Six months into the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa, the fate of most small businesses remain uncertain. The few left are struggling to survive. Skilled laborers are without jobs and the country faces an unemployment crisis. On the following are snapshots of some parts of the economy slowly crawling back to life.



BUSINESS WAS GOING WELL FOR JOHNNY ZULU, the owner of a 20-year-old salon named K&amp;S Beauty in Johannesburg, before Covid-19. But ever since the state-imposed lockdown that unfolded in various stages in the country, he says he has lost more than half of his customers. “I am not making money like I used to. Most customers say they fear for their lives and the virus,” rues Zulu. “I had no income, I had to make means to pay my rental. I survived through house calls.” To minimize the risk of clients getting infected, Zulu has now employed a new staff member so customers don’t have to wait in queues outside, and he has also started working on appointments. In this image, Zulu is wearing PPE as he works on a client, and as he also awaits another customer who is late for an appointment.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48260" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



A fully-loaded taxi leaves the crowded Winnie Mandela taxi rank at Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg on a busy weekday. All passengers are to mandatorily wear masks and sanitize before boarding the vehicles. 



Sifiso Vilakazi, a taxi owner and former professional South African soccer player, says during Level 5 of the lockdown in South Africa, most drivers lost their daily income and their families went hungry. “Now, since people are going back to work, we have more commuters and things are slowly getting back to normal,” says a hopeful Vilakazi.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/3-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48263" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/3-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/3-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/3-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/3-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/3-600x401.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



With lockdown restrictions gradually easing, and restaurants and bars reopening in South Africa, people are rediscovering the simple joys and conviviality of eating out. Here, youngsters treat themselves to their favorite local delicacy, called inyama yenhloko (head meat), with pap and salsa, at the popular Kwa Skero restaurant in Soweto, Johannesburg’s urban sprawl. 



Tiisetso Kumbula, a regular patron at the eatery, says she hadn’t enjoyed her favorite meal since March. “When the lockdown started, I had to learn how to cook from TV shows and when the President reopened restaurants, the first thing I wanted was to come here,” enthuses Kumbula.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/4-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48261" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/4-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



A mobile street vendor pushes his trolley filled with fresh fruits and vegetables on a sunny Friday morning. He can now conduct his business freely, without being asked for a special permit as was required during lockdown Levels 5, 4 and 3, by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and South African Police Service (SAPS) patrolling the streets in some parts.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48262" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5-600x401.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



With South Africa’s tourism sector reopening, strict Covid-19 regulations have been implemented in most facilities such as the Kloofendal Nature Reserve in the West Rand of Johannesburg, where mask-wearing, temperature-scans and hand-sanitizing are mandatory. Only smaller groups are allowed for hiking activities.



Adventurer Sabelo Zitha, who loves hiking, is happy to be back at the park, and says: “When President Cyril Ramaphosa announced we could hike again, I was very pleased to hear that. The recent hike we did was quite adventurous because I was doing what I love: being outdoors and engaging with various people, after a long stay at home. It was priceless. Now, I am even happier we can travel and hike in different provinces.’



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/6-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48264" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/6-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/6-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/6-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/6-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



After a fairly long and dry spell in South Africa, television shows have been given the green light to be shot on-location. In this image, an elderly citizen passes the site of a TV shoot in progress with Morgan Gould, a South African international footballer, in Rockville Soweto.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/7-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48265" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/7-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/7-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/7-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/7-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/7-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/7-600x401.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Senior citizens wait in long queues at a local municipal building in Soweto to collect their monthly social grants. Social distancing is mostly not adhered to at these collection depots. Some of the grantees arrive early to stand in line, braving the cold morning air and Covid-19.

A Day In The Life Of…

[Compiled by Motlabana Monnakgotla, Gypseenia Lion and Karen Mwendera]



Image 1: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/kabelo-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42403" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/kabelo-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/kabelo-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/kabelo-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/kabelo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/kabelo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/kabelo.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Kabelo Mpofu, an entrepreneur, took over
his mother’s shop in Meadowlands, in the South African township of Soweto. He
is hopeful of making the family business a success despite big retail stores
opening up in the townships and swallowing up the corner groceries.



Image 2: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Youth-883-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42404" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Youth-883-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Youth-883-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Youth-883-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Youth-883-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Youth-883-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Youth-883.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Africa is the youngest continent in the
world. Every year, South Africa observes June as Youth Month, honoring the
anniversary of the Soweto Uprising on June 16. In this image, the country’s
sprawling township of Soweto comes alive with youth dancing in the winter
weather to local and international music at the Soweto International Jazz
Festival, an annual confluence of history, art and culture. 



