Nyiko Speaks...

Feelings don’t lie You can never tell the heart what to do. It has a mind of its own. It is your compass, forever guiding you, and forever shielding you. The heart has your best interests at heart, at most times anyway (lol). Feelings don't lie. At times the heart and the mind find themselves at loggerheads; on opposite ends of the unseen battlefield where the heart wants what it wants and the mind too wants what it wants. The mind likes to think of itself as rational, logical, pragmatic, prefers to take calculated decisions and operates from that which can be seen by the naked eye. Important as the mind may be, the heart however is the essence of who you are. It is your authentic self—the core of your being. It is where all your dreams, your desires, and your passions live. It is that part of you that connects with God and other people. Important as the mind may be, I, myself accord a higher premium to the role of the heart vis-a-vis that of the

This is a celebratory piece, and entry to celebrate the place I call home. When people ask me where I am from, I seemingly always have two answers (in no particular order of precedence): Joburg seems to be the most obvious (since I lived in Soweto from birth until I was ten and then we moved to another part of Joburg. The second answer which I give is Mpumalanga, Bushbuckridge. I must admit I think that it is this answer which I find more fitting to the question, even though I did not grow up there. Bushbuckridge, in the lush green, mountainous and scenic province of Mpumalanga is where my dad, Jimmy Magondzweni Khoza is from. As my father’s child, it would logically follow that my genesis too stems from this jewel of a place. This place is home, and I will proudly declare it and shout it from the rooftops!! As I write this entry, my mom sister, niece and I are in Bushbuckridge. As we were driving to this cultural heartland, seeing the beautiful greenery, the ca