Journ'Tau Investigation Leads to Completion of House

Sthembiso Sithole

Senini Chauke excited that Jou'Tau published the story
leading to the construction of his house.

On 18 May 2011 Journ’Tau published a story on a 70 year old man, Senini Chauke, whose house hadn’t been completed by Xazulula Construction Company Renovation. The construction company had been tasked by the council in Soshanguve to build houses for several community members.


After the publication of the story the council has tasked the same company to complete the construction of the house and Xazulula has gone back to do the work they had initially neglected.

Young Girl Tells Her Story of HIV

Shocked By Community Watching Man Beating Up Woman on Roadside

Tlaki Baloyi

It is a normal Sunday afternoon and I have just accompanied a relative to catch a taxi. She had visited my mom but unfortunately for her she didn’t let her know beforehand and my mother had already gone to church by the time she arrived.

As I was on my way back home after accompanying her I stumbled upon a scene no one ever wants to witness, but is all too common in our country. A man started beating up a lady he was with. For a moment there I was thankful that there were people, mostly adults, on the street as they would stop this barbaric behavior taking place in broad daylight on a day taken as holy by most South Africans. As I was standing there, waiting and hoping that at least one of the many men there would do something about it I realised that they were all standing, watching and analyzing and no one was willing to intervene.

Egypt: How We Did it When the Media Would Not

This video was done by the team of Narco News and the School of Authentic Journalists 2011.

Africa Day Not Adequately Promoted in South Africa

Sibusiso Banda

Today, 25 May 2011, we are celebrating Africa Day. This is one of the most important days in the African continent’s history. During the past few years we have seen Johannesburg starting to celebrate the day, largely ignored in South Africa’s past as the country was going through apartheid.


This year I have not seen a single poster or heard even a two minute feature on radio or television.

Dance at the Breytie

Elections Over and Back to Drawing Board

Kgothatso Madisa

IEC chairperson, Dr. Brigalia Bam, has announced local government election results at the IEC centre in Pretoria thus ending months of campaigning and political mud sligging by various organisation especially the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance.

There was much anticipation for the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan results but as counting was continuing it became clear that the ANC would retain as well as all but one of the other metros. The DA kept Cape Town and showed that it is still a firm favourite in the Western Cape Province.

ANC Sosh Celebrating Despite Continuing Vote Counting

Lindokuhle Mnisi

A street oarty started in the township.

Motorbikes were spinning around, hooting and there was loads of singing as the African National Congress was celebrating victory despite voting not having been completed on Thursday.

ANC candidate Marobini Rosemary Ngobeni gathered her supporters at the Soshanguve to celebrate the winning of the party. “I didn’t sleep yesterday thinking what the results would be and today we are all here to celebrate and thank the people of Ward 33, 34, 35, 36 for voting ANC as their leading party. ANC wins, ANC protects the people,” Ngobeni said.

Voting Goes Smoothly in Sosh

Sthembiso Sithole

Ntate Selalale was the first to vote.

In the news we have been hearing a lot about the hotly contested ares such as Port Elizabeth, we were introduced to the Democratic Alliance’s 30-year-old Johannesburg mayoral candidate who is a former television presenter, we were even informed about new political parties such as Zanele Magwaza-Msibi’s National Freedom Party and we were told about areas that have inadequate toilets. There are areas I feel were neglected during this election because the voice of those people was not loud enough so I decided to get up early and go to Soshanguve’s polling stations to see what the residents were fighting for in Pretoria’s township.

TUT Open Day in Soshanguve

Elderly Man Waiting for House to be Built

Senini Chauke waits for house to be built.

Sthembiso Sithole

While many South Africans went to the polls to elect leaders they think will improve roads, five them better toilets or remove garbage from their areas – one man says he wants a certain candidate to win because he has been promised personal improvements should that happen.

70-year-old Senini Chauke from Soshanguve’s Block H has ill health and now relies on a tenant in his home for hospital visit assistance.Furthermore Chauke doesn’t have a proper house and the company assisting him disappeared with building material they had initially donated to him. Chauke says the company is called Xazulula Construction Renovation. He is faced with another problem of his brother’s son constantly demanding pension money.

‘Late last year I was approached by the construction company which promised to build a house for me. Today I am faced with a of them having removed the material,’’ said Mr Chauke.

Colleen Dube who is a tenant of Mr Chauke moved suspects that the building material was taken from his landlord to build another house.

Learning to Become an Authentic Journalist Under the Mayan Sun

Tshepo Tshabalala

I am one of the youngest scholars in a group of forty at a trip
at the Frida Khalo Museum.

