Nyiko Speaks...

I feel like I must have won top prize when God was handing out older sisters. I feel like I won the jackpot in the sister lotto!!  I really could not asked for a better sister!!! Five years my senior, she plays the older sister role very well..I really don't know what would have become of me without her...no I'm serious I mean that lol. Like all that she is and all the the things she does with such zeal and love is really beyond me!  Where would I even start? Or maybe let start me with how she bowled me over today and then  I will see what other stories I can manage to fit into this blog entry. Ok so as we speak (or is it as is write?) well anyway... I am on a flight to New York. I had such a busy day. I had planned to leave the office early at about midday, go to the shops quickly, go home and start packing. I eventually only managed to leave the office at 4pm...that did not leave me anytime to go via the shops so I had made peace with the fact that I would just head home

Freedom.  The word carries so much meaning, especially in societies that have have waged war in the name of Freedom. My beloved South Africa is no different. Just like any other country, South Africa has experienced decades and decades of colonialism as is conventionally understood. The country also experienced a colonialism of a "special" kind in the form of apartheid, with the coming to power of the National Party in 1948.  Many men and women, most notably from the largest NGO in South Africa, the African National Congress sacrificed a lot to contribute to the concerted effort to topple the inhumane and unjust system that saw the majority of the peoples of this land treated like the scum of the earth. Both those who had gone into exile and those that had remained to fight the system from within deserve a special bow.  Today, we celebrate the youth of 1976. We salute the class of  1976 for having the courage to challenge the unjust system,that saw the African child re

A few weeks ago, I received a watsapp message from a very good friend of mine telling me that her aunt had passed on to glory. Even though I had never met her, I knew about her and what a big role she had played in my friend, Dimakasto's upbringing and life in general.  I met Dimakatso in 2008, where we were both interns at the same department. We hit if off immediately. I have a pretty good idea why we hit the ground running! Dima, as I call her, is woman of faith, a daughter of the Most High God. So when our paths crossed, I knew that I had found a sister in Christ!  Over the years that we have known each other, there have been extended periods of time where we have not seen each other, but the fact that we share the very same foundation, has kept our friendship alive! After the service, on 20 April 2014, I met her siblings and other family members and it actually felt like I had known these people for as long as I had know Dima. Such a warm family. I ended up spending the af