Local organization hopes to deal with the criminal activities faced by Soweto’s Orlando East. Young men such as Sibusiso Sithole intend to bring the change needed by the township through activism.
There is no crime in Orlando East. Tina Bhengu is emphatic. No serious crime, she says. An hour-and-a-half later, it will become evident that she had been referring to visible crime, the kind that is easily identifiable through visible scars and broken property, unlike the crime behind closed doors which she goes on to describe.
The only people giving the community a hard time are the young men, many in their late teens and early 20s. “I don’t know what substances they are smoking, marijuana or whatever. Last week or two weeks ago, I had to start locking my gate because I found them inside my yard. Many of them are already in jail but many of them still come back and do the same things,” Bhengu says.
It is young men such as these that Sibusiso Sithole, the community programme manager at Isizinda Sempilo, says the organisation is hoping to target through its workshops to deal with the gender-based violence (GBV) in Soweto.
It is a cold, grey Saturday in Orlando East, in a small, cramped living room of a house along Adams Street. Bhengu recounts an experience with an uncle who made sexual advances towards her and nearly molested her on multiple occasions during her teenage years in Spruitview.
Bhengu is a short lady with a firm voice and set facial expression that gives away very little, but is occasionally broken by a smile. She is a mother of one, and a grandmother of four, living in a small, dark house, in contrast to the many brightly coloured ones along Adams Street. Inside, the bright orange sofas and Bhengu’s four-year-old granddaughter liven the room as she plays loudly with everything in her sight and throws occasional tantrums that earn her a scolding from her grandmother.
“He would always ask the children – me and my cousins – to come and sit on his lap,” she says of her uncle. “He would even invite us alone to his house and I would never go because I did not trust him and I told my cousins not to go either.” She pauses briefly, sighs and expresses, regretfully, that she cannot reveal her uncle’s identity since he holds a prominent position in the society.
This uncle, she says, had raped his own children too. He continues to walk free because the family, including his wife, who are aware of this, do not want the negative attention that reporting his crimes would bring to them. Besides, his power and influence that extend to the police and courts in Orlando have made him untouchable.
END OF THE ROAD: Brothers for Life mobilises men nationally to contribute towards the eradication of gender-based violence.
The precinct of the square is buzzing with market vendors and hawkers braving the blistering heat, the consistent noise of taxis and pedestrians all bringing it to life. A railway separates this colossal site and the squatter camp on the other side, both appealing for distinct reasons to the tourists.
At the centre of the square is its most important feature, an enclosure with an opening at the top giving room for the sun to peak through and onto the engraved display of the Freedom Charter.
The organisation runs two major programmes dealing with GBV – Priority and Prevention as well as the Gender Norms programme. Sithole explains that, “The teams go out into communities and run these two-hour sessions and talk about the impact of gender-based violence.
They refer those who have been abused and need help. The second one, the gender norms programme, but the difference is that they come for two-hour sessions for ten consecutive days. They will sit down and face their own fears and then talk about them and then be referred to other psycho-social and other programmes.”
The target of these workshops are young men such as those that can be found playing soccer outside Bhengu’s house in Orlando East at 12pm on a week day.
They are held daily in Ward 31 Orlando East, are often found through word of mouth and the ground efforts of employees at the organisations. “The teams target organised groups. For instance, they will go to your churches and malls. Other times they would walk up to groups of young men sitting around playing dice and convince them to stop and attend a two-hour session.
Soweto, along with other socially and demographically similar areas of Johannesburg including Alexandra have been specially selected by the organisation for the roll out of its programmes.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the primary funder of the organisation, chose these areas based on research they conducted around the country which identified them as areas in the most need of assistance.
The South African government provides some structural support. While GBV and violence against children are endemic in South Africa and not unique to Soweto and similar areas, they have additional socio-economic challenges including youth unemployment.
The most recent national annual report 2015/16 released by the South African Police Services (SAPS) recorded 33 613 arrests for sexual offences, an increase of 1 649 from 2014/15. The arrests for gender-based harm were 159 390, a decline of 1 268 from the previous year.
The police report goes on to outline four strategies to deal with the underreporting of crimes against women.
Among them are “Involvement of the community via community structures such as the CPFs and law enforcement agencies/force multipliers such as reservists, traffic police, etc. to join SAPS on patrols and to engage with communities to address contact crimes in households (domestic violence, rape etc.); conducting awareness programmes, encourage reporting by community.”
Nthati Phalatsi, a counsellor at a trauma centre, says that most of the victims that they encounter are children. In October 2017, an Orlando East school, a few minutes away from the Orlando East police station, was at the centre of national concern after allegations of sexual assault were made by over 80 pupils against a patroller at the school.
The man was arrested and charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual abuse. The trial which was due to start on November 1 was postponed till the end of November for further investigations.
Most of these are brought by concerned community members. In some cases, the children come on their own. Phalatsi was a victim of sexual abuse at the age of 15 at the hands of a stranger at a cousin’s house.
Years later as an adult, she would be subjected to physical abuse at the hands of her boyfriend and father of her eight-year-old son.
“I was beaten when I was pregnant. I was one month pregnant then and I thought that after that he would stop. I never laid charges against him.”
She goes on to provide a harrowing account of her ordeal with the calm and resignation of someone who has made some kind of peace with her past. She never thought to lay any charges against him.
She did not consider that a viable option despite being encouraged to do so at the hospital. “Now I’m able to tell people, ‘Why don’t you?’ because I’ve been there.”
