Telecommunication companies like Vodacom including state owned entities such as the education and health services sector, are not fast enough in including South African languages in their AI services offerings, hindering digital transformation and economic growth for non-English speakers.
The dominance of English in AI and tech development in South Africa creates a language barrier, excluding 92% of the population who primarily speak indigenous languages
Incorporating all 12 official South African languages into AI and technology could lead to greater inclusion, social cohesion and open up a significant market among young individuals.
There’s a risk of “language death and marginalisation” if indigenous South African languages are not incorporated into new technological developments and AI.
Quote on issues of tech and AI in African languages, IMAGE: Zanele S. Maduma
South Africa is a country that is pursuing digital transformation in modernising government services and driving economic growth yet the results aren’t showing as yet.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mr. Solly Malatsi, this year launched the Roadmap for Digital Transformation of the South African government. This comes as the government’s commitment to inclusive growth, efficient service delivery and ensuring that government services are accessible to all South Africans.
But the dominance of English in AI and tech development excludes 92% of the population who primarily speak indigenous languages in South Africa, limiting access to digital tools, education, and economic opportunities for the youth.
This is a big issue in a country with 12 official languages. Only 8% of South Africans speak English at home, according to Stats SA. Yet most online services offered in AI, such as online banking and mobile phone bot operated customer services on platforms like WhatsApp, are in English and this creates a language barrier for many people.
Dr. Lindiwe Tshuma, a language advisor at Wits University, says “Before we talk about AI we need to ask whether or not everybody has reputable access (to mobile a phone) and does everybody have digital literacy?
“We are not expecting everybody to produce content in all the 12 official languages of the country, but we expect it to at least pick a few,” said Dr. Tshuma.
Tech giants like Google and Microsoft have translation tools on their website, but the problem is not just about translating websites, it is also about how AI understands and responds to indigenous South African languages.
In a multilingual country such as South Africa, there are non-English languages that are more widely spoken such as IsiZulu and Xhosa, but no language is bigger or more important than another and therefore should be all represented in the tech and AI space.
“Our technology enables more people to engage in the digital economy using various languages,” says Partnership Associate at Botlhale AI Solutions, Amogelang Tsetse.
“Customers of different languages who don’t necessarily fully understand English also understand what is happening digitally,” Tsetse added.
The lack of South African languages in AI has a bigger impact, such as access to education and economic opportunities for the youth, particularly in a country striving for both linguistic diversity, social cohesion and inclusion.
Dr. Tshuma warns of language death and marginalisation should tech and AI companies and language experts not make any strides.
Tech and AI language is a problem in multilingual South Africa, IMAGE: Zanele S. Maduma
“We need to be looking at the readiness of our African languages to be incorporated into AI. Some of our languages are not yet fully developed but this does not mean that they must not be incorporated into the technological advances taking place, otherwise we are contributing to language death and marginalisation” she says.
There is a huge opportunity for companies that embrace local languages. There is a widespread mobile device ownership in South Africa among younger, tech-savvy individuals aged 15–34, according to South African News Agency. This is a massive market.
“Our team is made up of 50% engineers who understand that technology exists to help people understand things in their own language,” said Tsetse.
South Africa has a rich linguistic heritage and incorporating all the 12 languages into tech and AI developments and advances ensures the inclusion and social cohesion the government says it is aiming for in its digitisation projections.
FEATURED IMAGE: AI image with quote on African Languages and tech. Photo: Zanele S. Maduma
Israel adds to the already harrowing death toll of media workers reporting from Palestine.
Journalists Against Apartheid take a moment to commemorate lost Al-Jazeera colleagues.
Anas al-Sharif was among the six journalists recently targeted by Israel.
South African journalists and supporters emphasise the need for the media to speak up and to report the truth.
It was a sombre and almost muted affair, as a handful of South African journalists gathered on August 14, to honour slain colleagues in Palestine.
Journalists Against Apartheid gathered outside the Al-Jazeera office in Auckland Park, holding candles, placards and some draped in keffiyehs to remember those who have been killed by Israeli forces.
