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.

The Big Issue

Make Way Now • The Big Issue South Africa was born 27 years ago when Brenda Fassie’s Vuli’ Ndlela rang out, capturing the rowdy spirit of a new nation.

A Season of Reality for our Big Issue family

THANKS FOR YOUR PURCHASE • During the festive season all the usual pressures mount: traffic jams, crowded malls, intense heat, crime, and inflated prices in a bent economy. We feel your frustration. Alongside this, our vendors will attempt to make their last sales of the year before journeying home to the Eastern Cape or further afield to be with their children and extended families – if they can afford it. Thank-you for making and affording this purchase, it will go a long way. Wishing you a blessed and safe holiday season on the road ahead.

OFF THE SHELF • A mixed bag of new releases, perfect for holiday reading.

Perth: anything but droeg • SA comedian MARC LOTTERING shares how he came to love Perth for its natural beauty, stylishly secluded coffee spots and wonderful little restaurants.

Deep, personal triumph over adversity • Author Jess van der Merwe’s autobiographical novel Broken and Beautiful is an inspirational story about her personal experiences of living with Cerebral Palsy.

AN EXTRACT FROM BROKEN AND BEAUTIFUL

Local delicacy • Some say this small West coast town’s delicacy is better than freshly baked bread and creamy butter. We thought we’d include Velddrif’s ‘bokkoms’ as an eternal discovery.

Mind-blowing discoveries of 2024 • Some highlights from this year include mystery ships, lost and found chess pieces, and the discovery of an ancient, magical tree.

Dating apps sweet or sour? • Everyone who’s used a dating app has a story, some more bizarre than others. The Conversation Weekly reveals new findings on the emotional toll of dating apps and why they’re no longer about finding love.

Alien Investigation Unveiled • Spoiler alert … George Knapp is the investigator and presenter of the Netflix odyssey exploring alien phenomena which, 20 years ago, would’ve cast dubious scorn. Now, thanks to technology where camera recordings are the norm, footage of alien sightings is common, and witnessed by thousands not just by one random ‘Joe’.

[ CONSERVATION ]

Cats with conservation goals • Discover how caracals are taking over the internet – and our hearts – by boosting conservation support

Where water meets sky • In a world first, conservationists in Zambia’s Bangweulu Wetlands are using life-like puppets to hand-rear shoebill chicks for reintroduction into the wild, while community members monitor nests to safeguard shoebill populations and help protect one of Africa’s most important wetland ecosystems. IGA MOTYLSKA spoke to three women spearheading non-profit African Parks’ Shoebill Management Plan.

little issue

WHAT’S FOR SCHOOL LUNCH?

YOH! ONLY JOKING!

How to spend a day in Cape Town • Explore Art and Day Tours Around Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront like a local

Ups and downs of flying • SBU MKWANAZI talks about the joys of flying frequently, and that one time he met Guadalupe the chihuahua.

My first flight • ANNELIESE BURGESS recalls the happiness she felt flying through daybreak on her most...