Leigh Nakeetah Jason

When one thinks of Gqeberha, they think of the coast, the harbour, the Boardwalk Mall, and many other tourist attractions. Aside from when the city is packed to capacity in December, hundreds of thousands of feet traverse the busy streets and sidewalks, on an ordinary day, unbeknownst to the historical entities they walk alongside.

The hub of these entities? The Central Business District, affectionately known simply as “Central”. Home to the Campanile, Route 67 and many local businesses, Central was once perfectly crafted in the eyes, and by the hands of many international tourists and local patriots.

When you take a stroll through the busy streets, you rarely note how long certain buildings have been standing there – older than us, our parents, our grandparents, and probably even our great-grandparents combined! Aside from the beautiful, ancient architecture and prominent, beautiful statues, we barely note or know very little of them, but luckily for us, there are local historians and citizens dedicated to sharing with us! One of these patriots, is Tony Neveling.

Dedicated to sharing the history of the Bay, Mr Neveling dedicates his time and personal resources monthly, on short guided tours, to local and international citizens and tourists, and takes them on a lovely, well-secured stroll throughout the busy district of the city, sharing unknown facts and details about places you usually would not think twice about.

His most recent tour occurred on 30 April 2024, where he took a group of tourists from the beautiful Donkin Memorial, through Route 67, noting all the beautiful statues and monuments along the way, to The Cathedral of St Mary The Virgin, through which he granted the tour access and interesting facts and information through the church building itself, while exposing small and hidden treasures. After that, he guided the tour past the Port Elizabeth Public/Main Library (Savage Memorial Library) (also home to the Queen Victoria Statue), unfortunately closed at the time, and finished the tour at the St Augustine’s Cathedral, and as a bonus, strolling by, entered the Prince Alfred Guard – home to various art and culture occasions, but now a lovely memorial and home to the current Army.

These tours never follow the same path or monuments, so going more than once is definitely within your best interest. Join Tony monthly by keeping an eye on the “Central SRA” page on Facebook, and make sure to take a bottle of water and a sunhat with you!

Ouma Katrina Esau was, and has always been, a woman on a mission. In 2018, she released the children’s book ‘Qhoi Nla Tjhoi’ (Tortoise

and Ostrich) to enrich South Africans and help to revive the dying language ‘N|uu’.


The Tsitsikamma Khoisan Council took a leaf from Ouma’s book, and recently hosted a Basic Nama (Khoisan) Language course for the

community. Mostly residing in Namibia, then Bostwana, and

then South Africa, the Nama population stands at about 230 000 people, with just a littl

With October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is vital that we do our annual check in. With 1.7 million women being

diagnosed every year, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, worldwide.


Typically, breast cancer begins when cells in the breast begin to grow abnormally, and sometimes have the potential to grow out of control and invade the surrounding tissue of the previously healthy breast – when this

happens, it is known as invasive breast cancer. Although th

With International Pride Month drawing to a close, we are able to proudly look around at all the celebrations that have, and still are, taking place, and agree that South Africa has progressed immensely with regards to the LGBTQI+ community. This all started due to one gay black man, who fought two struggles at once.

In 1957, during the height of Apartheid, Simon Nkoli was born in Soweto, his childhood memories were riddled with hiding from police. His parents separated early, forcing him to li

Say the words “fashion show” and we collectively have the idea of bright lights, camera flashes, thumping music, celebs, air-kisses and – of course – a parade of hot-stepping models.

Fashion shows have come a long way since English designer Charles Frederick Worth used live models in the 1860s rather than mannequins. From the start of the New York Fashion week to red carpet events, fashion has become more than just clothing.

Unfortunately, 2020 brought a global pandemic that has put a stop to

Celebrating National Heritage Month, South Africa has a plethora of cultural history tribes, nations, and figures to look up to. One such figure we commemorate is well-known Sarah Baartman (sometimes spelled Sara Baartman, and also known as Saartjie Baartman). (Born – 1879, near the Gamtoos River, Xhosa Kingdom, Died – 1815, Paris, France)

She was also known as Hottentot Venus by Europeans.

Sarah was an African woman and member of the Gonaquasub group of the Khoikhoi, unfortunately, her origin

Annually, South Africa celebrates Heritage Day on 24 September, a chance for everyone to appreciate and foster greater social solidarity and a shared national identity. It is used to honour the heritage of the many cultures that form the nation. September is known as National Heritage Month.

The day celebrates South African’s roots, focusing on the rich, diverse cultures of the Rainbow Nation, with the goal to nurture and embrace South African culture, accepting all races and genders.


Affect

After being forced into early retirement due to health issues caused by diabetes, of which included partial blindness, Alfonso Matthews

(aged 56) was faced with the most difficult challenged – what to do now?


The former correctional services Warden found himself tapping into talents he had last displayed as a child. Growing up in Graaff Reinet during an era where there was no television or other modern forms of technological entertainment, Alfonso read like there was no tomorrow. From

books