News/Politics

By Ayesha Jacub I sat on the edge of the bathtub heaving. Every organ system in my body felt as though it was being pummelled … and then some. I had a constant metallic taste in my mouth. And these drugs were supposed to be helping me? In 2009 I was on my second course […]

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. […]

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 […]

By Cedrick Ngalande A couple of weeks ago we saw French troops capture and hand over the embattled Laurent Gbagbo to the Ivorian government. For several months Gbagbo had refused to hand over power to the UN-recognised winner of the presidential elections. This stand-off resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians. In North […]

It is apparently improper to comment on South African politics without invoking God or religion more broadly. Last night a caller to 702 alleged that Mosiuoa Lekota had left the ANC because he had lost power and that his criticism of the ruling party only surfaced after the now (in)famous divorce. I was reminded of […]

“All my people love me. They would die to protect me,” said Libya leader Muammar Gaddafi towards the end of February 2011 in the midst of massive protests against his 42-year rule. Did he understand what he was saying? Did he really mean what he was saying, or was he (once again) playing the fool […]

By Athambile Masola I have been following Julius Malema’s trial with half an ear. Much ink has been spilled and printed about the ANC Youth League leader and it seems almost useless to be writing about him at this stage of his leadership of the youth league. The great “Juju”, has never been without a […]

Readers who have followed my writings for a while will have picked up some of my history. I pretty much did not have, for various reasons, including deaths, any real family until I met Marion some eight years ago. For the most part I did not mind; I had a good circle of friends and […]

Amazing grace … The pollen twirls around me, brightening the canal with an extra layer of sparkle. They are clots of whitish-grey and pucker against my skin. Tiny elven fingers and thumbs, they are silent, as if they are hands clasped over tiny furry mouths. If they could make a sound it would be children’s […]

Anyone observing the “Spook Wars” between elements of the intelligence community should be forgiven for thinking that this is just a testosterone driven phenomenon, or a case of “my secret gadget is bigger than yours”. In reality, this disturbing phenomenon, most recently seen before the ANC’s Polokwane conference, is a feature of the ongoing social, […]

Flanked by the Dracula Princess, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, to stress his Struggle authenticity, Malema gleefully exploited the moment to proclaim that it was not he who was on trial, but the Revolution itself.