ON THE BEAT! – DANIELLE BARKHUIZEN
“Dance like nobody’s watching,” William W. Purkey said. Danielle Barkhuizen does - then turns the lights up, cues the chorus, and gets everyone else moving too. The daughter of a pastor and a dance instructor, she learned early that life has a rhythm and community has a pulse. Afternoons slid straight from school to studio; [...]
PERSONAL LEGEND – THINA MADUBELA
Thina Madubela’s story feels like a chapter lifted straight from The Alchemist - a journey of quiet courage, unexpected encounters, and the pursuit of a personal legend that begins not in some far-off land, but in Colesberg, Northern Cape. She was raised between towns - her parents in Mthatha, and her schooling in Colesberg - [...]
HOME COMFORTS | ANICA
Some people dream of making headlines. Anica dreams of making macaroni and cheese — preferably with her family around the table and The Sound of Music playing softly in the background. Because for Anica, comfort isn’t laziness; it’s fuel. It’s what fills the tank so she can show up to work, bring her A-game, and [...]
Wees Vergenoegd | Renette Badenhorst
Some people bring solutions to the table. Renette Badenhorst brings snacks, music, sisterhood, and the red lipstick of resilience. Raised in a warm and noisy Bloemfontein household that overflowed with music, braais, and laughter, Renette is the kind of person who turns any gathering into a memory. Her childhood wasn’t just rich in energy - [...]
The Quiet Advantage | S’bonelo Mposula
In The Introvert Advantage, Marti Olsen Laney writes that introverts are like rechargeable batteries: they need quiet to refuel, reflection to find clarity, and inner conviction to act. That description could easily double as a job spec for S’bonelo Mposula - Dispute Resolution Official by title, quiet powerhouse by nature. S’bonelo’s quietness isn’t a lack [...]
ENDLESS LOVE | FAHEQA ADAM
When your mother lives with renal failure for ten years, you learn more than medical terminology - you learn strength, perseverance, and the quiet dignity of facing each day with purpose. Just as a person with renal failure relies on external support like dialysis to do what the body cannot, Faheqa Adam grew up understanding [...]
FIREPROOF RESOLVE | ELZET FRANCK
Elzet Franck’s journey in dispute resolution is as enduring and inspiring as the story told in Fireproof - a tale of resilience, unwavering commitment, and a spark that refuses to be extinguished. Just as Fireproof reminds us that love can withstand the fiercest of flames, Elzet’s approach to her work has been shaped by a [...]
LEDGERS AND LATE NIGHTS
Long before spreadsheets and balance sheets became part of her daily routine, Antoinette Vogel spent her childhood dozing off under an office desk in an old-age home, lulled to sleep by the quiet hum of her mother working through the night. Her mother, a dedicated night nurse, often brought Antoinette and her younger sister along [...]
The Surprise Symphony | Lee-Ann Venter
Joseph Haydn, the “Father of the Symphony,” had a knack for keeping his audience engaged. During the premiere of his Surprise Symphony, he noticed the crowd nodding off during the gentle second movement. Rather than letting them drift into slumber, Haydn inserted a sudden, loud chord - enough to make everyone sit upright and pay [...]
Waiting at the Gate | Edith Masupa
In the village of Ga-Phooko, there was a special kind of magic that hung in the air whenever Edith Masupa’s father returned home from faraway Johannesburg. As a general worker at Wits University, he didn’t come home every day, but when he did, it was an event the whole family anticipated. Edith and her siblings [...]
Striking the Right Chord | Joanie Prinsloo
🎶 "In harmony with justice, keeping time with the law, Joanie Prinsloo’s story strikes a chord that stands for all." 🎶 Joanie Prinsloo’s journey from the orchestra to the courtroom might seem like an unusual path, but her life has always been about hitting the right notes, both in music and in law. Born and [...]
A Series of Fortunate Events | Riyaadh Vally
Riyaadh Vally’s journey as a dispute resolution official has been anything but a series of unfortunate events. In fact, his path has been marked by a mix of resilience, creativity, and a knack for finding solutions, no matter how complex the situation – all qualities that would have served him well as a character in [...]