DEMOCRACY BEGINS AT LOCAL LEVEL  By Thami AkaMbongo Manzana This weekend presents an important opportunity for all South Africans to take a simple but powerful step in shaping the future of our communities: register to vote or update your voting details. If you are not yet registered as a voter, use this weekend wisely and make sure your name is on the voters' roll. If you have moved and are currently living in a different area from where you originally registered, take the time to update your address so that you can vote in the correct voting district. Many citizens often focus their attention on national politics, yet the reality is that the quality of our daily lives is heavily influenced by decisions made at local government level. Roads, community facilities, libraries, arts centres, public spaces, local economic development, and many of the services that directly affect us are managed by municipalities. For years, many South Africans have argued that the traditional top-down ...

  A MOMENT THE CREATIVE SECTOR CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS By Thami AkaMbongo Manzana As the deadline of 19 June 2026 approaches for public submissions on the review of the Cultural Institutions Act 119 of 1998 , I am concerned that many artists, cultural practitioners, creative workers, community arts organisations, and cultural activists may not fully appreciate the significance of this process. This is not merely a technical legislative review. It is an opportunity to interrogate the very foundations of South Africa's cultural landscape and ask difficult questions about transformation, access, equity, representation, and the future of cultural development in our country. The Cultural Institutions Act was promulgated in 1998, during the early years of democracy. While it sought to provide governance and support for cultural institutions, nearly three decades later we must ask:  Has it achieved its transformation objectives? One of the most pressing questions is why most of South ...

The Pilgrimage Wins Special Jury Award at International Festival South African theatre continues to demonstrate its power, relevance, and global appeal as The Pilgrimage , presented by African Tree Productions, has been awarded the Special Jury Award at the inaugural Offer International Theatre Festival in Oman. The award marks another significant milestone for South African theatre on the international stage and serves as recognition of the creativity, resilience, and artistic excellence that continue to emerge from the country's independent theatre sector. In a congratulatory message to the company, the festival organisers wrote: "Congratulations on receiving the Special Jury Award for The Pilgrimage at the first edition of the Offer International Theatre Festival. It was an honour to host your outstanding production in Oman. Your performance enriched the festival programme and reflected the creativity, professionalism, and artistic excellence of South African theatre....

   Are We Celebrating Freedom or Remembering a Broken Promise? By Thami akaMbongo Manzana Every year on 16 June, politicians dust off their struggle speeches, lay wreaths at monuments, wear commemorative T-shirts, and tell us how brave the youth of 1976 were. And every year, I ask myself the same uncomfortable question: What exactly are we commemorating? Are we commemorating the courage of young people who stood against an oppressive state, or are we simply participating in an annual ritual that helps us avoid confronting the state of South Africa today? The youth of 1976 did not march for tenders. They did not march for blue lights. They did not march for government positions. They did not march for access to corruption. They marched because they believed they deserved dignity, opportunity, quality education, and freedom. Fifty years later, millions of young South Africans are still demanding exactly the same things. The language has changed. The slogans have changed. The hai...