Kau Kauru Voices

Mboweni’s budget speech brings some relief, but not near enough

The minister highlighted six fundamental prescripts on which the budget was built. They provide a framework on how the President and his executive plan to achieve a higher rate of economic growth, how they plan to increase tax collection, how they plan to reduce expenditure and reduce South Africa’s debt, how they plan to reconfigure state-owned enterprises and how they plan to manage the public sector wage bill.

Registration blues : financial exclusion means bright futures are on the line

Google ‘university registration’ and you’ll immediately find photos of young people with backpacks and in classrooms, smiling as they hand over documents to official-looking adults, surrounded by green campuses in a seemingly far away land. These romanticised images of university and of the registration process for students is a far cry from what thousands of black students in South Africa…

We need to talk about depression – it’s not a white disease

Depression has plagued African families for a very long time and increasing suicide rates call for urgent action. African parents need to wake up to the reality that their black children are dying in silence.We’re talking more about depression, perhaps because it is so prevalent it can no longer be ignored. Veteran actress and producer Sonia Mbele recently admitted that she considered suicide. Rapper Jabulani Tsambo, otherwise known…

Collaboration rather than competition is the lifeblood of the craft

Despite the growing range of threats to the execution of quality in-depth journalism, media firms in South Africa are not doing enough to guarantee the well-being of their staff and sources. In this piece, Thabo Twala reflects on lessons he took from the 14th Africa Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC).Investigative journalism tests the ethics of the profession and is often the site for needed

Years of negligence must be undone to solve the crime problem in the region

The City of Welkom falls within the Free State’s Matjhabeng Municipality and suffers from mining-related crime and electricity theft, but Welkom’s current crime issues should not be a scapegoat for its governance failures, writes Tshiamo Malatji.There is a shocking crime wave that is spreading through the Welkom area of the Free State. This is according to Senior Sociology Lecturer at the University of the Free State…

Women are under siege in South Africa

The international campaign, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, runs from the end of November to the beginning of December, but it’s clear that a lot more than a few days are required to end the scourge of violence against women.Earlier this month the South African public was shocked by the treatment of alleged rape victim Cheryl Zondi, the first witness in the case against Nigerian Pastor, Timothy Omotoso…

A hashtag cannot relay the experiences of 17 million people living with mental illnesses

The death of hip-hop pioneer HHP last week pushed mental health into the spotlight, raising the question: do we only care about mental health when a celebrity takes their life?

My grandparents’ love story did not end when my grandmother fell ill

My grandmother has dementia and sometimes forgets who I am. It can be frustrating for her and everyone in the house, but no one is more patient and supportive than her husband, my grandfather.

The youth must use social innovation to ensure a successful future

Innovation has always been the foundation and centre of focus for ACTIVATE!. This innovation has been defined by the ability to come up with well thought out and sustainable ideas to the many problems our society faces.

Transformation cannot be dictated by white privilege

Various student movements across the country since 2015 have sought to highlight the ways in which university campuses have remained untransformed in democratic South Africa, particularly with respect to spaces, statues, names and symbols and this discourse has exploded this year at the UFS.

The demand for our mental health services is humbling

10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day. University of the Free State student, Tshepang Mahlatsi, has fought his own mental health battles and is encouraging others to do the same.Mahlatsi grew up in a large family and was the only boy among his siblings.He easily opens up about his childhood years.

It is “cheap and high in calorie meal”

Recently, the first “Climate Dish”, elaborated by The Climate Diet a global sustainable food initiative, was cooked by Lapo Magni, the 2013 winner of Masterchef Italy.Stepping into the world of the Italian chef, Lapo Magni, on a Thursday morning feels like arriving on an island after it has been wiped out by a storm.

A story about a transgender transition

Identity and gender play such a pivotal role in the manner in which individuals navigate and craft their definition of who they are. When one is born into a body which they do not identify with, they often face conflict and rejection from society. Some people suffer in silence and some take the steps and become who they truly are.

Feminism isn’t a dirty word

If you had asked me even two years ago if I considered myself a feminist, I don’t know what I would have said. It’s quite daunting when someone asks you to label yourself, as labels often stick and don’t allow for growth and change, and so one should not do so lightly. But now, if you ask me if I am a feminist, my immediate and passionate response would be a resounding ‘Yes!’

Our attitude towards the Earth urgently needs to change

Global Warming is one of the most pressing issues in today’s climate. Burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, burning coal, transport systems, and even the animal agricultural industry all add to the destructive gases in our planet’s atmosphere. We need to realise as a collective, that if the oceans die, then we die.

This ride may cost your life

“CLAREMON-MOBRI-KAAP!” yells a yellow beady-eyed man from the half-open taxi. He chucks the door open and jumps out. They call him ‘Gaatjie’ although I doubt it’s his Christian name. “Kom nou mêrem nou ry gou ry!” He shepherds each passenger into the taxi, stacking them like a Cozy Corner Polony Gatsby. “Righto driver, GOOOI!”The taxi whips away as if it’s about to dice, powered by the modified engine designed for stealthily weaving through traffic faster than the V-dubs at the drags.

Our former editor, Sylvia Vollenhoven, is a firm believer that telling our stories in our own voices is essential to building a healthy democracy. She advocates that storytelling enhances individual well-being and that it is connected to each person discovering their destiny. This section on our website is rooted in this approach. “Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter”. ~ African Proverb The Journalist’s sub-section Kau Kauru, roughly translated to “making a...

Lebogang Mokoena Volunteering is a common resort for youth to gain international work and life experience. While many intend to volunteer based on several reasons such as taking gap years and enhancing their curriculum vitae, some go into voluntary services with genuine aims to “serve communities” and to simply give back. Yet, despite the intended good that volunteering should be giving participants and communities, the growing practice of youth from developed countries going to developing...

The call for the fall of the statue of Marthinus Steyn on the campus of the University of the Free State is not an effort by the students to take away parts of our history. It is, in fact, the direct opposite. The call is, when looked at earnestly, the students’ radical acceptance of the country’s history. It all began with a dance a student had in front of a statue while holding a bucket full of faeces; a moment where art engaged art, where the course of history institutions of higher...

Colonial statues on post-apartheid campuses

As we move towards the 42nd commemoration of the Soweto Uprisings the current youth of South Africa continue to question their colonial past and what it means to live within a democracy. In this piece, Zekulunge shares the thoughts of student leaders at the University of the Free State on the presence of colonial statues in their spaces.

The airline risks the lives of passengers and the integrity of South African aviation

SA Express was grounded last week amid serious safety concerns. The South African Civil Aviation Authority suspended the airline’s operating permits and it could be months before the airline is operational again. Three passengers who travelled with SA Express earlier this month have called for drastic change.

Hundreds died on Youth Day, how do we commemorate them?

16 June 1976 changed the course of our history and yet, I see that it is treated by many at my university as just another public holiday, a day for the taverns. What does it mean to get drunk and treat this like just another public holiday? Surely this is not what our freedom is about, and certainly not what the youth of 1976 fought for?

I found it hard to be accepted and acknowledged as an equal human being

Surprise Netshioswi, a student from the University of Venda speaks out about growing up in a homophobic environment and navigating his sexual identity later in life at university. This is his story.I was raised in the rural village outside Thohoyandou. My entire life evolved there. I attended primary and secondary school there.

The first black recipient of the Abe Bailey Travel Bursary talks success

A young man from a small town becomes an inspiration to those at the University of the Free State when he becomes the youngest and first black recipient of the prestigious Abe Bailey Travel Bursary. Erica Dibela talks to him about Kendrick Lamar, success and giving up his Olympic dream for a law degree.