delete
Posted by on Dec 4, 2012 in 2012, 5min | 0 comments

Shedding Light

Report by Charmian Africa

Sangomas have always been a crucial part of African culture. An estimated 60 per cent of the South African population consult traditional healers in the belief that they have the power to cure disease and wash away bad luck — but it all comes at price. Media headlines suggest that serious sangoma related crimes are on the rise but very little attention is paid to more common cases where people have been exploited by some sangomas for money. We find the case of Iris Morris who lost her life’s savings to a sangoma.
Charmian Africa’s portfolio is here

Read More
delete
Posted by on Dec 4, 2012 in 2012, 5min | 0 comments

No Nukes at Thyspunt

Report by Tarryn Ross

We take a look at the proposed site where Eskom plans the second and largest nuclear power station to be built in South Africa. The site has been declared as unsuitable by locals and experts and this piece looks into the fears and distaste of the relevant stakeholders. We explore the environmental hazards and risks a nuclear power plant could pose to the sensitive area of Thyspunt and the surrounds of Jeffrey’s Bay and St. Francis Bay.
Tarryn Ross’s portfolio is here

Read More
delete
Posted by on Dec 4, 2012 in 2012, 5min | 0 comments

Blanche’s Hedgehog

Reprot by Christopher Tucker

Blanche’s Hedgehog looks into the life of a woman living with cancer. Marianne Tucker, a pharmacist from Johannesburg, has been living with cancer for the past four years. She has always expressed that people should not be scared of death but scared of not living the life they have been given – to the full. It is this positive outlook on life that allows her to have the strength to go for weekly chemotherapy sessions and still get up for work.
Christopher’s portfolio is here

Read More
delete
Posted by on Dec 4, 2012 in 2012, 5min | 0 comments

RU Disabled?

Report by Gabi Zietsman

How does a disabled person experience university? At Rhodes University, an event was held where students and staff could experience what it was like to be disabled for a day….
On 27 September 2012, able-bodied staff and students could experience one of three impairments, namely sight, mobility and hearing. In orange shirts with the bold slogan RU Disabled? The New Apartheid. Separate but equal? printed on the back, the participants went about their day as they faced new types of obstacles. Tim Stones, the disability advisor for Rhodes, is hard of hearing and believes that Rhodes is very much behind in their accessibility for disabled students. Adrian Hubbard, a wheelchair specialist at CE Mobility and paralympian, has been in a wheelchair since his twenties and talks about the importance of an accessible environment for equality. The third interviewee was one of the participants, John Vries, who is a student and experienced being in a wheelchair for the day.
Gabi Zietsman’s portfolio is found here

Read More
delete
Posted by on Dec 4, 2012 in 2012, 5min | 0 comments

The Calling – Ubizo

Reprot by Enathi Mqokeli

The Calling is a fascinating part of the Xhosa and Zulu culture – which believes that the ancestors chose your life’s path. This piece shows the journey of Nondithini Samson, a lady who first questioned and then later agreed to accept the calling and the spiritualjourney. Even though she was sceptical she finally decided to accept it and acknowledge that she is the chosen one and there is nothing she can do. She has to submit to being a traditional diviner.
Enathi Mqokeli’s portfolio is found here

Read More
delete
Posted by on Dec 4, 2012 in 2012, 5min | 0 comments

Port Alfred – The Recovery

Report by Candyce Bruce

Destruction was left in the wake of 2012 floods in Port Alfred. We look at the recovery process that people in the region currently face. A suburban resident recalls the Southdowns Avenue Bridge being washed away leaving the Southdowns area completely cut off. However, the community came together and rebuilt the road. This is juxtaposed with people who are housed at the Ingubo Community Hall after their houses were washed away. The ability to recover seems to lie only in the hands of the privileged.
Candyce Bruce’s portfolio is found here

Read More