Journalist holding a candle in commemoration of lost media workers in Gaza. Photo: Ekta Seebran
Housed in a tent outside Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital, Anas al-Sharif, a Palestinian journalist for Al-Jazeera Arabic, along with colleagues Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and freelance journalists Mohammed al-Khalid and Momen Aliwa, were killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike.
Israel admitted to targeting al-Sharif on the belief that he was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell but has yet to produce any evidence of this.
Faseegah Davids, coordinator of the Palestine Solidarity Committee, said, “making people feel powerless is the tool of the oppressor, journalists being silenced and killed in Gaza are used to misguide the world in terms of narrative and truth. But we know the truth. They have already been exposed.”
Since October 2023, 272 journalists and media workers have been killed in Israel.
Placards made by supporters. Photo: Ekta SeebranSupporters taking a moment of silence for the lost journalists. Photo: Ekta Seebran
Josephine Kloekner, freelance journalist and organiser of the vigil, said, “It’s not a time we can just be hesitating, because all our colleagues are dying, we have to show our faces and speak up, because if we don’t, who will do it for us.”
The gathering heard voices from not only journalists and supporters of Palestine, but also from media workers on the field sent a message to be read to the crowd, which said:
“The target is truth. We knew them not as bylines, but as friends, as colleagues. Whenever we could get coffee, we shared it with them […] We ran towards danger, not away from it, because we are fearless. But in actual fact, we live in fear. It’s our natural state, and we know that the world must see. We mourn today, but we pick up our cameras tomorrow […] We can never allow Gaza to die without us.”
FEATURED IMAGE: Photos of Al-Jazeera journalists killed on 10 August 2025. Photo: Ekta Seebran.
Though information and communication technologies (ICTs) broaden our reach, with its evolution emerges the monster that is technology facilitated gender-based violence.
Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) plagues youth in the digital age.
Lack of education, adequate law enforcement, and ability to identify the cyber abuse allows the problem to persist.
The Wits Gender Equity Office works separately from government, allowing for increased reporting of abuse by student.
In a move to increase awareness about TFGBV, Wits students have joined the youth-led initiative, SafeDigitalVoices, to combat the persistence of cyber-stalking, non-consensual image sharing, and online harassment, in the digital age.
TFGBV is a term which addresses the problem of abuse, exploitation, and harassment through digital platforms, including dating apps and social media. As it is a relatively new concept, but an important one at that, education on TFGBV is minimal and as a result, many do not know how to identify it.
It is important to know the “difference between a joke and being violated,” said Dr. Aretha Asakitikpi, coordinator of the SafeDigitalVoices TFGBV course. She explained that TFGBV is ‘internalised’, describing that it has become normalised in popular culture.
Jazz Selektor and SafeDigitalVoices member, Buntu, spoke to Wits Vuvuzela about her experience. “I experienced it a lot during 2017 and ‘18 because of the way that my boobs look. I went through so much backlash on social media which led me to deactivating my Facebook account,” she said.
This brings to light the problem of reporting TFGBV and the consequent challenges of law enforcement. Dr. Asakitikpi says that, “law enforcement understand the physical,” but not the intangible. Cyber bullying cannot be seen or touched.
Many of these cases go unreported. According to Dr. Asakitikpi, this is because youth don’t often tell elders, such as their parents or the authorities, due to fear of being shamed, misunderstood, and even ignored.
“Technology is growing faster than our laws,” Asakitikpi said. She described a case she came across during her research in which a respondent reported being stalked online and was met with negligence due to lack of training on the new age beast.
“They didn’t know what to do,” she explained.
Wits Vuvuzela spoke to Bhekamndeni Mkwanazi, a staff member at the Wits Gender Equity Office (GEO), who argued that the GEO is more effective than government law enforcement because they “use an inquisitorial approach, we ensure that we keep the complainant safer and also the respondent,” explaining a belief in restorative justice rather than solely punishment.
“We conscientise them, so whenever they do come back to the university, they’re better people than what they were,” he said.
Identifying and reporting TFGBV is extremely important, not only to protect the subject of the harm, but to hold perpetrators accountable, working toward combatting online norms that are causing or perpetuating harmful behaviours.