Image 3: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Women-hold-up-placards-stating-their-grievences-on-gender-based-violence-994-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42405" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Women-hold-up-placards-stating-their-grievences-on-gender-based-violence-994-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Women-hold-up-placards-stating-their-grievences-on-gender-based-violence-994-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Women-hold-up-placards-stating-their-grievences-on-gender-based-violence-994-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Women-hold-up-placards-stating-their-grievences-on-gender-based-violence-994-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Women-hold-up-placards-stating-their-grievences-on-gender-based-violence-994-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Women-hold-up-placards-stating-their-grievences-on-gender-based-violence-994.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Women hold up placards against
gender-based violence during a ‘Shutdown Sandton’ campaign; this after a spate
of brutal rape and killings in South Africa.



Image 4: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Car-dealerships-were-among-the-businesses-that-were-set-alight-in-Jules-Str-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42406" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Car-dealerships-were-among-the-businesses-that-were-set-alight-in-Jules-Str-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Car-dealerships-were-among-the-businesses-that-were-set-alight-in-Jules-Str-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Car-dealerships-were-among-the-businesses-that-were-set-alight-in-Jules-Str-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Car-dealerships-were-among-the-businesses-that-were-set-alight-in-Jules-Str-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Car-dealerships-were-among-the-businesses-that-were-set-alight-in-Jules-Str-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Car-dealerships-were-among-the-businesses-that-were-set-alight-in-Jules-Str.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Car dealerships were among the businesses
set alight in Johannesburg’s Jules Street, during the spate of xenophobia
attacks in South Africa in August this year. The spark that fueled the raging
fire began in Pretoria, the country’s capital, when a taxi driver was shot dead
by a foreign national who was selling drugs to a youngster in the central
business district.



Image 5: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Tatt-694-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42407" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Tatt-694-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Tatt-694-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Tatt-694-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Tatt-694-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Tatt-694-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Tatt-694.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Sibusiso Dlamini, the co-founder of Soweto
Ink, works on one of his regular clients at his tattoo parlor founded in 2014
with his long-time friend, Ndumiso Ramate. In 2019, Soweto Ink held the fourth
annual tattoo convention, and for the first time in partnership with BET
Africa, to break tattoo taboos in Africa.



Image 6: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-525-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42408" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-525-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-525-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-525-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-525-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-525-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-525.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Mmusi Maimane, the former leader of South
Africa’s opposition party, Democratic Alliance, is about to cast his vote in
front of local and international media houses who had wrestled to get the
perfect shot in his hometown in Dobsonville, Soweto, during the elections in
South Africa in 2019. 



Image 7: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-862-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42409" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-862-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-862-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-862-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-862-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-862-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-862.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



The brother of South African journalist,
Shiraaz Mohamed, begs for government intervention after Mohamed was kidnapped
in Syria on January 2017 by a group of armed men. The group demanded more than
$500,000 for his freedom. 



Image 8: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="681" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Cyril-being-escorted-by-his-body-guards-out-of-the-conference-room-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42410" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Cyril-being-escorted-by-his-body-guards-out-of-the-conference-room-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Cyril-being-escorted-by-his-body-guards-out-of-the-conference-room-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Cyril-being-escorted-by-his-body-guards-out-of-the-conference-room-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Cyril-being-escorted-by-his-body-guards-out-of-the-conference-room-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Cyril-being-escorted-by-his-body-guards-out-of-the-conference-room-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Cyril-being-escorted-by-his-body-guards-out-of-the-conference-room.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
with his body guards at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South
Africa, where the three-day South Africa Investment Conference was held in
November.



Image 9: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="681" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/DSC_0100-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42411" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/DSC_0100-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/DSC_0100-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/DSC_0100-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/DSC_0100-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/DSC_0100-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/DSC_0100.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



In a world that’s embracing new
technology, inspiration is being found in bug behavior. The hard-bodied dung
beetle is now key to robotics research, in Africa too. Astounded by this
discovery early this year is Marcus Byrne, a researcher at the University of
the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg who has been studying dung beetles for over
20 years. He holds up a metallic replica of a dung beetle in his hand in his
office at the university.



