Writing samples
Below you will find a selection of news stories ad features I have written for my clients. Click on the image for the full version of the story.
Socioeconomic inequality threat to transformation S-Africa (I-Net Bridge): Poverty and high levels of inequality are detrimental to South Africa's process of racial integration and reconciliation, the 2010 South African Reconciliation Barometer pointed out. The report measures the public's attitudes towards political & socioeconomic transformation and how these impact reconciliation in post-Apartheid South Africa.
Finding the calmth within the storm (Mobility Magazine): In 2010 I traveled to Hong Kong an China. One of the stories I wrote (December issue Mobility Magazine - South Africa) revolved around public transport in Hong Kong. Topics covered: the bus system, the electric trams, the ferry service, and my experiences as a pedestrian. I provided the photographs too.
Dewani murder seen having minimal impact on SA tourism (I-Net Bridge): I wrote this story on the Dewani murder case for I-Net Bridge (December 2010) on the possible impact of the Dewani murder case on South Africa's tourism industry. According to tourism experts, government officials, and locals the consequences will be minimal.
Africa: Cervical Cancer Strikes Poor Women Hardest (Inter Press Service): Of the 490,000 women worldwide who are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, 80 percent live in the developing world. Every year, 55,000 women in sub-Saharan Africa alone develop this disease, which is ten times more likely to affect women living with this virus.
Angola: an exigent country with enormous potential (I-Net Bridge): Angola's boom period from 2005 to 2008 might be over but within two years the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to outpace the GDPs of its two main economic rivals. Doing business in Africa's third largest economy however, is not for the faint-hearted.
Electrifying African Interest in Renewable Energy (Inter Press Service): Various countries in East Africa are making progress in moving from a carbon-based electricity network to a cleaner power grid. "We are not there yet, but countries are starting to take the bull by the horns," said renewable energy consultant Mark Hankins during the Africa Energy Week which was held in Cape Town, South Africa.
Diamonds are a girl's best fiend (Leadership Magazine): Diamonds may be regarded as a girl’s best friend; to others, they are a downright nightmare. All across the African continent, these precious stones – the symbol of eternal love and devotion – are being, or have been used, to fuel cross-border armed conflicts and civil war. Liberia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for instance. However, blood or conflict diamonds are also found much closer to home.
Critics Welcome Rejection of Genetically Altered Potato (AllAfrica.com): The rejection of a permit application for the release in South Africa of a GM potato has received a standing ovation from the African Centre of Biodiversity. The SpuntaG2 contains a protein that kills the caterpillar of the Potato Tuber Moth (PTM), a pest which is believed to be responsible for losses of up to R40 million to the South African potato industry.
Making all the right noises (Leadership): One of the things for which the 2010 World Cup will be remembered, is the vuvuzela. Loathed by some and loved by others, the notorious plastic horn took he world by a deafening storm. From Cape Town to Amsterdam, from Sydney to New York, from Rio to Seoul: during the World Cup, the vuvuzela seemed to be omnipresent. The man responsible for this rage is Cape Town’s Neil van Schalkwyk.
No end of carbon era in sight (I-Net Bridge): While the opportunities for renewable energy in Africa are tremendous, the continent will continue to rely heavily on fossil fuels. This was one of the main messages of the opening address of the 2010 edition of the Africa Energy Week which is taking place in Cape Town.
First-ever refined Ugandan oil products in 2013/14 (I-Net Bridge): British oil company Tullow says it is expecting the first commercial oil and gas production from the Nzizi oil field in Uganda around the last quarter of next year. "This event and other developments in the Lake Albert Rift Basin will change the economy of Uganda", said Tullow geoscientist Paul Burden.
More writing samples to be uploaded soon!
