In February, a University of Limpopo student was beaten up and killed by three senior Sasco members for refusing to sing a “struggle” song. In need of a lift back to their campus, the Sasco members boarded a Student Christian Organisation-only minibus after a protest march in Pretoria. They aggressively ordered the students to stop […]
Alexander Matthews
Alexander Matthews is the editor of AERODROME, an online magazine about words and people featuring interviews, original poetry, book reviews and extracts. He is also a freelance writer, covering travel, culture, life and design. The contributing editor for Business Day WANTED, his journalism has also appeared in House and Leisure, MONOCLE, African Decisions and elsewhere.
Contact Alexander here: alexgmatthews(at)gmail.com
Posted inGeneral
Jon Qwelane: What are you hiding, sista?
A lot of people — the decadent amoral bourgeoisie, mostly — have got awfully upset over Jon Qwelane’s latest tirade. Why the fuss? The Sunday Sun is gutter press and Qwelane’s equally contemptible opinions are part and parcel of a paper that believes that stoking xenophobia and perpetuating intolerance is a prerequisite in speaking to […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Caviar communism: YCL comes out of business-class closet
Recently the Young Communist League national secretary, Buti Manamela, was detained for questioning at Heathrow on his arrival. Sounds like a horrible experience to go through — one which he shares in an interview in the Mail & Guardian a few weeks ago. What I found fascinating, though, was Manamela’s admission that he flew to […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Enemies of the poor: Is this what Hani fought for?
The Eastern Cape is one of our most beautiful provinces. It is a place where many of our revered struggle luminaries — Madiba, Chris Hani, Walter Sisulu, Steve Biko, Oliver Tambo — were born and spent their formative years. Fourteen years after the dawn of democracy, it remains one of our poorest provinces, wracked by […]
Posted inNews/Politics
I am a counter-revolutionary too, Mr Mantashe
Dear Gwede You seem to have a habit of attacking anything that poses a threat to your lord-and-master’s accession to power. First it was the Scorpions; now the judiciary. Of course I can’t really blame you — a lot is riding on the gravy train that departed from Polokwane last December, and I dare say […]
Posted inLifestyle, Tech
Farewell to Facebook: Confessions of a cyber-addict
My last status update simply said: “Alex says bye”. And then I did it. I deactivated my Facebook account. The decision to leave the ubiquitous social networking site even took me a little by surprise. How on earth was I going to survive without the website I compulsively visited several times a day? The more […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The Zanu-PF Fan Club (also known as the ANC)
Robert Mugabe is one lucky dictator, being in the enviable position of having outsourced his foreign diplomacy efforts to the South African government. By preventing a discussion in the United Nations Security Council on Zimbabwe’s political situation, South Africa is doing its utmost to ensure that the international community does nothing about the tyrannous regime’s […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Amakwerekwere memories: ‘The police — they just laugh at us’
The two Congolese men that arrive on the church’s doorstep look shaken and defeated. They explain that their house in Samora Machel has been ransacked and burnt down; there is nowhere for them to go. Could they spend the night here, at the Claremont Methodist church? Unfortunately the church is full so, after a hot […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Immigrants the scapegoats for ANC delivery failure
The barbaric attacks on immigrants are in essence a protest against a lack of delivery and opportunity. Immigrants are an obvious target; a conductor rod to the storm of discontent that has gathered as inequality, poverty and unemployment in our townships has continued to remain rampant. The seething anger being vented on the streets of […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics
Is there a Winkie in the House?
Parliament’s unparallelled ability to generate hot air does lend itself to becoming a geothermal power plant and could solve South Africa’s electricity shortage instantly. But, failing that, it also has the potential to play a relevant, stimulating part of South Africa’s democracy. Ndumiso Ngcobo’s recent call for some “politainment” is a timely one. It’s about […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A party by any other name …
A tongue-in-cheek suggestion that the DA was in desperate need of a branding overhaul was met with a broad spectrum of responses — from “DA who?” to indignant rebuttals from DA activists. The reality of the situation is that that the official opposition is severely stigmatised. Negative emotions towards the party — from mistrust to […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics
Lessons for the DA: From Woolworths nogal!
The DA is in crisis. A friend of mine at the University of Cape Town tells me that joining the party’s student wing, Daso, is social suicide. And as such, its reputedly attractive members are remaining unloved and unlaid — leaving me wondering as to whether alliances (democratic or otherwise) will occur to ensure the […]