Image 10: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-923-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42412" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-923-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-923-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-923-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-923-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-923-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Elections-923.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Mzimhlophe Hostel, a hostel among many others in Soweto, erupted with service delivery protests prior to the elections in South Africa. In the same vicinity, an informal settlement was also allegedly set on fire. Brothers Mduduzi (32) and Kwenzi Gwala (22), pictured, had arrived in Johannesburg looking for employment. They sold African beer, but their shack was set alight while they were still at church. They lost all their stock and possessions. 



Image 11: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/opener-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42413" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/opener-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/opener-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/opener-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/opener-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/opener-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/opener.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



A thrift market in the heart of Johannesburg’s central business district, not too far from a busy taxi rank, known for its pavement robberies. Despite the crimes, thousands of small entrepreneurs trade in this raucous market every day.



Image 12:



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/dps-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42414" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/dps-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/dps-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/dps-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/dps-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/dps-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/dps.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



ANC, DA and EFF supporters dancing and chanting outside the Hitekani Primary School in Chiawelo, Soweto, South Africa,
as they await South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to cast his vote in his
former primary school.&nbsp; 



Image 13:



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/VanninBalcony-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42415" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/VanninBalcony-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/VanninBalcony-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/VanninBalcony-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/VanninBalcony-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/VanninBalcony-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/VanninBalcony.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Tenants in the discarded Vannin Court in
Johannesburg look on from their balconies as jubilation erupts on the ground
floor.



Image 14: 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vestine-Nyiravesabimana-makes-money-weaving-baskets-to-feed-her-nine-children-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42416" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vestine-Nyiravesabimana-makes-money-weaving-baskets-to-feed-her-nine-children-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vestine-Nyiravesabimana-makes-money-weaving-baskets-to-feed-her-nine-children-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vestine-Nyiravesabimana-makes-money-weaving-baskets-to-feed-her-nine-children-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vestine-Nyiravesabimana-makes-money-weaving-baskets-to-feed-her-nine-children-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vestine-Nyiravesabimana-makes-money-weaving-baskets-to-feed-her-nine-children-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vestine-Nyiravesabimana-makes-money-weaving-baskets-to-feed-her-nine-children.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Vestine Nyiravesabimana makes money weaving
intricate baskets made of grass to feed her nine children in Kigali, Rwanda.

