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Mail & Guardian
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mail & Guardian
Siyazila: Siyababa Atelier and the sacred syntax of style
'So if you can overcome the personal fear for death, which is a highly irrational thing, then you're on your way.' — Steve Biko, I Write What I Like (1978) About 10 months ago, I authored a Surreally, this trajectory now yields Visual artist On the phone one time, Mtshali generously opened up about the collection's connection to the death of his dear sister, Nontobeko Mtshali. One night, out at the practically deceased At this moment, I even asked, intentionally, about Mtshali's own fabulous fit. The designer's retort was elusive, which I appreciated. I too was mantled in mountains of masking. In these fleeting moments, grief becomes the ground upon which our sartorial expressions emerge. Pain shifts from shadow to style, sorrow to pattern, loss to luminous becoming. These sartorial synchronies invite a rethinking of ukuzila — not just mourning, but an ethical condition, a disciplined abstention from the familiar. Expressed through clothing, ukuzila can materialise on the body as a negotiation between the visible and the invisible, the living and the ancestral. The mourning garment can become an archive — inscribed with love and relational obligation. Ukuzila fashion then renders grief as necessarily performative — its fluid silhouettes, textures and colours do more than signal mourning; they activate a living circuit between the bereaved, the community and the ancestors. The black of mourning, for instance, is not an absence but a saturated presence, thick with ancestral charge. In disrupting Western binaries of black and white, life and death, body and spirit, ukuzila reframes mourning as a stylised practice — one that honours the departed while sustaining the vitality of living through ritual and aesthetic pride. Within African relational ontologies, where personhood is communal, processual and extends across temporal and spiritual registers, grief can never be solely personal. Mourning becomes a public and ritualised dialogue — an embodied choreography that facilitates a shared aesthetic and somatic practice. With the weight of this wisdom in mind, the collaborative nature of this project is not incidental but fundamental, echoing the si in Siyazila — a plural pronoun that affirms grief as a communal condition and an ontological assertion of togetherness. Yet this togetherness doesn't extend only to the living, but to the deceased, as well as inanimate objects — including clothing. Mourning is not merely a response to loss but a stylistic reverence toward the stunning and indiscriminate inevitability of death. While the pain of loss is heightened during this period, so too is the fashionable exaltation of death as an unfathomable, yet fertile, passage. This layered immersion in mourning challenges reductive views of death as mere cessation, revealing instead its infinite potential as a source of beauty and becoming. What Siyababa achieves with this project is a new step in an age-old process. Mtshali's exercise in materialising his sister's death demonstrates a command of the productive faculty of ukuzila. When I asked if there was a particular piece that epitomises the project, he was definite — the brown sculpted mini dress, with its angular neckline and body-armour silhouette. The use of embossed leather and reptilian texture signals a hardened exterior, while the brass grommets punctuating the surface suggest openings — eyes for tears or mouths for wailing. The carefully curated, yet somehow chaotic, cargo rope hangs with spectral weight off the dark model's body — a relic of racial violence, yet a conduit for subversive, politicised play. Entangled in the afterlives of colonial spectacle, the minstrel line, the lynching noose and the pirate's defiance, it signals both domination and defiance. It stages not only redemption, but a sequence of survival — where beauty emerges from ruin and freedom is wrested. In this delectable dance of death, the future is neither pure nor promised, but fiercely, nihilistically alive. This piece and its presentation reminds me of the The ensemble, while undeniably seductive, resists mainstream polish in favour of a more haunted aesthetic — one that acknowledges the relentless suffering entangled with black existence and how that very suffering paradoxically enables the experience of elite, even decadent and unknown, pleasures. Siyazila by It carves out a liminal space in which memory, movement and material sustain ancestral presence and affirm blackness. As the studio navigates this period of mourning, it summons not only mortality but metamorphosis — a new aesthetic dawn shaped by pain, animated by continuity and grounded in the African principle of the oneness of all things. Siyazila is on at the National Arts Festival until 6 July 2025.
The Star
01-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
How is South Africa's welfare algorithm failing the poor?
