Lerusha Reddy

The secret to life is to not hold on too tightly

@Metro_Fibre is the fibre down in Sunninghill?

Miss SA and 'qualifying' as South African: It's madness to try to make up your own rules for who is South African enough. We may as well bring back the pencil test. #chidimmaadetshina #xenophobia #chidimma #misssouthafrica #Chidimma #xenophobia #chidima

carlos sainz na williams

The people of Kenya have shown nothing but resilience and the power of their voices in a political and economic conversation. Their unity and pursuit of equitable governance is an inspiration to us all, to continue to come together as ONE.

Vaccines save six lives every minute. And they have every year - for the past 50 YEARS. The vast majority of those lives were infants. Talk about a jab well done 😏 @gavi who.int/news/item/24-0….

I have been in Grahamstown/Makhanda for 3 days now and have barely even scratched the surface. But here’s what I can tell you. On the surface, this little town might have the most potholes in the whole of South Africa. It was the first thing I noticed. That poor rental car. I put up an Instastory to show off the beautiful guest house I am staying in (which was built circa 1840), and people were messaging me pointing out the potholes. It’s all they could see, too. It is incredibly tragic to see the deteriorating infrastructure. We’ve all heard the stories and read the articles about the government’s mismanagement in the Eastern Cape. We all know about the immense poverty and what comes with it. When I landed in PE, there were signs in the men’s room with phone numbers to call the “Cholera Hotline”. What is this? The 19th century? How is some of the water here causing Cholera in 2024? There were also “Missing Posters” spread around the city looking for the Mayor, in a sarcastic, yet WTF, where are you actually kind of way. I can think of a few other places around South Africa where we could put up signs like this. And maybe some for the missing money that may or may not be in a couch. And the 10 babies… and the guy that “broke that story”… and Dr Lani… this all still bothers me. I digress. That is just the surface. From the moment I entered this little South African town, I was embraced with a heartfelt smile, open arms and a community love that I don’t think I have seen anywhere else in our beautiful country. Every single conversation I had with locals was about the community. One person told me about how the potholes are a huge problem but their street got together a couple of weeks ago and spent the entire weekend fixing their road. Apparently, other streets are doing the same thing. Another spoke about how the potholes were great watering holes for the donkeys, so they didn’t mind them. Yes, there are donkeys roaming free in this town. And they drink from the potholes. They even have a WhatsApp group for the Donkeys. If you see one that looks like it needs help, then you alert the group, and the VETs sort it out immediately. And if you see a new foal, then you alert the group as well, just so that everyone can gush over it like proud parents. “We love our donkeys. Just don’t feed them at your house because they will tell all their friends, and then all of a sudden, you’ll have a hundred donkeys coming for lunch.” Another local tells me about how they love the fact that they can walk everywhere. Even at night. They feel safe. There is petty crime, but they explain to me that you get that everywhere in the world. And here they can walk to dinner. Another local tells me that when they walk, they pick up litter. It’s their way of giving back to the community. When asked whether it is called Grahamstown or Makhanda, everyone shrugs their shoulders and nonchalantly says, “Both”. Like, it doesn’t bother them. Call it either or both. Everyone in Grahamstown/Makhanda knows everyone. Everyone wants to help. Everyone wants to make things better. Community love. Gogs knows every single child in this town. She is the boss at the guesthouse where I am staying. We’ve had long conversations over breakfast. She loves everything about Grahamstown. Cheryl tells me stories about the plumbers and electricians who get involved when the infrastructure fails. I always talk about the helpers. Well, they are here. Here they are. While walking to the school for my first talk, Lindsay tells me a story about every single person we pass. A good story. Not a bad word was said. She knows everyone. Everyone knows everyone. And everyone is so kind. Mike will later tell me in the “Highlander” bar about how his kids go to school here but he lives in Joburg. He flies down every opportunity he can. Judy has also recently moved down. She has her own business and runs a charity that operates in Alex and Soweto but she wanted to expand to the Eastern Cape because “she wants to be making a difference where it is needed most”. Jannie speaks about all the people in the community who are constantly doing things to uplift the community. Everyone working together towards a common goal. This town doesn’t just have heart; it has soul! Hlumi left this town to study at UCT. But she came back. She loves it here. She loves the community here. I think everyone should visit Grahamstown/Makhanda. I cannot wait to come back. Not for the potholes, definitely for the donkeys, but most importantly, to be reminded of what community love looks like. Okay. Love you. Bye. 📸: Grocott's Mail

