Latest news with #Issie
Eyewitness News
18-05-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Primedia CEO pays tribute to Issie Kirsh
Commenting on Kirsh's passing, Primedia CEO Jonathan Procter has paid tribute to his legacy: "By launching 702 in 1980, Issie Kirsh pioneered independent radio in South Africa. 702 was more than just a radio station saying; it was also an independent platform for a diversity of voices, with its independent Eyewitness News Service reflecting all opinions in the South African debate at a time in the country's history when alternative voices were heavily censored or banned outright.' 'Issie Kirsh was an entrepreneur who saw an opportunity to create 702. At the time, it was the only independent commercial radio station in what is now Gauteng. 702 started as a music radio station that broke the mould: it was fun, popular, and a huge commercial success,' said Procter. 'When the SABC poached 702's on-air talent and moved their Top 40 station to FM, Kirsh changed 702 into the talk radio station it is today. Its enormous success was the foundation on which Primedia was built.' Issie Kirsh, together with his son William, founded Primedia, one of South Africa's largest media companies. Under Kirsh's leadership, Primedia expanded its reach and influence, investing in a diverse array of media companies. Commenting on Kirsh's legacy, Primedia CEO Jonathan Procter said, '702 was a pioneer in its day, launched as the 'Rainbow of Sound', it was aimed at all South Africans in a deeply divided country. 702, thanks to Issie, was ahead of its time. 702 today, remains in service of its audience and is a radio station for South Africans of all backgrounds. We owe the Issie and the Kirsh family a huge debt of gratitude for supporting independent news media. It is even more important today with the endless onslaught of vested interests and unverified news on independent journalism, which is a cornerstone of any successful democracy.' 'Issie Kirsh was deeply motivated by serving his audience. In the initial stages of 702, he opened a walk-in crisis centre in Hillbrow and a Help Line for its listeners. 702 continues with Issie's legacy, encouraging its listeners to join the station in walking the talk to make a positive and constructive difference.' 'Issie's legacy of serving the community and making a difference in society continues today through the various Primedia companies, and is spearheaded by our 'Primedia Cares' initiative,' commented Procter. 'Our company and country are richer for Issie's contribution and the conversations that he enabled; we share our heartfelt condolences with his family and friends,' concluded Procter.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Teens take on 10k challenge after health struggles
Six teenagers who have faced life-changing health challenges are set to take part in the Great Manchester Run in wheelchairs. The group are preparing to complete the 10km (6.2 mile) race on Sunday with the support of staff from the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. Among them are Issie and Ayyub, who were admitted to hospital last year due to rare illnesses. The charity challenge will mark an important milestone in their recovery. In February 2024, Issie, 15, was admitted to hospital with a brain haemorrhage. "It caused me to be in ICU for a month and I've had three brain surgeries," she said. "When I was on ICU they didn't think I would be able to walk." Issie was recently discharged but continues to undergo intense rehab as an outpatient to relearn how to walk. "I can't walk the whole 10km because of fatigue but I am going to do the last 1km on my own," said the 15-year-old. Ayyub, 16, who is an inpatient, was admitted to hospital in March 2024 with acute flaccid myelitis, a rare condition that affects the spinal cord. "I developed like a little bit of a cold, which ended up leaving me paralysed," he said. "The cold I had ended up attacking my whole spinal cord, leaving me in ICU for three months. "Doctors said that I was going to be ventilated for the rest of my life, but I ended up getting my breathing back so I've become a lot stronger since then. It's a life-changing experience." Ayyub is hoping to self-propel his wheelchair across the Great Manchester Run finish line. Emily Davies, a specialist paediatric physio at the hospital, said: "All of our patients are incredibly inspiring and incredibly resilient brave people and I definitely feel inspired by my patients." The team are raising money for the hospital's youth service, which they all used during their time as patients. Molly Bradley, a youth worker at the hospital, said: "What we're providing is someone to speak to, a safe adult they can talk to about all the difficulties that come with being in a hospital. "Being a teenager is tough at any time of their life, but being a teenager in hospital and not getting to go and see your friends and do everything that everyone else is doing can be really upsetting for young people." Ayyub said: "The money for the trust will be the best thing because the youth service has helped a lot with my mental health in general." Issie said this was a cause close to heart as "the money will go to help other young people". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
17-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Teenagers take on Great Manchester Run after health struggles
Six teenagers who have faced life-changing health challenges are set to take part in the Great Manchester Run in group are preparing to complete the 10km (6.2 mile) race on Sunday with the support of staff from the Royal Manchester Children's them are Issie and Ayyub, who were admitted to hospital last year due to rare charity challenge will mark an important milestone in their recovery. In February 2024, Issie, 15, was admitted to hospital with a brain haemorrhage."It caused me to be in ICU for a month and I've had three brain surgeries," she said."When I was on ICU they didn't think I would be able to walk."Issie was recently discharged but continues to undergo intense rehab as an outpatient to relearn how to walk."I can't walk the whole 10km because of fatigue but I am going to do the last 1km on my own," said the 15-year-old. Ayyub, 16, who is an inpatient, was admitted to hospital in March 2024 with acute flaccid myelitis, a rare condition that affects the spinal cord."I developed like a little bit of a cold, which ended up leaving me paralysed," he said."The cold I had ended up attacking my whole spinal cord, leaving me in ICU for