Kwa Mashu is a home to people from different walks of life and most especially people who were relocated from Umkhumbane (Cato Manor) back the 1960’s. When most of the people were relocated they strived to start small business through which they could earn a basic living. Thus the Emahawini business units which are located at the Kwa Mashu shopping centre houses fast growing business that offer services that are rare in modern business areas.

The main businesses that operate from Emahawini are a restaurant that supplies food to most of the people who work within the Kwa Mashu Shopping Centre especially the taxi drivers. With the new developments of the Kwa Mashu Shopping Centre through which new and popular restaurants, the Emahawini traditional restaurant has started suffering but what makes this restaurant unique is that it sells Zulu traditional food which is not available at the giant restaurants. Some of the food that is available from this restaurant is amadombolo, jeqe, usu, inhloko and many more. Continue Reading

Workshop in South Africa

Ulwazi fieldwokers – funding is available for transport and accommodation for this workshop in Johannesburg.   See below for more information.

The second international Digital Natives Workshop “My Bubble, My Space, My Voice” will be held in Johannesburg from 7 to 9 November 2010. Some frequently asked questions regarding the upcoming workshop are answered in this blog entry.

1. When and where is the workshop going to be held?

The workshop will take place over three days from 7 to 9 November 2010, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

2. Who should apply?

The organizers, The African Commons Project, Hivos and the Centre for Internet and Society are interested in hearing from young people, who utilize digital technologies to create social change in their societies or social circles.

Further, the regional focus of the workshop is on Africa, hence, only African citizens or those in an African setting should apply.

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Ask most people who they think of when you say “South Africa” and “peacemaker” and the answer is most likely to be Nelson Mandela, or perhaps Desmond Tutu.

Some people might even recall South Africa’s two other Nobel Peace Prize laureates, FW de Klerk and Chief Albert Luthuli. But few will come up with the name of Mahatma Gandhi.

That’s because the most famous peacemaker never to win a Nobel – although he was nominated four times – is remembered internationally more for his political protest and statesmanship in India, the land of his birth and death.

It is often forgotten that Gandhi spent 20 years in South Africa. These were mutually formative years during which he developed his philosophy of satyagraha, or non-violent resistance, in response to the racial oppression he encountered here. During this time his presence in the country shaped a tradition of opposition to racism that Madiba himself would later adopt.

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A mobile digital revolution is sweeping Africa and the Ulwazi Programme has recognised this. If the knowledge and stories we collect are to be relevant to the communities we serve, then this information needs to be accessible through mobile devices.

Not everyone has a computer with access to the internet but most people have access to a cellphone, which now come standard with a browser.  With this in mind, we have developed Wap-enabled, mobile-friendly versions of our website, blog and wiki that are accessible and usable from a cellphone.

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