20 January 2026

Ferial Haffajee, Associate Editor, Daily Maverick

Award-winning journalist Ferial Haffajee reflects on the significance of Johannesburg and South Africa’s metros as the country heads into the 2026 local elections. In this lecture she explores the challenges and opportunities of local reporting, the lessons it offers for democracy, and how the state of our cities mirrors the state of our nation.

Spiders are beautifully adapted for their predatory lifestyles and have created, through natural selection, silk to build webs, catch and wrap prey, as safety lines when climbing, to trap bubbles of air underwater, and even as sails to glide through the air. Web spiders build elaborate webs to catch their prey, jumping spiders can jump fifty times their own height, and fish-eating spiders are expert underwater ambush hunters. Spiders typically have eight eyes and modified mouthparts with fangs to inject venom into prey. The males are romantic creatures.

Malaria remains important in Africa due to its impact on health and socio-economic development. Aside from the significant morbidity and mortality it causes in Africa, malaria is a disease of poverty and a cause of poverty. More than two-thirds of all malaria deaths occur in children under five years old. Reaching the overall goal of eliminating malaria will require halting disease transmission. This conversation will highlight how the paths of Neville Isdell (a businessman) and Kelly Chibale (a scientist) crossed and converged in the fight to eliminate malaria in Africa.

John Maytham commissioned playwright Mike van Graan to write a one-person play. Inspired by Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal and drawing on Helena Dolny’s book, Before Ever After, Mike developed To Life, With Love, a poetic piece featuring Thomas Michael Faulkner. Thomas has experienced love, professional success, personal loss and social affirmation. Then, in his sixties, Thomas is diagnosed with a dread disease. There is a great chance of recovery, but Thomas is confronted by his mortality. With many good years ahead, Thomas makes choices about how he will live.