The small coastal town, Port Nolloth

By: Charlotte Titus

The small coastal town, Port Nolloth, is situated in the Namaqua Region of the Northern Cape. The charming little town is the perfect all-year holiday destination. Summer is characterized by a moderate temperature of about 27 – 28 °C and tolerating the cold of winter is rewarded by the breathtaking view of brightly coloured wildflowers towards the end of the season. The majestic Richtersveld mountain-desert and the town of Springbok is a short two hour drive away. The town is perfectly situated for escaping the daily realities for a weekend or week

The humble people of this charming coastal town offers a warm welcome and its white beach sand cling to more than ones feet. A visit to this small town promises to refresh both body and mind and enrich your overall appreciation of our beautiful country. Activities to keep one busy include visits to the museum, long walks on the magnificent white, sandy beach and even contacting local tourist guides for tours or simply lazily soaking in the views and ocean. So whenever you need vitamin Sea take a shot left to Port Nolloth. 

Let my pen dance

Book review by Kabelo Kgatea

Let my pen dance is a motivational and spiritual book by Mpho Lekgetho. It is her second non-fiction after her first one titled "From Fear to Hope."  This book is a continuation of her previous book. The book is foreworded by Nkululeko Nxesi who found it very helpful, sensitive and straight to the point.

 Let my pen dance gives courage to the discouraged, hope to the hopeless and power to the weak. The  book is divided into ten powerful chapters or subjects, like:

  * From relief to regret,

  * Choosing forgiveness,

  * Dating in the midst of HIV,

 * Single parenting,

  * Being the only child,

  * Mental health,

  * Disclosing HIV status to children,

 * Personal interview,

 * My inspirational poem

 * My love for reading. 

All the above mentioned ten topics are very personal, spiritual and sensitive. The author is not just sharing her life experience with the world, but she provides advice, direction, hope and courage. 

Let my pen dance  is for everyone even those who are heavily loaded. It is also for those who are HIV positive and could not disclose, who lost their loved one, who have small and big secrets, this is your book. The book will help you to get a new beginning.  

No HIV/AIDS activist has ever been so naked to the world like the author of this book. She went through a lot in life including aborting a baby. She was rejected and judged by Traditionalists, Christians and none Christians alike for her actions. She was crucified by those around her. The author's past is a volume of live experience, mixture sorrow and pain, tears and laughter. Religious or not, this book will change your life. This is the truth, and the truth shall set you free.
To all those who want to give up on life challenges and those who are burning with secrets inside, please read this book and let go. 

A beautician with business acumen

Beauty Sandt is a 30 year old business lady from Petrusburg (Free State). She has been running Sandt Beauty Salon in Kathu Northern Cape for over 3 years now. 

As a young person growing up in Petrusburg, she aspired to be an engineer. After matric she enrolled for an engineering course at one of the tertiary institutions. Unbeknownst to her, life had other plans in store.  “While studying, I realized that my parents were struggling to meet some of my financial needs so I took some of my savings and registered for a nail course at Planet Nail with the intention of earning some extra cash to finance my studies,” she said. 

 Unexpectedly, her clientele grew thus she managed to open a beauty salon which is currently having over seventy clients. “We provide services such as: manicures, pedicures and hair care,” she said adding that she loves what she does because it gives her the opportunity to meet people with different personalities on a daily basis

Over the years Beauty has acquired business acumen which has enabled her to run her business successfully. ”I always make sure that my clients are comfortable and happy with the service we provide.   At the same time, I firmly believe that customers should not be afraid to express themselves if they are not happy with the service.  Hence attentiveness to the needs of the customers is paramount,” she said.  

In the near future Beauty says she sees herself running her salon from a spacious building. “We need a bigger space to accommodate more clients and offer more services than we offer now,” she said. She also plans to give back to the community by sharing business and customer care skills with other salon owners. “I believe in sharing knowledge because I also had someone who mentored me, Madidimalo Ouma Sasebola who is an extraordinary business woman. And I will always thank God for bringing her into my life because she held my hand and helped me navigate my way in the business world.

   According to Beauty, there are many aspects which contribute to success and among those is living a healthy lifestyle. “I always visit the gym in the early hours of the morning because it helps me to forget about everything and to stay sane.”

