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Daily Maverick
11-08-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
Trailblazer at 74: Princess Anne-Sheilah Makhado's inspiring journey in nursing and advocacy
With humour, warmth and steely resolve, Princess Anne-Sheilah Makhado speaks to Spotlight about her long journey as a nurse, of creating solutions in the public health system, and her burning passion for motivating women and girls to unlock their talents. Princess Anne-Sheilah Makhado has worn many hats: that of midwife, professional nurse, motivational speaker, farmer, seamstress, mother and author. Her latest achievement was graduating last year with a PhD in advanced nursing science from the University of Venda at the age of 74. And Makhado is still learning. She recently returned home to Louis Trichardt in Limpopo armed with fresh insight after a month in Beijing visiting her son, who is teaching English in China. 'In China, I observed a lot,' she says. 'It's peaceful and very clean. I've never seen such beautiful red roses right in town, and no one steals these roses. And the elderly there, no one I saw was limping; people are working and they have purpose.' Reflecting on this, she recalls telling her group of retirees in Louis Trichardt that if they want to stay healthy, they need to make an effort to exercise more and keep busy. Keeping busy has been a hallmark of Makhado's life. Fittingly, she describes herself as 'results oriented' and 'thirsty'. She adds: 'I ask God to send me where there is a need.' Makhado's competing priorities came to a head in 2015, when she applied for a Master of Nursing course at the University of Venda. She was 65 at the time. 'The dean said: 'I can't take you' and I said: 'Why?' And she said: 'You got 59.8 marks for your Honours degree.'' This is just below the 60% minimum typically required to qualify for a Master's programme. Looking back, Makhado explains that during her Honours studies, which she completed in 2010, she was also juggling a demanding role as nursing services manager at Midlands Provincial Hospital in Graaff-Reinet, a position she held for six years. 'I had been running an institution where I found nursing issues to not be up to a good standard,' she recalls. The rejection hit hard. 'I cried then, I cried like a baby,' she says. 'Then in 2017, I went back to the university, and I said: 'I am back to repeat my Honours now'.' She completed the degree a second time, earning her graduation in 2018. That same year, she enrolled for her Master's, which she completed in 2020. Child-headed households Her Master's research, which focused on the experiences of child-headed households, was inspired by her work with a non-profit organisation she founded in 2018 called Voice of the Voiceless. Building on this, her PhD explored strategies to improve support for these children. She interviewed 15 child heads of households, aged 14 to 19, along with 15 of their relatives, and conducted additional focus group discussions within the community. 'Many of these children, when asked about their parents, would say: 'We heard that our mother died but we're not sure when, we don't even have a picture of our mum.' And many of them didn't know their father,' she says. A key finding in Makhado's research was a need to educate men around family values. 'That's why, in my recommendations, I said there should be man-to-man programmes because men are [conceiving] children and leaving the children there. Men must learn to take care of their children. Not just dump the mother with the baby. Then the mother has HIV and dies — and the children?' Another key recommendation was that traditional leaders should play a greater role in caring for orphaned children. 'I went to the traditional leaders, and I said: 'You are a traditional leader. What are you doing for these children? You need to have a list of the children who are heading families in your area, and you must visit them.'' With high crime rates, alcohol and drug use, and some child-headed homes unable to secure their doors, Makhado also questioned the role of the community policing forum. '[A]re they aware that these children must be protected and kept safe? The drug sellers know there are no parents and know they can abuse these kids.' Reflecting on conditions in these communities, she says: 'It is painful my darling, traumatic.' From Sophiatown to Limpopo and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Makhado grew up in a tightly-knit family. The second born of seven siblings, soon after her birth in Johannesburg's Sophiatown in 1950, the family moved to Sibasa in Limpopo where her father worked for the then Native Affairs Department and her mother was a school teacher. 'My mother was so neat and clean and organised,' she says. 