Behold, the end of the world is nigh! The barbarians have breached the gates! Extremists are redrawing maps without the superpowers! Journalists’ heads are rolling — and not only at Independent Newspapers! Jihadists now speak with English accents! Oh, and Juju’s in the house. And he’s not playing nice. Civilisation as we know it is […]
EFF
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
An amputation for our Frankenstein anthem?
The October 10 1997 Government Gazette announced that the national anthem committee, chaired by Professor Mzilikazi Khumalo, had completed its work. The professor had presided over the successful animation of a creature. A creature comprised of parts taken from the bodies of each of our lived histories. For one group this creature was a repugnant […]
Posted inBusiness, Equality
Voices from the platinum belt victory
Text by Gillian Schutte Films by Sipho Singiswa The stadium in Phokeng outside Rustenberg exploded in jubilation when the end of the longest strike in South African history was announced on June 23. Men and women waved their arms victoriously in the air and resounding ululations and cheering reverberated as a great burden of domestic […]
Posted inNews/Politics
EFF in Parliament: All talk and no trousers?
We have all witnessed the circus that’s been the EFF’s entrance to Parliament, akin to something of a comedic fairy-tale with costumes, heroes and villains. We’ve seen everything from heartfelt letters to the public such as Andile Mngxitama’s “Letter from Parliament” and Julius Malema thrown out of Parliament for accusing the ANC of murdering mineworkers. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
EFF beret restores black pride
I live in Cape Town and not since the red berets started popping around the city have I seen the black man walk so tall in this terrifying tower of white privilege, which is this city. So sure of himself is the fighter that he does nothing but inspire confidence to those, like myself, who […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Nouveau red: The cult of representation
The truly fascinating and engaging aspect of being part of a democracy, is the ability to tease, convert or overhaul the status quo for the sake of requisite representation if the electorate deems it necessary. Yes, even when the electorate is said to be largely on zombie mode. The results of India’s election and the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The receding spectre of a one-party state
“If you have a country where everyone is complaining, you’ve got a democracy; if you have one where no-one is complaining, you’ve got a problem” (not bad, huh? — © Saks, D — all rights reserved etc … ). Related to the above is the paradox that huge victory margins in elections are indicative not […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The EFF ‘hooligans’ in Parliament…
“Who are these idiots who voted for the ANC and the EFF?” I heard this question in passing while the election results were trickling in. The aftermath of the elections has been focused on a few issues but I would like to focus on these two: – Does the EFF have what it takes to […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A personal reflection on the election
By Kelebone Lekunya Twenty years ago South Africa was ushered into the era of freedom and democracy where old guys like Nelson Mandela voted for their very first time in their seventies. Of course that freedom didn’t come on a silver platter: it was paid with the ultimate price of the blood of martyrs like […]
Posted inNews/Politics
EFF/DA/ANC/Agang: Same mess, different party
“Power belongs to the people until they vote, then they are represented.” This is the time of pledges and hope. A time when misogynists are promising to uphold women’s rights, homophobes championing LGBTI rights, racists speaking about the struggle and xenophobes talking Pan-Africanism. A time when you realise who really shares your views and who […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Placing my cross next to Malema’s face?
How to use their vote in the upcoming general election is a question confronting virtually all of my students. Some suggest they won’t vote, that they feel it is pointless. Others insist they want to vote but are anxious that their vote will have little or no impact. Then there are a substantial number who […]
Posted inNews/Politics
2014: I’m voting for jobs
On May 7 2014 I’ll be voting for the second time. This time I won’t quiver as I draw my “X”. I won’t care about all the hopeful politicians populating party election lists. I’m voting for me, and I’m voting so that some of those hopeful politicians don’t get in again. I am not going […]