Submitted by Fran Blandy It is still a mystery what caused the fire leaving Cape Towns’ glorious centrepiece a giant piece of rather misshapen charcoal, but I suspect greater more noble forces at work. Self-immolation, considered by Buddhists to be the ultimate form of sacrifice, is the rather violent practice of setting yourself on fire, […]
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.
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Posted inGeneral
Ubuntu 8.04: Just a tad bit disappointing
Submitted by Tendai Chiguware I have to admit I was not one of the first people to download Linux Ubuntu 8.04 when it was released some time last year. The reason was that I already had Ubuntu 7.01 Ultimate Gamers Edition (which I believe is the best thing to come out of the Linux community) […]
Posted inGeneral
Is employment equity doing more harm than good?
Submitted by Paul Deppe Discrimination in the workplace in some or other form has plagued South Africa since the early settlers inhabited the Cape in the 1600s. Colonialism ensured that the white population enriched themselves while depriving the indigenous population of social, political and economic power. At the turn of the 20th century the English […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Demand a citizens’ recall now
Submitted by Trevor Watkins Who is accountable for the mess South Africa is in today? Nobody! That’s our problem. We have very limited mechanisms for holding the incompetents and crooks accountable, so our problems continue and escalate. Our much-touted Constitution has let the people of South Africa down badly in the area of official accountability. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Irony and youth: warhorses for more virtuous politics
Submitted by Coenraad Bezuidenhout Activist filmmaker Michael Moore made three of the five highest grossing documentary films of all times (Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko). Most recently, he drew attention with a free, feature-length online release — one of the first by a known director. Slacker Uprising documents Moore’s personal 42-day, 62-city crusade […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A lesson from history
Submitted by Fana Marivate In the early days of the new republic, after the battle for liberation had been won, the party was overwhelmingly strong. Its leader, a man whom posterity would acclaim as among the greatest statesmen his country has ever produced, ascended to the nascent republic’s presidency. The party went from strength to […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The Zuma phenomenon
Submitted by Setumo Stone A question has been posed: What are the leadership qualities of Jacob Zuma? Many would attempt to answer this question by reciting the theoretical bull-dust of 3 Rs, 9 Cs, 7Ps of leadership etc. Rather than defining reality and context, these highly intellectual formulae often describe and depict an “ideal” personality […]
Posted inGeneral
We, the naïve, salute the ideal
Submitted by EMil Wentzel Every week I read Thought Leader for interesting articles that challenge my frame of mind and particular bias; I’m pleased that my view has been expanded on or crushed and changed constantly. It reminds me that we must stay malleable and exposed to the fine facets of our society through interaction; […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Maybe we all need to calm down
Submitted by Setumo Stone It only dawned on me after he had said it, that this man was once an executive major. He was definitely not your average taxi driver. What he said also made sense: “It is about time that South Africans calm down, and pay each individual respect, regardless of whether we feel […]
Posted inNews/Politics
SA cries out for an election manifesto
Submitted by Patric Tariq Mellet All political parties, including the ANC and the new splinter party, will be challenged by the electorate to quit howling abuse at each other and to provide a clear set of policies and action plans to which they will commit. People do not want the same old story that they […]
Posted inNews/Politics
ANC’s politics of intolerance
Submitted by Mandla Nyathi The fall-out over the recall of the former president of the country, Thabo Mbeki and the subsequent public defiance by some disgruntled ANC stalwarts such as former minister of defence Mosiuoa Lekota and former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa has set in motion a very interesting but concerning development in our political […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The November national convention
Submitted by MF Cassim The November national convention will be taking place against a backdrop of slowing world economic growth and terrible financial turmoil. The consequences for the country are many and serious. The emergence of a new political party will therefore be very timely because pressing issues need a dynamic response. The new party […]