JOHANNESBURG: South African street vendor and widow Brenda Mtshali is furious that an automated message on her phone means she will have to skimp on food for her six children. She is one of an estimated 10 million eligible South Africans excluded from welfare payments due to administrative obstacles, including problems with an algorithm-based income verification check, recent research has found. Mtshali, who sells tomatoes in the Soweto township, had her online application for a Social Relief from Distress (SRD) grant rejected more than half a dozen times, receiving an automated message that said "means income source identified". She said the automated means test – which scans bank accounts for a poverty line threshold of 624 rand (RM 148 or US $34.53) – likely took into account money she was occasionally loaned by family members, which does not qualify as monthly income. But sometimes she was rejected when she had no extra funds in her bank account. She has traveled to her local branch of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) several times to query her rejection, only to be told to lodge her appeal online. "We don't want to speak to a computer or an automatic message ... it's like shouting into an empty room and only hearing your echo," Mtshali, 58, said. Responding to emailed questions, SASSA said people who were rejected could appeal online to the Department of Social Development (DSD). DSD did not respond to requests for comment. From Britain to Togo, algorithms are being used to help distribute social grants and welfare payments, but digital rights experts warn they can be inaccurate and biased in some cases. The SRD grants are vital in South Africa, where unemployment stands at about 33%, one of the highest rates in the world. "We know the extent and depths of poverty in the country," said Kelle Howson, a social scientist at the Institute for Economic Justice and co-author of the research on SRD grant exclusion. "There needs to be a move from this restrictive poverty targeting to a system that's much more inclusive," Howson said. 'Failing to reach those in need' The SRD grant program was rolled out to support unemployed and working-age South Africans during the Covid-19 pandemic in May 2020. It is worth 370 rand (RM88) per month. In April 2022, a formal means test was introduced that involved monitoring potential beneficiaries' bank accounts to see if they had more than the minimum threshold of 624 rand. After the new means test was introduced, some 8 million beneficiaries were approved, down from 10.9 million in 2020, according to the IEJ report. This is despite there being an estimated 17 million to 18 million eligible people, the report said. The IEJ surveyed 900 people and found only 10.3% of eligible respondents received the grants – an erroneous exclusion rate of 89.7%. Eighty percent of all rejections were based on the bank verification test, which the IEJ said should only cover 24% of cases. It said all financial inflows – including child maintenance, loans, one-off donations, funds held for others – were incorrectly classified as "means". In May, the national treasury made SASSA's operating budget conditional on the means tests being applied to all social grants, including child support and pensions, the IEJ said. The Ministry of Finance in emailed comments said: "In the age of large data, it is increasingly necessary to build social security registries and cross-checks across multiple databases to avoid incorrect payments and double dipping where it is inappropriate." It also said no grant rejection is permanent, and clients are called in to "verify their income and explain the situation" to ensure public funds are appropriately spent. Applying the means tests so broadly could cause "catastrophic harm to vulnerable groups", the IEJ said, describing bank account surveillance, flawed government data and biometric profiling as "invasive" verification methods. The IEJ report also found only 5% of those surveyed had successfully appealed over two years. Data from SASSA shows 98% of 10 million appeal applications were unsuccessful in the 2024 financial year. With the SRD grant system fully online, "even if you walk into an office for help, you will be redirected to use their online system to appeal," said Kgothatso Sibanda, a Helpline manager with the Black Sash human rights charity that assists grant applicants. Surveillance and survival Howson said data collection was also a rights concern as regulations stipulate that any grant applicant must allow government agencies to verify eligibility through algorithmic checks. This means government agencies can cross-check personal information with credit bureaus or banks, said Howson. "So basically you sign away all your rights to privacy and data protection by applying for a grant," she said. SASSA said its actions were governed by the Social Assistance Act and that "checks and balances are a prerequisite to ensure that we safeguard (the) public purse." The IEJ report said applicants should be allowed to submit supporting documents and means tests should be done over a longer period to rule out inconsistencies. Sibanda said "beneficiaries do not fully understand what they are consenting to" and argued that a hybrid system – online and in-person – would help people with limited digital literacy. "Yes to digitization, but no to leaving people behind, and this system is leaving people behind," said Sibanda. In January, the High Court in Pretoria ruled that some SRD regulations were unconstitutional, but the government has lodged an appeal. In the meantime, Mtshali, her brother and her working-age children, all of whom were rejected, are stuck. They cannot afford to travel to job interviews or print their CVs. When funds are low, Mtshali feeds her family from her stock of tomatoes. "It's now just about getting food on the table, it's about survival," she said. – Thomson Reuters Foundation
TimesLIVE
01-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
Welfare algorithm is excluding too many of SA's poor, activists argue
Street vendor and widow Brenda Mtshali is furious that an automated message on her phone means she will have to skimp on food for her six children. She is one of an estimated 10-million eligible South Africans excluded from welfare payments due to administrative obstacles, including problems with an algorithm-based income verification check, recent research has found. Mtshali, who sells tomatoes in Soweto, had her online application for a Social Relief from Distress (SRD) grant rejected more than six times, receiving an automated message that said "means income source identified". She said the automated means test, which scans bank accounts for a poverty line threshold of R624, likely took into account money she was occasionally loaned by family members, which does not qualify as monthly income. She has travelled to her local branch of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) several times to query her rejections, only to be told to lodge her appeal online.