To report TFGBV cases you can email them at: info.geo@wits.ac.za, or call the crisis hotline: 0800 111 331. They are also available on Facebook: witsgeo and X: @WitsGEO.
FEATURED IMAGE: Image of the TFGBV awareness team, working with SafeDigitalVoices. Photo: Dipalesa Letuka.
The women of Medhurst Hall celebrate nipples, unashamed and free.
Wits’ Medhurst Hall challenged societal norms by going braless for a week during Women’s Month.
Their “Stick It To The Stigma” campaign encouraged women to feel proud of their nipples being seen.
Decades of conditioning forged deep insecurities, but this movement guided women towards self-love and acceptance.
Some women can remember the day vividly. Not the first time they wore a bra – that may be lost to the blur of childhood – but the day it truly became a thing. The gentle wire that eventually dug into flesh, the adjustable straps that always slipped, the sheer relief of unhooking it at the end of a long day, feeling their ribs expand, their shoulders drop. For many women, this is an intimate familiarity with a garment that dictates, rather than conforms.
Yet, for one week in August, students at Medhurst Hall, a Wits all-female residence, spent time loosening the tight knot of insecurity by freeing their nipples in honour of Women’s Month.
Their ‘Stick It To The Stigma’ campaign embraced the notion that women’s breasts are not deficiencies to be concealed or corrected, but rather celebrated.
As Kgothatso Kgowa, Academic Officer of the Medhurst Hall House Committee, puts it: “The idea that women must wear bras every day is a social norm, not a necessity. It’s rooted in patriarchy, media influence, and myths about health, leading even women to shame others for going braless.”
This sentiment echoes what has simmered for decades, from the “bra burners” of the past to the contemporary “free the nipple” movement.
“Boobs come in all shapes, sizes and personalities and that is exactly what makes them amazing,” mused Tokollo Matsaung, a resident of Medhurst Hall.
Her words tackle years of ingrained self-consciousness, “For so long,” she continues, “older generations quietly passed down shame and silence around our bodies, like we had to hide or fix what was never broken. But the truth is, your boobs aren’t wrong, society’s narrow lens is. Let them exist proudly.”
For Disebo Mokoena, another resident, this movement holds personal significance. “I started wearing a bra when I was young,” she recounts. “The minute my mom saw that I have breasts, she started to buy me bras.”
This early training, a common experience for many women, established a rigid framework. “You grow up with that mentality that I have to wear a bra because what are people going to say if I don’t?”
And the cycle of judgment often continues: “When we see girls not wearing a bra, we judge them because it was instilled when we were young that a woman should not go out with her nipples showing.” However, Mokoena now perceives a new trajectory. “I feel like this whole movement teaches us to love and appreciate our bodies the way they are.”
Through Instagram, Medhurst Hall reminds girls that: “You are powerful. You are enough. And you absolutely rock.” A joyful proclamation to “Stick It To The Stigma!” and, to allow their bodies to breathe free.
FEATURED IMAGE: From left to right: Medhurst residents Owam Madontsela, Lebogang Masemola, Kgothatso Kgowa posing with their nipples free.Photo: Supplied/Medhurst Hall
With the world’s biggest polluters shirking their climate commitments, developing nations are left asking whether it’s our ‘turn to burn’.
As America turns away from climate action, countries question whether to follow its profit-driven lead.
Coal still powers South Africa and provides employment, making it hard to abandon immediately.
Resource-rich countries are at a crossroads on how to benefit from their fossil fuels, as developed nations have historically done.
South Africa’s climate efforts are a drop in the ocean if major emitters like the United States don’t meet their climate goals. So, why should we sacrifice if they are doing the opposite?
The talk by philosophy professor Lucy Allais presented this question to a packed audience at the Wits Club on Wednesday, August 13, during the Pro VC Seminar.
The event was the brainchild of Professor Imraan Valodia, Wits Pro Vice-Chancellor: Climate, Sustainability and Inequality. It brought together students, academics, and researchers to question what fair and equitable climate action looks like for developing nations.