'My mother taught us never to take no for an answer and to never settle for less.' After attending Shingwedzi Secondary School, she trained and worked first as a teacher, then as a typist. But one day entering a hospital, she recalls: 'I saw the crisp white uniforms, my heart bled and I knew this is what I wanted.' At 27, she started her Diploma in Nursing at the then Groothoek Nursing College in Polokwane, moving to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto to specialise in midwifery. She says her first job as a nursing sister in Baragwanath's buzzing casualty and neurology sections was 'wonderful, really'. Chuckling, Makhado recalls how one patient grew so enamoured with her, that she suggested Makhado marry her brother: 'So the guy was invited to come and meet me. But he was a short guy and I was not interested in short guys.' How does one become a good nurse? 'Nursing starts with you,' she says. 'The question is: 'How would you like to be treated when you are ill?'' In 1984, Makhado moved back to Limpopo to Elim Hospital and then to the former Transvaal Provincial Hospital — which is now the Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital — as a clinic sister supervisor, with tasks including managing mobile clinics in the area. 'Working directly with the vulnerable and disadvantaged, women working on farms from a tender age, carrying their babies, I felt a strong need to empower them,' she says. Another issue close to her heart is children with special needs. In 1998, Makhado says she helped set up Tshilwavhusiku Razwimisani, a special needs school for children 25km outside of Louis Trichardt. 'I used to visit schools in that area and picked up so many children who had some type of disability.' As a results-orientated person, she says she couldn't turn a blind eye to this. 'So we sat down and identified an area where we could start a school for the mentally challenged.' Makhado says Tshilwavhusiku Razwimisani started with just 30 pupils and volunteers, including mothers preparing meals. Today, the provincial education department is running the school, which has 298 learners. 'There are moments where I feel like crying. We started from nothing,' she says. Training nurses in Graaff Reinet In 2008, Makhado became the nursing services manager at Midlands Provincial Hospital in Graaff Reinet, in the Eastern Cape. 'There was a lot of unemployment, and many young people would say to me they wanted to do nursing,' she says. But the challenge was the nursing colleges were far away in Mthatha or Gqeberha. The solution came to her: starting a nursing training college at the hospital. 'So I applied to the South African Nursing Council in 2010. Oh, and God has been wonderful, the college was approved in 2012. The next challenge was, where do I get the structures where the school would operate?' Makhado says she then negotiated with the provincial Department of Public Works to renovate buildings for student nurses' accommodation, and with the then mayor of Camdeboo Local Municipality, Hanna Makoba, to secure classrooms. 'I used to go out to furniture shops and ask for whatever furniture… for the nurses,' she recalls. This would become the Midlands Hospital Nursing School, today still an accredited institution within the Eastern Cape health system. During our interview, she checks the spelling of Makoba's name on her phone, saying they have kept in touch. The Master Lock Key Upon retiring from the public sector at Midlands Hospital in 2013, Makhado returned to Louis Trichardt where she focused on motivational speaking, continuing her community outreach work and studies. She also wrote a book called The Master Lock Key. 'It has been and will always be in my deepest innermost thoughts that women are the backbone of the nation. If women can learn to stand firmly in great numbers and become more assertive in issues that concern themselves, their families and the nation, I believe there will be a better future,' she wrote. Makhado is divorced and a mother of three children: two daughters and a son, and three grandchildren. When she struggled to make ends meet on a nursing salary, she says she sewed for extra income. 'My mother, when we grew up, she used to show us how to sew. She gave me that skill. So when times were tough, I did some sewing. I used to produce track suits for schools. When I came back from working as a nurse, I would take out my sewing machines.' Makhado relays how farming and growing food has been another enduring joy. Presently, she heads gardening projects that supply the Spar in Louis Trichardt with spinach, beetroot and garlic. 'It's quite amazing,' she says. 'I encourage all, I urge women and girls, let us work and fight poverty and hunger instead of idleness and being dependent. Women have this dependency syndrome. I said: 'Oh no, we cannot go on like this!'' As our conversation draws to a close, Makhado underscores South Africa's need for women leaders, saying that 'anything is within a woman's power'. She adds: 'This country needs women's listening ears and caring touch, but also thinkers, risk takers. Risk is the spice of life. What we women can achieve is virtually limitless.' DM
TimesLIVE
