By Vinayak Bhardwaj The release of the “Nkandla files” reported in last week’s Mail & Guardian was the product of a long battle against a fast-calcifying culture of secrecy in our public bodies. Through bureaucratic delays, misinterpretations of the law and the overuse of “national security” as a basis for non-disclosure, public and private bodies […]
amaBhungane
amaBhungane are the investigators of the M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism, a non-profit, public interest initiative to produce better investigative stories and plough back through internships and advocacy. On this blog, amaBhungane -- seasoned and award-winning journalists -- will penetrate the world of smoke and mirrors to bring you the story behind the story.
www.amabhungane.co.za
Posted inGeneral
Eish and goodbye: the pains of information-seeking
By Glenda Daniels Sorry, in advance, to the politically correct who support sex work and to dentists who love their jobs. But in my subjective mind, while there are many torturous jobs, these two spring to mind first: selling sex to strangers and drilling into someone’s mouth. Right up there, however, has to be an […]
Posted inGeneral
Joburg and journalism: My journey
By Charles Mafa I am a journalist from Zambia who has worked in the media since 1999. I have a wife and three lovely kids. In 2002, I joined Catholic Media Services and six years later, I led a crew that filmed and edited a programme that won the CNN Award for the best HIV/AIDS […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Gaddafi’s gifts to Mozambique
By Luis Nhachote On Thursday, news of Muammar Gaddafi’s brutal end topped the news. In Mozambique, many people will remember the antics of the colonel and the times he spent there. Frequently during his visits, he nonchalantly shuffled the protocols of the Frelimo government to gain favour with the public. I remember the 2003 summit […]
Posted inGeneral
Malawi: The Warm Heart of Africa?
By Theresa Chapulapula Malawi is fondly known as the warm heart of Africa. This aptly describes the country. The warmth and the beauty of its people really make Malawi a must to visit. If you have never been to that Southern African country, then you are really missing something in life. The language barrier should […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Swazi queen’s sorry tale of patriarchal abuse
By Lungile Dube Every girl grows up dreaming of a fairy tale ending but that’s not always the case, especially in real life. This reminds me of a young lady who became the envy of almost every woman who grew up believing in Cinderella tales. Nothando Dube became Swaziland king Mswati III’s 12th wife at […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Bring. It. On.
By Sally Evans Two weeks ago, I wrote a story about former Gauteng crime intelligence boss Joey Mabasa’s gun allegedly being used to kill strip club tycoon Lolly Jackson. It made me realise how far this story has come since Jackson’s death a year ago, and the unimaginable journey it has led me on as […]
Posted inNews/Politics
When no one wants to take responsibility
By Nelly Shamase The left foot doesn’t know what the right foot is doing. How else can one explain the fact that a national department has no idea what its provincial counterpart is doing? Whose directive do provincial departments follow if their national bodies have no clue about a pilot project that was meant to […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
What a media tribunal means
By Glenda Daniels I wonder if the media appeals tribunal the ANC wants so badly will happen. Raymond Louw, deputy chairperson of the media freedom committee at the South African National Editor’s Forum (Sanef), who I interviewed on Wednesday reflected that it would, but in about a year’s time, after an investigation into its feasibility […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Digging up the dirty on medical waste
By Lionel Faull On page 12 of this week’s Mail & Guardian, there’s a photo of a man in a dark blue overall directing a digger as it excavates several tonnes of medical syringes and needles from the brown earth. The man is a cop, and the label on the right-hand breast of his blue […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Filling the trough so the pigs can scoff
By Craig McKune As we sent this week’s front-page story — on how to rip off the government through state leasing — to the printers, a successful BEE property developer called us. “I just want to give you a bit of perspective,” he said, before reading out a list of state leases in commercial buildings: […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
No show from ANC
By Glenda Daniels Guess what? The ANC has not shown up for any of the Press Council review public hearings held so far this month. And yet, it is the ANC, more than any other organisation in the country, which is unhappy about the independent and critical South African press. Last year there was heated […]