The Quiet Storm in Apartment 3B
Thandeka Dlamini 13 October 2026 People talk about mental illness as if it arrives with a siren and flashing lights, a sudden shattering that everyone can see. For me, schizophrenia did not break down the door. It crept in like fog through a slightly opened window, so subtle at first that I mistrusted my own…
Work smarter, not harder: five expert tips to ace your final exams
Thembelihle Zwane 14 October 2026 Exam season is here, and experts say there is no need to panic. Whether you are writing matric or university finals, the right mindset, study habits and preparation can help you banish “bad stress” and get through your exams with confidence. Kathy Knott, a counselling psychologist and Bridging Year Academy…
Book Review: The Very Groovy Book by Giovanni Sticco
Giovanni Sticco’s The Very Groovy Book announces itself with a riot of colour: rainbow ripples, smiling daisies, a peace sign over a river valley, and bubbly cream lettering that could have come off a 1969 concert poster. Inside, the book goes quiet. Each of its 60-odd pages carries a single short mantra in plain black…
The Art of Doing Nothing
Londiwe Buthelezi 14 October 2026 Rest has become something we feel we must earn. Perhaps it is time we stopped asking for permission. There was a time when the shops closed at 5 pm on weekdays and 1 pm on Saturdays. Sunday afternoons belonged to a nap and a pot of tea on the patio,…
Ukuphulukisa Okudluliselwayo: Ukuphula Imijikelezo Yosizi Oludluliselwa Ezizukulwaneni
Londiwe Buthelezi 14 October 2026 Usuku Lomhlaba Lokuhlukumezeka (World Trauma Day), olugujwa mhla zingu-17 Okthoba, luvame ukugxila kukuhlukumezeka okubonakalayo – ukulimala nodlame. Kodwa emindenini yaseNingizimu Afrika, okunye ukuhlukumezeka okujulile akubonakali neze – kudluliselwa ngokuthula, kusukela kwesinye isizukulwane kuye kwesinye, ngendlela yokuqapha okweqile, ukuthula, isiyalo esinzima, noma umuzwa odluliselwayo wokuthi umhlaba awuphephile. Abacwaningi bakubiza ngokuthi ukuhlukumezeka…
What Hides Behind “I’m Fine”
Thabisile Gumede 12 October 2026 You know the person. Their diary is full, their family is looked after, and they still turn up for birthdays and Friday drinks. Ask how they are and the answer comes quickly and warmly: “I’m fine.” Because they appear to be doing everything right, nobody thinks to ask again. This…
Uxhumano Phakathi Kwesisu Nengqondo: Okwenziwa Yinkinga Yendlala Emiqondweni Yethu
Thembelihle Zwane 12 October Iviki Lokudla Okunempilo Kuzwelonke (National Nutrition Week) lifika kulo nyaka phakathi kwesimo abacwaningi asebesibiza ngokuthi yinkinga yendlala – futhi ubufakazi obukhulayo besayensi bubonisa ukuthi imiphumela iya dlula ngale kwomzimba, iye ekutheni sicabanga futhi sizizwa kanjani. I-nutritional psychiatry, eyayiyingxenye encane yezokwelapha, manje isisohlangothini oluphambili locwaningo lwezempilo yengqondo. Le mkhakha ifunda ngoxhumano phakathi…
Breaking the Silence: What Access and Inclusion Really Mean for Mental Health in South Africa
9 October 2026 Every October, South Africa marks Mental Health Awareness Month, with World Mental Health Day falling on 10 October. It is a day meant to prompt reflection, not just observance: how far has the country come in making mental healthcare available to everyone who needs it, and how far is there still to…
“Are You Thinking With Your Brain or Your Hormones?” A Stellenbosch Conversation Becomes a Pathway to Care
Londiwe Buthelezi 7 October 2026 It began as a question set to music: Are you thinking with your brain or your hormones? On 17 September, that question filled a room at StellCare in Stellenbosch, and by the end of the week it had grown into something far more practical. Singer-songwriter, nurse and Stellenbosch University MNurs…
Mental Health as a Global Priority: How South Africa’s 2026 Policy Measures Up to the African Union’s Goals
Londiwe Buthelezi 7 October 2026 World Mental Health Month arrives this year at a genuine inflection point for the continent. In February 2026, the African Union’s 39th Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government formally endorsed the AU Common Position on NCDs, injuries, and mental health – a framework validated by member states…
