Latest news with #ATKV
The Citizen
06-06-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Kinross resident publishes online memoir of her life journey
Francisca Zibia (22) recently released her online memoir Unbroken: Just Bent, which tells the story of her life – growing up with depression and anxiety, resorting to alcohol as a coping mechanism, and surviving a suicide attempt. Her memoir is for all ages; however, her goal is to reach the younger generation, who may face similar experiences with young love, the pressure to fit into social groups, and challenges such as getting bullied at school. 'I grew up with anxiety and depression and used writing as my escape,' said Zibia. She rebelled in her younger days and turned to alcohol. She also attempted suicide in 2021. When Zibia was 20, she became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage at eight months. 'It was at the time of losing my child that I knew I needed to change. I felt she did not deserve a parent like me. I had to change for when God blesses me with another child.' Zibia encourages others to stand their ground and believe that change is possible when you dedicate yourself to it. When Zibia was a child, her father was involved in a vehicle accident. Although he survived, she said everything 'went downhill' from there, and her mother became the sole provider. 'We had to help my mother sell vegetables at her stand, and on top of that, still had responsibilities at home,' said Zibia. She has five siblings, who all had to learn extra responsibilities at a young age. Zibia felt she could never talk to her mother about being bullied at school because it would add to the predicament at home. When she was 19, Zibia attempted suicide by taking pills. She was rushed to a hospital, where doctors pumped out her stomach. A combination of issues triggered this suicide attempt. ALSO CHECK: Secunda-inwoner verskyn in Die Brug 2 Zibia was cyberbullied and bullied at school for her appearance and financial struggles. Her family could not afford to replace her old, torn school uniforms or buy a school bag. She would sometimes fall asleep at school, exhausted from helping her mother sell vegetables and handling responsibilities at home the previous day. While in the hospital, Zibia met two women. One had diabetes and was in her 'last days', and the other suffered heart and lung damage from substance abuse. 'I felt guilty because here is a woman who injects herself daily to stay alive and who wants to live her life. The other woman is using drugs and fighting for survival. And here I am, wanting to end my life.' When Zibia lost her child, the thought of suicide crossed her mind again, but it was at that point that she knew only she could take the steps to change her life. ALSO CHECK: Hoërskool Standerton se hoofseun vaar goed in ATKV redenaarskompetisie She would resort to alcohol as a coping mechanism, and it was at a cousin's wife's birthday celebration that she reached an epiphany. 'I looked around at the people in the club and realised this is not the life I want to live, nor the one I had envisioned.' It was at that point that Zibia quit drinking alcohol. 'There is a way out. I did self-reflection and had to fix where I was wrong. I played my part and took responsibility for the things I went through. I had to find a positive way out of it. 'Maybe one person can relate to a page of my life. I hope my memoir can touch one person,' concluded Zibia. You can read Zibia's memoir online on Amazon at At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
31-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Easy-going Ford Ranger XLT the perfect camping companion
Double cab bakkie not only comfortable and safe, but very easy on the juice too. There can be nothing more South African than jumping in a Ford Ranger and going for a weekend of camping at an ATKV holiday resort. And that's exactly what we did when we took our long-term XLT to Buffelspoort recently. Buffelspoort is located around an hour from both Pretoria and Johannesburg on the road out towards Sun City, which meant it was just long enough to appreciate the open road manners of our Ford Ranger double cab. Unfortunately, though, open road driving in this country is a dangerous thing and any and all safety systems are welcome in a vehicle. And even though our long-term Ford Ranger is a mid-spec model, that slots in above the XL and below the Wildtrak, it still comes with a level of active and passive safety features that many of its competitors simply can't match. Ford Ranger safe as a house On board, you have Dynamic Stability Control incorporating ABS, Load Adaptive Control, Roll Over Mitigation, Traction Control and Trailer Sway Control. And if you tick one of the Tech Pack boxes, you can have Pre-Collision Assist, Post-Collision Braking, Blind Spot Information System with Trailer Coverage, Cross Traffic Alert and Lane Keeping System with Road Edge Detection. ALSO READ: Even without a fancy badge, Ford Ranger XLT is a lot of bakkie On the road is also where the Ford Ranger excels with its car-like ride while still retaining its off-road abilities. To achieve this balance, there have been a host of under-the-skin improvements, from increasing the wheelbase by 50mm to moving the rear dampers outboard of the springs. Not that a trip to Buffelspoort required any sort of off-road driving, but it is worth noting that the front approach angle is up from 28.5 degrees to 30 degrees. And the departure angle is up to 23 degrees from 21 degrees. This is with the towbar fitted. The loadbin is large enough to swallow camping gear with ease. Picture: Mark Jones If the road less travelled still calls, the Ford Ranger features an electronic rear differential lock. A differential lock allows both wheels on a specific axle to turn at the same speed, providing additional traction when you're off-roading. This feature might still come in handy, as we chose a 4×2 Ford Ranger XLT instead of a 4×4, knowing most of its life would be spent in the urban jungle. Four driving modes Talking of which, The Citizen Motoring's bakkie comes with four selectable drive modes to help you get traction to the wheels that need it the most and in a way that is best suited for the situation at hand, without you having to be an expert. These modes are Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul and Slippery. They adjust everything from the gearshift to throttle response, traction and stability controls, ABS and more. Tow/Haul mode is a new drive mode that optimises the gear shift timing to maintain power when you're climbing up a hill or deliver the right amount of engine braking when you're travelling down a hill. All of which comes in handy when you know that your Ford Ranger has a braked towing capacity of 3 500kg with a 350kg tow ball download limit. That's a heavy load. The XLT's interior. Picture: Supplied Perhaps the best kept secret of the four Ford Ranger XLT derivatives on offer is that you can have the 154kW/500 Nm 2.0 litre bi-turbo top spec model in 4×2 and 4×4 guise with a 10-speed automatic transmission if you really want the extra urge. Or you can opt for a simpler 4×4, or 4×2, 125kW/405Nm single turbo with easy shifting six-speed auto like we did. Trust me, and I have done the performance testing of our Ranger XLT, when I say that this combo is more than good enough for everyday use. ALSO READ: Ford Ranger's clever onboard systems allow you to tow like a pro Easy on the juice What's even better is the fuel consumption that has settled at 8.9 litres per 100km with a heavy bias towards city-type driving. It went into the high 7s on the trip out to Buffelspoort. It's really hard to fault this bakkie in single turbo guise. The Ford Ranger XLT double cab 4×2 SiT 6AT retails for R681 500. The price includes a four-year/120 000km warranty, with service and maintenance plans available as options.
