Dear Jacques, Firstly, thanks for the links to FeministsSA — I appreciate them. The more interest in feminism, the better (even if it is misguided as in your case). A few points where I beg to differ: 1. Andrea Dworkin represents a particular segment of feminism — radical feminism. It’s not called radical for nothing, […]
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Posted inGeneral
How not to think Africa from the Cape
By Harry Garuba How does one think Africa from the Cape in this post-colonial, post-apartheid moment? First, let me explain the rise of the notion of thinking from a place. The idea of location and locatedness saturates contemporary academic life. In the humanities and social sciences, the shifts in contemporary theory have made an awareness […]
Posted inGeneral
The passing of a maidriarch
All of last week I was thinking that I need to contact one of the most important people in my life — my nanny, Florence Mbuli. Something inside me told me that I needed to contact her and thank her for making me the person I am today. I found out on Sunday morning that […]
Posted inGeneral
A Super Rugby dream final
Sanzar could not have asked for more. On one side, you have the Queensland Reds. At the bottom a few seasons ago but now a thoroughbred side changing the landscape of Australian rugby. Their home ground was under water as Brisbane suffered its worst floods in 36 years at the beginning of the year. Now […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Oprabama and the corruption of ubuntu
By Mahmood Sanglay Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey were in South Africa in June and wowed South Africans in an unprecedented way. Obama was here on a visit to meet our youth. Oprah came to receive an honorary doctorate conferred upon her by the University of the Free State. The two women met for dinner […]
Posted inGeneral
The right to life
By Nobukhosi Ngwenya An article published a few months ago outlined how an organisation called Project Prevention was gearing to set up shop in South Africa. The project pays drug addicts and alcoholics to get sterilised. Barbara Harris, Project Prevention founder, would use the phrase “long-term birth control” instead of “sterilisation”. Let us call a […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
The ancestors strike back
The angry whispering of my ancestors, black, tan and white, refer. They speak about the words of some Deployed Writers in this middle-class space about race and hatred and the Great Juggernaut; the Great One, that Great Socialist of the humble bank account, that is bringing hope to the African poor and anxiety to the […]
Posted inGeneral
The great software decision: Build or buy?
There are some kinds of software you just buy: word processors, email clients and anti-virus packages are obvious examples. But when it comes to software that serves more specialised needs in the organisation, like financial systems, many people wonder if it wouldn’t be better to build their own. At least that way, the argument goes, […]
Posted inSport
Sports, a force of unity in SA
By Roxanne Rua One of the most noticeable aspects of South African culture I encountered when arriving here from abroad was the passion that so many people have for sports. Be it soccer, rugby, cricket or any number of amateur athletic pursuits, South Africans are loyal supporters, talented participants and indeed good sportsmen and women. […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Thoughts on the Greenpeace action at Eskom
Recently Greenpeace Africa took action at Eskom’s Megawatt Park, dumping five tonnes of coal at one entrance to the power utility’s headquarters. The act was a protest against the way Eskom produces South Africa’s electricity, 90% of which comes from climate-changing coal. As the twelth largest CO2 emitter in the world, located at the foot […]
Posted inNews/Politics
We should lower the voting age to 16
The Council of Europe’s recent call for its members to investigate lowering the voting age to 16, while not a novel idea, is undoubtedly a controversial one. In South Africa the idea of lowering the voting age was first raised by former president Nelson Mandela in 1994 when, in an interview with Time magazine (May […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Towards a pan-Arab solution for Libya
By Zuki Mqolomba The decision by UN Security apparatus to step in militarily to resolve the “Libyan crisis” has raised serious legal, moral and political questions. Concerns have been exacerbated by the marginalisation of the African Union peace roadmap, as well as the actions of UN allies in Libya, which herald a different approach to […]