The underreporting of crimes, Makhaya says, has also been one of the biggest hurdles to their work. “There is a feeling that nothing gets done and therefore people do not report and get the help they need,” he says.
He reveals that many victims of abuse that attend their programmes do not receive the necessary help they need after the workshops because they do not feel comfortable talking to professionals.
The organisation does not provide professional help for GBV. They recommend suitable candidates to the relevant professionals that some will forfeit.
The courts are where the final barriers to prosecution of these crimes lie, with many of the cases withdrawn before and during trial. In 2012/13, only 19 549 of the 92 161 reported domestic violence and GBV cases that were opened went to trial.
In 2013, parliament released its report on the ‘Statistics and figures relating to Violence Against Women in South Africa’ and identified the challenges to accessing statistics on violence against women.
“Statistics are almost impossible to access because domestic violence itself is not in itself a crime category.”
While the law requires station commanders, under the Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998 to keep a special record of incidents in the Domestic Violence Register, this is not consistent across police stations. The register reports of each station are not accessible and not referenced in the national police statistics.
Bhengu reflects on the most personal witness of the human effects of a failure to report cases of abuse. Late last year, a friend confided in her about years of rape that she had been subjected to since childhood and throughout her teenage years that she had never reported and never confronted.
“One day she told me ‘I was molested me and raped at a time when I was still a baby.’ She said that this had been haunting her for years and she finally had to tell someone. I cried when she told me. She was my friend and an old woman like me, can you imagine?” Bhengu says as she tearfully reflects.
At the heart of Bhengu’s descriptions of the perpetrators is the common thread by which they are tied – “ordinary”. Ordinary or as Bhengu refers to them, “mediocre men from middle class families”.
“When this rape started, all the people who were doing it were mediocre men, people who were educated!” she says, almost in disbelief. Common, unexceptional, regular men. Fathers, uncles, teachers.
Men with no known criminal past for which they would stand out. Men who are aware of the advantage they had, that they were trusted. “This thing is so difficult because even real fathers do it. We have to be careful.”
However, she says, working mothers, by no fault of their own, cannot always keep track of and notice unusual behaviour in their spouses and children. She remembers a case that she dealt with during her time as a trauma counsellor when a child had been referred by a teacher on suspicion of some form of abuse.
This was not unusual. She had to explain to the child’s mother, an alcoholic reeking of brandy that morning that her husband had been responsible for abusing her child. The woman was initially in denial but gradually put the pieces together, breaking down in tears.
For Sithole, it was concerning that there were “not enough men’s programmes and information targeted towards men” in these communities. While that has improved in the years since he joined the organisation, he does not believe that nearly enough has been done to address the issue.
Like the people at Isizinda Sempilo and Phalatsi, Bhengu believes that it is crucial to have people in the community talking openly.
She believes that family and societal secrecy as well as the failure to effectively address the behaviour of young boys, are what have allowed this violence against women and children to continue in Soweto. She believes that many families are complicit. Often, she says, families prefer to keep these cases behind closed doors.
“In most cases here, if a child gets raped, they call it a family affair. The elders will get together and demand money from the man to keep quiet about the cases,” Bhengu says.
“They never used to talk about it but we have to. It has to get better”.
FEATURED IMAGE: Community members fight against high crime rates in the city. Photo: Files.
In-depth 2017: Soweto Central A result of the Apartheid government’s Urban Areas Act, the South West Townships, or Soweto, sprung up in the 1930s as Black South Africans were forcibly moved away from the city of Johannesburg. The area drew international attention in...
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From the highs of lifting the Africa Cup of Nations at the FNB stadium to the lows of a false celebration in Nelspruit in 2012 when Pitso Mosimane’s team thought they had qualified for the finals after misreading the rules, South Africa’s football development has experienced mixed fortunes since 1994.
The year is 1996. The FNB Stadium is filled to the brim with a crowd of screaming fans, all different races and genders, but all adorned in South Africa’s bright green and yellow. Banners fly and the stadium shakes with the sheer force of the home crowd. Bafana Bafana have just become the champions of Africa. Football has done the impossible and brought a troubled nation together. The country’s first footballing victory under democracy could be something straight out of a movie.
In the years preceding this victory, the thought of a multiracial crowd cheering for the country’s football team seemed unimaginable; in the years since, the same may still be said. 2024 marks 30 years since South Africa gained freedom from the oppressive apartheid regime. 1994 marked the end of an era of segregation and mistreatment, ushering in what was meant to be an age of reconciliation and unity. The transition to a democratic country meant that all aspects of life were set to change, from education to policy – and even sports. Football did not escape this transition and faced its own fair share of transformation in attempts to truly reflect the ‘new South Africa’.
Football has always been a massive part of South African culture. Like many other sports it is seemingly a perfect way to unite a nation. However, due to the apartheid regime, South Africa has not always experienced the benefits of footballing unity.
The streets of Johannesburg have seen the soles of a million shoes and just as many soccer boots. From Doctor Khumalo to Relebohile Mofokeng, football fields across the city have seen the growth of the sport and its players alike.
A group of boys at an afternoon training session in Sandton, Johannesburg. Photo: Kamogelo Kungwane
Football in South Africa before 1994
In South Africa, football goes by many names: ‘football’, ‘soccer’ and ‘diski’, to name a few. Its many monikers denote the reach of the sport countrywide. Before the onset of democracy in 1994, football was still a widely played sport, but it was structured very differently to how it is now.
