The Stranger in My Mirror

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The Stranger in My Mirror When I was a child, my grandmother used to say, "The border is something people draw on maps. Hunger, hope, and grief don't stop to check passports." I nodded whenever she said it, but I never truly understood. Years later, I found myself standing outside a small grocery shop in Johannesburg, watching a crowd shout at a man with a Zimbabwean accent. They called him names. They told him to go home. Some threw stones. I stood there and did nothing. In my mind, I justified it. They're taking jobs. They're making life harder. They don't belong here. I was Black. I was African. Yet somehow, I believed another Black African was less deserving than I was because he had crossed a border. A week later, load shedding hit our neighborhood. The only shop still open was the same Zimbabwean man's store. I went in because I needed bread. He greeted me with a smile. "How are you, brother?" Brother. Not stranger. Not South African. Not c...
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WATCH | Noxolo Grootboom at a loss for words as Ramaphosa shifts 'family meeting' for last bulletin

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Sesona Ngqakamba
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WATCH | Noxolo Grootboom at a loss for words as Ramaphosa shifts 'family meeting' for last bulletin

SABC's isiXhosa veteran news anchor Noxolo Grootboom reacted with shock upon hearing that president Cyril Ramaphosa delayed his address meant for 7pm on Tuesday evening to allow SABC viewers to watch Grootboom deliver her last news bulletin.

  • SABC 1 viewers are eager to watch broadcast veteran Noxolo Grootboom for the last time at 19:00 on Tuesday.
  • Grootboom is retiring after serving the SABC for 37 years. 
  • The line everyone is eagerly waiting to hear from her one last time is: "Ndinithanda nonke emakhaya."


South Africa's SABC 1 viewers are eagerly waiting to watch 60-year-old veteran news anchor, Noxolo Grootboom, for the last time as she ends an era on television screens. 

Grootboom will read her last TV news bulletin in isiXhosa on SABC Iindaba after having done so for more than three decades.

And viewers are waiting to hear Grootboom's legendary sign-off: "Ndinithanda nonke emakhaya" - which loosely translates to "I love you all at home". 

READ | No curfew changes, but alcohol restrictions possibly as Ramaphosa set to address the nation

On Tuesday afternoon, those counting down to her swansong expressed their disappointment when it was announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa would be addressing the nation at the same time as her bulletin at 19:00.

They pleaded with the president to give the broadcaster her moment to shine one last time.


Ramaphosa was expected to update the nation on developments in the country's response to the Covid-19 pandemic ahead of the Easter weekend.

And, much to everyone's delight, the Presidency later sent an updated announcement to say it would move the president's address by 30 minutes to allow Grootboom her final sign-off.

"The time for the address has moved from 19:00 to 19:30 to allow SABC viewers to watch veteran newsreader Noxolo Grootboom's final bulletin as she retires after 37 years."

The announcement left the veteran lost for words and teary-eyed.

A video posted on Twitter by journalist, Yolisa Njamela, showed an emotional Grootboom, covering her mouth, as though in disbelief at the news.

Njamela had earlier posted another video, which showed a good gesture from a woman, named Nombuyiselo Zinco, who travelled by bus from Gqeberha to Johannesburg on Monday night to deliver an outfit for the broadcaster to wear when she bows out.

The woman had asked if she could make the outfit for her, Njamela said in her tweet.

Channel24 earlier reported that Grootboom grew up in Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape and started her career at the SABC as a typist before making her way on-air. 

She also anchored the funeral services of late struggle stalwarts Nelson Mandela in 2013 and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in 2018.  

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