Mama Africa: the image of a South African singer, songwriter and a fierce civil rights activist reduced to the representation by a British-Nigerian actor?
The Road Home is an upcoming a musical drama, set to begin filming in June 2026, with no official release date. It explores Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela during apartheid and their pointed efforts against the regime. Makeba will be portrayed by British actress, Cynthia Erivo and Masekela by South African actor, Thabo Rametsi.
The film is written by the famous South African author, Zakes Mda and is to be directed by Bill Condon, the American director and writer behind the film adaptations of musicals, Chicago and Dreamgirls.
The casting of Erivo to portray Miriam Makeba in the film has sparked quite the conversation, with many contradicting views. Social media users asked how the lived experiences of a black South African Xhosa woman can be reimagined for the big screen by a non-South African? Of particular concern – language. You know, the “Igqirha lendlela nguqo ngqothwane” of it all.
Those concerned about the casting want a seasoned South African professional actress at the helm. There are many examples like Thuso Mbedu, Nomzambo Mbatha, and Bonnie Mbuli to name a few with international silver screen experience. However, in the film and television industry’s eyes, the value of the Xhosa tongue is nothing compared to the power of a global British passport.
While I have nothing but the best wishes for Cynthia Erivo, a talented, multi-award-winning actress with a voice like the harmony of angels. I cannot help but face the uncomfortable truth about how African legacies are portrayed in film and television. Can Erivo truly embody the linguistic and cultural texture of an iconic Xhosa woman like Makeba? A woman who was boldly and unapologetically South African.
To ignore the skills of an actress and singer-songwriter like Erivo would be to disrespect her craft. In her own pedigree, she too is an icon, a powerhouse. Erivo is no stranger to portraying legends in the music industry. One such example is her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in the National Geographic anthology series “Genuis: Aretha” (2021). Receiving an Emmy nomination for her performance.
She ticks the boxes. She will look the part; she will act the part and will most certainly sing the part, but will her singing be a mere imitation? Will she truly be able to fully embrace the South African identity that comes with Miriam Makeba’s songs that were tools to fight injustices during apartheid?
In addition to the cultural texture that accompanies a powerhouse like Makeba is also the language in which Makeba sang: isiXhosa. In her 1963 performance of “Qongqothwane” live on Ce Soir à Cannes, Makeba prefaces the performance by emphasising that the English speaker cannot say the name of the song thus they call it “the click song.” Even then, Makeba chose to proudly embrace her identity and prove that black South African culture mattered.
Miriam was defiant; she was fierce, and she was proudly a black, Xhosa South African woman even in her exile. Her songs weren’t just words on a paper; they were incantations. They were brilliant. They were the representation of the South African nation fighting against discrimination.
This is not about preference for South Africans; it is about having our cultures represented by the very people that speak and live them.
FEATURED IMAGE: Graphic of legendary South African singer Miriam Makeba, taken by Paul Weinberg and Cynthia Erivo at an FYC panel for Wicked in Santa Monica, California taken by Kevin Paul. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
A protracted bargaining process has reached a stalemate, which may grind activities on campus to a halt.
Nehawu and Altsa union members threaten to down tools.
Salary negotiations between the unions and Wits management remain unresolved.
As the cost of living increases, members demand a larger salary increase.
On Monday, April 20, National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) and the Administrative, Library and Technical Staff Association (Altsa) members took matters into their own hands by picketing in and around campus.
Union members, made up of professional and administrative staff, marched from the Great Hall to Wits Science Stadium, after declining the 4,95% salary increase proposed by Wits University management.
According to the Altsa union secretary, Tholane Khiba, meetings with the vice chancellor and senior executive team resulted in a proposed 4,95% increase, which was rejected and led to the deadlock. “Looking at the delay, the members are now getting frustrated,” he said.
In a statement, the senior executive team said the matter, in month eight of “protracted negotiations”, was heard at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) last week, but the offer made by the university was rejected.
Nehawu Regional Secretary of greater Johannesburg, Tumisho Madihlaba, stated that “the members in their big numbers for both unions Altsa and Nehawu have agreed. We are not accepting the 5%, we are not accepting the 1% on Annual Performance Incentive… We are going on strike!”
Nehawu and Altsa members gathered by the Great Hall for a mass meeting. Photo: Jamie Ho.
Thabo Modise the Nehawu branch secretary of Wits said they have worked in the best interest of the university, but feel “financially bullied.”
As a result, they plan to down their tools. “We also have a muscle comrades. The muscle that we have is our labour. We are going to withdraw our labour and show them how important we are,” Modise added.
The members of the union emphasise that they will stand in unity until their demands are met. Altsa acting president, Jordan Sake, stated “we have rejected that nonsense from management. That insult? We will not take it.”
Members of both unions highlighted the growing cost of living amid global conflicts as one of the reasons they are pushing for more money. Jabulile Maseko, a member of Altsa said, “it is not enough, everyone is aware that everything is going up.”
While tensions continue, demonstrations and strike action seem to be on the horizon as both unions stand their ground with their demands.
