We examine how much has been done to alleviate the traffic problems in our city and tell you about future plans. The MyCiTi bus roll-out has made a huge difference and the city hopes to be able to take over Golden Arrow buses as well. But possibly the most critical aspect of making transport work better is fixing the rail network. Metro Rail has not been able to deal with the vandalism plaguing its system and has a way to go. The story gives you information on re-imagining the city, interviews with people on what daily transport they have to use and how much it costs them, information on helpful apps and data on what the uptake on buses and cycle lanes has been. It’s a mine of information, in fact.

Rowing across the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii may not be everybody’s idea of fun, but for adventurer Riaan Manser and his wife Vasti Geldenhuys, it was just the ticket for their honeymoon. In an interview from Waikiki Beach, Riaan explains that they actually broke the record for the crossing, which they did in 39 days. The two of them have also rowed across the Atlantic, which took almost six months. Still, the Pacific was much harder, says Riaan, not least because they were hit by Hurricane Frank and overturned on their second night out. Always inspiring, Riaan explains what it took and what he’s thinking of next.

Hope, a young rhino brutally attacked and left to die in a private Eastern Cape game farm last year, is today a beacon of hope for treating and healing rhinos severely injured by poachers. We tell you about her experience with Saving the Survivors, which is key to organizing this kind of aid — expensive, tough, heart-breaking, and sometimes hugely rewarding. Hope’s face has still not healed, 16 months after the initial brutal attack, but there are improvements and the organization refuses to give up on her. Read more about her journey to recovery and the people who care about her in this issue.

Author Sindiwe Magona’s life has been a spectacular trajectory. She was just a young girl working as a domestic cleaner when she was left alone with a baby. That experience seems to have annoyed her so much that she decided to study her way out of her situation, getting matric, a BA through Unisa, and a Master’s in social work at Columbia University in New York. She went on to work for the United Nations and started writing and getting published, including novels and over 100 children’s books. Read more about this woman’s extraordinary life in this issue.

Our new 4-page pull-out section for children. Aiming to encourage and develop scientific curiosity, it offers puzzles, discusses common questions that arise (for eg, “How can people walk on hot coals without burning their feet?” and “How can owls see at night?”), and this time shows children how to extract DNA from bananas in their own homes.