Andrew Gasnolar, a youthful 28-year-old from Gardens in Cape Town, is the new chief operations officer for Agang SA. A lawyer, Mandela-Rhodes Scholar and World Economic Forum Global Shaper, I chatted to him about his new job, politics, and whether I should vote for Agang SA. What made you take up this post? I have […]
News/Politics
Posted inEquality, General, News/Politics
Let Zille wear her doek in peace
Twitter and Facebook have given armchair activists access to audiences previously only reachable from standing on crates at political rallies. The newest cause for outrage has been Helen Zille wearing a doek and posing with drie-voet pots. Her pose is reminiscent of black women cooking at a wedding or funeral. The outrage is much a […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Insults and the imagination
This is a short speech I prepared for the opening of the Time of the Writer festival in Durban. My name is Sarah, and I collect insults. I’ve written three collections of South African insults, and I don’t think I’ll ever run out of material for more. In the research I’ve done, I’ve found that […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The right to education sacrificed in the name of power, war
As a teacher in South Africa, it’s very tempting to navel gaze because of the woes facing education in this country. My temptation is always curbed when I read stories about other teachers who are teaching in the midst of political turmoil in conflict-ridden countries. Like a refugee camp for Syrians in Jordan for example. […]
Posted inEquality, News/Politics
Resistant whiteness: On Pistorius, Memela and the dead bodies of women
Sandile Memela recently issued an apology to “countrymen” in the form of Dr Piet Mulder, The Freedom Front Plus, The FW de Klerk Foundation “and everyone who was offended” by his article “Oscar would be a hero if Reeva were a black man”. In the article, Memela questions if Reeva Steenkamp were a black man, […]
Posted inNews/Politics
One nation, united, in search of a verdict
This is South Africa at its very best. One nation, irrevocably divided, with liberty and justice for all who can afford it. No, I speak not of the general election campaign as the squabbling picks up steam. Although with all the bile being spewed, as politicians rubbish not only their opponents but also the demographic […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
An apology to my fellow countrymen
To: Dr Piet Mulder The Freedom Front Plus The FW de Klerk Foundation And everyone who was offended My recent article on the Mail & Guardian’s Thought Leader website on Tuesday, March 4 2014 has hurt, embarrassed and insulted fellow countrymen. In the article, I questioned whether Oscar Pistorius would be on trial if he […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
The real face of violence in South Africa
By Dariusz Dziewanski Violence in South Africa is nothing new. Both the devastating effects of violence, and the risk factors underlying it, have existed before the Oscar Pistorius trial and will continue to exist after it. What will cease to exist is a media and public fascination with violence. As interest wanes, violence will no […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Combatting corruption means getting rid of our electoral system
It is indeed true that there’s a good story to tell about South Africa post-1994 and that a solid foundation has been created to speed up growth and win the war against the triple ills of poverty, unemployment and inequality. Underpinning this success is the resilience of our rights-based Constitution that has been critical in […]
Posted inNews/Politics
South Africa’s lawyers should be desperately ashamed
Last week the Johannesburg Bar Council (JBC) took a decision that should cause their colleagues in the organised attorneys’ profession to cringe with embarrassment and blush with shame. It opened to media scrutiny, for the first time, a disciplinary enquiry into one of its advocate members. In contrast, though I agree it seems scarcely credible […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Mrs Khumalo, your daughter is not Reeva
Am I the only guy in this country who is fed up with black agony, pain and suffering being reduced to a sideshow? What is happening here is that black people are increasingly becoming invisible. Where is the outrage? We should be screaming prejudice, discrimination, unequal treatment and racism when the trial of the State […]
Posted inEquality, General, News/Politics
Long delays in processing asylum claims disgraceful
By Thandeka Duma Weeks spent in queues turned into months and months turned into years for a Burundian mother of four who applied for asylum in South Africa back in 2008. Her asylum application was rejected by the refugee status determination officer (RSDO) and she appealed this decision to the Refugee Appeal Board (RAB) in […]