Posted inGeneral

1994 to now: How did we get here?

By Balt Verhagen In Who am I? Kopano Matlwa Mabaso chronicles her hopes and bitter disappointments since 1998 when she started high school. This prompted me, a person three times her age, to recount some of my own experiences during the same period when “we were well settled into our new democracy”. Around 1998 I […]

Posted inNews/Politics

The utter stupidity of ANC lawmakers

It is almost unbelievable that the political party which, 20 years ago, was still an organisation engaged in a “liberation struggle”, could suffer from amnesia to the extent that it has voted for the passing of the Protection of Information BIll (better known as the “secrecy bill”) in Parliament. Unbelievable, because during the struggle against […]

Posted inNews/Politics

Will the real pharaoh please stand up

The resignation of Egypt’s cabinet this week shows the paralysing complexities surrounding the process of transition to democracy in post-revolution societies in the Arab world. Only in Tunisia, the country that ushered in this huge wave of change in North Africa, has the transition to democracy been relatively smooth, albeit accompanied by some challenges. It’s […]

Posted inGeneral

No government can take away our rights

By Amukelani Mayimele When you vote you change nothing. Things will only change if we change our way of thinking and do things for ourselves. Figures show that we vote but do we hold our leaders accountable? Do we know the policies that are approved on our behalf? Do we recommend solutions to government? Are […]

Posted inMedia

‘Good’ girls, sex and Gareth Cliff

The Independent Online reported today that Gareth Cliff has been reported to the BCCSA for sexist comments while interviewing Angela Larkan, a young female philanthropist. To begin the interview, Cliff praised her for starting her work at 22, saying it was unusual because most 22-year-olds “do nothing but lie on their backs with their legs […]