Get The Big Issue and be part of job creation in SA – it’s more than just a good deed; it’s a damn good read. September issue available from 25 August.
“We believe in a hand-up, not a hand-out.”
On the cover:
“Life after the circus” – We investigate what happened to the 33 lions rescued from circuses in South America and brought to South Africa to settle in the bush. It’s a story that garnered international attention, but once the dust settled, what then? It’s no small feat to look after 33 top predators, and that’s besides the animals Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary already had. Sadly, two of the lions died and we explain how and why that happened and the steps taken to ensure it never happens again. The other 31 though, have landed up in a great retirement home.
Issue:
“Falling in love again — why we need ‘ugly food” – It’s a scandal that one third of the food we produce is wasted and never lands up in anyone’s kitchen. Even more so when you consider the amount of water we waste in producing that food. Professor Suzan Oelofse of the CSIR, a waste expert, talks to us about how this happens and makes suggestions about how people can change their habits in order the minimize waste. A big part of it lies in marketing and perception — the notion that “ugly’ food is not good enough for the shelves. If you campaign right though, you can change this, as did Intermarché supermarkets in France, which offered “ugly’ food at 30% less and increased traffic to the supermarket by 24%.
Profile:
“Absolutely fatuous” – Much loved British actor Joanna Lumley is back on screen again in the movie version of “Absolutely Fabulous”, which could also have been called “Women Behaving Badly”, come to think of it. The hit TV show was a glorious subversion of every convention possible, with her playing the drunken Patsy to Jennifer Saunders’s equally out-of-it Edina. Our profile looks at Lumley’s campaign for the Gurkhas and more. While Patsy’s grey cells were fried a long time ago, Lumley has a weight the blond beehived one could never imagine. The film is released on September 23.
Letter to my younger self:
Journalist Sylvia Vollenhoven discusses her journey from discovering as a child that being “coloured” was a problem, through adult work at the SABC and in Ghana, illness, recuperation and finding her roots in a Khoisan ancestry. Addressing her younger self, she comforts the little girl excluded from a white school, the young woman who was for a time seduced by alcohol and reminds us of the value of “things that cannot be seen”.
Little Issue:
Our new 4-page pull-out section for children. Aiming to encourage and develop scientific curiosity, it offers puzzles, discusses common questions that arise (for eg, “Why do humans have body odour?” and “Why can’t you tickle yourself?”), and this time shows children how to make their own fake plastic with milk and vinegar.
Don’t miss…
Nondinaye and Siphokazi’s stories:
Vendor s Nondinaye Tyalisi and Siphokazi Magobiyane have also been trained as home carers. Both would love to go further and become nurses. Nondinaye has been offered the chance to study nursing full-time at Kayamandi Elderly College in Wynberg, but the course costs R19 000. “I’m hoping to find a way,” she says. You’ll find her at Carl Cronje Road, Tygervalley. Siphokazi can be found on the corner of Buitengracht and Strand streets.
Author Sindiwe Magona talks to the vendors:
A great motivational speaker, Sindiwe Magona, now 73, has received numerous awards for her prolific writing. As a young woman she was a domestic worker, but studied her way out of that trap and landed up with a Masters in social work from Columbia University. She turned Women’s Day into something special for a group of vendors who came to hear her speak. “I wanted vendors to hear from someone who comes from a similar place and who did something amazing with her life,” she explained.
The Big Issue #245 is on sale from vendors in Cape Town from 25 August to 24 September, 2016. Anyone outside of Cape Town can buy the magazine here.
Don’t forget: you can buy The Big Issue with your smartphone! Visit for a step-by-step guide.