Poultry farmer runs a lucrative business

Poultry farming has changed from being a pastime activity which many black people took interest in with no financial rewards thereof. In recent years more people have started to identify the business gap in Poultry farming thus turning it into a lucrative business which is helping to curb unemployment in our community. However, females needs to be gutsy enough to embark on such businesses as it doesn’t encompass wearing pretty clothes and seating in beautiful offices.   One person who is able to bear testimony to that is female chicken broiler Kagelelo Pricillar Matlala residing in Camden village Kuruman. 

“I inherited the business from my parents Bertha and Ishmael Matlala two years ago. I started off with one hundred chicks and the number has been increasing with two hundred after every six weeks.  As a small business owner, Kagelelo says most of her clients are elderly village people whom she normally finds at the pension pay points “I also approach ordinary individuals to buy the chickens because I believe in taking the business to the people.  “However, some clients visit my house to purchase the chickens,” she said while adding that her main goal is to get a stable contract from a big company and become a regular supplier. “With a contract one is able to stabilize the financial side of the business and it will enable me to grow the business beyond this.   “I have four employees at the moment.  And I plan on  hiring more people in the near future” 

 Kagelelo says Poultry farming is a very interesting business that needs a lot of patience because it has its challenges. “I am currently faced with infrastructural challenges as chicks need a specific building that will help them to grow properly.  My infrastructure is informal because I am running the business in a small room at home.  As a result my resources are limited.  They only get me from point A - B. 

 “The other challenge is education. I’d like to arm myself with proper knowledge and skills that will benefit my business. Chicks are prone to diseases especially if they are not tended to properly. And that might cause them to die.   “To survive they need a heater light for warmth 24/7. They constantly need to see the food  they eat,” said  Kagelelo.

 For more information contact Kagelelo on: 063 495 9541

Mogotlhong succeeds in a male-dominated industry

Give us a glimpse into your background

I grew up in Ganyesa. Started my primary schooling at Mmagaabue Primary School, then moved onto Tshanake and Thibogang Primary Schools before going to Stellaland Primary School in Vryburg, when the school first opened its doors to the 1st intake of African pupils. 

 Things were very tough. I remained in that school from Std 2 until I completed Std 5 and then went to Kimberley Girls’ High in Kimberley. When I completed my matric, I had the option to enroll either at Wits University or University of the Free State for a Bcom Economics. I chose the latter, as I was quiet a reserved village girl who had extreme fear of being in a big city like Johannesburg.

After completing my Bcom Economics, I proceeded with my Bcom Honores in Financial Economics & Investment Management at the same university. I then went on to join the private sector for a few years, before joining local government. Three years after being employed by the municipality, I decided it was time for a career change. I resigned & went back to school fulltime to pursue Civil Engineering.

 What does your job entail?

I currently work for a consulting engineers’ firm & I’m site based. My job entails making sure that all the designs that we do, are executed & constructed to the highest quality by the contractor. 

 How long have you worked for your current employer? And what are some of your achievements? 

I have been with my employer for a little over a year. I’d say being part of a brilliant team, on a project of such magnitude, is an achievement on its own.

 What do you love about your job?

What I love most about my job is seeing our designs come to life. When a construction site is first established, there will usually be nothing at all on the area. With time, after a lot of hard work & the pressure of meeting milestones, you start seeing tangible concrete outcomes.

 Tell us about your experience of growing up in North West? 

I loved growing up in Ganyesa, in particular. There was a strong sense of onness in the community back then. I loved the peace & quietness of the village. This has largely contributed to my current love for areas on the outskirts of cities, away from the hustle & bustle.

 Who or what influenced your decision to study engineering?

I love travelling, and engineering presents you with the opportunity to travel while you’re working. I also love the outdoors. 

 Where you not scared that you might be stepping into a field that is dominated by men? If so how did you deal with those fears? 

My best friend always tells me that in the 18 years that she’s known me, I’ve always gone where few have dared to go. She says ‘ke segatlhamela masisi’. Making the decision to venture into this industry had very little influence from the fear of stepping into a male dominated industry, but rather everything about passion. I also come from a farming background (with farming being a male dominated industry), so naturally the fear of engineering being a male dominated industry would not have crippled me.

How would you describe yourself?