I am proud to say that I am the South African ambassador for this year’s School of Authentic Journalism in Mexico. I have been here for a week now and together with fellow classmates have reached the middle of our stay and training here.

The SAJ is a conference of plus forty new scholars selected after a tedious, long application and rigorous interview process by the school’s president, Alberto Giordano. I am one of the youngest scholars this year and one of only two South Africans - the other is Janet Cherry from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
Cherry is a professor at the school.

Lack of Delivery Divides Residents on Voting

Natasha Phiri

Soshanguve residents say they are divided on voting during the upcoming local government elections as they don’t see any improvements in their lives since the fall of apartheid – some of these residents live in a block of flats known as Afghanistan in the township.

Those who stay in Afghanistan complain of filthy conditions they live under and say residents of one floor have to share a toilet – irrespective of the gender. Piles of rubbish can be seen on the way to the flat, situated near the Tshwane University of Technology’s Soshanguve campus.

A resident who refuses to be identified says she has lived in the block of flats for eight years but doesn’t believe any political party can address her concerns. “I have been going to endless ward council meetings but nothing changes .I’m not going to vote for the ANC because they have empty promises and I won’t vote for the DA because I don’t like them.”

Another woman who has been there for the past four years says apart from the filth they have to battle with criminals and fears for the safety of the children who play there.

She says her vote will be based on race as she doesn’t trust a white majority political party. “I am going to vote , I will vote for the ANC , because I’m scared of voting for the white people ,because if I vote for the whites they will come take us out.”

She says her fear of the Democratic Alliance taking over overrides the lack of service delivery under the African National Congress.

Pretoria Township Residents Complain of Filthy Conditions

Sthembiso Sithole

Children forced to play in filth as open spaces become
rubbish dumps.

As South Africa is electing local leaders in a week’s time political parties are trying to convince the public on many reasons they feel they need to be voted for and some even doing damage control on the promises they have failed to deliver on in the past. We have seen the Democtatic Alliance and the African National Congress removing fighting gloves on issues of open toilets in certain municipalities and in Kliptown, Soweto, residents have complained of still being forced to use the bucket system while they live without adequate electricity supply.

In Soshanguve residents are now complaining of having to live in filth in the ANC run township and even ANC members say they have taken their leaders to task about the matter, but there have been no positive responses. The DA, previously known by many as a white party, has been seen campaigning here as well.

A Different Kind of Mecca at the Breytie

Soshanguve Traditional Healer Says She Cures Aids Despite Criticism

Sthembiso Sithole



Gogo Rose says traditional healing methods should
be accepted in the HIV/Aids fight.



A Soshanguve traditional healer, identifying herself as Gogo Rose, claims that she has cured an estimated sixty HIV/AIDS patients in the township.

An article appearing on the website of HIV/Aids charity group, Avert found on http://www.avert .org, says in 2009 South Africa had an estimated 5.6 million people living with HIV/Aids – a figure higher than any other country in the world. This means that those claiming to cure the disease would have a huge clientele and Gogo Rose understands this.

“HIV/AIDS is big challenge that the world is facing. I cured sixty people who have this [illness]. Many people from Christian churches to ordinary people have come to me for help and I helped them,” she explains.

According to Gogo Rose, she has been a traditional healer for more than ten years and says she has a certificate.

Television is More Than Just an Entertainment Box in Africa

Mary-Jane Mabula



The 1976 education march took place right after the launch of television
in the country which played a pivotal role in the change to follow.
Photo: http://www.downtheavenue.com/



Television in South Africa has been more than just a box that sits in the family room with images of entertainment going through – even though one might be forgiven for thinking that at times.

Moving pictures have played a pivotal role in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa when citizens saw them for the first time on 05 January 1976. The power of moving images is something that no amount of radio broadcasting or print media can compete with. I believe that having those images broadcast on television was more powerful than hearing moving speeches from leaders of various liberation movements. It was the biggest propaganda machine run by the National Party, but it worked against them. In fact some researchers have proven that television took a while to arrive in South Africa because the ruling party at the time was scared of the impact it would have in bringing down the oppressive system and they were right as without television our struggle for freedom could have lasted much longer.

Rostrum Theatre Becomes a 'Battlefield'

Bodybuilders On Show at TUT

Lindokuhle Mnisi

Recently bodybuilders from the township of Soshanguve in Pretoria had a chance to flex their muscles in a competition that saw men and women showing off to hundreds of people in a packed Tshwane University of Technology hall.

The competition is organised twice a year by the university’s Department of Sports and Recreation and aims to promote the development of the sport in the impoverished township.”