Editor

Sifiso Gumbi, a former waste picker and finalist for the 2024 Young Environmentalist of the Year at the South African Youth Awards, is transforming the city’s recycling landscape.&n

What started as a volunteer stint at a local bakery has blossomed into a successful business for Lulama Nhlebeya, founder of Lime Bakers. With three bakeries now operating across Mpumalanga, Nhlebeya's journey is a testament to perseverance and his entrepreneurial spirit.

With South Africa looking to promote international recognition of educational qualifications to support global mobility during its G20 Presidency, students are already benefitting from longstanding bilaterals with China, a member of the forum.

Lawyer Nonhlanhla Ngwenya bears testimony to what such relationships could mean for South Africans looking to further their studies abroad. 

LETTER

Dear Vuk’uzenzele

I hope you are doing well.

My name is Mr Siphephelo Sinethemba Ndlovu, I am residing in Newcastle, KwaZulu Natal. I would like to adopt a child between the ages of 0 to 4 years. The child should preferably be of African descent. 

Two young entrepreneurs are running a dynamic business that empowers and creates job opportunities for local youth.

Khutzmo (Pty Ltd), founded in 2021 by Managing Director Nhlakanipho Khuzzy Zwane (32) and Project Manager Karabo Mphathi Mogotsi (24), was officially registered in 2024. The company specialises in a range of agricultural projects, including seasonal crops, pig and pork sales, egg production, broiler chicken sales, logistics, entertainment, and maintenance.

Zonke Shazi-Hlongwane’s story of adversity and resilience is now serving as an inspiration for township and rural girls facing various challenges which once also left her feeling unseen and worthless.  

After witnessing her father abuse her mother and losing her at a young age, she experienced significant hardships, including becoming pregnant as a teenager and being sent to live with relatives.

In 2024, she published a book titled “Girl, You Are Enough,” which has touched the hearts of many and has become a beacon of hope for young girls facing similar struggles.

As South Africa commemorates Human Rights Month in March, Vuk’uzenzele spoke to Commissioner Philile Ntuli of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) about land rights and food security.   She said it is impossible to speak about any of the rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights without speaking about access to land.  “If you talk about food, it is a matter of land. If I do not have land to plant food it means I cannot have food unless I have a job that gives me an income so that I can buy food,” she said.

Under the leadership of the Mahumani community women, a centuries-old custom flourishes in Limpopo, east of Giyani, along the banks of the Letaba River. The amazing Baleni Salt Project, which is founded on indigenous knowledge, aims to provide local communities with economic opportunity while preserving the age-old-art age-old art of salt collecting.

All social grants, barring the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, are expected to increase from April this year.  Delivering the 2025 Budget Speech in Parliament recently, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said the number of social grant beneficiaries – excluding those receiving the SRD grant – is expected to rise to some 19 million in 2025/26 and 19.3 million in 2027/28 due to a growing population of older persons.

The government has added R19.1 billion over the medium term to keep approximately 11 000 teachers in classrooms.  “Our learner-teacher ratios remain higher than we would like, meaning that we still need more teachers in classrooms,” Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana said recently when presenting his Budget Speech in March.