The Big Issue

High quality, varied and entertaining content for readers across age, culture, religion, gender and other demographics. Stories include reporting on local and international happenings with a ‘bigger issue’ about an individual, and unusual news or events that impact us all. The Big Issue shares in-depth interviews with local and international celebrities, artists, change-makers and thought leaders. It also focuses on local people or organisations committed to making positive changes in society – intent on finding innovative ways to effect change.

Meet our Vendors • Monetary donations for training, as well as donations for appliances and furniture can go a long way for our Big Issue vendors.

Music as muse • What happens when you let the rich, rhythmic melodies of African music dictate the movement of a paintbrush? This session, our artists found out. Using sound as their ultimate muse, the vendors let the music spark their imaginations, transforming songs, beats, and melodies into a striking collection of visual stories. The studio space was alive with energy, further brightened by a growing community. We were thrilled to welcome a new participant, Richard Brophy, who jumped right into the creative process, as well as Vathiswa Mbukushe, who joined us for an inspiring

The Emerging Power of Women’s Leadership

Keep walking

A valley where horses roam • Watersong sits lightly in the Groenfontein Valley at the foot of the Swartberg mountains. Horses wander freely, never ridden.

De Hoop • There are few places in South Africa where silence feels this expansive. The landscape stretches uninterrupted—limestone cliffs, shifting dunes, and fynbos plains that seem to hum with an ancient memory.

Saving vultures one conversation at a time • How one education programme is transforming attitudes and helping protect South Africa’s largest Cape vulture colony.

KEEP WALKING

Why South Africa’s RPL system is failing the neurodivergent • I grew up in Small Town South Africa, where my sister was immediately recognised as hyperactive. In my case, the neurodivergence was hidden under labels like “inattentive”, “daydreaming” or “lazy”.

The first barrier: What children learn before they can speak • A child notices differences long before they understand them.

Access to higher education for persons with disabilities • In June, South Africa commemorates the youth who played a pivotal role in the struggle against apartheid.

Respect does not equal obedience • Unmasking inherited familial wounds without becoming an outcast.

Brigitte Bardot and the death of the honest obituary • When death becomes a PR exercise and a dog reminds you of tenderness.

The story of a South African hero • During the Second World War, 11,023 South Africans made the ultimate sacrifice for a cause greater than themselves.

What happens when you actually see your own money • Naledi’s spaza shop smells like bread. It’s 5am, still dark, and she’s counting yesterday’s takings, trying to fi gure out if she made money or just moved cash around. She’s been doing this for years. She still doesn’t really know.

Can cold calling land you in hot water? • How the CPA amendments will impact your prospecting strategy

Nutrition on a shoestring budget: A matter of food Justice • South Africa's crisis of unemployment and poverty goes hand-in-hand with hunger.

When opportunity is out of reach • Youth Month often spotlights South Africa’s high levels of youth unemployment, reflecting the ongoing difficulty many young people face when trying to enter the workforce.

How culture and myth shape our view of animals • Part 1: Looking at how fact, folklore, myth, and symbolism can make us look at all...