Latest news with #NirvanaNokwe
News24
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News24
‘I don't need to justify my fluidity' – Nirvana Nokwe on prayer, pace and unapologetic authenticity
In a world obsessed with labels and linear career paths, Nirvana Nokwe stands as a refreshing anomaly. The model, actress and singer possesses an ease that defies convention – an unbothered elegance rooted not in striving but in surrender. Beyond the multi-hyphenate label While industry insiders often describe her as a 'multi-hyphenate,' Nirvana sees herself simply as a woman choosing not to limit herself. 'To me, reinvention isn't about changing who you are,' she explains. 'It's about returning to the fullness of who you've always been. We're meant to evolve. It's human.' This philosophy has guided her through an industry that constantly demands definition. Rather than succumb to external pressures, Nirvana has carved out her own path, refusing to be confined to one title or tempo. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nirvana Nokwe (@nirvananokwe) The power of fluidity 'It's seamless when you're doing what you want to do,' she says with characteristic directness. 'I don't need to justify my fluidity. I don't force anything. I work with people who get it – especially where it matters.' This approach isn't just professional strategy – it's deeply personal. Grounded and self-aware, Nirvana leans on prayer as both anchor and compass. 'Prayer holds me. It keeps me rooted through every transformation, every shift. It helps me know when to show up and when to step back,' she says. Embracing the pause For someone with such a dynamic, creative presence, she's refreshingly in tune with her need for stillness. The lesson came through experience, often the hard way. 'Burnout teaches me to pause,' she reflects. 'Sometimes it's not about pushing harder, it's about taking care of yourself, letting silence in and remembering you're more than your output.' The art of not over-explaining Perhaps most striking is Nirvana's evolution beyond the need to justify her existence in professional spaces. 'I don't push back anymore. I just live. I let the work speak. I protect my peace by not over-explaining. There's power in that.' This shift has redefined what success means to her. 'It looks like fun. Joy. Presence. Life is short and long at the same time, so I'm choosing to enjoy it.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by NSPCA (@ A message for the next generation When asked what she hopes young women, especially young Black women, take away from her journey, she pauses, then smiles with the wisdom of someone who's learned to trust the process. 'Just be yourself. That's it. It isn't that deep. Being fully you already shifts things in ways you can't even imagine.' It's a deceptively simple message from a woman who embodies its complexity. Nirvana Nokwe is indeed a woman in motion, but she's moving on her terms – with softness, discernment, and a quiet, unwavering fire that lights the way for others brave enough to embrace their own fluidity.
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
NSPCA calls for urgent reforms in horse racing welfare
Actress and activist Nirvana Nokwe helped launch the NSPCA's 'Rein in the Pain' campaign in unforgettable fashion at the Durban July. Her red-carpet look served as a haunting tribute to racehorses discarded after injury or poor performance, and her outfit was nothing less than a show-stopping performance. Image: NSPCA While recognising that horse racing is a long-standing tradition for many, the NSPCA has called for urgent reforms to protect the welfare of the horses involved, particularly those on the racing circuit who fall under the care of the National Horse Racing Authority (NHRA). Coinciding with the glamorous Durban July race day, the NSPCA launched 'Rein in the Pain', a national campaign to raise awareness about the suffering racehorses endure in the name of sport and spectacle. 'We understand the legacy tied to this sport, but tradition cannot be used to excuse ongoing cruelty,' NSPCA spokesperson Jacques Peacock said. 'These magnificent animals are being silenced by a system that too often places profit above their welfare. Window-dressing measures and paltry fines may create the illusion of progress, but they do little to drive meaningful change or hold the industry genuinely accountable.' Actress and activist Nirvana Nokwe helped launch the campaign in unforgettable fashion at the Durban July, donning a thought-provoking art piece designed to challenge perceptions and spark conversation. Her red-carpet look served as a haunting tribute to racehorses discarded after injury or poor performance. 'This isn't just about what happens on race day,' Nokwe said. 'It's about what we don't see, the tongue-ties, the severe whippings at lesser-known events, the broken bones, strained ligaments, and the bleeding lungs. Fashion can make a statement, and this one says: It's time to change.' The campaign highlights the often-ignored realities of horse racing, which include tongue-ties which cause discomfort, performance-enhancing drugs which push horses beyond their natural limits, whipping which inflicts pain under the guise of motivation and collapsed lungs, fractured legs, and premature deaths, often resulting from overexertion and unsafe conditions. The NSPCA also said early racing places strain on young horses before their skeletons are fully developed. In the interest of reducing cruelty and promoting immediate change, the organisation detailed proposed amendments to the Rules of the NHRA. The NSPCA is calling on all industry stakeholders, including horse owners, trainers, jockeys, breeders, and racing associations to commit to banning drugs and harmful training aids, ending and banning the use of whipping, phasing out harmful equipment, such as tongue ties, halting the practice of racing horses before full skeletal maturity and providing lifetime welfare, not just track-time care. The organisation also called for adherence to animal welfare laws and related regulations, and reporting any abuse to the appropriate authorities.