For South Africa, deciding to abandon fossil fuels is not only a question of doing the right thing, but a major economic consideration as well. “We derive significant foreign reserves from coal, and we’ve got about 80,000 direct jobs in coal mining and even more indirect jobs. Burning coal is also our main source of electricity,” Allais said.
She also pointed out that for many, expecting South Africa to abandon this key energy source is unfair.
“We haven’t caused the problem and we’ve got resources that we could profit from. The developed world has profited from their natural resources, and from ours. Isn’t it only fair that we get to profit from our resources too?” Allais probed.
That sense of unfairness only grows when looking at the United States, a former climate leader that is now retreating from this responsibility. Allais argued that America’s confused climate agenda did not begin with President Donald Trump – it has long been a nation that often talks left and walks right. “The U.S. under Biden signed historical legislation investing in renewable infrastructure, but also increased oil production,” she said. Biden’s presidency saw the country become a net exporter of oil, with the share price of the Dow Jones U.S. oil and gas index rising by 120% between the first and last year of his presidency.
South Africa and America have vastly different impacts on the environment. Graphic: Mbali Khumalo
Still, Trump has accelerated the rolling back of America’s climate commitments.
Under his leadership, the U.S. has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, an international treaty to keep global warming below 2°C. Trump has also revoked the country’s pledge to provide green energy transition funding, including R1.5 billion which would have gone to South Africa.
South Africa has not followed America’s lead in abandoning the fight against climate change. Neither have the other 194 countries still signed to the Paris Agreement.
While wealthy nations should be obligated to reverse climate change, Allais disagrees that developing countries have an entitlement to not reduce emissions. “All countries have an obligation to avoid collective catastrophe,” she concluded.
FEATURED IMAGE: The United States is no longer a climate action champion, leaving the rest of the world to forge its own path. Graphic: Mbali Khumalo.
SRC races to secure emergency housing for eviction-threatened students.
Campus Central management unavailable to address NSFAS eviction queries.
Application error caused by unclear NSFAS communication leads to housing crisis.
The Wits University Student Representative Council (SRC) has intensified efforts to provide emergency accommodation for students affected by a National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) application cycle miscommunication that has left dozens without funding.
The affected students unknowingly applied under the TVET cycle after NSFAS announced extended applications last year. NSFAS operates two primary funding cycles: the university cycle, in which applications typically open between September and November, and the TVET college cycle, where applications open several times a year to align with trimester or semester intakes.
According to the SRC Deputy President, Boipelo Setsepu, confusion arose when NSFAS extended the application deadline for both university and TVET students. However, unclear communication and the use of similar application platforms caused some university students to mistakenly apply under the TVET funding stream.
Setsepu said, since the start of 2025, approximately 65 Wits students have approached the SRC and Wits Citizenship and Community Outreach (WCCO) for help, as they are faced with eviction threats.
The SRC is urging all affected students to come forward by filling out the emergency accommodation form to ensure they can be assisted.
Student Representative Council Offices. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
Priority is given to students directly affected by the error. “The process works as follows: you reach out to us via email or by filling in the form. From there, FASO will verify the information provided to ensure it is correct and confirm whether you applied during the TVET cycle. Once confirmed, you are then given priority.’’ said Setsepu.
Setsepu also highlighted that, priority is given to students in external accommodation facing eviction, as internal residence students are not at immediate risk.
Third-year Geology student, Botshelo Tshite, is one of the many Wits students caught in the NSFAS funding crisis. He says the problem only became clear in May, when his monthly allowance stopped coming in.
Soon after, his residence, Campus Central, began sending warnings that students who had not paid for the past few months would have their biometric access cut off. “That’s what happened to me,” he recalls, adding that he was later threatened with eviction.
Although he reached out to the SRC before the June holidays, help only came later. He was told to leave just a day before the second semester began.
Tshite says the experience was frightening, and believes his residence could have handled the situation with more care. “Even now, I’m being told to pay over R6,000 for the months NSFAS didn’t cover,” he said.
Campus Central student accomodation, ST Davids Place, Parktown. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
Wits Vuvuzela reached out to Campus Central residence management to request an interview regarding how they handle student matters beyond their control, such as the NSFAS miscommunication that affected Tshite. Residence manager Edwin Muchibwa said he was not authorized to give external interviews and referred the request to senior manager Johan Scheepers. However, Scheepers had not responded by the time of publication.
