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OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT CR RAMAPHOSA

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Open Letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa By Noko Maleka | Insight Jozi News   Happy Human Rights Month, Mr. President.   I extend this greeting with deliberate irony. Because while you and the ruling party celebrate speeches and lights inside Constitutional Hill, just meters away, elderly victims of apartheid sleep in plastic shelters, exposed to Johannesburg’s rain and winter.   These are not melodramatic South Africans seeking attention. They are men and women carrying wounds of bullets — some lodged in their heads, some in their legs. They are survivors who lost parents to apartheid soldiers, women who were repeatedly violated, families who bore the full brutality of a system declared a crime against humanity. Yet today, they are treated as if apartheid was merely a “social misunderstanding.”   Mr. President, you have never carried bullets in your body. You were never tortured by apartheid soldiers. Your life, by comparison, was mar...

“25 Years of Pain”: Why Are Apartheid Victims Still Begging for Justice in Democratic South Africa

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Apartheid Victims Still Sleeping Outside Constitutional Court Demanding Justice By Noko Maleka – Insight Jozi News More than two decades after the closure of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), survivors of apartheid-era human rights violations say they are still waiting for justice. Members of the Khulumani Galela Reparations Movement, many of them elderly victims and veterans of the liberation struggle, continue to protest outside the Constitutional Court of South Africa, demanding that the South African government honour promises of reparations and accountability. According to the movement, victims of apartheid-era crimes have spent decades appealing to government officials for meaningful reparations and justice, but their calls have largely gone unanswered. A Struggle That Did Not End in 1994 The activists argue that while South Africa transitioned into a democratic state, many victims of apartheid-era abuses never received closure. The TRC, established in th...

The Forgotten Orphans of Hillbrow

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  The Forgotten Orphans of Hillbrow A Story I Could Not Ignore By Noko Maleka | Insight Jozi News In the heart of Hillbrow, one of Johannesburg’s busiest and most misunderstood neighbourhoods, I encountered a story that changed the way I look at the word orphan. As a journalist and founder of Insight Jozi News, I spend most of my time telling the stories of Johannesburg and its people. But sometimes a story stops being something you simply report on — and becomes something you feel responsible for. That is what happened when I came to know the children of Malaika Orphanage. These children, known in the community as the Malaika kids, live in a privately run home that relies largely on the kindness of ordinary people. Spending time with them left me with a question I still struggle to answer: Why are some orphans fully supported by the system while others survive only through community compassion? Some of the children I met were born to undocumented migrants who later disappeared or ...

Ward 63 Court Case Postponed as Strong MK Party Presence Rallies Behind Mzwandile Ngema in Hillbrow

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⚖️ Ward 63 Case Postponed — Strong MK Party Presence Signals Growing Mobilisation in Hillbrow By Noko Maleka | Insight Jozi News | Johannesburg JOHANNESBURG – Although the Ward 63 assault case was postponed to 24 March 2026 due to the reported ill health of ANC councillor Xolani Khumalo, the atmosphere outside court told a powerful story of solidarity and political mobilisation. MK Party supporters arrived in strong and visible numbers , joined by members from multiple neighbouring wards. Their presence signalled growing political momentum ahead of the upcoming by-elections. 🔥 Energy, Solidarity and Determination Supporters gathered peacefully but firmly, expressing their determination to see the matter through. Chants of accountability and justice echoed outside court as community members stood united. One supporter told Insight Jozi News : “This is not just about one person. It is about the dignity of Ward 63 and protecting our community from injustice.” ⚡ Ngema...

Johannesburg Is Not “Decapitated” by Immigrants — It Is Strangled by Poor Governance

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INSIGHT JOZI NEWS insightjozinews.blogspot.com CITY OF Johannesburg’s Crisis Is Governance, Not Immigration My Response to  kenny kunene By Noko Maleka https://youtu.be/yxcFRkYYy2c?si=pwGQA2QKSuHA7tzZ There is a dangerous laziness in blaming society’s failures on the most vulnerable among us. It is the kind of intellectual shortcut that excites crowds, trends on social media, and temporarily distracts citizens from the real rot. But it is also the kind of rhetoric that history has always judged harshly. When Johannesburg is described as “dilapidated" because of illegal immigrants, we must pause — not because the statement is bold, but because it is profoundly misguided. To suggest that undocumented migrants are the architects of Johannesburg’s decline is not analysis. It is scapegoating. And I understand why such a belief may emerge. When leaders lose touch with the lived realities of ordinary residents, when they spend more time in political echo chambers...

Johannesburg’s Former Mayor Deliver a Second Act — or a Political Gamble?

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  Mashaba Returns: Can Johannesburg’s Former Mayor Deliver a Second Act — or a Political Gamble? By Noko Maleka | Insight Jozi News The possible return of Herman Mashaba as a mayoral candidate in Johannesburg has reignited political debate across the city, with residents, analysts, and business leaders asking the same question: can he do better this time? Mashaba, who previously led the city under the Democratic Alliance, is now preparing for a comeback under his own political movement, ActionSA. His warning to political “cadres” ahead of the mayoral race signals a campaign built on confrontation with entrenched interests and a renewed focus on governance. But Johannesburg is no longer the same city he once governed. A Mayor Who Built a Reputation on Delivery During his first term at the helm of the City of Johannesburg, Mashaba became one of the most visible and outspoken leaders in local government. His administration gained popularity among many residents for: Taking a ...

The Silent Weapon: How Narratives Built — and How I Intend to Rebuild — project Hillbrow

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 The Silent Weapon: Narratives have Built and Rebuilt- Project Hillbrow  By Noko Noko Maleka | Insight Jozi News There is a quiet force that shapes nations, defines communities, and determines how people see themselves long before policy, economics, or politics intervene. That force is narrative. “I have a view that the main catalyst behind our societal issues is narrative. Narrative creates perception — and perception determines the result.” For decades, global storytelling has subtly elevated certain societies while diminishing others. A repeated message becomes accepted truth. When one group is consistently portrayed as advanced, refined, and superior, and another as struggling, chaotic, and dependent, the psychological impact is inevitable: people begin to internalize those hierarchies. This is not always overt. It happens through images, headlines, conversations, and even jokes. A narrative becomes a silent weapon. And Africa, I believe, has long been on the receiving end...