Tag: Exile

TRIBUTE TO COMRADE CLEOPAS SIPHO “CITY” MAGANE (MK VELAPHI NGOBESE)

We honour and celebrate the life of Comrade Sipho Magane, a dedicated freedom fighter, patriot, and servant of the people whose courage, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to the liberation and development of South Africa will forever remain part of our nation’s proud history. From an early age, Sipho demonstrated a deep sense of patriotism. Having […]

MAMA’S SPIRIT, HALF A BAND: ZENZI MAKEBA’S TRIBUTE AT WITS

On a warm afternoon at the Chris Seabrooke Theatre, Wits University in Johannesburg did something rare: it filled a state of the art small intimate auditorium to celebrate an African artist without apologizing for her Africanness. The Miriam Makeba Tribute, a collaboration between the Makeba Foundation and the Wits School of Arts, was relatively well […]

SKETCHES OF BECOMING: CONVERSATIONS ON MILES

There are friendships forged in proximity, and others tempered in absence. Stretched across borders, tested by history, and sustained by memory. The musical reflections that follow emerge from the latter: a lifelong dialogue between us. Our paths diverged early under the pressures of exile, yet remained tethered by a shared sensibility, a common ear, and […]

THE VISIBLE COUNCIL, GUIDED BY THE INVISIBLE

For three days and two nights, tucked away in the quiet embrace of a farm, I sat with men who have lived more than half a century of South Africa’s unspoken histories. It was less a gathering than a council. Visible in our laughter, debate, and storytelling, yet guided always by an invisible hand of […]

KIPPIE MOEKETSI AT 100: THE SPIRIT OF SOUTH AFRICAN JAZZ LIVES ON

On the 27th of July 2025, South Africa commemorates the centenary of one of its most compelling cultural figures. Kippie Moeketsi. Affectionately known as “South Africa’s Charlie Parker.” Yet Kippie was far more than a local imitation of an American great. He was a revolution in tone, mood, and being. He was the soul of […]

THE WORLD IS A LIBRARY: LEARNING TO READ LIFE’S PAGES

She said it lightly, as though commenting on the weather. We were standing in the doorway, hugging and kissing goodbyes and time pressing forward, when her eyes lit with that old fire that comes from a life fully lived. Her words slipped between the goodbyes like a bookmark placed at just the right place in […]

THE STRUGGLE AND THE SPIRIT WORLD: ANCESTORS APPARITIONS, AND THE AFTERLIFE OF RESISTANCE

Beyond the Physical Battle While the liberation struggle in South Africa is often narrated through guns, chants, marches, and negotiations, another dimension operated in tandem, one largely unspoken, sometimes mocked, and yet profoundly real to many who participated. The spiritual dimension. The realm of ancestors. The invisible world of rituals, dreams, and prophecies. For many, […]

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 […]

AFRICA MONTH AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AFRICA TO REWRITE ITS FUTURE

The commemoration of Africa Month in May, and particularly Africa Day on 25 May, remains a pivotal moment for the African continent to showcase its cultural heritage, economic potential, and pan-African spirit to the world.  Africa Month commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now known as the African Union (AU). Its […]

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 […]

THE DAY THE STRUGGLE WENT CORPORATE

There was no drumroll. No grand announcement. No whisper even. But it happened — quietly, suddenly, and irrevocably. Somewhere between the last exile’s return and the first BEE deal signed, the South African liberation struggle changed outfits. It swapped khaki fatigues and wood-handled AKs for navy-blue suits, Montblanc pens, and private equity portfolios. That day, […]

A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO THE LATE COL DANIEL “TOUCH” KGWETE 

This is my final salute to an officer and a gentleman, a dear friend, comrade and colleague. The Early Days A Freedom Fighter, a Journalist, a Legal Mind and an Air Force Officer, Maokeng Daniel Kgwete (best known as Zetkin ‘Touch’ Nokwe in uMkhonto weSizwe [MK]), passed away on 29 April 2025 after a short […]