There has been a good deal of talk on the significance of Lindiwe Mazibuko’s election to the top job in parliamentary opposition. Much of the celebration concerns what the event signals for the future; the potential for the Democratic Alliance (DA) to attract young black voters. In fact, in the minds of many, it is […]
News/Politics
Posted inBusiness, Environment, General, News/Politics
Imagine your electricity bill went up 459%
You’ll often hear that renewable energy is a nice idea, but it’s simply too expensive to be a realistic option. The choice between burning coal and switching to renewable energy is said to be a simple cost calculation — one that coal wins every time. It’s the rationale for why Eskom is going ahead with […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Why SA should call for a tax to bail out global health at the G20
By Dr Prinitha Pillay and Nonkosi Khumalo When the Group of 20 (G20) nations, including South Africa, meet in France from November 3-4, one of the key items on the agenda will be a proposal for a financial transaction tax that would generate revenue to address the debt crisis stemming from the global recession. News […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Our sexual expression is our choice
As the Slutwalk movement has spread internationally, it has increasingly come under fire from a broad range of communities. What started as a simple idea has been criticised for being exclusive, “white supremacist” and an insult to the victims and survivors of sexual assault. The movement started in Toronto after a law-enforcement officer told a […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Gaddafi: Rough justice
On July 13 1793 the assassin Marie-Anne Charlotte De Corday d’Armont entered the private rooms of Paris-dwelling Jean-Paul Marat, “L’Ami du peuple[1]“, revolutionary, Jacobin and soon: dead. The much-feared one greeted her from his reclining position in the bath, the treated water soothing his blistered, itchy skin no other place offering suitable respite from the […]
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Zuma eyeing Manguang?
In the last few days and weeks President Jacob Zuma has released advocate Michael Donen’s report on the Oilgate inquiry, sacked Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde and Cooperative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka, suspended National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele, pending the outcome of a Section 9 Inquiry, and appointed a commission of inquiry in terms of […]
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Gaddafi’s gifts to Mozambique
By Luis Nhachote On Thursday, news of Muammar Gaddafi’s brutal end topped the news. In Mozambique, many people will remember the antics of the colonel and the times he spent there. Frequently during his visits, he nonchalantly shuffled the protocols of the Frelimo government to gain favour with the public. I remember the 2003 summit […]
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Tsvangirai naive but not lightweight
Despair at the failings of one leader should not blind one to the faults of his rival. That’s a political truism which is easy to forget when casting about for an alternative to a venal despot like Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe. Some dismiss Morgan Tsvangirai as too intellectually lightweight a contender to land the knockout blow […]
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SA should acknowledge Kosovo’s independence
By Hannine Drake My recent announcement that I was planning to spend my upcoming vacation in Kosovo was mostly met with curiosity as well as some enthusiasm from the “developed countries are for the weak” crowd. One of the popular responses, apart from “why”, was: “Is it even a country?” But what may initially seem […]
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The price of no more Gaddafis? No more Mandelas
Gaddafi may have lost his final battle last night, but South Africa lost the war. As the last country to stand with the embattled “father of the nation” in spite of the West’s determination to get rid of him, South Africa’s international reputation was dragged through the mud as harshly as Gaddafi’s bloodied corpse was […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Black journalists’ role in the struggle needs to be re-examined
It was 34 years ago that the apartheid regime mounted its assault against the freedom and integrity of so-called black newspapers. On October 19 1977, the government silenced the World and Weekend World publications, which were mistaken for revolutionary voices simply because of the skin colour of the staff and the racially segmented market they […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, General, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Things aren’t alright
I’ve been writing for Thought Leader for roughly two years, and consistently on the same types of issues. I write about consumerism, “affluenza”, climate change, environmental degradation, oil and coal addiction, and the politics of eating meat — and after each piece, when I go through the comments, I’m left with the same overwhelming feeling: […]