Author: Relebohile MOHAPI

Makhanda at NAF: Prestige School of Dance Preview: Liminal and Echoes of a Century By Relebohile Mohapi With two performances set to brighten the stages at the National Arts Festival, Prestige School of Dance’s performers are hard at work. The school has been on the National Arts Festival programme since 2023. This year, they are rehearsing two productions: Liminal and Echoes of a Century. Nicole Joka, who founded Prestige, is originally from East London but has come to think of the Makhanda community as her own. She highlights her responsibility to the people in Makhanda to ensure they see Makhanda…

By Relebohile Mohapi Early in the morning in Makhanda, birds chirping break the morning silence. Light footsteps tread on the wet ground. Tailing Harold Gess is not easy. I try my best to keep my feet soundless so as not to scare the birds away. But it turns out to be a slow morning for photographers – not too many birds about in this secluded part of town. “At this time of the year, some birds have migrated to warmer parts,” he explains. However, that does not stop him from seeking bird sightings. Harold Gess teaches photography in the School…

Many people are living from hand to mouth in South Africa, and it doesn’t look like there’s a way out of the cycle of poverty any time soon for the indigent. What does the 2025 Budget proposed by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana mean for households barely making ends meet?  Approximately 17 million South Africans live in households earning less than R3,500 per month, relying heavily on social grants and another 19 million people live in households earning between R3,500 and R8,000, according to a new study. This is the grim context of Wednesday’s Budget Speech, which has been criticised as failing…