Cow 603

Forbes Africa’s Best Photographs In 2019

They put their lives on the line for the truth. They fight for justice. Few are recognized for it. These are the gatekeepers of history. Journalists—the men and women who often risk their necks for a pittance. Many journalists pay the ultimate price for their craft. Troubled Pulitzer Prize winner Kevin Carter—who took the famous shot of a Sudanese baby under the eye of a vulture— took his own life; his colleague, Ken Oosterbroek, was shot dead in South African political violence in Thokoza; fellow photographer, Joao Silva, lost his legs in Afghanistan; Henry Nxumalo, a fearless journalist with South Africa’s Drum magazine, was killed in a Johannesburg back alley; Mohamed Hassaine is still missing in Algeria; and Emmanuel Munyenazi went missing in Rwanda. Often journalists are so busy telling other people’s stories that they forget to tell their own. A new film, released in Africa in July, tries to redress this.
<div id="attachment_94" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-94" class="size-large wp-image-94" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/BBC-Generic-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="316" />THE BANG BANG CLUB: Taylor Kitsch as Kevin Carter and Frank Rautenbach as Ken Oosterbroek</div>
The Bang Bang Club is the story of four photojournalists, including Oosterbroek, Carter Silva, who risked their necks covering the political violence in the townships of Johannesburg between 1990 and 1994—a job that took courage and dedication, where young men had to juggle professionalism with being human. Do you get your shot, or do you intervene to save a life? It’s a cinematic tale that translates to anywhere in Africa where a voice or fist is raised in anger. The film analyses the moral question: where these young adrenaline junkies eager for the fight—or were they brave crusaders for the truth whose pictures arrived on breakfast tables around the world, turning world opinion against the oppressors? Johannesburg in 2011 is a world away from the apartheid days of South Africa. Voices blare unfettered on the airwaves and in the newspapers on any subject you can name. But, like many countries in Africa, the press faces looming restriction at the hands of legislators. It appears another struggle for the truth may be on the cards, begging the question: is the journalist class of 2011 as ready to get their hands dirty as the gritty street fighters of The Bang Bang Club?
Anton Harber, a Caxton Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, began his career in 1980. Like the rest, he too ran the streets in apartheid days towards the action, while others ran away. He describes journalism as being twosided at the time, with repression on the one hand and creativity on the other. How would the class of 2011 measure up? According to Harber, it is like comparing apples and pears: “We are looking for different things in the class of 2011 and it is not fair to expect the same from them as the journalists who came before.” The test will come in how the current generation handles the proposed Protection of Information Bill, which is stirring up the debate regarding media censorship and more responsible journalism.
This is also the digital age, where videos can go viral. The people of Egypt and Libya took their revolt to the world through social sites where YouTube thwarted government attempts to shut them up. Many journalists fear this social wave could take over their age-old craft. Harber disagrees: “Although technology changes what journalists do, it can never replace them.” Also, there are fewer journalists around the world running between the bullets and the bombs. These days, more and more journalists are glued safely to their cubicles, typing away about markets and finance. It appears the world is more concerned with commodities than it is about politics and public interest has plunged towards matters more trivial.
Harber said: “I see the trend moving towards softer lifestyle pieces.” Journalism has come a long way from the violent days of The Bang Bang Club. Watching the film evokes the old adage attributed to many swashbuckling young journalists: “Live fast, die young, and leave a good looking corpse.” It appears many of the class of 2011 would be happy with merely the former.
<h3>Armed with a lens</h3>
Alf Kumalo—the grandfather of The Bang Bang Club—spent years risking his life to capture the beauty and brutality of South Africa’s tough streets.
<div id="attachment_91" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-91" class="size-large wp-image-91" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ALF_KUMALO_012-683x1024.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="711" />Alf Kumalo—the grandfather of The Bang Bang Club—spent years risking his life to capture the beauty and brutality of South Africa’s tough streets.</div>
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He stands fi rm and sprightly in the gentle sunshine warming his lush suburban garden. He belies his age of 81. He has been beaten, tear-gassed, imprisoned and shot at for his craft. Yet there is fi re in his eyes and as always, a camera around his neck. This is Alf Kumalo, veteran photojournalist and arguably the grandfather of The Bang Bang Club. “The ‘Bang Bang’ started in the 1990s, but we’d been banging on for years,” laughs Kumalo.
It was the life Kumalo chose for himself. With camera inhand he traveled the world and chronicled South Africa’s turbulent political history from before Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment, through his release, to the present day. He is one of the few people in the world who can count both Mandela and Muhammad Ali as friends Kumalo is an award-winning photographer, as well as a journalist, author, mentor and well-traveled businessman— a far cry from where he started. He was born in 1930 in Alexandra, Johannesburg in a tough world for a young black man. With a Beautyfl ex Twin Lens in hand, he set out to capture the world. He worked for a string of Johannesburg titles: Bantu World, a newspaper shut down by the authorities; the Golden City Post; Drum magazine and The Star.
The 1950s and 1960s were dangerous days for a black man bent on exposing the brutality of the apartheid government with its dogs and secret police. Times were tough back then and there was a lot of hatred. Journalists were being beaten, detained, killed and some went missing.
One day, Kumalo was caught. “They cracked my skull with a gun butt,” he says. To add insult to injury, the police charged the wounded Kumalo with resisting arrest and fighting the police. The court case dragged on for nearly a year and at the end of it he was freed and told not to take pictures anymore. A defiant Kumalo refused. “I was arrested so many times, I was no longer afraid of jail. The one thing I was worried about was disappearing,”
Kumalo evaded the police to cover the Treason Trial from which Mandela was acquitted, the Rivonia Trial in which Mandela was imprisoned, and the 1976 Soweto uprising. Generations to come will be able to look at his photographs and get a true sense of what happened. Through it all, Kumalo is glad to be alive and remembers many friends and colleagues who weren’t so lucky. Kumalo looks to the journalists of the future with concern: “There is far less dedication now. I wish we could get our people, especially scholars, to be as dedicated as we were.” Kumalo practises what he preaches and runs a photography school in Diepkloof, Soweto. He is a selftaught photographer who is determined to teach others. Aside from this, Kumalo and his camera are always ready to go where the news is breaking. For him it is not a job, it is his life. There is no slowing Kumalo down and he will surely go down in history as gloriously as he has captured it.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-large wp-image-92" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/THE-BANG-BANG-CLUB-Ryan-Phillippe-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="316" />

Tag: Photojournalism

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

A Day In The Life Of…

Forbes Africa’s Best Photographs In 2019

“We live fast, we die young, and we leave a good-looking corpse”