08-08-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
With a PhD at 74, this veteran nurse is still leading with grace and grit
With humour, warmth and steely resolve, Princess Anne-Sheilah Makhado speaks to Spotlight about her long journey as a nurse, of creating solutions in the public health system and her burning passion for motivating women and girls to unlock their talents. Princess Anne-Sheilah Makhado has worn many hats: that of midwife, professional nurse, motivational speaker, farmer, seamstress, mother and author. Her latest achievement was graduating last year with a PhD in advanced nursing science from the University of Venda at the age of 74. And Makhado is still learning. She recently returned home to Louis Trichardt in Limpopo armed with fresh insight after a month in Beijing visiting her son who is teaching English in China. 'In China, I observed a lot,' she says. 'It's peaceful and very clean. I've never seen such beautiful red roses right in town, and no-one steals these roses. And the elderly there, no-one I saw was limping; people are working and they have purpose.' Reflecting on this, she recalls telling her group of retirees in Louis Trichardt that if they want to stay healthy, they need to make an effort to exercise more and keep busy. Keeping busy has been a hallmark of Makhado's life. Fittingly, she describes herself as 'results oriented' and 'thirsty'. She adds: 'I ask God to send me where there is a need.' Makhado's competing priorities came to a head in 2015, when she applied for a Master of Nursing course at the University of Venda. She was 65 at the time. 'The dean said: 'I can't take you,' and I said: 'Why?' And she said: 'You got 59.8% marks for your Honours degree.'' This is just below the 60% minimum typically required to qualify for a Master's programme. Looking back, Makhado explains that during her Honours studies, which she completed in 2010, she was also juggling a demanding role as nursing services manager at Midlands Provincial Hospital in Graaff Reinet, a position she held for six years. 'I had been running an institution where I found nursing issues not up to a good standard,' she recalls. The rejection hit hard. 'I cried then, I cried like a baby,' she says. 'Then in 2017, I went back to the university, and I said: 'I am back to repeat my Honours now.'' She completed the degree a second time, earning her graduation in 2018. That same year, she enrolled for her Master's, which she completed in 2020. Child-headed households Her Master's research, which focused on the experiences of child-headed households, was inspired by her work with a nonprofit organisation she founded in 2018 called Voice of the Voiceless. Building on this, her PhD explored strategies to improve support for these children. She interviewed 15 child heads of households, aged 14 to 19, along with 15 of their relatives, and conducted additional focus group discussions within the community. 'Many of these children, when asked about their parents, they would say: 'We heard that our mother died but we're not sure when, we don't even have a picture of our mum.' And many of them didn't know their father,' she says. A key finding in Makhado's research was a need to educate men around family values. 'That's why, in my recommendations, I said there should be man-to-man programmes because men are [conceiving] children and leaving the children there. Men must learn to take care of their children, not just dump the mother with the baby. Then the mother has HIV and dies — and the children?' Another key recommendation was that traditional leaders should play a greater role in caring for orphaned children. 'I went to the traditional leaders, and I said: 'You are a traditional leader. What are you doing for these children? You need to have a list of the children that are heading families in your area, and you must visit them'.' With high crime rates, alcohol and drug use, and some child-headed homes unable to secure their doors, Makhado also questioned the role of the community policing forum. 'Are they aware that these children must be protected and kept safe? ... The drug sellers know there are no parents and know they can abuse these kids.' Reflecting on conditions in these communities, she says: 'It is painful my darling, traumatic.' From Sophiatown to Limpopo and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Makhado grew up in a tight-knit family. The second born of seven siblings, soon after her birth in Johannesburg's Sophiatown in 1950, the family moved to Sibasa in Limpopo where her father worked for the then Native Affairs Department and her mother was a school teacher. 'My mother was so neat and clean and organised,' she says. 'My mother taught us never to take no for an answer and to never settle for less.' After attending Shingwedzi Secondary School, she trained and worked first as a teacher, then as a typist. But one day entering a hospital, she recalls: 'I saw the crisp white uniforms, my heart bled and I knew this is what I wanted.'