Listening to music on the computer in 2003

a group of male creative directors is called a liability

The climate crisis and global health crisis overlap in A LOT of ways. 🌍 But when it comes to people's health, climate disasters are expanding the reach of infectious diseases, some of which can be prevented by vaccines. That's why the world needs stronger immunization programs to adapt to the health challenges and more posed by the climate crisis. Help us spread the word — share this post now. 💉 #WorldImmunizationWeek

There are 40 days to the South African elections. This photo went viral exactly 1,461 days ago. We were 24 days into the South African lockdown. The government made buying alcohol illegal (among other things like roast chickens, flip-flops, and dog toys). So, some shops started grouping these ingredients together. You know… to make pineapple “slushies”. 2 days later, the government made buying yeast illegal. Friends, the government made buying yeast illegal “to save us from Covid”. You cannot make this stuff up. We are literally living in a movie. And ja, this is a middle-class “problem”. But at the same time, millions of South Africans were left destitute. Hungry. Without any help from the government. The same government that “ drips” in Dolce and Gabbana tracksuits, drinks Veuve instead of water and keeps millions on its couches. We are not the poorest country in the world, but we’re “up there” with over 90% of our population living below the dignity line. And in that percentile, over 55% of South Africans live below the poverty line. This means that over 4,5 million kids go to bed hungry every night. Many South Africans don’t have access to clean water, or toilets, or a safe space to sleep. It is tragic. You could link poverty to crime, some do, and our crime stats will send shivers down your spine. Over 85 people are murdered in South Africa every single day. We have 170 sexual offences every single. And 1,183 assaults every single day. While many South Africans go hungry and face crime head-on, our government officials live very lush lives and earn anywhere between R2.5 million to R4.4 million a year (this does not include corruption and hand-shake deals). Perspective: earning R2,5 million a year means you earn roughly R6,849 a day. What is the current “Social Relief Grant” sitting at? R350 per month. That is less than 0.1% of what a government official earns monthly. Perspective indeed. The “Business Tech” article that explains how inflated their salaries are goes on to talk about all the benefits they get. “If these salaries are not already out of touch with the rest of the country, these millionaire public servants also enjoy an entire spread of tax-free benefits and perks, all paid for by the South African taxpayer. This includes over R3 billion worth of private VIP security, free electricity, water, transport and air travel, and multiple state-owned houses worth millions (including their maintenance and property taxes).” Imagine if the South African government put the people of South Africa before themselves? There are 40 days to the South African elections. We need to stop imagining. And make it actually happen. Just my 2 cents. Also, I will have a pineapple something-something today to remember that crazy time. Okay. Love you. Bye.

Net finance flows to developing countries turned negative last year. That means they are spending more to pay their debts than they receive in foreign aid and new loans. @WorldBank @IMFNews your move. #WBGMeetings

IDA is an engine of global development, helping to improve lives and livelihoods for 1.9 billion people around the world. Learn more about the impact of IDA at the #WBGMeetings⬇️ wrld.bg/ZzCz50ReS2V #IDAworks #IDA21

The best magic trick ever

3 immediate thoughts on #LoveLiesBleeding: 💪 Yes. Just yes. Yes please. 💪 I need a Crater Gym shirt to lift/kiss girls in STAT. 💪 The version that could have been set in Glasgow would have destroyed me. Bonus thought:

Big news at ONE! 📢 We are thrilled to announce that Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli will be our new President & CEO. With 25 years of advocacy experience, Ndidi will lead us through our next chapter of impact as we work to build a more just & equal world. Welcome to the team, @ndidiNwuneli! go.one.org/3I5nXBr

I've been thinking about how many people, myself included, responded to Tracy Chapman's performance last night by crying. Why did we cry? What were we crying for? I'll answer my own question below, but I'm curious to hear why other people cried. 1/6

10 creative ads I've collected this week: 1. KitKat

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