The divisions in South African society during this time applied to more than just where to eat or where to shop: they placed black, Coloured, and Indian footballers at the foot of the banquet table, left to eat the crumbs from their white colleagues. They could not play alongside white players, rent out football fields or, sometimes, earn money for playing. This made football political, forcing these groups to fight against this mistreatment by forming the South African Soccer Federation in 1951.
During this time, the violence in South Africa was all-consuming and in 1961 the international community placed a sports boycott on South Africa. This left the country out of international tournaments and forced competition inwards, allowing for the growth of local football. The formation of teams like Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows and Orlando Pirates was a light in the dark, illuminating the future of football for black South Africans. These clubs forged a new path for the sport to develop in their communities. This culture created the National Soccer League (NSL), which followed non-racial policies and advocated for the sports boycott to continue. These policies ultimately built the South African Football Association (SAFA), which would go on to govern football across the country to this day.
These developments and the end of apartheid led to one of the country’s biggest footballing moments: the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
Bafana Bafana and AFCON 1996
At the 1996 Afcon final the excitement of the home crowd was palpable; the stadium packed to the rafters with every kind of South African. Race did not matter when the country was at the cusp of such an iconic moment and the diversity in the team drove this point home.
This integrated South African national team was formed in 1992 after a 1-0 victory against Cameroon, a year before the end of the sports boycott. The Afcon victory was a step in the right direction for South African football; a beacon of light for a unified country after a time of struggle. This era showed the country’s ability to dominate in the footballing world – a motivation to players across the country.
One such player was Joel ‘Fire’ Masilela.
Masilela is a legend of South African football, and his national team debut came just two years after the Afcon win. He still thinks highly of his time in the Bafana Bafana squad. “It was an honour and privilege for each and every player when you were called to represent your country,” he says.
Masilela went on to forge an amazing career, playing for top-flight Premier Soccer League (PSL) teams like Mamelodi Sundowns until his retirement in 2004. He has since become a development football coach, honing the skills of young players so they can one day walk the path he illuminated.
‘No DNA, just RSA’
On the football field, South Africa seemed to be taking giant leaps forward and zero steps back: the winning streak was undeniable. When Bafana Bafana was able to participate in international competitions, local teams followed suit and played in international club competitions.
In 1995, Orlando Pirates won the CAF African Champions Cup, which featured clubs from around Africa. Orlando Pirates was the first team from Johannesburg to win this trophy. Its squad embodied the new multicultural approach, including wo white players, Gavin Lane and Mark Fish, a Coloured player called Brandon Silent, and a lineup of black players. At this point, there was ‘no DNA, just RSA’ because the wins kept on coming.
In the wake of Bafana Bafana’s Afcon victory, smaller local football clubs were also beginning to improve and adapt to the multiracial culture that the country was moving towards and, in 1996, the South African PSL was formed.
A sign at the PSL Head Office in Johannesburg. Photo: Kamogelo Kungwane
These strides forward seemingly marked the beginning of a fruitful and exciting time for South African football and local Johannesburg clubs, but the success did not last for too much longer. Since Afcon 1996, South Africa has qualified for only a few international competitions, but has not won any more trophies. Bafana Bafana has failed to make an impact in the World Cup beyond their participation in 1998 and 2002 and their default qualification in 2010 as hosts. A seemingly strong national team was reduced to pieces as a result of lack of development.
Although the country was facing trouble on the international football stage, club football continued to improve. The PSL continued to grow, and its increasing commercial power made it a lucrative field for sponsors, players and media partners.
The economy of football
Money makes the world go round, and that is still true on the football field. The business of football is a profitable endeavour: football teams and leagues can make money from sponsorships, broadcast rights and ticket sales. With the inception of the PSL in 1996, the league received a title sponsorship from Castle Lager. This enabled the league to pay teams, secure venues and cover operational costs to keep the league running. At a team level, clubs make their money from ticket and merchandise sales, as well as sponsorships.
Football is an economy booster because of the other businesses that benefit from its operations. From the women who spend hours cooking meals to sell outside stadiums, to the hotels that sell out during cup finals, football offers a lot of money to the surrounding community. However, it may not always be profitable.
It is no secret that in South Africa football is a predominantly black sport. From the coaches to the players to the supporters, the majority of the industry is carried on the backs of black people. Economically, this may pose a challenge because black people in South Africa tend to be the most impoverished. This is a direct contrast to sports with more support from white people, like rugby or cricket, which can make more money due to their spectators’ class.
PSL chief operating officer Ronnie Schloss says the league is aware its audience may not be as affluent as supporters of other sports and that it prices the games more fairly. “We can’t do what rugby does, because the majority of our spectators can’t afford it,” Schloss says. He emphasises that football is a big part of the black community and the PSL believes that it owes it to them to make the game accessible.
Johannesburg’s role in football
Johannesburg is a big part of South African footballing culture. Of the 43 football stadiums in the country, 13 of them are in the greater Johannesburg area. The city is home to numerous football clubs and has been for decades. Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows are just a few of the legendary teams that paved the way for the game to flourish in South Africa.
Orlando Pirates was founded in Orlando, Soweto in 1937 and has solidified itself as a core part of the football legacy of Johannesburg and South Africa at large. The club has provided many of its stars to the national team and has been a decisive marker in the development of football in South Africa. Their Soweto rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, have managed a similar feat from before1994 to beyond. This marks Johannesburg as a centre for football in South Africa, with just these two clubs having more than 10 million fans and 130 trophies between them.
Both clubs have invested heavily in developing young footballers by founding their own academies and Pirates even host their own youth football tournament, called the Pirates Cup.