FEATURED IMAGE: Nehawu and Altsa members picketing around campus. Photo: Jamie Ho.
An exhibition that forces one to look at the duality of society and confront the chaos of reality
On April 9, the Wits Art Museum (WAM) opened its doors to “Now is not Forever” an exhibition by the artist Theresa-Anne Mackintosh. The art pieces are more than just sculptures and paintings on the wall; it was figures and strokes that represented the chaos and disorder of society and reality.
Walking into WAM on opening night, one is immediately drawn to the vinyl writing on the wall. It explains who the artist is, what the exhibit includes and what the expectations of the artist are for the viewer when interpreting her work.
Now is not Forever, wall of description. Photo by Keletso Zwane.
Mackintosh included two forms of her work in the exhibition. The first being paintings, which are some of her older works. These required me to look beyond the canvas and challenge my ideas of what was on that wall. Ideas that art can only be consumed at the surface, and that art needs to make sense and be pretty. Art can be unconventional.
The pieces that truly caught my attention were three pieces that included figures mimicking the morality of life. These were titled “hear no evil”, “see no evil” and “do no evil” and included figures having had various parts of their bodies, related to the action painted over.
One used the ears to hear, the eyes to see, and the hands to do, and these in Theresa’s work were painted over. It was visually stunning. The erasure of these elements meant that they are no longer in use, thus evil could not be heard, done or seen.
The second form included sculptures, embodying Mackintosh’s alter egos. At first, they were simply appealing to the eye. The colours were vivid, and the figures were intriguing. However, art did what art does best and challenged me to interpret what the sculptures represented, not just to the creator of the art but the consumer as well.
And I, having been the observer for the night, was subjected to understanding that these figures had represented familiarity. These sculptures are recognisable figures, dogs, people, dolls – all things that I have seen, felt, and engaged with.
Picture of sculptures at exhibit. Photo by Keletso Zwane.
The inclusion and coupling of both sculptures and paintings in the exhibition was phenomenal. The art was anthropomorphic, it hurt, it was dysfunctional and embodied the disorder of society, of history, it almost seemed to reproduce reality.
Picture of one of the sculptures displayed at Now is not Forever. Photo by Keletso Zwane.
Even if you wanted to look at the exhibition as a way to distract yourself, Mackintosh’s work forced you to look further than the surface.
Vuvu rating: 9/10
FEATURED IMAGE: Picture of a girl taking a photo of the art at the exhibit. Photo by Keletso Zwane.
After automatic relegation last season, FNB Wits Rugby has not only scored a seat back into Varsity Cup but a place in the semi-final.
Wits Rugby boys promoted back into Varsity Cup.
Team set to play semi-finals Friday, 3 April 2026.
Captain says team is “emotionally invested” in winning.
The boys in blue showed up this Varsity Shield season with six wins and one draw and have now secured a home semi-final. The boys seem determined, driven and motivated to ensure an automatic promotion back into the Varsity Cup.
According to Varsity Cup, in 2025, the team played in the A section of the rugby competition, known as Varsity Cup. After playing and losing eight, the team got relegated to the B section of the competition for the 2026 season, known as Varsity Shield.
The automatic relegation left no chance for redemption. The Wits Blues took last year’s loses, went back to the drawing board, and entered Varsity Shield with grace. Now. they plan to be promoted back into the Varsity Cup.
What started as a rocky opening match against FNB Walter Sisulu University (WSU) on February 13, which resulted in a draw, and ignited a fire that saw the boys climb all the way to the top of the log. The quick and commanding response showcased the team’s depth.
Wits is set to play semi-finals on Friday, April 3, against FNB Madibaz (Nelson Mandela University), which promises to be a nail-biting fixture. If they win, they will advance to the final against either FNB WSU or FNB UWC (University of the Western Cape), and stand a chance at redemption, glory and take the Varsity Shield 2026 trophy home.
The score breakdown highlights their performance throughout the season at almost every match under the Friday night lights:
Photo of one of the rugby players during practice with the score break down of the season. Photo and graphic: Keletso Zwane
FNB Wits Rugby captain, Latica Nela said the team was focused on finishing the job. “We are not done. Promotion was just the first part of it, we still want to win this thing,” he said.
“And hopefully, God willing, when we do, it shows how emotionally invested we all were in this process,” the skipper concluded.
Having led the boys on and off the field, he advised his team to continue playing the rugby that Wits is known for playing- high tempo, controlled and supported by the fans at home.
The Blues are ready to finish strong, not only for themselves but for Wits. Was their winning streak sheer luck or brutal hard work?
FEATURED IMAGE: Photo of rugby boys at practice doing the line-out. Photo: Keletso Zwane
Since her announcement as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille has dominated national headlines. In this bonus episode of We Should Be Writing podcast, hosts Lulah Mapiye and Bonolo Mokonoto dissect a media meet-and-greet with the mayoral hopeful. From her extensive political résumé to her controversial public utterance, we examine why the Democratic Alliance has chosen Hellen Zille as their candidate for the 2027 local mayoral elections. Additionally, […]
