Real and Raw

  By Khanyisile Makhanya In Eswatini, many young people are glued to their phones day and night. Social media has gone beyond fun and turned into a serious problem, affecting how they sleep, study, and feel. Sadly, this is often ignored by adults who don’t see the full damage. In her quiet bedroom in Mbabane, 19-year-old Luyanda Makhanya lies awake, scrolling on her phone. “I always say I’ll stop after ten minutes, but I end up staying on TikTok for hours. I can’t stop myself,” she says with a tired voice. Luyanda’s experience is common among young people countrywide, what began as harmless entertainment has become a serious issue nowadays. Social media addiction is growing quietly and it is hurting the learning and emotions of many teenagers.                               Luyanda trapped in a moment of joy Young people across Eswatini are spending a lot of time on social media every day...

By: Noncedo Nkonyane   One mud and thick room on the edge of Manzini a mother wakes up every day, with seven children by her side, one of them is disabled. With no job, no food, no husband but only disability grant to survive but still manages to smile. Nozipho Hlanze is 42 years old mother of seven children, living in mud and stick one room house in Luhlokohla, Manzini. Her youngest son Ntokozo was born with condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy which requires daily care. Other families worry about what they will wear tomorrow but Nozipho’s concern is, “what will we eat today?” Nozipho never enjoyed life, she lost her husband 2017 after a long illness and life forced him to return back home. She does not have a job, education or qualifications. She moved back home and stayed with her uncle hoping to find work, but Ntokozo’s condition make things even harder, “I am always called for interviews, but who will watch Ntokozo because he can’t walk and eat by himself. He needs me ever...