Astroturf football training facilities in Sandton, Johannesburg. Photo: Kamogelo KungwaneA group huddle before the beginning of a training session. Photo: Kamogelo Kungwane
Kaizer Chiefs’ corporate communications officer, Vina Maphosa, explains how the club approaches development. “We develop players to not only be footballers: we encourage them to study and go to school… Football and footballers impact society because people look up to them and they are celebrated in communities,” he says.
This holistic approach to development is meant to create well-rounded players who can add positively to society, while still dominating the football field. In recent years, football development has become a big priority. In 2017, SAFA Gauteng launched the Gauteng Development League (GDL), which currently consists of 18 clubs per age group. The GDL is the top flight for development football in Gauteng, and 12 of the 18 teams are based in Johannesburg, once again highlighting the city’s footballing dominance, even at the development level.
What does football’s future hold?
Football seems to be experiencing growth in both support and performance. According to Eighty20, in the past year, 5 million South Africans have watched a football match in some capacity. This shows the level of support people are giving to the sport, which is important given how integral this is to the economy of the game. These numbers are further bolstered by the PSL’s viewership reaching new heights in the 2023-24 season, with the Premiership being the most-watched sporting event by South Africans, apart from Afcon 2023.
South Africa also experienced a high in their performance in Afcon 2023, placing third after a string of impressive displays. The team showed renewed confidence and a stronger performance than in other recent international competitions. This is likely due to growing financial investments in football and youth development. Many of the players in the squad were from youth development clubs in Johannesburg and the quality of football is set to increase further with more investment in youth development.
The football landscape in Johannesburg and South Africa at large has evolved since 1994 and this looks likely to continue in the coming years. Schloss shares the PSL’s goals for South African football in the future. “We are currently ranked in the top leagues in the world from an administration point of view,” he says. “Our biggest goal is to try and encourage that the standard of play is improved, the standard of officiating is improved, and we can get to a situation where the clubs own their own grounds… because none of them owns their own stadiums.”
These are simple goals, but they reflect an intention to see football continue its upward trajectory and solidify itself as an integral part of South African culture.
Football can be considered the heart and soul of South Africa’s community. It has become a cornerstone for the black community in Johannesburg and the country at large. But recognising black people as the core of South African football places a slight damper on the magic of the moment at the widely celebrated 1996 Afcon victory. Seeing a sea of different races gathered to support a predominantly black sport seems as far-fetched now as it must have back then. Despite this, it is still incredible to note the legacies of Johannesburg’s teams, the growth of football among the public, and the promising future that continues to be built for the beautiful game.
FEATURED IMAGE: A group of young people at their football training session. Photo: Kamogelo Kungwane
Students have been participating in a hybrid model of teaching by spending more time at home than at university, and this has a deteriorating effect on their mental healthand support they have access to. (more…)
University students, who are expected to have low disposable incomes, are also self-proclaimed big spenders in the world of fashion. However, their love of trending fashion has also encouraged them to be entrepreneurs by contributing to thrifting culture.
A group of fashion loving third-year students wearing thrifted items clothing for a friendly lunch at Mall of Africa. They held their masks in their hands as to keep covid-19 from ruining their style. Photo: Thobekile Moyo.
On March 23, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a national lockdown which was intended to last 21–days butwas extended into an indefinite phased lockdown. The national lockdown called for atemporary closure ofthe economy, as the South African public was under strict orders to remain home–bound, only exiting to purchase essential items.
Clothingsales during level 5 lockdown were rare due to the closure of retail stores –; until the government made provisions for South Africans to buy winter attire. In order to lower the risk of the spread of covid-19, a switch toonline shopping was recommended and, the retail fashion industry rose to the occasion.
According to a survey conducted by UNCTAD, 52% of participants agreed they have found themselves shopping online more often than they did before the covid-19 pandemic. The participants were canvassedfrom nine countries,including South Africa.Among the participants currentlyinuniversity, 58% admittedshoppingonline more frequently, compared to before the outbreak of covid-19. Since the outbreak, online fashion salesincreased by 2%.
Dr. Marike Venter de Villiers is a senior lecturer and head of the marketing department at Wits University, specialising in fashion marketing. Venter de Villierssaidthat despite an increase in online sales, she has observed a decline in the sales of fashion items in South Africa, due to three mainfactors.
“Firstly, because retail stores were closed for several months during lockdown. Secondly, because students have been cash-strapped with less disposable income. And thirdly, with the ban on social gathering, students were not going out and socialising so they did not have a need to buy and wear the latest fashion items,” said Venter de Villiers.
Despite the retail fashion industry experiencing a decline in sales, according to Statista (a business data platform), revenue in the fashion industry in South Africa is projected to reach US$1258 millionin 2020withan annual growth rate of 12% between 2020 and 2024, which would result in a market volume of UD$2035 million by 2024. If retail fashion has been struggling, then where will the supposed market growth come from?
Alongside online shops, the emergence of student–run thrift businesses selling pre-owned clothingto fashion-forward consumers may end up being one of the main causes of the projected growth. The new wave of environmentally consciousMillennials and Gen Z has also contributed heavily towards the growing popularity of pre-owned clothing,thus creating a large market for ambitious university students.
A boom in online thrifting
“Before lockdown came into play, there has been a sharp increase in secondhand clothing sales, clothes swapping, fashion bartering and customising old clothes. This is largely due to the rising awareness of the sustainable movement and policy makers encouraging brands to comply to the circular fashion economy,” said Venter de Villiers.
Online thrift seems to be experiencing a boom during the national lockdown, and university students are a significant factor in that achievement.