Daily Maverick
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
NSPCA takes aim at Durban July and cruelty in SA's horse racing industry
A new campaign to clean up South Africa's horse racing industry started with a fashion statement that shocked glamorous guests at the country's premier horse race. The Durban July held last weekend was South Africa's most glamorous day of racing — a swirl of high fashion, Champagne flutes and big bets. Amid the spectacle, actress and activist Nirvana Nokwe stepped on to the red carpet dressed not to dazzle, but to disturb. Draped in an unsettling art piece paying tribute to racehorses abandoned and broken when they're no longer profitable, Nokwe's striking look was a wake-up call: the 'sport of kings' is built on suffering. Her bold statement launched the National Council of SPCAs' (NSPCA's) Rein in the Pain campaign — a challenge to the Durban July's glossy image and a call for South Africans to confront the cruelty that lurks behind the roar of the crowd. 'This isn't just about what happens on race day,' said Nokwe. 'It's about what we don't see — the tongue-ties, the brutal whipping, the strained tendons, the fractured legs, the bleeding lungs. Fashion can make a statement, and this one says: It's time to change.' The dark truth According to the NSPCA, behind the turf tracks, mint juleps and TV cameras is a brutal system. Thoroughbreds — the sleek, high-speed horses synonymous with the Durban July — are bred for explosive performance. They can hit 60km/h in just a few strides, but that speed often comes at the cost of broken bones, strained ligaments and shortened lives. Many horses begin racing before their skeletons are fully developed, leaving them prone to injuries that force early retirement, or worse. 'These magnificent animals are being silenced by a system that too often places profit above their welfare,' said Jacques Peacock, NSPCA communications manager. 'Tradition can't excuse cruelty.' Every year, the South African racing industry registers around 2,000 new thoroughbred foals, adding to a population of about 30,000. Only a fraction of these will ever make it to the big racecourses. Many of those that do will be cast aside when they stop winning — and their new lives are often far from the manicured paddocks they once knew. The 'lost horses' While some racehorses have second careers in showjumping or leisure riding, a disturbing number simply vanish. A Daily Maverick investigation into the thoroughbred world revealed that thousands slip into a welfare black hole when they no longer earn. Some end up in slaughterhouses, their meat sold for lion parks or game reserves. Many more fall into the unregulated world of 'bush racing', where abandoned racehorses are flogged to race for small stakes or illegal bets on potholed dirt roads and tarred township streets. In these informal races, dubbed 'community racing', the cruelty can be staggering. Saddles are often ill-fitted or non-existent, bits are replaced with wire that tears mouths, and exhausted horses collapse from injuries or overwork. When the NSPCA inspected an Eastern Cape race, they found more than 100 ex-thoroughbreds, many with injuries so severe they had to be euthanised on the spot. 'They used to be pampered, treated better than most humans,' said an NSPCA inspector. 'Now they're tossed away like old shoes at a jumble sale.' Racing's shaky foundations While informal bush racing booms, formal thoroughbred racing in SA is on the decline. Since 1990, the number of horses starting races has dropped by nearly a third. In 2022, when we did the investigation, half of the country's racecourses had shut down, and the number of breeders and stud farms had plummeted by more than 80%. Once a lucrative spectacle, thoroughbred racing now survives largely thanks to betting houses and bookies, who rake in billions while owners struggle to cover the spiralling costs of raising and training a winning horse. 'You have to be wealthy to own racehorses, but you're not likely to get wealthy racing them,' said an owner. 'You're lucky if a win covers a few months' stabling costs.' Yet the real losers aren't the owners — they're the horses. The NSPCA argues that the racing industry's obsession with breeding and speed is producing more animals than it can or will care for. And once these horses leave the formal tracks, the National Horseracing Authority (NHRA) admits it has almost no power to track what happens to them next. Bush racing pipeline From the plush paddocks of the Durban July to the dusty roads of rural racing, a hidden pipeline funnels discarded thoroughbreds straight into a world of unchecked suffering. Some are sold or simply given away when they can't win any more. Others are bought up by owners who lack the knowledge — or the resources — to care for such high-maintenance animals. 