A grandmother in a hut in rural South Africa and a granny in a house in a US suburb may have more in common than just their ages. Increasing numbers of grandparents are parenting again. This is because their own children have passed away. AIDS has been a top killer in Africa. In the West, ...
What is it like to get old in South Africa? It’s okay when the lights are on – but since late last year the country has been experiencing rolling blackouts known locally as “loadshedding”. Every block in the national grid has a 2-hour daily slot without power. So you listen to the radio or check your phone app to find out if loadshedding is on. If ...
My New Old Self decided to find out what it’s like to get old in the countryside. I visited the bucolic Ofafa Valley in South Africa’s province of KwaZulu Natal, described by author Alan Paton in his famous novel. “There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, ...