The Citizen
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Nsikazi hip-hop artist drops 12-track mixtape
An up-and-coming hip-hop artist has released a 12-track mixtape, titled Not Yet, which dropped on May 25. Bhato Ndlovu (23), known by his stage name Saddis, said the project has received positive feedback, especially on social media. 'The mixtape is about love, struggling with trauma, self-improvement and confidence,' said Ndlovu. He described the songs as meaningful and relatable, highlighting tracks such as 'Walls' featuring Yung TJ, 'Missing Pieces', 'Those Days' featuring Munhle, and 'Trying' featuring Bkay Jr. ALSO READ: Young Mpumalanga stars head to national school winter games Ndlovu said he has been working on this mixtape since March last year. His passion for rap led him into music production in 2017, when he recorded his first-ever (unreleased) song using only his phone. 'I felt alive when I recorded it, not even aware of my capabilities and future in music,' he said. He draws inspiration from artists such as Zakwe, MT Vernacular MC and Eminem, who have all influenced him as a songwriter. One of his early achievements includes airplay on Ligwalagwala FM. ALSO READ: Driekoppies muso to enrich talent across the province Ndlovu is currently a second-year language student at the University of Venda. He hopes to one day collaborate with South African hip-hop artists such as A-Reece and Emtee. Not Yet is available on all major digital streaming platforms, including YouTube and Spotify. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Venda youth crowned in cultural heritage contest
Quick read Khumbudzo Managa and Zwonaka Mabada were crowned Venda king and queen at the Indoni SA My Heritage My Pride selection event. They will represent the Venda Kingdom at the Indoni SA 2025 national finals in KwaZulu-Natal this December. The event promoted Vhavenda culture, youth empowerment, and traditional values through song, dance, and heritage education. Full story LIMPOPO – Ululations, traditional songs and vibrant dances filled the air as Khumbudzo Managa and Zwonaka Mabada were crowned queen and king of the Venda Kingdom during the 'Indoni SA My Heritage My Pride' finalist selection event. The event was held at the Professor Ralushai Auditorium in the Thohoyandou Library Centre on Saturday. The two will go on to represent the Venda Kingdom at the prestigious Indoni SA My Heritage My Pride 2025 national competition, which will be held in Richmond Indoni village, KwaZulu-Natal this December. The event celebrated the richness of Vhavenda culture and tradition, as finalists showcased their talent, creativity and commitment to preserving their heritage. Judges faced a difficult task selecting the winners due to the high calibre of participants. Shonisani Mutengwe, the chairperson of the Indoni SA initiative in the Venda Kingdom, congratulated the newly crowned king and queen. 'We are proud of Khumbudzo and Zwonaka for being selected. This competition is about promoting heritage and culture, showing respect to elders, singing, and dancing traditional songs. They are perfect ambassadors for our community.' Mutengwe highlighted the broader purpose of Indoni, which goes beyond the pageantry. Young participants are taught traditional skills and values, such as how their ancestors lived, how to prepare traditional dishes like 'vhuswa ha mikonde, mashonzha' (mopani worms) and 'muroho wa zwigwada'. She added that the programme educates youths about the dangers of alcohol abuse and teenage pregnancy, and encourages them to lead responsible lives rooted in culture. One of the important components of the Indoni programme includes visits to traditional leaders, where youths learn about customary marriage practices, leadership succession and the installation of traditional leaders in Vhavenda society. Quincy Maladze from the Thulamela Arts Council also praised the finalists. 'It's an honour to witness young people so passionate about preserving our culture. To the newly crowned king and queen, know that you are not just representing yourselves, but the entire Venda nation. Go and make us proud in KwaZulu-Natal.' Queen Khumbudzo Managa (23), born in Tshakhuma Maguvhuni near Thohoyandou, is a third-year in business management student at the University of Venda (Univen). Speaking after her win, she said she was 'over the moon' to be chosen. 'I've always had a love for Tshivenda culture, singing and praise poetry since my school days at Mavhungu Andries. This opportunity means a lot to me,' she said. Managa plans to visit schools in Vhembe to promote cultural awareness and participation in Indoni activities. She hopes that increased engagement in cultural practices can help to reduce challenges facing youth, such as alcohol abuse and teenage pregnancy. 'Through Indoni, we can inspire young people to value their roots and make better life choices,' she said. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Eyewitness News
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
'Resilient, and a man of unwavering principle' - President Cyril Ramaphosa pays tribute to anti-apartheid activist, Reverent Tshenuwani Farisani
JOHANNESBURG - Resilience - the word many used to describe the late reverend Tshenuwani Farisani - a respected anti-apartheid activist and former member of Parliament. Mourners, including senior government officials, gathered at the University of Venda in Thohoyandou, Limpopo on Saturday to honour the man who they say never wavered in his fight for liberation. ALSO READ: Dr Tshenuwani Farisani remembered as a dedicated public servant Farisani passed away on Thursday at the age of 76, following an undisclosed illness. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who delivered the eulogy, reflected on Farisani's courage, recalling how he was arrested three times during Apartheid for his activism. In 1987, Farisani went into exile in the United States, but later returned - a move Ramaphosa has described as a powerful symbol of his commitment to justice and freedom. "He was a man of unwavering principle, nothing could sway him from what was right, from his dedication to the cause, the people of South Africa and their total emancipation."
