News/Politics

Submitted by Peter Griffiths Over the past week, many people have reacted with outrage to a video made by four University of the Free State students. For the most part I believe an opportunity for debate has been missed by media capitalising on sensationalist reportage, commentators quickly making sure they couldn’t possibly be caught on […]

Submitted by Henk Campher I am extremely proud of being African and South African. What we have managed to do over the past 15-odd years has been unbelievable. From the most despicable apartheid regime to a stable democracy and sound economic growth; from the bottom of the world pecking order to the leading global voice […]

Submitted by Unathi Kondile Early last week, one of my United States editors asked if I had heard of the race incident at the University of the Free State. I said I hadn’t, and didn’t make much of it when he elaborated. I told him it was probably one of those African fables that are […]

I recently wrote an essay where I explored the question in the heading, one that is equally applicable to English-speaking white people in South Africa. The racist incident at the University of the Free State makes this question relevant yet again, as do the Skielik killings, following on a range of other examples of white-on-black […]

A 25-year-old mother of two from south London whose drink had been spiked was raped by three boys who filmed the incident on a cellphone and then uploaded it on to YouTube. The website, immediately after being informed of this, pulled it off but not before about 600 people had already seen it. Unfortunately in […]

According to Prince Harry, his experience as a forward air controller (FAC) giving the final clearance to the aircraft dropping bombs on Helmand province has made him realise that “this is about as normal as I’m ever going to get”. “Cornet Wales”, whom the Guardian showed wearing a baseball cap with the Stars and Stripes […]

Every time someone tells me that flying is safer than driving, I tell them my cousin was killed in a car crash — a plane fell on him. I mean, FFS, does anyone really enjoy flying? If they do, then maybe they can explain why they look so relieved when we land. I hate it […]

Foul language is all we have heard from the president’s mouth in the countdown to the March 29 harmonised elections in Zimbabwe. It makes one wonder where the nation will end up. It has come down to electing a “prostitute” (sometimes called a “frog”), a puppet or an old man in the contest for the […]

I’m looking forward to the Zuma era in South African politics. We’re all wallowing in the mire right now, and have been for years. It’s bad, bad, bad out there. Jacob Zuma, for all his worrying foibles, could be just the breath of fresh air we all need. Usually we South Africans lob some guy […]