Artisanal and small-scale mining, or ASM, is a largely informal economic sector that includes workers around the world who use basic tools to extract from the earth everything from gold and gemstones to vital metals such as cobalt, tin, tungsten and tantalum.

As long as the world demands these products, artisanal miners will continue to dig for the minerals they require, often under dangerous, exploitative conditions that include child labour and other human rights abuses. Artisanal mining is an important driver of development in communities from Africa to Asia, where there are often few other opportunities available for generating income.

We spoke to Zethu Hlatswayo, Spokesperson of the National Association of Artisanal Miners.

Artisanal and small-scale mining, or ASM, is a largely informal economic sector that includes workers around the world who use basic tools to extract from the earth everything from gold and gemstones to vital metals such as cobalt, tin, tungsten and tantalum.
As long as the world demands these products, artisanal miners will continue to dig for the minerals they require, often under dangerous, exploitative conditions that include child labour and other human rights abuses. Artisanal mining is an important driver of development in communities from Africa to Asia, where there are often few other opportunities available for generating income.
We spoke to Zethu Hlatswayo, Spokesperson of the National Association of Artisanal Miners.

Serious and topical issues on continent, breaking stories.

Serious and topical issues on continent, breaking stories.

The Upside

Artisanal Mining in South Africa and the men and women behind it

After keeping fans waiting for new music since her album Rebirth, Kelly Khumalo is back with her first single of 2026, Merry Go Round. The song takes its name from a relationship that found itself stuck in a cycle, not really moving forward but not quite coming to an end either. Written from her own experience and composed by Congolese producer David Matunda, Kelly turns that familiar feeling of asking, “Where is this actually going?” into a new song.
With ten studio albums behind her and a career that has moved across Afro pop, gospel and jazz, Kelly has always told her stories in her own way. Merry Go Round marks the start of another chapter, and it comes directly from what her fans have been asking for: new music. The single is out now on major streaming platforms, with Kelly also teasing upcoming tours and live concerts across South Africa.

After keeping fans waiting for new music since her album Rebirth, Kelly Khumalo is back with her first single of 2026, Merry Go Round. The song takes its name from a relationship that found itself stuck in a cycle, not really moving forward but not quite coming to an end either. Written from her own experience and composed by Congolese producer David Matunda, Kelly turns that familiar feeling of asking, &ldquo;Where is this actually going?&rdquo; into a new song. With ten studio albums behind her and a career that has moved across Afro pop, gospel and jazz, Kelly has always told her stories in her own way. Merry Go Round marks the start of another chapter, and it comes directly from what her fans have been asking for: new music. The single is out now on major streaming platforms, with Kelly also teasing upcoming tours and live concerts across South Africa.

Kelly Khumalo is back, and this time the story behind the song is personal

What happens when a fight for affordable housing becomes a six-year battle that reaches all the way to the Constitutional Court? That is the story at the heart of Mother City, a documentary following Cape Town’s Reclaim the City activists and their fight over the old Tafelberg School site on the Atlantic Seaboard. Now, after years of screenings at festivals around the world, the film is coming to cinemas across South Africa from the 1st of October, giving audiences the chance to experience this story on the big screen.
Mother City will be the first documentary to screen as part of Ster-Kinekor’s new strand celebrating classic and local film Directed by Miki Redelinghuys along with Pearlie Joubert, the film takes audiences inside the activism, legal battles and courtroom drama surrounding the Tafelberg site. Its timing is particularly striking following the Constitutional Court’s July 2026 ruling that declared the sale of the property unlawful.

What happens when a fight for affordable housing becomes a six-year battle that reaches all the way to the Constitutional Court? That is the story at the heart of Mother City, a documentary following Cape Town&rsquo;s Reclaim the City activists and their fight over the old Tafelberg School site on the Atlantic Seaboard. Now, after years of screenings at festivals around the world, the film is coming to cinemas across South Africa from the 1st of October, giving audiences the chance to experience this story on the big screen. Mother City will be the first documentary to screen as part of Ster-Kinekor&rsquo;s new strand celebrating classic and local film Directed by Miki Redelinghuys along with Pearlie Joubert, the film takes audiences inside the activism, legal battles and courtroom drama surrounding the Tafelberg site. Its timing is particularly striking following the Constitutional Court&rsquo;s July 2026 ruling that declared the sale of the property unlawful.

From a six-year housing battle to the big screen, how Mother City captures the fight for land and justice in Cape Town

The way South Africans are buying property is changing, and some of the old rules around home ownership are being rewritten. Women now account for 52% of properties registered to single owners in South Africa, and that figure rises to almost 70% when joint ownership is included. We are also seeing younger buyers approach property differently, with friends and siblings buying together and more people choosing to rent where they want to live while investing in a property somewhere else.
So, is the traditional idea of buying your first home still the goal or are buyers becoming much more strategic about how they get there Bradd Bendall, National Head of Sales of BetterBond, has been looking closely at these shifts and what they mean for both buyers and the businesses trying to serve them. From women entering the property market earlier, to younger investors looking at property as a steppingstone rather than simply a place to live.

The way South Africans are buying property is changing, and some of the old rules around home ownership are being rewritten. Women now account for 52% of properties registered to single owners in South Africa, and that figure rises to almost 70% when joint ownership is included. We are also seeing younger buyers approach property differently, with friends and siblings buying together and more people choosing to rent where they want to live while investing in a property somewhere else. So, is the traditional idea of buying your first home still the goal or are buyers becoming much more strategic about how they get there Bradd Bendall, National Head of Sales of BetterBond, has been looking closely at these shifts and what they mean for both buyers and the businesses trying to serve them. From women entering the property market earlier, to younger investors looking at property as a steppingstone rather than simply a place to live.

Artisanal Mining in South Africa and the men and women behind it

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