By Catherine Murphy Sex workers all over the world face a constant risk of abuse. This is not news. Nor is it news that they are an extremely marginalised group of people, frequently forced to live outside the law. No one would be surprised to learn that they face discrimination, beatings, rape and harassment — […]
News/Politics
Posted inEquality, Gender violence, Media, News/Politics
Anger, ‘outrage’ and the internet
Quite often, when I log on to Twitter, I’ll see comments like the following: “What are we angry about today? Did I miss today’s Twitter outrage? I don’t know what we’re supposed to be angry about this week, but I’m outraged just in case.” It happens especially after incidents like Bic’s sexist Women’s Day ad […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Respect for the people is the missing glue in our governance architecture
When a new and inclusive democratic government was voted into power in 1994 we all rejoiced in the hope and trust that we were entering a new era led by a caring government that would be driven by the principles and values of ethical leadership. We also believed that the new democratic government would open […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Cecil, the dentist and a mass extinction event
By Darius Guppy Hunting is a passion of mine – and there is no greater place to hunt than Africa – so I understand what motivated an American dentist to pursue a magnificent lion in search of a trophy. Contrary to hysterical and politically correct pronouncements on the part of those who know little of […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Time for Riah Phiyega to swallow the medicine she signed up for
Three years ago, with the massacre of 44 people at Marikana, Riah Phiyega proved that she lacked the mettle needed to head one of the most vital organs of state, the police. Last week, when in response to a personally damning Farlam Commission report she did not resign as national police commissioner but instead pleaded […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Shouldn’t South Africa create a new flag?
The discussion here in New Zealand about Kiwis getting a new flag has made me wonder, as an expat South African, what South Africans see and feel when they look up at that rainbow bit of history rippling against an African horizon. Does the impulse rise to put hands on hearts while throats lump with […]
Posted inEquality, News/Politics
Obama and Kenyatta’s clash over LGBTI rights highlights the need for a much-needed discussion
By Stephen Buchanan-Clarke President Obama’s visit to Kenya as the first sitting US president will likely be remembered most for the strong stand he voiced on the issue of LGBTI rights on the continent. Standing alongside Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta at a joint press conference on Saturday, Obama unreservedly stated his belief “in the principle […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Popular psychology for SA’s politically frustrated
Forget the Rorschach test. There’s no need to peer at inkblots to divine psychological conditions. The ANC government is a living breathing Petri dish, incubating almost every cognitive deviance to have graced a psychiatrist’s couch. Let’s start with multiple personality disorder. Or could it rather be mirrored-self misidentification, the delusion that the person in the […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Once again, NKANDLAAAA
By Mphutlane wa Bofelo You can’t tell me that the political officials and administrators in South Africa — from ministers and director-generals to CEOs and finance managers — are so ignorant of the prices of goods and services, and the costs of construction of buildings and installation of appliances and devices that they would not […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Under fire SADC media must build alliances with citizens
The recent release of veteran journalist and editor Bheki Makhubu from a Swaziland jail should have been a momentous occasion for media freedom and freedom of expression activists in southern Africa. Instead, it has turned out to be a missed opportunity to inspire confidence, re-energise practitioners and consumers alike, and call the bluff on repressive […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
The Donald adds an Obama-like spark to 2016 race
By Perry Munzwembiri After years of “Obama-mania”, following President Barack Obama’s brilliance on the campaign trail, the 2016 White House race just needed something that would add the “X-factor” to the campaign. At first, it seemed Donald Trump brought the “Y-factor” — as in — why is he even running for president? Every day, however, […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The jewel of Africa needs to buff up its act
The situation has become unsustainable. The tipping point of an accelerated slide to failed state status is surely imminent. That means even worse economic disintegration than has already taken place over the past two decades. That means a more rapidly deteriorating security situation, with more street protests, violent wildcat strikes, burning, looting, and general lawlessness. […]