Publisher

If you think South Africa has documented enough stories and films about the torturing and killings of citizens under the apartheid regime, you are mistaken. There is more the public needs to know about.

One story that needs telling is that of the freedom fighters who became double agents and deadly assassins for the infamous Vlakplaas death squad. Their story is told in Askari, which runs at the South African State Theatre from 27 September to 16 October.

Mfanelo S’phelele Calvin Ndlela (30) from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal is the founder and director of Electri-Coal Technologies, a company that uses natural resources to generate renewable energy.

The company’s vision is to assist with the energy and water challenges faced by South Africans.

One of its innovations is a remotely controlled biogas unit, which can provide electricity to rural communities. Cow dung, wastewater and organic waste are fed into the biogas digester, which then extracts methane gas and converts it into electricity.

The Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture has given R300 000 each to six recording companies to help develop the province’s musical talent.

The grants are part of the Music Excellence Acceleration Programme established in 2020, which supports musicians and music producers in developing and recording their works.

Over 5 000 underprivileged learners are set to benefit from 25 rural cooperatives that have been set up and funded by the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA) to manufacture uniforms for schools in their communities.

The initiative, which has ensured that all of the cooperatives are women-led, was launched at one of the factories in Nkomazi, Mpumalanga, recently. 

Sisters Nqobile (27) and Bongiwe (22) Khumalo are poster girls for the saying ‘where there is a will, there is a way’.

A young man who grew up in rural Mpumalanga achieved his medical degree when he was only 21, and is now giving back to his community as an intern doctor.

At just 22,  Decent Mkhombo is a qualified doctor doing his internship training at Mapulaneng Hospital in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga.

After witnessing how being blind affected her grandmother, a young girl vowed that she would one day help people in her community with vision problems.

Manare Matlou made good on her promise and today, at the young age of 23, has an optometry practice, Optic iCare Optometrists, in Giyani, which she opened in February 2022. 

A lack of awareness of childhood cancer and its symptoms means that many South African children are diagnosed when the disease is at an advanced stage.

The earlier cancer is diagnosed and treated, the higher the chance of a full recovery. 

Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa (CHOC) Communication Coordinator Taryn Seegers says by knowing the common signs of cancer in young people, you could help save a life.

Despite busy days – first as a university student and then as a businesswoman and author – Mbali Blaai (29) has always made time to read.