IOL News
21-05-2025
- IOL News
Surge in burglaries threatens ICT infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal schools
Schools in KwaZulu-Natal are facing a surge in burglaries targeting their information and communication technology infrastructure. Image: IOL / RON AI KwaZulu-Natal schools are under siege from criminals targeting their information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. A string of schools has been robbed and their ICT infrastructure has been taken. KZN Education Department spokesperson Mlu Mtshali said the department is aware of these incidents. He stated that although schools have security measures in place, they are insufficient, as criminals manage to break in and overpower the guards. 'We need to do more to protect schools,' Mtshali said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ He said criminals were targeting schools with ICT infrastructure, which was concerning for the Department of Education. 'We're engaging with our stakeholders, police, CPFs, traditional leaders, and communities, about how we can better improve school safety,' Mtshali said. The Public Servants Association (PSA) expressed concern over the recent spate of burglaries at Pietermaritzburg schools. Mentioning a few incidents, the PSA's Charles Ngubane said that at Inzuzwenhle Full Service School, thieves stole eight laptops kept in a safe, 11 computer towers, a Wi-Fi sim card, and an extension cord. At Sibongumbomvu Combined School, thieves stole 22 laptops, a television set, Wi-Fi routers, and other products after a high-tech application was launched. 'These burglaries are another blow to digital education efforts in KwaZulu-Natal, as the equipment was meant to bridge the gap in accessibility to technology, especially in previously disadvantaged rural schools,' Ngubane said. He said the PSA is concerned about school thefts, as it is a serious matter requiring the department's attention and intervention. 'The PSA urges the department to implement stringent security measures, using tracking software so that even if resources are stolen, these can be traced, and educating learners, staff, and communities to report crime as it disrupts education,' Ngubane said. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, five computers, five laptops, and several confiscated cellphones were stolen from Zamazulu Secondary School in Pietermaritzburg. School governing body (SGB) chairperson Nonhlanhla Mabaso said that when the incident occurred, one security guard was patrolling while another was in the guard room. Both guards were robbed of their cellphones, panic button, and tied up before being taken with the robbers through the school. She said they were asked for staff room keys, but the guards said they did not have them. They then broke the locks and took the guards. They entered the principal's and deputy principal's offices and broke locks and stole what they wanted. They then asked the guards for keys to the computer lab. Again, they did not have them. 'When they broke into the lab, the alarm sounded, disturbing them. Then they heard a vehicle at the gate and ran away,' Mabaso said. She said the vehicle was from a security company that tried to pursue the suspects but could not find them. Mabaso said this crime will affect pupils using computers. On the teaching side, she said all the school's information was on the laptop and computer in one of the offices. 'It's an ongoing operation to break into schools and take computers. In other schools, they took tablets, so it's an ongoing criminal operation,' Mabaso said after hearing about other school robberies. She said she hopes the criminals are apprehended and that police increase visibility to deter criminals. Police have been approached for comment.