Efforts were made to contact NSFAS but its spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi’s phone kept ringing with no answer.
FEATURED IMAGE: Student Representative Council Offices. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
The FlySafair strike caused anxiety amongst students from outside the Gauteng Province.
FlySafair pilots were on a strike, which disrupted schedules and cancelled some flights.
Some students who live outside of Gauteng rely on the low-cost carrier.
Students had to use buses and taxis to travel long distances, with increased travel times to boot.
The longest aviation strike in South African history finally came to an end on August 1, 2025. Over 200 FlySafair pilots under the Solidarity trade union were striking for better working conditions and remuneration.
A one-day strike notice turned into a two-week strike, which led to disrupted flight schedules and cancellations.
Wits students were not excluded from these disruptions as they had to fly back to Johannesburg after recess in their home provinces to begin classes on Monday, July 21, the same day the strike started.
“In the absence of FlySafair, I had to choose between seven hours in a bus or five in a taxi from Durban. I chose a taxi, I had no better alternatives,” said Lizwilenkosi Mthiyane, a Theatre and Performance student.
Travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town using a bus takes approximately 20 hours, which is why Esona Ngqebe, an Accounting Science student, was not looking forward to doing it again.
“FlySafair is not the most comfortable airline out there, but it’s better than going to Cape Town in a bus. I had to book a bus ticket coming back to Joburg in July. The drive took forever. I am glad their [FlySafair] strike is over,” said Ngqebe.
FlySafair has been operating fully for just over a week, with flight prices starting from R470. Now that the strike has come to an end, students will not have to worry about their travelling costs.
FEATURED IMAGE: A student complaining about travelling in a bus for hours from Joburg to Cape Town. Photo: Lulah Mapiye
The Johannesburg City Library welcomes the public back after a five-year hiatus, following relentless pressure from activist groups.
Iconic Johannesburg City Library reopens, celebrating its 90th anniversary with a major renovation.
This comes after years of public frustration and protests over delayed repairs.
Despite the reopening, the library’s future Saturday hours remain in jeopardy due to ongoing labour disputes.
Despite the chilly morning, a warmth of excitement filled the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) as the iconic Johannesburg City Library (JCL) reopened its doors on Saturday, August 9.
A rush of bodies, from excited children to cheery adults, pushed past the throng of media and officials, eager to once again bask in the smell of old and new books.
Following major renovations by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), five years after its closure, the landmark also celebrated its 90th anniversary on August 6.
The reopening was partially possible due to activist groups like the Johannesburg Crisis Alliance (JCA), and the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF), who were the loudest voices since the library’s closure in 2020.
“This is a facility that belongs to us. It was only when we shouted that they [CoJ and JDA] started working. So protest matters. Don’t let anyone tell you to shut up!” said Flo Bird, founder of the JHF.
Reopening on Woman’s Day was significant, as the city paid tribute to Anna Hester Smith, the library’s first female librarian from 1960 to 1975.
Officiated by Executive Mayor Cllr Dada Morero, the ceremony was a reminder of the power of community.
Pandemic related lockdowns were not the issue, the real problem arose when the CoJ and JDA found that due to structural issues, the building was non-compliant to fire safety systems, electrical faults, and had water leakages.
But years passed without an update and JHF complained that they seemed not to be in a hurry to do timely renovations.
The JDA’s CEO, Themba Mathibe, said the refurbishment preserved the library’s heritage while integrating modern infrastructure including structural repairs from upgraded electrical and security systems, to refreshed reading rooms and archival storage.
Many were in awe, their eyes and hands scanning the aisles of tall, stacked shelves.
Among them was the Deputy Speaker of the Johannesburg Student Council, Mpilo Kunene, who said, “The library is going to be a place where I can be myself and progress my knowledge as a student.”
He looks forward to the youth loving the space as much as he does, yearning for them to engage with the books they have been denied.