“During lockdown, with specific reference to customising old clothes, there has been a rise among Millennial consumers, mainly due to the following reasons: They did not have access to retail stores to buy fast fashion items; they were cash strapped and could not afford to buy new clothes on a regular basis.And studentshad more free time at home (with universities being closed, and not doing their usual part-time jobs),” said Venter de Villiers.
Robyn Evans (22) and Juliet Markantonatos (22) are two final–year BA theatre and performance students who started a thrift store on Instagram during lockdown called WhatWhatThrift, sellingsecondhandclothes. These,they haveacquired by rounding up the old clothesno longer worn in their households and carefully selecting pieces fromthe clothing bins at the secondhand market in theJohannesburg CBD.
Their target market are fashion connoisseurs who appreciate the charm of a faded t-shirt and the nostalgia of a pair of brown bell–bottoms once worn by a disco queen in the 70s. Thrift culture has revealed the timelessness of good–quality fashion, catering to people with different and unique styles, ultimately keeping the trendsetter alive.
As they sat side by side during ourinterview, Evans and Markantonatos proved themselves to be quite well in sync with each other, as they seamlessly alternated in answering each of the questions during the interview. Much like two parts of a whole, they were able to finish each other’s sentences and complement each other’s statements, which is a good quality to have as co-partners in a business.
“We started this business based on what we saw as a public demand among students like us, which isaffordable fashion. Thrifting is an affordable business to get into because of the low start–up costs. Juliet and I contributed R200 each in the beginning, which we managed to double through our first round ofsales to make R400 profit,” Evans said.
Thiscombination of a brunette with an80s pin–up look, and an edgy blonde is a perfect formula to create a carefully curated Instagram store, in hopes of making enough money to support a final–year university student’s aspirationsfor their first year of complete independence.
“Our main inspiration for starting this business came from wanting financialindependence as final–year students with concerns for our future.We felt as though we needed to start making an income, because the pandemic has proved itself destructive to the economy. We are hoping that the money we make here could fund the projects that start our careers,” Markantonatos said.
Social media’s contribution to keeping the fashion industry alive
AnthoveneBurricks (23) is a computer science student, fashion designer and LisofFashion School graduate, who not only studied the trends in the fashion industry but also admits to being one of the people whoputs a lot of her money into buying fashion items, ever since Instagram awakened her consumerist spirit within.
“As students we are always looking for ways to get new clothes in order to change our aesthetic, and our biggest barrier is always a financial one. Instagram is one of the reasons why I started spending so much money on clothing in the first place. Instagram has also made the re-wearing of clothing seem abnormal. I think it’s why young people are always seeking to buy new clothing,” said Burricks.
Married couple Twiggy Matiwana and Sindiswa Magidla-Matiwana wearing unique and earthy thrifted dresses for an event. Photo: Thobekile Moyo.
An article by Metro UK titled ‘One in six young people won’t wear an outfit again if it’s been on social media’, underlinedthe claim by Burricks.
According to a survey orchestrated by Hubbub, 41% out of 1000 people between the ages of 18-25 feel there is pressure to wear a different outfit each time they go out. In this same survey, 79% of the people between the ages 18-25 admitted to having been influenced by social media platforms when it comes to their taste in fashion. Instagram came in first, with 55% of participants using it as their primary source of inspiration, while Facebook came in at a close second.
Furthermore,30% of the participants surveyed admitted having watched clothing hauls on YouTube, where influencers unpack and try on all the clothing, they have purchased on a shopping spree.So, could we say that social media is now the main source of temptation when it comes to shopping?
“Across all generational cohorts, as well as market segments, the industry experienced financial losses. However, online sales have increased, especially among Millennial consumers, as they are the most tech-savvy generation and spend hours a day on their smartphones,” said Venter de Villiers.
The cost of an online thrifting business
Shipping costs with courier companies have proved to be a turn–off for both the buyer and the seller.According to Shopify’s ‘Beginner’s Guide to Ecommerce Shipping and Fulfillment’, shipping may generally make up around 37% of the cost of each unit sold. However, when dealing with thrift fashion, shipping could constitute up to 90% of the total cost.
“Some couriers will charge over R100 as the starting price for shipping, which can increase depending on the travel distance and size. So, in the beginning we would select a meeting point and specificy for all our customers to pick up their packages. This would work quite well for us, since the majority of our customers were from Johannesburg North and are Wits students, much like us, who understand the financial inconvenience of using courier companies,” Markantonatos said.
While the fashion–mongers satisfytheirneed to shop by scrolling through online shops, they may stumble upon a website called Yaga, which turns out to be ‘thrifter’s heaven’.
Yaga is an online marketplace where people can sell their used clothing, and thrifters can purchaseone–of–a–kind fashionitemsthat are ready to part with their owners. It also makes theseller’s job easier because of its readily available, accessible and affordable shipping options.
Anette Apri, the head of Yaga’s marketing team, said, “Yaga’s mission was to make online selling and shopping as seamless and as safe as possible and provide everyone an easy way to keep their items in circulation, while also earning some extra money by doing so.”
The shipping options on Yaga include PAXI and Aramex. PAXI, being the cheapest shipping option, makes use of Pep’s stores as drop-off and pick-up points for the user, and costs only R59 for the sender. Alternatively, Aramex is a courier that delivers directly to the receiver’s door, and costs R100.
“Yaga intended to alleviate the shipping dilemmas that small online business owners experience on Instagram and Facebook. We found that business–minded people would often get held back by the daunting idea of having to negotiate with couriers, and the excessive shipping costs, so Yaga has put forward the best two shipping options for users to choose from,” said Apri.
