Through Made with Rural, some of the farmers have supply contracts with Dew Crisp, a South African fresh produce provider. © Leeko Makoene

FARMING is second nature to South African Leeko Makoene. She grew up in a village near Mahikeng in South Africa’s North-West Province, surrounded by small-scale farmers, including her grandfather.

Girls practice self defence methods during a session with NGO Action Breaks Silence (ABS) called ‘Empowerment through self-defence for women and girls’ which aims to create a world free form fear of gender based violence, at Mbuyisa Makhubu Primary School in the are of Orlando West, in the South African township of Soweto, on October 10, 2018.

In a classroom in the South African township of Soweto, girls listen carefully, knowing they need to learn how to avoid the threat of rape that hangs over their daily lives.

“You are going to pretend that it is the rapist’s testicles,” says trainer Dimakatso Monokoli, holding out a padded targ

Winnie Mandela was a woman who was fearless, defiant, and strong-willed, a woman who refused to be silenced. At times, she was subjected to hellish torture. Later, she often found herself in the midst of political controversy and scandals. A negative image of this South African heroine emerged in the world.

International Women’s Day is that time of year when the women of this world get a whole entire day dedicated to gender equality, and this year it was about pushing for progress in the work place. Excuse me if I’m a little jaded, but after a series of interviews with young professional women trying to crack the glass ceiling and secure leadership positions, it seems their dreams are somewhat a pie in the sky, as their challenges keep increasing.

Diabetes and high blood pressure cannot hinder these ladies from going to their boxclub “Boxing Gogo”. They trained twice a week to stay fit. The grandmothers, many of whom are over 70 have been training with coach Claude Maphosa and claim that they no longer suffer from the ailments they had before, and are stronger than ever.

Read also Rolling with the punches

I grew up in Apartheid South Africa, but I also experienced it change into a democracy.

It’s really crazy how the system of apartheid didn’t just oppress people based on the color of their skin, but also turned ethnic groups against another. White supremacy also fueled the way we perceived beauty. I remember, year after year, watching Miss South Africa beauty pageants and being in awe as tall, white and blonde women almost always became the prized queens of the pageant. And I remember how ugly it made me feel that I would never be considered ‘beautiful’ if beauty pageants, Barbie dolls and models on the covers of magazines were anything to go by.

Südafrika Boxende Omas – 77 year-old Gladys Ngwenya (L) winces as she chews on a piece of ginger before a “Boxing Gogos” (Grannies) session hosted by the A Team Gym in Cosmo City in Johannesburg on September 19, 2017.

South Africa is a country riddled with crime and corruption, negative press reports and many of the issues that tend to plague developing countries. But there is also another side to the coin, one that sheds light on the hope and courage of its people who get up each morning and attempt to make a difference on the lives of people who surround them. Former bodybuilder and fitness instructor Claude Maphosa pulls no punches when it comes to uplifting his community.