Yunus Chamda, coordinator of the JCA, fondly recalls that , “Having been a high school student in the 70s, this library really was the place, on Saturdays, to come and do school research work.” However, Sicelo Tshisa, manager of the library’s Integrated Library System (ILS), confirmed that the facility will only be open to the public Monday to Friday from August 11.
JHF is pushing for Saturday library hours, but still are corroborating with authorities who blame labour union issues for the delay.
FEATURED IMAGE: The Johannesburg City Library located at the corner of Albertina Sisulu Road and Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Street in Johannesburg’s CBD. Photo: Lukholo Mazibuko
The Outreach Committee of the Johannesburg Junior Council opened Women’s Month with a Women’s empowerment conference.
The outreach committee of the Johannesburg Junior Council hosted a Women’s Day open discussion to raise funds for the Chayil Foundation.
Women from different backgrounds and professions were invited to sit on a panel with the purpose of initiating conversation amongst women and fellow councillors.
The event was themed “The Power of Her Voice”.
The Johannesburg Junior Council (JJC ) opened Women’s Month on August 2 with a female empowerment forum themed The Power of Her Voice.
The forum was created with the intention of inspiring women in the wider Johannesburg area to understand that they have the potential to affect change by speaking up against injustices that affect women, while simultaneously raising funds for the Chayil Foundation, a non-profit organisation created to up-skill and empower women and the youth through health and rehabilitation programs, food and clothing drives and youth mentorship.
Among the panelists were Tebogo Makgatho, chief executive officer of Netcampus, Karen Landi, Kingsmead’s director of service and Robyn Le Roux, the founder of the Chayil Foundation.
Despite Le Roux’s efforts in Eldorado Park, her foundation’s headquarters were broken into by thieves who took her cooking utensils and other means essential to the running of the foundation. The funds raised at the women’s forum will be donated to the foundation to replace some of what was lost in the burglary.
The outreach community, along with the JJC struck a great balance between uplifting the Chayil Foundation and providing a space for women to educate and empower other women as well as any Johannesburg residents who were in attendance.
“The vision for this event was just to bring together people to have a space where we can have open conversation,” said Lesedi Moletsane, head of the JJC’s outreach committee.
We’ve had incredible speakers come here tonight and share their lived experiences. In the world women’s voices a lot of the time are not necessarily listened to and are put aside. Just giving the women, the opportunity to speak is truly transformative,” said Moletsane.
The Power of Her Voice forum is part one of a two-part initiative to bring awareness to women’s struggles and issues during Women’s Month. The second part of this initiative will be a march on the August 10 in Parktown.
According to Oliver Bouilliart, co- mayor of the JJC, the events have been structured this way “to create awareness around what Women’s Day is truly for, but beyond that capture the essence of what Women’s Day truly is. Bouilliart believes that Women’s Month is the perfect time to have both these events to influence public discourse and inspire the exploration of topics that might be otherwise considered taboo.
From her extensive experience in the information, communications, technology and services industry, Tebogo Makgatho encouraged all the women to study the way AI will be used in their dream careers, as a way to better prepare themselves. Karen Landi candidly opened up about her experience being hijacked and provided the attendees with tools to rise up and overcome trauma. Lastly, Robyn Le Roux spoke about her journey to founding the Chayil Foundation and provided tips on how young people can engage in community outreach in the absence of resources.
“May we leave here not only inspired but deeply committed to advocacy, to equity and to unity,” Moletsane said in her closing remarks. “Not just during Women’s Month, but during every conversation, every classroom and every community we return to.”
The planned march for August 10 will begin outside Parktown Boys High School at 11am. Marchers will pass through St. Andrews and Hillside Road in Parktown and then end back at Parktown Boys.
FEATURED IMAGE: A photo of two members of the outreach committee hosting the evening. Photo: Secaba Molete
The racial and gender disparities in corporate South Africa still embody Apartheid stereotypes for some black female professionals.
Wits University students and Chartered Accountants gathered to discuss existing in Corporate SA as a black woman.
The event highlighted the racial and gender disparity black women still face in the private sector.
The event encouraged mentorship, and preparation as black young women continue to break barriers.
