By Rick de Kock In the space of barely a year, our continent has injected a unique African meaning into the phrase “social media revolution”. Only in Africa has tangible meaning been attached to each of those words in such dramatic ways. In addition to social and political revolutions, Africa’s tremendous economic progress in recent […]
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Posted inNews/Politics
Zille’s war on the poor
By Christopher McMichael Helen Zille’s recent proposal that unsafe sex should be criminalised has made her look like a crank, a rare reversal for a political leader who has assiduously courted a glowing public image in the media, both for herself and her party. The DA is eagerly hoping that the civil war within the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Durban’s dirty number: 2020
By Alex Lenferna Yesterday was an interesting day for climate discussions, however much of it was happening behind closed doors out of the reach of the negotiator tracker team, NGOs and media. Nonetheless, news of China’s potential willingness to take on legally binding agreements, and its possibility to be a game-changer within climate-change negotiations set […]
Posted inNews/Politics
What the frikkabill?
By Nompumelelo Motlafi Arguments about the Protection of State Information Bill have rarely occurred at low decibels. Black-clad journalists and other critics shout that the Bill is unconstitutional, tantamount to gagging, and heralds the end of democracy. At best, government representatives respond that there is no cause for alarm: the Bill is based on careful […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
‘Look, a Black Piet!’
By Marthe van der Wolf Being black and having an Afro most of my life, I heard this once too often. Probably every black person in the Netherlands has been called a “Black Piet” at least once in his or her life. Especially in the weeks prior to December 5. It hurts, it always has […]
Posted inNews/Politics
March like an Egyptian: Let’s create a culture of protest
By Mia Swart By appealing his suspension from the ANC, Julius Malema showed that he will not lie down. Like a phoenix he is bound to rise again. Malema’s reckless public statements have often done nothing but infuriate. But he has occasionally made constructive statements. A few years ago, he said that white South Africans […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Green Climate Fund at the COP17 negotiating table
By Alex Lenferna The largest ever financial vehicle for the distribution of climate justice is soon to be on the negotiating table at COP17. International delegates at COP17 are gearing up to discuss the Green Climate Fund, which requests of developed countries to provide developing countries with “scaled up, predictable, new and additional, and adequate […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Arch Makgoba: Secrecy bill evokes memories of apartheid, fear
By Archbishop Thabo Makgoba Dear Mr President, I write to you as one who grew up under a system that oppressed and censored the media — a system that invoked fear in anyone who dared to read, or embrace, different views to those of the government of the day. The passage of the Protection of […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Secrecy Bill: As Africa opens up, SA shuts down
By Tammy O’Connor The passing of the Protection of State Information Bill by the National Assembly on November 22 marks a significant erosion of the right to know in the country. The passage of the Bill comes just as Africa is celebrating a surge in the acknowledgement of the right of access to information on […]
Posted inLifestyle
My moment of truth
By Zandile Manana The fourth session of the Qiniso Dialogues took place in the backdrop of the announcement of a referendum in Greece, which left the world guessing on the future of that country and implications for the eurozone. As the radio debate ensued in the background on the morning of November 4, my mind […]
Posted inGeneral
The race of life
By Melanie Bala The day dawned bright and clear and with a little apprehension I set off for Newtown to attend a Qiniso Dialogues session hosted by the Mail & Guardian and Gordon Institute of Business Science. On seeing a few familiar faces (my fellow Twitterati) I did what people normally do and hung out […]
Posted inMedia
How objective is the media?
By Ryan Peter The media continues to be under the spotlight, not just locally but also in the US where questions about objectivity are moving to the forefront. Perhaps if there is anywhere in the world where these questions must be asked it’s in the US where, in my opinion, so much of the media […]