Friday, 14 August 2026

The Constitutional Court blocked Shell and Impact Africa’s offshore oil-and-gas exploration right off the Wild Coast, a major win for Eastern Cape coastal communities after years of legal challenge.

Somi described What Does It Take to Bloom? as her most personal record yet: shaped by moving, grief, and inward growth, with songs like “So You Want to Be a Woman” and “Sometimes Love” framing the album’s themes.

Somi said songmaking remains her first language and centre as an artist, even after theatre and film work; she also stressed patience, stillness and gratitude as key to creative growth.

The book segment focused on Women’s Month reads about gender violence and leadership, including Under Siege by Dr Zimbini Ogo and Hear Me Out by Lovelyn Bessie, plus a discussion of the “glass cliff” in corporate leadership.

Gabi Matuba will perform at the 27th Standard Bank Joy of Jazz on 25 September with the Kwantu Choir, presenting a stripped-down, spiritual set built around her catalogue and new material.