By Cynthia Ayeza Mutabaazi Almost every evening, between Troy and Beckett Streets, along Schoeman Street in Arcadia, Pretoria, a certain darkness falls upon the area. The prostitute trade thrives greatly here and the street lights never come on for some reason. I have noticed for some time now that the police seem to play a […]
Mandela Rhodes Scholars
Mandela Rhodes Scholars who feature on this page are all recipients of The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship, awarded by The Mandela Rhodes Foundation, and are members of The Mandela Rhodes Community.
The Mandela Rhodes Community was started by recipients of the scholarship, and is a growing network of young African leaders in different sectors. The Mandela Rhodes Community is comprised of students and professionals from various backgrounds, fields of study and areas of interest. Their commonality is the set of guiding principles instilled through The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship program: education, leadership, reconciliation, and social entrepreneurship.
All members of The Mandela Rhodes Community have displayed some form of involvement in each of these domains.
The Community has the purpose of mobilising its members and partners to collaborate in establishing a growing network of engaged and active leaders through dialogue and project support
[The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship is open to all African students and allows for postgraduate studies at any institution in South Africa. See The Mandela Rhodes Foundation for further details.]
Posted inGeneral
Of genes and gender
By Steven Hussey If socially defined gender roles are a natural product of our biology, why are they so difficult to live up to? How much rebuking of “effeminate males” or scolding of breadwinning mothers by conservative culture does it take to reveal the weakness of the link between sex and behaviour? Biology is not […]
Posted inGeneral
No woman deserves to be beaten
By Cynthia Ayeza Mutabaazi The world of physical abuse is one of the most annoying I have ever encountered, mostly because it is protected by both the accused and abused. Imagine having to tell your girlfriends that your boyfriend assaulted you? For many girls and women, the shame that comes with knowing you were so […]
Posted inGeneral
What is genetic modification, really?
By Steven Hussey If you think you’ve managed to stay clean of them GMOs (genetically modified organisms) by going “organic”, chances are you’ve unknowingly been eating them or wearing them. But don’t worry. After more than three decades of experimentation there’s still no convincing evidence that GMOs are harmful. It’s the paranoia of groups like […]
Posted inLifestyle
Beggars in shopping malls — facing our guilt
By Suntosh Pillay Beggars confront us every day. What do you do when a person arrives, looking pitifully desperate, begging for a handout? Perhaps we’ve developed routine methods of response: quickly search our pockets and flick a rand; shrug sympathetically; squirm uneasily in the car looking to our side compartments, or, perhaps because suffering has […]
Posted inTech
Africa’s technology blockers
By Cano Ssemakulu It will always boil down to the money — the one commodity Africa has always lacked, and will always lack. Scientific research within the African context has not yielded results despite the presence of centres of scientific excellence across the African continent. Up till now Africa continues to suffer from solvable problems […]
Posted inNews/Politics
It’s just the queerest choice
By Steven Hussey On viewing the shocking Mail & Guardian report of the unwarranted police brutality and homophobia incident that occurred in Vosloorus recently, I was disappointed by a comment that someone posted, describing homosexuality as “Western” and “un-African”. The comment went on, “it’s absolutely not genetical (sic); there’s absolutely no medical or scientific evidence […]
Posted inBusiness
Can we trust the credit rating agencies?
By Siziphiwe Ngxabi The recession, as you already know, was caused by reckless lending. Lending by American banks to so-called “Ninja” customers (no income, no job or assets). Perhaps they thought it was the right thing to do at the time because the interest rates were relatively low. But as can be expected — the […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Media tribunals is a Battle of the Titans
By Zuki Mqolomba “When the Greek god Uranus met with his wife Gaia, their son Cronus attacked Uranus with the sickle and cut off his genitals, and cast the severed member into the sea. From the blood that spilled out from Uranus and fell upon the earth, the Gigantes, Erinyes, and Meliae were produced, and […]
Posted inLifestyle
Why aren’t we really doing anything about global warming?
By Anton Botha As the seriousness of global warming has become clearer, scientists, environmental activists, civil society, and even politicians have taken to informing, and warning, people about this crisis. Although this campaign has been informative by all accounts, it does not seem to have been effective. Knowledge of global warming and its effects is […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Oral histories: The fire and the crowd
By Zdena Mtetwa Towards the 2009 Human Rights Day celebrations, Sharpeville was a very busy township. What an experience it is, to watch communities take ownership of their own history! The dynamics that come into play are fascinating. The old make fires at the side of the road. The young are invited to come and […]
Posted inTech
Technology blockers in Africa
By Ssemakalu Cornelius It will always boil down to the money — the one commodity Africa has always lacked. Scientific research within the African context has not yielded results despite the presence of centres of scientific excellence across the continent. Africa continues to suffer from solvable problems such as communicable diseases, lack of proper (or […]