New Beginnings

With a dream of living overseas, and London in particular, Sam Scarborough took a chance with a man who sold her a dream. Soon after her arrival, bad things started happening. Scarborough could not believe what was happening because it was totally different from what she signed up for. She thought she was losing her mind and started documenting these moments in her diary. Listen to Sam's story of horror...

Samantha Hogg, owner of Cheer Stars Cheerleading started cheerleading at the the age of 17 in Johannesburg. She says cheerleading involves more than people see on television with girls running around dancing with pom poms before the start of a match. Cheerleading started off as male sport, and when men went off to war, women took over cheerleading.

The heartbreaking story of the horrific rape and attempted murder of Alison Botha in December 1994 has now been turned into a film. The film _Alison _premiered at the Encounters Film Festival. It takes viewers through what she went through and her journey to recovery.

Stanley Henkeman has been appointed the new Executive Director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. He is the former Head of Department for the Building an Inclusive Society Programme at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. According to Henkeman, the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation was launched in 2000, after the Truth and Reconciliation process. He says those that were involved in the process felt that the work of reconciliation needed to continue, and formed the IJR.

In 2013 a South African surfer Brett Archibald fell overboard in Indonesia and was lost in the sea for more than 28 hours. Archibald was found alive and rescued. He later wrote a book about his experience, called "Alone: the Search for Brett Archibald”.

Big wave surfer, stand up paddle-boarder, motivational speaker and adventurer, Chris Bertish is on another breath taking adventure. He is going to attempt the first solo transatlantic crossing paddling from Morocco to Florida, covering 7500km. That's the equivalent of a half marathon a day for 120 days straight.

Erick David Karangwa was born in Rwanda and fled from his home in 1994 when war broke out. He travelled to Tanzania and from there to Zimbabwe. While in Zimbabwe he learned to create artworks from a man he befriended. In 2004 he decided to leave Zimbabwe for South Africa. Erick started working as a car guard in a shopping centre at Constantia. The mamangement of the centre helped him organise an exhibition where he sold he sold all three of his paintings within three days. Listen to Erick's inspiring story.

Business Coach Glenn-Douglas Haig was shot seven times on his stomach and leg. His injuries resulted to his leg being amputated. After his recovery he was called in to identify his shooters and he says he felt a deep comapassion for them and not hate.

Alice Wamundiya comes from a background where the importance of education is emphasised. When she settled in South Africa after her family fled the Rwandan genocide, she decided to help other refugees and asylum-seekers with their education. After she fought very hard to get into university, she managed to obtain a BA degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in Development Studies and is currently working on her PhD at UWC, broadly looking at Migration and Displacement under the UWC’s Centre for Humanity Research.

Moving to a new city away form family and friends could be a rather daunting task. Sithandwa Ngwetsheni moved to Cape Town from Port Elizabeth and had a fair share of good and bad moments. She shares her story with CapeTalk's Pippa Hudson.

When he was 12 years old, Daryl Brown attempted suicide for the first time. In 2013 Daryl made a decision to end his life for good. He jumped in front of a moving train and thought it was all over. Miraculously, that didn’t work but left him paralysed instead. Listen to Daryl talk about his battle against depression.

Amy-Lee Daniels was offered an opportunity to further her studies at one of the world’s most prestigious universities, Columbia University in the US. Like many students in South Africa, she is struggling to get funding to make her dream a reality.  Amy-Lee shares her story with CapeTAlk's Pippa Hudson...

Banele Vakele is an aspiring wine maker from Khayelitsha. He developed an interest in wine making while doing his matric at the Cape Academy of Maths, Science and Technology in Constantia. He shares his life story with Pippa Hudson, take a listen.

Grizelda Grootboom shares the journey of her life as a child living on the streets of Cape Town, how she experienced everything from human trafficking, sex slavery, a life of prostitution and drug addiction. The book 'Exit!' is the story of Grizelda's life of prostitution and how she ultimately escapes it all to find her New Beginning in life.

Phephelaphi Dube is the new Director of the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CFCR). She speaks to CapeTalk's Africa Melane about her new journey as Director and thoroughly explain the work of Centre for Constitutional Rights. Dube will be occupying the position previously held by Adv Johan Kruger with effect from 1 May 2016.

Michelle Hattingh has written a book that could not be more topical, more relevant or more painful to read. She is a former University Stellenbosch student, and was raped on the very day that she delivered her Psychology Honours paper on rape. In the book, 'I am the Girl who was Raped', Michelle gives a detailed description of her ordeal.

Capetownian Dave Smith met his then wife in 1986. They got married in 1992, and children and lived a fairly normal life. However, in 2000 he left his wife for another man. During this period in his life, he became heavily involved in the party scene – involving drugs, sex and alcohol. By 2004 he became addicted to alcohol and crystal meth amphetamine at which point his ex-wife handed him an ultimatum - test clean or lose visitation rights to their kids. In 2009 he sought help from Narcotics Anonymous and has been clean ever since! Hear Dave’s story as he speaks to CapeTalk’s Pippa Hudson…