By Zamantungwa Khumalo We’ve been sold the idea that we can chase our dreams, that we can carpe diem through life, that we can drop out of varsity and be the next Zuckerberg. The reality on the ground isn’t as rosy. The people who tell you to chase your dreams won’t tell you how you’ll […]
One Young World
One Young World is a UK-based not-for-profit that gathers together the brightest young people from around the world, empowering them to make lasting connections and develop lasting solutions to some of the world's most pressing issues.
At the annual One Young World Summit, the most valuable young talent from global and national companies, NGOs, universities and other-forward thinking organisations are joined by world leaders, acting as the One Young World Counsellors.
Fellow Muslims, don’t be silenced by the extremists
By Sumaya Hendricks The pursuit of being a devout Muslim who strives to embody the values, personality and mission of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is inextricably interconnected with practising fairness, justice, kindness, peace and other moral superlatives. As Muslims in the 21st century, who are blessed with enormous potential and opportunity, it […]
Party bosses: A tyranny of the fanatical
The irrational behaviour of some political leaders is denigrating faith in the social contract that unites our post-conflict society. That same contract underpins the necessary wealth-creation efforts integral to the achievement of a non-racial, non-sexist, non-xenophobic and democratic society. In essence, power-hungry men and women are drawing the entire country into an unnecessary state of […]
The second new South Africa
By: Frederik de Ridder Watching powerful individuals erode the dream of promise and a better life for all in South Africa, it is natural to fall back and review whether this could have been predicted. As a young person, I wonder what I would have done had I been of age or relevance during the […]
Just Zille, people. Move along
By Thato Choma It’s been a while now and Helen Zille is still being crucified for her “reckless” use of words on national television and the twitter streets. In March this year she referred to Eastern Cape pupils, who’ve moved to the Western Cape for a better education, as refugees. Zille made this statement after […]
Zille: Three tweets to the wind
By Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh After the DA leader’s first Twitter-related faux pas, describing voters as “supporting the ANC because they were given KFC”, I winced, bit my lip, and continued with my day. After her second slur, depicting Simphiwe Dana as a “professional black” for apparently trading on her race in criticising the Western Cape government’s […]
True, not magnetic north: Reflecting on Freedom Month
By Erik de Ridder It is often contended that South Africa has lost its moral compass and the ability to navigate on a moral basis. Libya, the visa-debacle of the Dalai Llama or the collapse of schooling in the Eastern Cape, for instance, serve as cases in point. The magnetic lure of succumbing to a […]
Gauging Swaziland’s ‘cultural boycott’
By Nondumiso Hlophe The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) believes that a “cultural boycott” – by musicians invited to perform in the Kingdom of Swaziland – is an effective way to address political opinions in Swaziland. Do you? Last year, the South-African based organisation SSN called on artists to boycott Swaziland by refusing to perform in […]
Debating universities’ admissions policies
By Khethelo Xulu Reading what other young people in the country think about the future and the direction the country is taking is thought-provoking. As a young citizen of the country, I usually follow and participate in such debates. The most recent debate I have engaged in centers on universities’ admissions policies. An article about […]
Political parties — part of the solution or the problem?
By Amukelani Mayimele As a young woman determined to fight an unjust system that worked against the poor I joined South African Students Congress (Sasco) during my first year at university. The number of people we helped each year did not represent half of the people who needed the help. We spent the rest of […]
If COP17 has to do with survival, why aren’t more people interested?
By Karuna Rana For those in the climate-change arena, the yearly UN climate-change negotiations remain an important event. The Copenhagen Summit in 2009 was a massive let-down. Last year, Cancun was unexpectedly hopeful and, this year, the climate-change negotiations have arrived to Durban, South Africa. COP17 is perhaps more crucial than previous meetings as the […]
Substantive, not normative equality is what we need
By Elsabe van Vuuren In 1994 South Africa rejoiced at the ordination of a new government. South Africans also celebrated the end of deeply unjust apartheid laws. This was a new beginning for Southern Africa. South Africa joined its neighbours, namely Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia and, Zimbabwe in the fight for more equal opportunities for […]