, who is also a writer, Wanjiku Wa Ngugi, announced in a Facebook post that he passed on early Wednesday 28th May. He was 87 years old. The Kenyan scholar, author, trailblazing academic and simply one of the continent’s most influential shapeshifters will be […]
MINISTER LAMOLA MOUNRS MA SHOPE AND SAYS DIRCO WILL CONTINUE ASSOCIATION
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola, joins the country in mourning the passing of anti-apartheid veteran Gertrude Shope, who passed away on 22 May 2025 aged 99. Shope lived an extra-ordinary life as a teacher, trade unionist, chief representative of the ANC, President of the ANC Women’s League and Member of […]
HUMAN RIGHTS MONTH: A TIME OF REFLECTION AND ACTION
As Human Rights month comes to a swift close, we must reflect on the pertinence of turning our gaze inward, taking stock of our nation’s gruelling history, as well as the ongoing struggles in our post-democratic society. This month was the historic commemoration in which those who fought against the barbaric apartheid regime, particularly those slain […]
REFLECTIONS ON LESSONS LEARNT FROM #FEESMUSTFALL A DECADE LATER
Rage, anger, despair, desperation … the intense emotions that escalated into the 2015 #FeesMustFall revolt! A time when university campuses were engulfed by violence, chaos, police brutality, uncertainty, fear, and disruptions. The extent was so severe that it was described as a ‘war zone’ (Tau, 2016). This year marks 10 years since South Africa witnessed […]
MULTI-TALENTED DR GOMOLEMO MOKAE WAS BRILLIANCE PERSONIFIED
Sir Winston Churchill’s description of an incomprehensible situation as a “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma…” could easily apply to the life and untimely passing of Dr. Gomolemo Mokae. Dr. Mokae has proved to be an enigma in several ways. While many individuals are known to be the greatest achievers in one […]