In a different class
I am one of those people who believe that true knowledge comes from observation and not (only) from thinking. Once I had a curious experience in a lift at work and which involved colleagues of mine. On this particular day, I took the lift down…
What is the real role of government and its ability to uplift communities out of poverty?
The resignation of Finance Minister Nene, the repeated burning of trains on Cape Town station and the protests across the Cape Flats against violence are, in my view, all related. For the last two decades, a lot of focus has been on the constitution as…
UN Vote on Myanmar: Why did South Africa Abstain?
South Africa’s shameful decision to “sit on the fence” during the United Nation’s recent vote on Myanmar, has come under attack, and rightly so. Since the Rohingya crisis caught the attention of the world during August 2017, not much has been done to hold the…
The Khashoggi Tapes
How odd! Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sends an audio recording of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul to the governments of all Turkey’s major NATO allies, and the only one that gets it is Canada. What happened…
Cry the Beloved Country, the Children of Palestine
My daughter Sarah happened to share her 12th birthday this week with the 15 year old Palestinian boy Muhammad Tamimi who was shot in the face by an Israeli soldier last December. Tamimi, who went through his third facial surgery three weeks ago at the…
Celebrating Indian Indenture
After 1994 the divisions in S.A necessitated national reconciliation. It exposed the deep divisions and conflicts between and within the different groups and the incomprehensible contradictions in our society. On Madiba’s return from Robben Island, there was strife, killings and mayhem alongside celebrations for democracy,…
The Parliament of South Africa
Although our Constitution of 1996 makes a fundamental break with the concept and practice of parliamentary sovereignty, which is one of the definitive characteristics of the Westminster paradigm, the historic term ‘Parliament’ has been retained as the official designation of the legislature of South Africa….
Everyone deserves a proper and safe toilet
A toilet is one of the most important places that is normally taken for granted. We all take note of the importance of a toilet when nature calls and we are pressed to relieve ourselves. Annually, 19 November is World Toilet Day which highlights the…
The people shall govern
October is usually the month in which we more commonly celebrate the life of the former president of the ANC, Comrade Oliver Tambo. However, this past October served as a special month in the calendar of the ANC and our nation’s democracy for another reason….
Silver bullets for the silver screen
The announcement by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) that it plans to implement section 189 of the Labor Relations Act which has potential retrenchment implications for approximately 1000 staff members has been met with hostility by organized labor and has led to divided opinion…
Brazil: A lesson for SA
The backslide of Brazil’s Workers Party, once one of the most admired left-of centre parties in the developing world, into corruption, mismanagement and cronyism, have unleashed a backlash which lifted far right populist leader Jair Bolsonaro into the country’s presidency. Bolsonaro’s election is a warning…
Pandering to apologists for Israel’s Apartheid regime or new decisive backup of Palestinian rights?
President Cyril Ramaphosa is due to address South Africa’s Jewish Board of Deputies, in what has become a ritual for leaders of the country. Unsurprisingly, the Jewish Board has hailed the upcoming event in anticipation of obtaining presidential assurances which in all likelihood will emphasize…
Mangena’s Toons
