By Errol Hendrickse Throughout history the female form has been celebrated as the one of the most beautiful things: we have pagan rituals that pay homage to the wonder of femininity, Christian denominations that worship the mother of Christ, we call the very ground our food is grown from Mother Earth but yet today we […]
Reader Blog
On our Reader Blog, we invite Thought Leader readers to submit one-off contributions to share their opinions on politics, news, sport, business, technology, the arts or any other field of interest.
If you'd like to contribute, first read our guidelines for submitting material to this blog.
Posted inGeneral
How much for the dead guy?
By David J Smith How much is a human life worth? What is the value of a person? Now I am not talking about some metaphysical value, a moral measure of the human soul. This is not a question for the amateur philosophers or the local vicar. This is a question for the accountants, the […]
Posted inGeneral
The Eskom tariff increase: An alternative view
By Mohamed Fayaz Khan It is significantly easier to join the chorus of frustration regarding the recent tariff increase awarded to Eskom by Nersa or remain silent for fear of being ridiculed for having a viewpoint that differs with the overwhelming majority of citizens in our country. It is in the spirit of fostering much […]
Posted inBusiness
Fear and loathing in the Age of Aquarius
By Bevan Jones Two thousand odd years (give or take) is a long time to wait for things to change. Were the 60s the tipping point or are we now only entering this supposed golden age with the cracks in capitalism starting to appear? If we don’t hurry up even the hippies are going to […]
Posted inSport
God and vuvuzelas defend New Zealand
By Roger Dickinson Prior to South Africa hosting and eventually winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup, then newly appointed South African minister of finance, Trevor Manuel, was severely criticised when he said he still supported the New Zealand All Blacks over the Springboks. This was heretical if not treasonous speech to many rugby-loving South Africans. […]
Posted inGeneral
Dinokeng scenario points to truth of Blindness
By Coenraad Bezuidenhout Let me explain … The Dinokeng study, launched last month, suggests three scenarios for a South Africa of 2020. Together, these three imagined futures gesture that an engaged citizenry will be key to ensure a South Africa that shows sustainable progress through an effective state. We are fresh out of an election […]
Posted inMedia
How big can this Boyle get?
By David J Smith We live in a world of over-promise. What used to be described as good is now described as awesome. Long lasting now means a year. Seminal albums used to come around once a decade, now apparently they happen every day. The word icon used to mean images of Christ or God, […]
Posted inGeneral
Zapiro, son of Zuma
By David Smith So we got this war going on. Between a cartoonist and a president. They are at each other’s throats like dogs. Tussling and grappling. Pulling and biting. Snarling and barking. Drawing showerheads. Threatening lawsuits. Speaking on the TV. Crying on the radio. Banning programmes. Leaking programmes. Shouting at the top of their […]
Posted inGeneral
Trying to find rhyme or reason with the SABC
By Cat Pritchard Welcome to another episode of “Grab the Money and Go” where the viewer is the loser and SABC steals the show in this week’s ep, watch Zapiro’s doccie get the boot and see how the SABC claims M&G stole the loot last month, as we all remember, Isidingo wanted to dash claiming […]
Posted inGeneral
Is Zapiro all we get?
By Paul McNally Jonathan Shapiro is a lovely man, soft-spoken, his cartoons are delightful, but is he all we get? During the audio commentary on The Times website — concerning the repeated axing of the Special Assignment documentary on political satire — he sounds weary. He dutifully explains his position for an umpteenth time on […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Abuse in Ireland: Will we scrutinise our institutions in SA?
By Patric Tariq Mellet There are so many stories and issues in the lives of South Africans that have for too long had to take a backseat in our media which seems to be stuck in a groove. Generally the South African media are besotted with the world of politicians and high-society figures, coasting from […]
Posted inGeneral
At the heart of the matter
Submitted by Lynne Brown This week’s battle about gender is not simply a fight between two women or two political parties. The gender issue is a human-rights matter, a complex subject that is of concern to all South Africans. Studies have shown that there is a direct link between a country’s attitude towards women and […]