Cape Town Traffic: Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
 
The Big Issue examines how much has been done to alleviate the traffic problems in Cape Town while also finding out about future plans. The MyCiTi bus roll-out has made a huge difference and the city hopes to be able to take over Golden Arrow buses as well. But possibly the most critical aspect of making transport work better is fixing the rail network.

Metro Rail has not been able to deal with the vandalism plaguing its system and has a way to go. This story gives you information on re-imagining the city, interviews with people on what daily transport they have to use and how much it costs them, information on helpful apps and data on what the uptake on buses and cycle lanes has been. It’s a mine of information, in fact.

Manser magic pulls through 

Rowing across the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii may not be everybody’s idea of fun, but for adventurer Riaan Manser and his wife Vasti Geldenhuys, it was just the ticket for their honeymoon. In an interview from Waikiki Beach, Manser explains that they actually broke the record for the crossing, which they did in 39 days. The two of them have also rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, which took almost six months.

Still, the Pacific Ocean was much harder, says Manser, not least because they were hit by Hurricane Frank and overturned on their second night out. Always inspiring, Manser explains what it took and what he’s thinking of next.

Hope’s healing 

Hope, a young rhino brutally attacked and left to die in a private Eastern Cape game farm in 2015 is today a beacon of hope for treating and healing rhinos severely injured by poachers. The Big Issue highlights her experience with Saving the Survivors, which is key to organising this kind of aid - expensive, tough, heart-breaking, and sometimes hugely rewarding.

Hope’s face has still not healed, 16 months after the initial brutal attack, but there are improvements and the organisation refuses to give up on her. Read more about her journey to recovery and the people who care about her in this issue.

Letter to my younger self

Author Sindiwe Magona’s life has been a spectacular trajectory. She was just a young girl working as a domestic cleaner when she was left alone with a baby. That experience seems to have annoyed her so much that she decided to study her way out of her situation, getting matric, a BA through Unisa, and a Master’s in social work at Columbia University in New York.

She went on to work for the United Nations and started writing and getting published, including novels and over 100 children’s books. Read more about this woman’s extraordinary life in this issue.

Little Issue

This is The Big Issue’s new 4-page pull-out section for children. Aiming to encourage and develop scientific curiosity, it offers puzzles, discusses common questions that arise (such as “How can people walk on hot coals without burning their feet?” and “How can owls see at night?”), and this time shows children how to extract DNA from bananas in their own homes.

Don't Miss...

Xolani Nkomithyoboza, a vendor on the move

For years, Nkomithyoboza nursed his dream of starting his own tiling business. Generous readers came to his rescue and donated tools like a tile-cutter machine and grinder, which means he has now started his own operation in Delft and has done more than 20 jobs already. He still sells The Big Issue in Protea Road, Claremont, so he now has more than one source of income. He says it’s good to be able to move forward and hopes to be able to make a difference in other people’s lives by employing them in his tiling business.

Lavista Ntshoza, a vendor to visit

Ntshoza is a real listener, a man who believes in peace and dislikes anger and violence. He sells at Greenmarket Square and so has met a lot of tourists from Europe, an experience he values. So much so, in fact, that his dream is to become a tour guide, but the cost is prohibitive for him - about R6000, he thinks. Asked what he’d like to change in the world, he said he’d like to see and end to drug abuse and an end to xenophobia.

Three vendors get home care training

Thandeka Swartbooi, Siphokazi Magobiane and Nondinaye Tyalisi all recently completed a free six-month course in home-care at Kayamandi College in Wynberg. They were taught the skills needed to be home-based caregivers. Tyalisi  was offered a further six-month period for free by the principal, but could not afford the daily transport costs. Nevertheless, all three women now have an extra qualification and another way to earn a living, which is a gift and one they value highly.

The Big Issue #246 is on sale from vendors in Cape Town from Sunday, 25 September to Monday, 24 October. Anyone outside of Cape Town can buy the magazine here.

You can also buy The Big Issue with your smartphone. Click here for a step-by-step guide.

For more information, visit www.bigissue.org.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.