I would describe myself as a very disciplined dreamer, who will also stop at nothing to make sure that my dreams are achieved.

 What are some of the qualities needed to become a successful engineer?

Resilience & a very strong head between your shoulders. If you’re not strong enough, you can easily get broken in engineering.

 What do you do in your spare time?

I travel whenever I can. Besides road running, I have also been recently introduced to hiking, so I’ll be doing a lot of that in the near future.

 Who is your role model?

My parents are my biggest role models. They have played a monumental role of support to me throughout my life.

 I pray to God every single day, to make me half the parent they’ve been to me, to my son. 

 What is your motto?

I live by the mantra: “I am the captain of my own ship.”

Why would you encourage women to acquire engineering qualifications?

Apart from destroying the status quo that women are “predisposed to caring & people careers”, engineering is a fun career that requires a lot of thought process. 

DSAC helped female writer to achieve her dream

Nthabeleng Makgoka from Kimberly Galeshewe is a published author of a Novel titled A broken affair. She was sponsored by Northern Cape’s department of Sports, Arts and Culture. “The sponsorship helped to pay for the launch, catering and the setup of the venue.   According to Nthabeleng, the book is about a young lady named Grace who embarked on a spiritual journey to heal from a broken affair. Her journey was difficult and lengthy but she was determined to withstand the storm by all means possible by striving for excellence in her businesses, her parenting skills, her career but above all her relationship with God.”   The book, as Nthabeleng explains reminds those in agony that they too can overcome their pain. It also reminds them that they are not alone, that suicide is not an option and that with prayer, endurance and perseverance all shall come to pass.

Nthabeleng who first discovered her talent in 2006 while studying at CUT says she feels fulfilled because she has realized her dream of becoming a published writer. “I am happy because the financial burden of publicising my book was laid off me through the sponsorship I received,” she said. And this as she says has served as motivation for her to continue writing more stories. 

 As a newly published author Nthabeleng says it’s vital for writers to attend writer’s festival. “I met my publisher during the Northern Cape writers’ festival. The festival also increases the passion we have for writing through putting us in the same space with people having the same interests. It’s a great platform which enables experienced writers to help upcoming ones like myself in the journey of writing by hosting creative writing workshops that enhances our writing skills,” she said. 

I was raped by family friends

Linda Mafilika is a lively, confident twenty seven year old lady from De Aar.  However, happiness had evaded her for the most part of her life. This happened when she lost her virginity at the tender age of 9 years, when she didn’t even know what the meaning of sex was. “I was raised by my grandmother because my mother had relocated to Johannesburg to seek employment. 

 My grandmother was very protective of us. She would lock the gate saying it was for our own protection,” said Linda adding that her grandmother only allowed close male friends to visit the house.  One day, that male family friend asked Linda to join her in one of the old toilets.  She went in not knowing that would be the day she lost her pureness

“He told me to close the door behind me and keep quiet. And then he took off my clothes. I was shocked to see him take off his clothes especially because I had never seen a male adult’s private parts. My mind shut off as he forced himself on to me.  My body felt dead. I couldn’t even respond when he asked me questions thereafter.  He wanted to know if I had enjoyed myself. I just kept quiet. He gave me ten cents and made me promise not to tell anyone,” she explained.

 When Linda went back into the house she found her grandmother cleaning the kitchen floor. “It was hard for me to tell my grandmother what had happened because she admired the guy very much, so I kept quiet.  She would say; unesimilo ke lomfana uyabusisa.” 

 Four years later, Linda was raped by another family friend.  “I tried to deal with the pain by blocking my mind from it and how it happened.  What I remember is the frame of the bed and the bedding which was white and shinny. The rest is blurry. It’s as if I had a brain injury.  I blamed myself especially when I saw blood coming from my virgina. I thought it was my fault,” she said.   “I became depressed and isolated myself from people. My family would describe me as a quiet shy person while I was dying inside  “My perpetrators stole my childhood from me. I grew up feeling disgusted and dirty thinking people like me deserved nothing but hell. I cried every night in silence. And I would wake up early and change my pillow case because I didn’t want a pity party from my family.   I literally saw myself as an alien.  I lived my life through my baby sister.  She was brilliant. She rode a bike, danced and even played in the streets. I couldn’t because I died long time ago,” said Linda.