SOCIALS: Resident Gen Z Ocean L unpacks two uncomfortable realities of social media culture —  the way appearance can turn friendship and self-worth into competition among young women

REFLECTIONS: Professor Daniel Le Roux reflects on whether we are genuinely teaching people to become responsible digital citizens, or whether the normalisation of online humiliation, harassment and cruelty is quietly reshaping how we treat one another. 

THOUGHTS: Professor Chrysis Sofianos examines the shift away from exaggerated cosmetic enhancement towards a more individualised idea of ageing, where the aim is to look refreshed and well while preserving the features that make a person recognisably themselves.

FOOD: Registered dietitian Lerato Radebe unpacks why changing the way we eat is rarely as simple as knowing what is healthy, and where nutrition ends and psychology, culture, emotion and readiness for change begin.

NEWS ROUNDUP: Nco Dube examines President Cyril Ramaphosa’s latest objection to Advocate Thandazani Madonsela as evidence leader in the Phala Phala impeachment process, and asks whether constitutional procedure is being used to protect due process — or to repeatedly delay accountability.

FOOD: Brittany Kesselman and Chef Mokgadi Itsweng explore the often-overlooked role women have played — and continue to play — in shaping South Africa’s food systems, from preserving seeds and indigenous knowledge to reimagining traditional ingredients in contemporary kitchens