Posted inGeneral

It’s not the first time

By Gavin Moffat It’s not the first time. I’ve been here before. The enthusiasm. The commitment. The rush of adrenalin. Feeling good about what I’m accomplishing. Not sure what makes this time different. I saw the 5150 video and felt a scream of me-ness. I want to do that. I want to achieve. I want […]

Posted inNews/Politics

When sex becomes a race issue…

By Tim Bester The sexual adventures of the rich and powerful have always been the focus of public fascination when these are aired in the public domain. These peccadilloes make for good and lurid copy in our newspapers. The most recent of these, involving Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Arnold Schwarzenegger, are good examples. And they have […]

Posted inGeneral

Science v religion: Who cares?

By Ryan Peter Many Thought Leader and Mail & Guardian readers might recall an article last week on Stephen Hawking, the world-renowned physicist, remarking that there “is no heaven” and calling the idea a “fairy story”. Here’s a quick quote from Hawking: “I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its […]

Posted inNews/Politics

Why I left the ANC

By Mthokozisi Nkosi Leaving the ANCYL was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. And once I became a member of the Democratic Alliance Students’ Organisation (Daso) at the University of Pretoria I endured endless insults from my former “comrades”. A few years ago I made a decision to build a better SA. On […]

Posted inNews/Politics

Vote with your head, not your heart

By Faatimah Hendricks It’s just two days until plenty of youth, including myself, will be casting their vote for the first time in local government elections. Deciding on who to select as the caretaker of my neighbourhood and the perfect person to run my city has been giving me sleepless nights (well, almost) as I […]

Posted inNews/Politics

Olweto’s story

By Emma Louise Powell He is sitting huddled up in a bundle with his knees drawn close for warmth, leaning listlessly against a cold concrete pillar while he exhales the last clouds of glueish haze encasing his lungs. His torn, brown rags resemble the hessian sacks that line the floors of agricultural warehouses. He looks […]

Posted inNews/Politics

Moonlighting murderers

I work at a major Gauteng public hospital. During the course of the last three days, I have had the misfortune of witnessing two young adult patients suffer preventable deaths. Many South Africans will easily explain away these deaths with predictable explanations such as collapsing infrastructure, shoddy equipment, long waiting times and poor nursing care. […]

Posted inNews/Politics

A better life for who?

By Thabang Motsohi When I learnt that the police officers involved in the brutal and revolting killing of Andries Tatane in Ficksburg had been arrested by the Independent Complaints Directorate, I felt conflicting emotions. At one level I was relieved and encouraged that our nascent democratic institutions were fearlessly proving the value and role that […]

Posted inBusiness

CPI being abused in price negotiations

By Kevin Phillips South Africans pay a lot of attention to the inflation rate: whether it’s up, down or stable, which direction it’s headed in and what it means for our wage and salary negotiations. But in some cases, the official inflation rate is being abused by large companies to squeeze their suppliers — putting […]