While browsing through Yaga, one will find several stores owned by university students who are marketing to their own age groups.
“We have captured the audience we were aiming for, which in the majority is between 20-35 years old. However, I have found that during the lockdown period, people between the ages of 19-26 have been particularly active in both buying and selling on our platform, which greatly contributed to the boost in activity on our site,” Apri said.
Even though lockdown has seen a sharp increase in the sales of pre-owned clothing, it has also been held back by the valid fears that society has aboutcovid-19.
“When covid-19 hit the world, consumers became paranoid about hygiene matters around the idea ofsecondhand clothes. There is still a risk associated with this practice as the virus stays on fabric for several hours, and consumers are paranoid that they might contract the virus,”said Venter de Villiers.
The future of fashion
Despite the hindrance that covid-19 has placed on the pre-owned clothing market, Venter de Villiers believes in its ability to eventually overtake the retail fashion industry.
“However, when viewing this from a sustainability point of view, it is an imperative stepping stone towards creating a more sustainable fashion industry. Should we see the secondhand clothing market grow, it will most likelyhavea negative effect on fast–fashion retailers,” said Venter de Villiers.
By contributing to the popularity of pre-owned clothing, university students are also promoting more sustainable fashion, which seeks to counterbalance the 10% of carbon emissions produced by the fashion industry annually (according to UNEP). The question of whether retail fashion will become obsolete because of the rise in popularity of thrift fashion mightnot be necessary, after considering the struggles retail had already beenfacing before the covid-19 outbreak.
According to News 24, retail fashion stores such as J Crew, Neiman Marcus and Forever 21 are facing bankruptcy, which has encouraged other stores such as H&M to switch to online sales exclusively, much like Zara.
Instead of interpreting the struggle of the retail fashion industry negatively, it could also be the consumers discarding their old habits, in orderto repurpose their finances and realise their priorities.
“Even though retail clothing sales have been struggling,since lockdown restrictions started lifting and consumers started to go back to normal life, there has been a shift in the demand for different clothing categories. For instance, active–wear sales reflected a steeper increase in comparison to fast–fashion items. Likewise, there has been an increased demand for durable, quality clothing as opposed to fast fashion,” said Venter de Villiers.
FEATURED IMAGE:
A group of fashion loving third-year students wearing thrifted items clothing for a friendly lunch at Mall of Africa. They held their masks in their hands as to keep covid-19 from ruining their style. Photo: Thobekile Moyo.
Soweto sees a rise in residents turning to the business side in efforts to earn a living.
The gate noisily creaks as you step inside, hearing the hum of machinery; whirring, clanking and grind as the gears press together. In the middle of the warehouse a young short stout man wearing khaki pants and slops due to the heat, is cutting and sewing a piece of leather on the sewing machine, with his brows knitted together in deep concentration.
Initially the warehouse looks messy, filled with different materials scattered on the floor and various furniture items. From traditional old upholstered couches to beautiful green couches with a golden trimmings. The place reeks of old carpet and dust.
Across from the young man, a timid middle-aged woman wearing a green pinafore is also sewing and quietly humming along to the faint tune playing in the background. As you draw closer to the noise, on the left of the warehouse in the office, an awkward skinny young man is working on a laptop bobbing his head to the now audible tune.
The big warehouse that has outlasted the others has a rusty relic of ages gone, is where these two young Kliptown residents, now 33-year-old entrepreneurs Nhlanhla Maseko and Tshepo Selaelo Ramalapa have been running Kidos Design and Upholstery furniture for the past 10 years.
Maseko and Ramalapa opened their doors for business in 2007 with the financial assistance of Soweto Kliptown Youth founder Bob Nameng. The two man show assisted by their trusty seamstress Lungile Gumbi, Maseko and Ramalapa have survived the test of time, self-funding their passion for their design business starting with about R10 000 capital while facing the challenges of raising more funds.
In the country of growing entrepreneurship success stories, victory is often the measure in money. However, in this case it is about the many years of hard work, determination and perseverance.
Maseko and Ramalapa are deciding to take a leap of faith and abandon their biggest money maker of furniture upholstery. This money-making model saw Kidos make R15 000 to R30 000 turnover a month. The duo has decided duo to enter the next phase of their business, expanding Kidos into manufacturing and supplying its unique furniture in large quantities of 100 units and more, which they expect to double their profits.
SEWFUL: Kido’s Design and Upholstery co-owner Nhlanhla Maseko prepares to make a new couch, cutting the piece of leather before sewing it.
For the young entrepreneurs, realising their dream in Kliptown will come at a cost. “For us to supply big furniture shops, we need more staff with proper workmanship. One of our biggest challenges is that in most cases that many people are not skilled. We still have to teach and it’s a bit difficult because people are motivated by cash,” said Maseko.
Maseko often rubs the back of his neck to ease the aches and pains from bending over the sewing machine for most of the day.
Despite the challenges and hardships Kidos has endured over the last decade, Maseko and Ramalapa are proud of the work they have done and business they have created. “This is [our] passion, more than anything this is what we love,” said the owners smiling optimistically.
Thus far their clientele comes from all over Soweto to source their meticulous workmanship at an affordable price. Maseko and Ramalapa created their business out of an idea that came to them from the environment in which they live, work and play. “For most black people, most furniture shops are too expensive to buy. The mark-up is so high. A lounge suite in the mall is like R30 000, but when you come to us, you’ll get the same suite with the same quality for 19 000,” said Maseko.