'The big problem is thoroughbreds,' says Stanley Adam of the Eastern Cape Horse Care Unit. 'They're like Ferraris — you can't take a Ferrari and drive it down a gravel road and expect it to blossom.' Traditional racing is deeply woven into rural life. For some, it's a point of pride, a cultural celebration. But the lack of regulation can leave horses exposed to horrific injuries, doping, malnutrition and abuse. And unlike formal races, there are rarely vets on site and no accountability. However, the NSPCA's Farm Animal Protection Unit tries to inspect every informal or community race that takes place in SA. 'We rely on donations and used to do inspections as far up as Kuruman,' said Theresa Hodgkinson of the Highveld Horse Care Unit. 'But funding dried up. Now we see more thoroughbreds sold into informal racing — and many are in terrible condition.' A roadmap for change The NSPCA's Rein in the Pain campaign isn't just about raising awareness — it's about fixing a system that, in the organisation's view, is built to fail the animals at its heart. It has drafted clear, practical amendments to the NHRA's rules, setting a minimum standard for change. Key demands include: Banning performance-enhancing drugs and masking agents used to push injured horses through races; Phasing out harmful equipment like tongue ties by the end of this year; Completely banning whips by 2029 — with strict limits and schooling for jockeys in the interim; Ensuring that horses are microchipped by six months old and properly tracked from birth to retirement and beyond; Prohibiting racing horses under three years old to prevent premature skeletal damage; and Enforcing lifetime care and accountability, with criminal charges and lifetime bans for repeat offenders. 'These reforms are the bare minimum,' said Peacock. 'They're not exhaustive, but they're a start. This is about public trust — people need to see the industry take real responsibility for the animals that make it possible.' For the NSPCA, the real test will be whether ordinary South Africans demand this change. It's calling on the public to sign its petition at and to hold racing's big players accountable for the animals behind the betting slips and fancy hats. 'Our goal is simple,' says Peacock. 'We want the industry to stop pretending that window-dressing measures and paltry fines are enough. It's time for meaningful change — and it starts with every one of us saying, 'Enough is enough.'' DM
TimesLIVE
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Nirvana Nokwe 'prioritising music' after graduation
Nirvana Nokwe is gearing up to make waves in the music scene after recently graduating from the Academy of Sound Engineering. While studying in the television and screen arts division when she first enrolled, Nokwe also got to engage with students who did music. 'It was a beautiful intersection between my music and my filmmaking work. I was studying to be behind the camera. I just started creating really strong relationships with people in the sound division and they called me in to be a part of their projects. I didn't exist in just one space,' she told TshisaLIVE. She will soon release a single called Mama with Master KG and Goon Flavour as they launch their upcoming EP. 'It's been so amazing collaborating with them. They featured me on one of their songs. This song is such a beautiful compliment to what's happening in my life. Mama is a song that's so close to my heart, especially now, because books before boys — because boys bring babies. 'This song is about me thanking uMama for supporting me and helping me keep focused, not me giving my life, faith, and destiny away to boys, now that I'm graduating. I'm just so grateful to my mother. My mother really taught me to prioritise myself before love and is always giving me advice about love and dating. She's always telling me to have a life and have a strong connection with God first.' While Nokwe is used to dominating the screens, she'll soon be on the airwaves as she returns to her first love. 'I am really prioritising my music this year. I'm really putting in a lot of effort into music, and working on my own stuff.' Beyond the limelight, Nokwe wears many hats. In 2024 she launched the Connect Supper Club, which provides a platform for inspiring discussions, networking and collaboration, paired with fine dining and a sophisticated ambience.