The stark reality of gender inequality 69 years after the Women’s Day march paints a daunting image of black women’s progression in society, according to the experiences of the black female executives speaking at the She Means Business event held at Chris Seabrooke Musical Hall on Saturday, August 1.
The Women’s Day event, held by the Wits chapter of the African Women Chartered Accountants, in partnership with the Wits Accounting School Council, aimed to address how to exist as a woman of colour in corporate spaces.
Personal testimonies of black female heads of departments, including PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and Chapu Charted Accountants brought the event to life, addressing the resilience black women working in corporate require, particularly aspiring chartered accountants, to produce quality work in pressure-driven environments.
The evening featured a series of compelling addresses from Learning Development Manager at PWC, Lesego Rankou, Chapu CA CEO, Ncumisa Mkunqwana, former NYDA CFO Khuthadzo Manana, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Cluster Head, Portia Mkhabela, and Investec CA Trainee Sanelisiwe Sibiya.
Lesego Rankou opened the evening with a powerful phrase that gave hope of light at the end of the tunnel for black women existing in corporate SA. “There is no corporate ladder, it is a jungle gym. This is because there are so many layers to corporate that are yet to be explored,” said Rankou.
The She Means Business event also featured insightful contributions from the panellists about the importance of preparation and the production of quality work, as means to continue to dispel the myths about black women in society being carried through in the workspace.
She Means Business Panelist: Sanelisiwe Sibiya, Khuthadzo Manana, Portia Mkhabela, and Ncumisa Mkunqwana Photo: Supplied/Ndivho Shilling
Rankou shared that being an assertive black woman in corporate South Africa is often misunderstood as aggression. “The reality is corporate did not have people who look like me and you in mind in its infant stages, so often we have to constantly break barriers,” shared Rankou.
This means that often black women existing in these spaces are torn between showing up as the truest version of themselves, or shrinking their personalities to be more likeable to non-African men and women in these spaces.
“Women like me who are more extroverted are referred to as “abantu abaphaphayo” (people who are forward), when existing in these spaces,” shared former NYDA CFO Khuthadzo Manana.
Manana also shared that it is important to show up as your authentic self in the context of the space you exist in. She referred to how one cannot show up as rude and disrespectful at work and claim authenticity in that context. Manana added that this is because such claims often further stereotype black women as aggressors.
The evening ended with the panellists sharing the importance of emotional resilience in spaces like Corporate SA, where there are systemic barriers that make it harder for women of colour to authentically exist. The panellists then rounded up the attendees across the room for prayer, emphasising spiritual resilience as a crucial factor to navigating and breaking through these barriers.
*CORRECTION: Article updated on August 7 to correct a typing error of Chapu SA to Chapu CA; blurb shortened and generalised.
FEATURED IMAGE: She Means Business panellists banner including: Lesego Rankou, Khuthadzo Manana, Portia Mkhabela, Sanelisiwe Sibiya, and Ncumisa Mkunqwana. Photo: Supplied/Ndivho Shilling
Rising meat prices in June 2025 are pushing up food inflation and increasing living costs, adding strain to Wits students’ budgets.
South Africa’s annual inflation rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 3% in June 2025.
Food inflation for meat and vegetables is driving the rise with increasing beef prices up by over 21.2% year-on-year.
Wits students say rising prices are forcing them to change what and where they eat.
Students at Wits University are feeling the impact of rising food prices, with many reporting that they have had to skip meals, switch to cheaper meat options, and avoid campus shops. The price hikes are placing added pressure on already stretched student budgets, forcing some to reduce how often they buy groceries.
Although inflation remains at the lower end of the South African Reserve Bank’s 3% to 6% target range, the latest consumer price index (CPI) data confirms what students have already been experiencing: rising food prices, especially for meat and vegetables, are putting pressure on their budgets. In June 2025, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) recorded a 3.0% year-on-year CPI increase, up from 2.8% in May, with food inflation leading the surge.
Zuko Bangela, a Master of Finance student, said meat has become unaffordable. “Beef used to be my go-to, but now I buy pork and chicken instead. The braai plate I used to get in Braamfontein has gone up twice this year,” he said. “What used to be a weekly treat, I now only have twice a month.”