three months."Doctors said that I was going to be ventilated for the rest of my life, but I ended up getting my breathing back so I've become a lot stronger since then. It's a life-changing experience."Ayyub is hoping to self-propel his wheelchair across the Great Manchester Run finish Davies, a specialist paediatric physio at the hospital, said: "All of our patients are incredibly inspiring and incredibly resilient brave people and I definitely feel inspired by my patients." The team are raising money for the hospital's youth service, which they all used during their time as Bradley, a youth worker at the hospital, said: "What we're providing is someone to speak to, a safe adult they can talk to about all the difficulties that come with being in a hospital."Being a teenager is tough at any time of their life, but being a teenager in hospital and not getting to go and see your friends and do everything that everyone else is doing can be really upsetting for young people."Ayyub said: "The money for the trust will be the best thing because the youth service has helped a lot with my mental health in general."Issie said this was a cause close to heart as "the money will go to help other young people". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Daily Maverick
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
Horror of 1966 Free State murders rendered in remarkable forensic detail
True-crime series Niggies tells the story of the rape and murder of two 12-year-olds in 1966 Free State. It's excellent, if harrowing, viewing. The nine-part true-crime series Niggies (Cousins) is a gripping South African stand-out addition to this popular genre. The disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith was the real-time backdrop for the release on 25 March on DStv Streaming (scheduled for later on Showmax) of Niggies, set in the northern Free State goldfields in 1966. The media frenzy, the fear that rippled through the community and the hunting down of suspects in Free State's Odendaalsrus is redolent of events in the Middelpos informal settlement in Diazville, Saldanha Bay, when Joshlin vanished. Two cousins, Issie Fourie and Petro Nel, both 12, disappeared after leaving to swim at the municipal pool. Later, after a massive search by police and residents, the girls were found in an abandoned building, bound, each with a shot to the back of the head. Police confirmed both girls had been violently raped. The horror Though 58 years separate the Smith and Fourie-Nel cases, they captured national attention because of the horror of these stories. The National Party, with HF Verwoerd as its leader, won a comprehensive victory in 1966, strengthening the power of the ruling party. It gained a two-thirds majority in Parliament. District Six in Cape Town was declared 'white' and in September, Communist Party member and messenger Dimitri Tsafendas assassinated Verwoerd. Niggies unpicks, in remarkable forensic detail, the impact of the tragedy of the girls' rape and murder. Lives were shattered while the case remained unsolved for 18 years. What makes Niggies – directed by the multi-award-winning innovator Jaco Bouwer – truly remarkable is the depth of the research that went into making it. Willem van der Merwe is the grandson of Gustaff and Maks Fouché, relatives of the victims and one of the families that was drawn into the triangle of intrigue, speculation and rumour. Van der Merwe hit the mother lode when he discovered old rolls of film in 2020. Several reels of 8mm film had been stored in an old school suitcase (which, it turned out, had belonged to Issie, one of the murdered cousins). Van der Merwe is the son of Poppie, daughter of Gustaff and Maks, who was six when the murders took place. The film was shot by Issie's father, Dries (Jacques Bessenger), and kept safe by his son André (played by Beer Adriaanse as the older André and stunning newcomer Janru Steenkamp as the teenager). Stellar performances Wolflight Pictures with Roelof Storm, Willem van der Merwe and Gideon Lombard produced the series, which is the first television series script by celebrated writers Saartjie Botha and Philip Rademeyer. It is edge-of-the-seat viewing. Issie's mother, Marie Fourie (Tinarie van Wyk Loots), blamed André for leaving the two girls alone at the pool to cycle around town that afternoon. André later became a police officer, vowing to catch his sister's killer/s. He died in 2010. The footage he stashed, which Van der Merwe found, delivered a goldmine of images and footage of the stunned families, and included the bloody crime scene and the sombre public funeral. Two characters helplessly drawn in by circumstance are live-in domestic worker Sophie (Peggy Tunyiswa) and farm hand Samuel Ndungane (Mbulelo Grootboom).Their portrayals are searing, as the actors are required to embody the silent burden of individuals whose own lives are in deep turmoil and plagued by poverty and loss. Prior to the cousins' decision to swim, we see Sophie serving the three families who have gathered at the large Nel home, a centrifugal point for relatives and friends. The world outside Van Wyk Loots renders a wounded and helpless Marie, who grew up in an orphanage and has just fled violence on the mines in Zambia. Her anxious and absent husband, Dries, is still en route. Marie relentlessly orders Sophie around as she quietly busies herself with chores while it dawns on all that the girls have vanished. In an early episode, a distressed child, Nthabiseng (Ropa Tatiana), sits with Sophie as she hangs up the family's laundry. The little girl is her daughter, too young to be separated from her mother but about to be sent 'back home' to live with family. The wonderful Grootboom perfectly captures Samuel's bewilderment when he is first suspected of the heinous crimes, alongside Gustaff Fouché (played with solemnity and dignity by Albert Pretorius). Fouché is targeted by other family members who regard him as 'lower class'. It is a strong writing and directional decision to insert, as a simmering subplot, Sophie, who must console and feed these families while dealing with her own longing and grief. It provides unspoken depth to the tragedy and its retelling. This is a large, accomplished ensemble cast who come to sombre life in cinematographer Chris Lotz's gorgeous Free State 1960 Kodachrome palette. Episode seven will be broadcast on 6 May on kykNET. You can binge previous episodes on DStv Stream. The show is in Afrikaans with excellent English subtitles. DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