An elderly man of quiet demeanour walks into the shop looking for Maseko, to get his daughter’s car seats repaired. As a loyal customer for years, Henry Bopape from Diepsloot found Kidos through word of mouth.
Bopape said, “I trust Kliks [Maseko]. Ngiyawuthanda umsebenzi wabo [I love their work] and proud that they are creating opportunities for themselves and others. However, [Kidos] need more support from like government or other assisting stakeholders.”
The young business owners believe that Kliptown is one of the perfect places to start building and uplifting South Africa’s black community. Kidos provides skills to the fellow youth of Kliptown.
ORDER IN THE MESS: Co-owner Nhanhla Maseko plans and designs all the furniture Kidos Design and Upholstery manufactures.
Transforming townships into sites for productive activities
WE HAVE A DREAM: Sentiments of the iconic and historical freedom charter, which was signed in Kliptown in 1955.
There is chatter between sellers and buyers, old friends catching up and new friends made 25 kilometres south west of the Johannesburg CBD. Upon first glance in the Kliptown’s CBD, the average shops and market stalls seem to be in an organised disarray. Usually, one shop sells everything from cooked food to general household items.
There is always a hustle and bustle of someone trying to make a buck and trying to steer clear of the big black hole of unemployment.
Kliptown is one of the oldest urban settlements in the city rich with history: work, play and home to South Africa’s diverse ethnic and racial groupings. Kliptown was the backdrop of the adoption of the Freedom Charter in 1955 by the Congress of the People. In the Freedom Charter it states that “The People Shall Share in the Country’s Wealth: furthermore, all people shall have equal rights to trade where they choose, to manufacture and to enter all trades, crafts and professions.”
Today, Kliptown has become a community of hope, opportunity, growth and severe heartbreak. However, this diverse and unique environment brings with it opportunities to develop and create products and services that service the people of Kliptown.
The long road ahead …
On The Redi Tlhabi show June 2015, Gordons Institute for Business Science (GIBS) head of faculty of entrepreneurship Dr Jonathan Marks said, entrepreneurship is not yet recognised for the impact it can have on unemployment in South Africa.
According to City of Joburg, 2006, “Chapter 7: Sustainable Human Settlements” in “Reflecting on a solid foundation: Building developmental local government 2000 – 2005 Report” the Kliptown area has a population size of between 38 000 and 45 000 people.
The total labour force is estimated at 41 994, with the unemployment rate between 60%-70%. More than half of the population has no monthly income.
The Kliptown job centre that was opened in June 2016, is part of the Gauteng provincial government’s Tshepo 500 000 Programme. The programme was established to create half a million new sustainable jobs for the youth by 2019.
According to the centre’s data capture officer Thulisile Nyakame the centre has only registered 3000 peoples CVs. Only 10% to 15% of those people have been successful in getting a job with local companies and businesses.
However, the job centre has not achieved what it hoped to do. The deputy chairperson of the Kliptown business forum, United Business Empowerment Network (UBEN) Khotso Malaba said, the development and infrastructure of Kliptown does not support the necessary growth for employment and entrepreneurship.
PLAZA HUSTLE AND BUSTLE: The Kliptown Plaza is the CBD Kliptown area, where it always busy with traders, shop owners and consumers selling and buying their goods everyday.
Molaba said primary business sectors within Kliptown need to assist with the formation of a secondary economic trading sector/industry such as a recycling business started by fellow Kliptownians. “These are opportunities that are not being exploited. There quite a lot of development that needs to be done,” said Molaba.
In the last few years, Kliptown has seen a huge injection of funds towards its heritage status, with business developments centred on the development of Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication. However, majority of the Kliptown residents still do not have access to land that can be effectively developed for development and entrepreneurship.
However, resourceful individuals like Albert Mmbengwa has found an “interesting” ways of providing food services to consumers and creating his own opportunity of employment by turning to the gamble of entrepreneurship.
After being unemployed for almost three years, 54-year-old Mmbengwa took his future into his own hands, starting his fried chip business six months ago on the side fourth street, about 150m away from the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication.
ORDER NO. 1: Chip seller Albert Mmbengwa.
Attempting to support his family of four with the R350 he makes a day from his chip business Mmbengwa said in isiZulu, “I took the decision to buy the necessary equipment to make the chips and open my business so that I can survive and have something to wake up to everyday. My goal is that one day I will have my own fast food store and make it a franchise.”
According to a Gordons Institute for Business Science (GIBS) 2015 report on entrepreneurship in South Africa, the entrepreneurial activity is improving but still falls short in comparison with other parts of the world.
THE DESTINATION: Come taste some African goodness and have a fine dining express at Boja Nala, located at the Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown.
The GIBS report claims that aspirant and existing entrepreneurs still face huge challenges and frustrations. GIBS said South Africa’s financial and operating environment is not supportive enough of entrepreneurs, particularly in terms of regulations, policies and access to capital.
Loyal customer of Mmbengwa’s chip business Manfred Thompson said, as a causal unemployed worker he loves to support the local business in Kliptown.
“I buy here almost every day. It’s something cheaper for us because most the time we can’t afford to buy the R15 packet of chips at the store. There is no time for us to sit and eat, so the little we got we use for Albert’s chips,” said Thompson.
After Thompson gets his chips, he and Mmbengwa exchange brief parting words. Mmbengwa takes a deep breath and lets out a fatigued puff. The harsh Kliptown spring sunshine illuminates Mmbengwa’s tired, worn face, wrinkles boring deeply into his skin. He smiles to himself, happy with his earnings for the day thus far.
