Features

Nthambeleni Gabara still remembers Gauteng before the dawn of democracy in 1994 as a province that lacked a convenient, safe and reliable public transport system.

“I started playing football in the dusty streets of Soweto”, is often what most soccer players say when they are asked about where they grew up – often with a sense of pride.

It goes without saying that South Africans are flying the flag high when it comes to doing business abroad and the 2013 South African Expos held in China last week was indicative of this.

Johannesburg – As the elevator took off from the upper ground level of Africa’s tallest building, the security officer looked at me and said: “It only takes 45 seconds for this lift to reach the top floor.” What a thrill - I was inside the Carlton Centre or “The roof of Africa” as it is popularly known.

Leslie Sedibe is a proud South African and speaks passionately about his country whenever he gets a chance to do so.

Jabulile Elizabeth Khambule from Duduza Section 15 has dealt with the harsh realities of teenage pregnancy and high rates of unemployment all her life.

When Sinenhlanhla Dlamini tells people that she is studying Radiography, most people assume that she will probably have a career in the radio industry one day.

Being a woman in a leadership position previously dominated by the so-called boys’ club often means you have to put in more effort than your male counterparts.

More than 20 years after it reinvented itself, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has ended its tradition of male-dominance by ushering in two females to lead the continental body.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will forever be remembered as one of the greatest achievements of post-apartheid South Africa.

Durban – Sindisiwe Gumede (36) worked in a printing factory for seven long years. There, she felt that her time and skills were wasted. This propelled her to quit her job and open her own property business, Siyeza Magums CC.

Durban - At the age of seven, Nokuthula Dladla was bitten by the selling and business bug. She sold eggs and sweets in her neighbourhood and at school.

For Ketsitseng Kebile, not qualifying to study IT has turned out to be a blessing in disguise; one that involves the wearing of a helmet to protect oneself from heat and sparks that form part and parcel of being a welder.

It is a year after the Marikana tragedy, which zoomed into the lives of the mining communities and drew attention to the enduring scale and importance of South Africa’s mineral wealth.

When more than 20 000 South African women converged at the Union Buildings 57 years ago, from every corner of the country, they created one of the enduring land marks of our country’s history.