A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

July 18 was declared by the United Nations as “Nelson Mandela International Day” (or Mandela Day) in November 2009 with the first UN Mandela Day celebrated in July 2010.

It’s basically a call to action that each individual can play a role in transforming society for the better. The campaign says “Nelson Mandela has fought for social justice for 67 years. We’re asking you to start with 67 minutes”.

There have been great projects the world over observing Mandela Day, from 67 blankets for Mandela, to feeding the ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

Mike Bathande Bhayibhile might have grown up in a township like most of his peers, but he’s not your regular Joe where playing soccer and rugby is what makes a man in these neck of the woods; he rather opted for something totally different – classical music.

I begin our conversation by asking him why classical music of all things he could have done, and after a short chuckle, the church he points out, the Apostle Church to be exact, is all that influenced his passion for music and later a career ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

Apparently I didn’t get the memo; everyone seems to be a cyclist these days, but don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful scene to see because it means people are getting more health conscious by the day.

I know that over the years there have been a number of Kwano residents commuting to and from work, but the congestion has never been this great since they only commute to and from work during certain hours. Now that the interest has grown to include those that ride for pleasure and those who do so for health reasons, Plett ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

While the world is fighting an invisible pandemic, there is a visible one ravaging woman and children every day – Gender Based Violence (GBV). This, despite it being declared by President Ramaphosa a national crisis in September 2019, GBV seems to be on the rise in South Africa.

Recent GBV cases that have attracted nationwide protests include the murder of 25-year-old Naledi Phangindawo of Mossel Bay who was hacked to death with an axe and knife on 8 June 2020 by her boyfriend, Mlondi Ntlangule (34). ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

They are probably ‘The’ local Hip Hop group to look out for in the future of Plett’s music scene, particularly because they’re young, fresh and obviously bringing in something new to the game.

Here we’re talking Hip Hop back in its original state, where the conscious element was at the centre of the music, when hip hop artists concerned themselves with the socio-economic issues around them before bling and glamour took over the craft.

Afteral, Hip hop originated in the predominantly African American economically depressed ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

Perhaps you know her as an academic, radical feminist and activist, well, there’s more to Sivuyisiwe “Ntombi” Wonci than she lets on, and at this year’s first ever virtual Plett ARTS Festival, we get to experience the creative side of this amazing Plett local.

Ntombi is one of many who hails from the hands of Mncedisi “Ta Mnce” Ncedani, who at the time ran a number of creative arts projects at the Simunye Community Centre now known as Thusong Centre.

Ntombi is one of those gems that Ta Mnce found and ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

“Each generation must out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfil it or betray it” Frantz Fanon.

When the idea of ‘Winter Warming’ was born in 2017, I wrote; "June in the South African political calendar is considered a youth month, its roots in the June 16 1976 uprising, where scores of young people responded to the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in Black public schools by taking to the streets to voice their dissatisfaction. Over the last 23 years of our democracy, June 16 has been considered a youth day, ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

As someone who stays in a township I know first-hand how social distancing and staying indoors can be a nightmare for many families living in these areas, and being part of an initiative that delivers food parcels to those in need, I have seen first-hand how families are really struggling to make ends meet.

I have also seen how many of these families are squeezed together like sardines, making social distancing really not practical, but some behaviours cannot go without reprimand, alas, especially in ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

In a highly anticipated address to the nation on Wednesday 13, President Ramaphosa missed an opportunity to provide direction on the state of the economy, which is in a state of disaster thanks to the nationwide lockdown.

The president acknowledged that the main reason for the lockdown in its initial phase was to flatten the curve and curb the spread of the virus, and that it has relatively achieved that.

However on Wednesday night when the rest of the country sat down to watch and listen to the President, South Africa wanted to know what’s the ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

Over the last decade or so we’ve heard the popular phrase “print media is dying” so often. Well, finally it’s proven to be true. Thanks to COVID-19, print media has finally been pushed off the shelves.

The nationwide lockdown meant people’s movement is restricted, except for essential services, but as people begin to work remotely and even consumers prioritizing essential needs on their shopping lists, the cancellations of advertisements prior to the lockdown was a sign enough that things were not going to be the same again.

The decline in advertising spend ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

It is estimated that 98% of all businesses registered in the country are SMMEs, and they’re the ones that stand to be hard hit by the impact of the nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19.

While government has made a number of relief programs to assist SMMEs not go under, those in the fashion space (including seamstresses and those in the textile industry) have resorted to making face masks to make ends meet.

You are now required by law in South Africa to always wear your face mask whenever you go into public spaces, failure in which will result in ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

No more smoke breaks with colleagues under the shed, or bumping into each other at the cafeteria for a quick coffee fix. Nor will there be time for that office gossip. Yep, COVID-19 has drastically altered the world as we know it, leaving us with no choice but to change our ways.

Bestselling novelist Arundhati Roy puts it better when she wrote in the Financial Times recently, that “whatever it is, coronavirus has made the mighty kneel and brought the world to a halt like nothing else could. Our minds are still racing back and forth, longing for a return to ...more