Food inflation reached 5.1% in June 2025, its highest level in 15 months. Stats SA reports that stewing beef prices alone rose by more than 21% compared to last year, the highest since 2017. Vegetables like beetroot, lettuce, and carrots also saw big price jumps, while cereals and dairy provided some relief.
For Khutso Mahlaela, a third-year law student, the cost of groceries has changed how he shops. “I used to buy meat from Pick n Pay, but now I go to Roots Butchery for better prices. Some items like mince and sausage are just not worth it anymore. Wits needs cheaper options on campus. OK Express is too expensive, and the prices are unreasonable,” he said.
Economists say this trend puts the most pressure on poor households and students.
“Students spend a bigger share of their income on food. When meat and vegetables become more expensive, it hits them the hardest,” said Dr Kenneth Creamer, an economics lecturer at Wits University.
We’ve had outbreaks in South Africa that impact beef prices. Good farming conditions and proper infrastructure can help keep food prices low.”
For now, students say they are adjusting and hoping things get better soon. “We’re always budgeting,” said Bangela. “But it’s getting harder to stretch the same amount of money.”
On Saturday, August 2, the Wits School of Mathematics, in collaboration with the Origins Centre, hosted an informative lecture that re-centred the value of mathematics to honour two black South African mathematicians who obtained their doctorates in mathematics during the apartheid era.
Prof. Nongxa was keynote speaker at a lecture hosted by the Wits School of Mathematics in celebration of National Science Week.
The lecture was meant to promote the value and accessibility of mathematics.
Professors Ismail Mohamed and Joe Mokoena were also remembered for having earned doctorates in mathematics during apartheid, in the face of especially formidable challenges to Black higher education.
Professor Ismail Mohamed and Dr Joe Mokoena. Both professors are Wits alumni who defied systemic discrimination to obtain their doctoral degrees in mathematics-in an era where Black South Africans were deliberately excluded from higher education and academic opportunities.
Delivering the keynote address was Professor Loyiso Nongxa, former Vice-Chancellor of Wits and a leading figure in South African mathematics. With humour and humility, Prof. Nongxa reminded the audience full of young learners that mathematics is not just about numbers and equations. “Mathematics is a powerful language. It is about creativity, identity, resilience, and possibility,” he said.
Nongxa shared how Dr Mokoena completed much of his PhD research alone, in isolation, at a time when formal academic support was withheld from Black scholars. Similarly, Prof. Mohamed was denied a position as a mathematics lecturer because it would “upset the National Party” — a reminder of how apartheid weaponised education.
Yet both men persisted, earning qualifications that remain rare among Black South Africans in STEM. Their stories are not just about academic brilliance, but about resistance using mathematics as a form of intellectual protest.
While South Africa celebrates its National Science Week 2025 from August 4 to 9, the country is forced to come to terms with a growing problem in its school system: a persistent drop in mathematics enrolment and performance amongst students. Literacy in mathematics is more crucial than ever, not just for STEM professionals, but for the future of the nation itself.
South Africa’s relationship with mathematics remains troubled. According to the Daily Maverick fewer than 40% of matriculants now take pure mathematics, and many are steered toward mathematical literacy.
In some cases, educators, and school administrators themselves push learners toward mathematical literacy to protect their respective school performance statistics, often perpetuating the cycle where fewer learners are exposed to advanced mathematical thinking.
This has disproportionately affected Black students, especially girls, who are already underrepresented in STEM fields and often face the compounded burden of both racial and gender bias.
In his closing remarks, Prof. Nongxa emphasised the need to tell these stories more often — not just during National Science Week, but in everyday classrooms and conversations. “There is no written history of how mathematics evolved in South Africa. We have a responsibility not just as mathematicians, but as a society — to make that history visible.” he said.
FEATURED IMAGE:South Africa celebrates its National Science Week 2025 from August 4 to 9 by Bontle Malowa .
In episode six of We Should Be Writing season 7, the team unpacked the evolution of music as a form of expression and protest, through four decades in the South African context. The episode explores the journey of South African music and its consumers from the 80s, 90s, early 2000s and contemporary listeners. From the […]