Many consumers who live in the townships enjoy the convenience of being able to find the same services and goods that people in the city have access to. Since, Kliptown is a primary trading space, Boja Nala restaurant brings the city flair of fine dining and eating experience.
Boja Nala serves steak and other various cuts of meat with a side starch of your choice – ranging from R90-110.
The atmosphere in Boja Nala is laid back, warm and inviting with a cosy lounge feel. Although the restaurant is dimly lit, the high beaming ceilings, earthy African décor and works wonders for the ambience.
After being around for only three months at the square, Boja Nala 39-year-old self-funded owner Mike Menyasto said he chose Kliptown in order to bring South Africa’s buying power to the impoverished but improving township.
“We are starting to attract people with buying power. We don’t want to attract just anyone but the people who make the market. We have not reached the level we want yet. Success is affordability and making money and that is what we aim to do. Currently we are making a turnover of R21 000 on average per month,” said Menyatso.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: Boja Nala has an eclectic African décor, which gives warm and inviting atmosphere.
Loyal daily customer, well-built vivacious Beefy Q. Rayners speaks highly of Boja Nala and the great potential it has.
“There is no coffee shop here in Kliptown and the food they serve here is different. It is exciting coming here every day finding something new.”
Boja Nala which means destination in Tshwana has become thee food destination for Rayners. “Everyone else is selling pap and meat. The chefs at Boja Nala compile their menu thinking what it is new that they can do to attract each and every customer that walks by the board, which keeps me wondering ‘ooh what’s for lunch’. Soweto Hotel has not seen me again.
Manyatso has learnt that entrepreneurship one has to be able to roll with the punches and adapt to the unpredictable climate of business. Initially starting as a coffee shop, Manyatso expanded with the demand to a fully-fledged restaurant.
Slowly the economic developments driven by the township economy are finding entrepreneurial prospects more viable as a means to create one’s own opportunities.
‘Passion to enterprise’ is quickly outweighing the desperation to make ends meet, proving that Kliptown has an enterprising spirit.
“Mike’s ideas and what it is that he wants to achieve with the restaurant is very good over a long period of time. So it’s going to take some time to get to where he needs to be.” Said Rayners.
Yes, Kliptown has shabby run-down third-world streets lined with dirt, and unemployed people but do not be fooled by the poverty and restlessness in the old township.
There is an incredible spirit of resilience and creativity that will help Kliptown become a part of Johannesburg’s entrepreneurial heartbeat.
WINNING BARGAIN: Vegetable seller at Walter Sisulu Dedication Square sucessfully bargains with a customer.
The deputy chairperson UBEN Molaba agreed with the sentiment that entrepreneurship empowers citizens and is required for any emerging market to move forward.
He said the “black industry needs to thrive and need to circulate the rand. The rand doesn’t circulate enough times in Kliptown. This will assist in alienating the depression of Kliptown. Trust and buy black products and services in order to grow Kliptown entrepreneurship.”
Township entrepreneurship is important to South Africa’s economic and social development. Entrepreneurs create innovative and sometimes new competitive markets and businesses, which can lead to job creation and community upskilling.
FEATURED IMAGE: Kido’s Design and Upholstery co-owner Nhlanhla Maseko prepares to make a new couch, cutting the piece of leather before sewing it.. Photo: Nomvelo Chalumbira.
DATA SAVES: New York Times journalist, Ron Nixon, is one member of the primarily African team teaching data journalism at the Power Reporting conference. Photo: Dinesh Balliah.
THE FIRST primarily African data journalism team has come to the Power Reporting conference to show how data journalism can aid in ground-breaking investigative reporting.
The team of 16 seeks to introduce journalists at the conference to the world of data journalism. But the biggest challenge might be to convince fellow journalists that working with numbers is not an insurmountable task.
For most journalists, words are second nature. But when faced with numbers, however, it may seem like a daunting task to turn them into stories. Learning data journalism is an important skill for the future.
Media trainer Ray Joseph called data journalism the new “buzz word” in the field and it is a tool that can help journalists do their job better.
Data journalism does the “heavy lifting” so journalists can focus on the stories.“The story is in the data and you have to find the story,” he said.
[pullquote align=”right”]“Information becomes important when it talks to me, when I don’t have to look at the bigger picture and I see what it means.”[/pullquote]
Joseph believes that journalists don’t need to be techno savvy to make use of data journalism. He said that even a basic understanding of data journalism can be useful.
Ron Nixon, a New York Times data journalist, believes it is important for journalists to understand data because it “is as critical as learning how to write”. Nixon said understanding the collection and use of data allows journalists to understand information better, giving a fuller context for articles.
Joseph argues that an uptake on data journalism in South Africa has been slow, as journalists believe they don’t have time to acquire new skills. They are wary of taking on new things that could potentially increase their work load.
Even so, Joseph and the rest of the team are adamant that data journalism is the future of journalism. Nixon hopes data journalism will become the norm rather than something seen as “exotic”.
Team member Luvuyo Mdeni, of SABC digital news, presented a mapping seminar. The seminar showed how data can be visually appealing through mapping.
Mdeni said there is a lot to be done in terms of data journalism because it can show how large amounts of information can be relevant to an individual.“Information becomes important when it talks to me, when I don’t have to look at the bigger picture and I see what it means [to me],”said Mdeni.
Michael Salzwedel of SABC digital news presented on Google tools. Salzwedel raised concern about the fact that people were not aware of the free tools that are available to journalists. Salzwedel said it was important to use new ways of gathering and visualising data.
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