The Big Issue South Africa

Laundry offers free showers to homeless people Building change, stitch by stitch Welcome to my story, shared with The Big Issue, a platform where issues are raised and tales of triumph, resilience, and overcoming barriers are celebrated. I’m honoured to share my incredible experience of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro as a wheelchair user. Life, much like a mountain, presents challenges that can seem insurmountable.

Since its establishment in 2022, the Salesian Institute Youth Projects’ (SIYP) Stitch Ahead Sewing Programme has been dedicated to empowering women from disadvantaged backgrounds with essential hand and machine sewing skills. The programme’s team is now thrilled to announce a significant milestone in its journey towards self-sustainability and community impact.

Our collaborative success is built at the intersection of the market and civil society, amplifying the strength of each for the benefit of others and meets, literally, where the rubber meets the road. The Big Issue vendors sell our magazine around the metros of Cape Town, wearing a Spirit-sponsored Big Issue bib adorned with Spirit’s asset investment brands providing high visibility for thousands of commuters.

The Spirit Foundation and the Big Issue partnership The Spirit Foundation and the Big Issue partnership Dear Mr President, 2024 is a watershed moment for South Africa. This year marks the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s constitutional democracy and the seventh time South African citizens will exercise their democratic rights in a general election.

For three years now, a unique, self-sufficient laundry has been successfully running at the Streetscapes Urban Farm in Cape Town’s city centre. It uses solar power and reuses water in a closed system. The water is cleaned using a biological treatment method and reused for laundry. There are two washing machines and three large bins to treat the water. Laundry is air dried, but with more solar panels it would be possible to use an electric drier in winter.

Fresh out of school armed with my Social Work degree, I was so scared to be practicing as a social worker for the first time. Like every fresh graduate, I’d always wondered what my first job would be like, and where I would be working, and I’d really hoped that my colleagues would be kind to me and understanding. I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined that my social work journey would start at The Big Issue. I was delighted to join as the social work intern at the beginning of 2022.

Patlego When Patlego Machete lived with her grandmother in rural Mpumalanga, she couldn’t wait to escape to the bright city lights. It was only years later that she realised the bush had always been calling her back – and now she is imparting this rekindled passion for nature to children as a conservation facilitator at Good Work Foundation (GWF).

Gqeberha-born entertainers Brendon Peel and Li Lau have done what hundreds of magicians could only dream of – they beat world-famous magician duo Penn and Teller at their own game in the USA recently. In the hit US reality show, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, aspiring magicians from all over the world perform their best tricks to try and fool Penn and Teller. If the two cannot guess how the trick was done, the ‘fooler’ gets to be on their Las Vegas magic show.

The beginning of the year is an exciting time for most people. It signifies new chances, new beginnings and new opportunities. Everyone wishes for the new year to be better than the last in every way possible, be it financially, emotionally or physically. It is that time of the year when people make resolutions about how they envision and wish the year to be. We always encourage our vendors to set some resolutions for themselves, too, at the beginning of the year.

In a narrative unfolding over the past decade, Daddy Khuselo, a South African social entrepreneur with a passion for education, has embarked on a transformative journey. More than 10 years ago, in the midst of economic uncertainty, the community of the City of Matlosana, known as Klerksdorp in the North West Province, faced the imminent closure of mining operations, the supportive backbone of the region. Where many would see pitfalls, Daddy, a qualified engineer, spotted an opportunity.