General

I am often accused of fighting a battle that’s already been conceded with organised religion. In fact, this is the criticism levelled at many anti-religious thinkers: basically, that we’re beating a dead horse. Religion has moved on from its horrible past. In its current form, it’s something altogether more complex and intricate. So why spend […]

Submitted by Zdena Mtetwa Many of us have attended those sessions where we are asked “What inspires you?” or “Who is your role model?” Sometimes we settle for the ones that are closer home, like “my mother”. Of course, some, if not most of us actually mean this. Our mothers are usually wonderful people, and […]

At the darkest hour for my family, I saw the Light and the blessings of the ancestors shine through the calm dignity of a domestic helper in Soweto. We had buried my mother, Nomali Memela, last Saturday. She died at home of natural causes. She was 83 years old. It being an ordinary Tuesday, this […]

Submitted by Craig Irving Early one recent morning I was milling around the back of a plane queue in Cape Town — the queue stretched from the boarding steps and along the tarmac. The morning threw me some telling nuggets of social commentary. First I had been irritated by the arrival of a big, fat, […]

I have a friend who is a Catholic priest. He’s a sanctimonious, arrogant prick of colossal proportions, but there’s no need to worry about my soul: I’ll say ten Hail Mary’s and all will be sorted. About twelve years ago, while under the grip of my three-year long flirtation with atheism, I was locked in […]

From the country that brought you the ANC two-faction in-fighting debacle, the war between the Scorpions and organised crime unit and the arms deal, comes a film so moving — and let’s face it, most of us will want to move overseas quickly after seeing it — that critics have deemed it an epiphany. Tweeracistsenababa […]

Regular readers of this blog appreciate the contempt I have for the activity known as debating. For the benefit of those not initiated in the savagery of the Silwane ways, here is a definition for you. Debate is a form of interaction between two human beings in which they engage for the purpose of proving […]

Assessing the political and social conditions in a country is like volunteering an opinion on religion or sex; everyone believes that he or she is in a position to say something authoritative about it without necessarily doing so from an informed position. Moreover, what counts as being “informed” about such matters is not always easy […]

Submitted by Anton Kleinschmidt The last thing that South Africa needs is timid submission to political correctness, because our politicians and bureaucrats are so consistently incorrect. A critical review of current realities and future prospects would serve no purpose if I resorted to watching my every word. One or two of the opinions that I […]

Recently I have been talking about more serious issues. It has been quite a wake-up call how readers can often be quite nit-picking and very ready to point out where one might have gone wrong. I truly appreciate feed-back, but it does make one hesitate to write again. I mean, who wants to be wrong? […]

Many white people see no just cause in blacks blaming apartheid for anything. It ended almost 14 years already; get over it already, they say. Often it is said with indignation, if not irritation, as though to say, how dare they! Those who insist we stop talking about it tell us it’s in the past, […]

If you had told me that South Africans were passionate about their constitutional right to call each other by derogatory terms, I would have told you to put the blunt down or pass it along coz you’re clearly smoking potent stuff. If you had told me that South Africans would be sufficiently moved to pen […]