The appointment of former South African president Thabo Mbeki as Chancellor of one of the country’s largest tertiary institutions, the University of South Africa (UNISA), comes at a unique moment in the country… writes Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni, University of South Africa. Universities are struggling to cope with student movements’ revolutionary demands for relevant, decolonised and free […]

I watched ‘Out of Africa’ for the first time just now, writes VIV VERMAAK. OVERALL SCORE: ‘Meh’ out of 10. MOVIE REVIEW: For starters, way too long. I know movie producers place their money on the suspension of the ‘neverending f**k’, but jissus, it took the main players seven years to get together in this story. […]

A different battle was fought on the streets of SONA (State of the Nation Address) in Cape Town, South Africa yesterday – one that saw ANC school children aggravate EFF supporters, resulting in police using unnecessary force to disperse children no older than 15… writes JUSTIN SULLIVAN. An elderly man raising his hand to a younger […]

The publication of the preliminary report by the public protector on the money Absa was supposed to owe the state was an absolute game changer in South African politics. The “leaking” of the report was a stroke of genius by the Zuma/Gupta/state security complex that has been trying very hard for months now to steer […]

I can already hear the intense Capetonian eye roll all the way from my lovely Jozi-based bed. But the truth is, this is not a “my city is better than your city” debate, this is just an honest and subjective look at the good, the bad and the ugly (which is few and far between […]

Across the world bouncers remain gatekeepers to the nightclub experience: controlling the queue at the door; curating the size and look of the crowd; and securing the institution from unwanted “intruders”. Indeed, “door policies” and “bouncing” remain characteristic of nightclub cultures globally. Last year I attended the Berlin NIGHTS Conference which saw artists, club owners, […]

Here’s a unique take on the year 2016 from a young South African – LEGH WILKINSON – hoping to encourage others to make a difference… To warn you, this is a long post but one I felt is worthwhile sharing. Essentially, it summarises a few of the life lessons I’ve learned and the personal transformation […]

We prayed from the safe, secure comfort of our little world (in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) where nothing bad was possible… writes CHARMAIN NAIDOO. My parents have been much on my mind this week. It’s not unusual, at this time of the year, close to Christmas and even closer to my birthday, for me to sink […]

I just got stopped by a traffic cop on the way back from a round to the Pick ‘n Pay and the bottle store. He jumped out from behind a Stop Street (at which I did not stop) causing me to slow down from an over-the-speed-limit-speed and waved me down, causing me to break suddenly, revealing […]

(I wonder, can anyone anywhere be considered an outsider given the implications of the election results for the world at large?) The ongoing protests and occasional riot against Donald Trump’s election are growing tiresome. Imagine for a moment the reaction had Clinton won and Trump’s supporters staged protests or, God forbid, riots. This election confirms the […]

The polarising effects of #FeesMustFall are now pervasive in the academy, and probably beyond. Academics turn on each other, as do their schools and faculties. Whole universities are pitted against one another – the “Wits option” vs the “UCT option”. Some academics are accused of being blindly supportive of “the innocent students” and parading their […]

Social media and mainstream media have been quick to post images and videos of fires being set and violence being perpetrated during South African student protests… but where were these reporters on Wednesday night when the flames that burnt were from a candlelit vigil and the gathering was beautiful and peaceful? Photographer JUSTIN SULLIVAN offers his views… […]

I salute a woman who inspires me and makes me want to be a better person, and sincerely hope she will find my Saturday Night Live/ Spitting Image style script funny. The outgoing Public Protector is a formal woman. Calm, quietly spoken, proper (in both senses of the word: real, “kosher” and also correct, official, […]

The relatively trivial nature of the charges against South Africa’s Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, and the way in which the prosecution has been pursued, leads to the conclusion that this is a trumped up charge. It also suggests that Gordhan is being prosecuted for reasons unrelated to the law and order mandate of the body […]

This letter has been going viral amongst South Africans in the past week, although it was actually posted back in June. It’s written by musician DON CLARKE and republished here with his kind permission: AN OPEN LETTER TO JULIUS “RED MAN” MALEMA FROM A PINK BROTHER Howzit Boet! I hope you don’t mind me calling […]

South Africa is known for its extreme income inequality, which is one of the highest in the world. Ten percent of the population earn around 55%–60% of all income, compared to only 20-35% in the advanced economies. But while the top income share is high in its own right, it pales in comparison to those […]

A beautiful poem from freelance writer, poet and author Cyndi Barker, originally from Zimbabwe… now living in the United Kingdom:   I wanted to grow old in Africa With the sun warming my decrepit bones And my great grandchildren running through my grapevine The heat of the sun turning their skins bronze While they played in […]

On Heritage Day last year, the following slight differences between myself and my neighbours became apparent. The neighbours were: young, Zulu and stone cold sober. Moreover, they had a sparkly blue pool and I did not. It was a very hot day, even in the shade of the mulberry tree. “Let’s ask the neigbours if […]

I’ve stripped my moer for these blooming students now! Hear ye! Hear ye! This is the most important paragraph of this whole piece: The Government does not have any money! Not a single cent. It gets all its money from taxpayers! So when you are asking the ‘government’ for ‘Free’ education, you are asking ME, […]

I come home to find Samson under the big tree in the front garden. He’s made a fire and looks disgruntled that I am so late. Those were the days before I installed the security gate. The days only schizophrenic dwarfy hobos with a moerse houding would dare to sneak onto your property while you […]

The legacies of apartheid in South Africa can only be understood by making sense of the complexities of the past. This includes recognising what those who were young during the apartheid era – and who are now the elders and leaders of our society – experienced during that time. In the roughly 30 years between […]

When an elite crime-fighting unit investigates a member of Cabinet, what does the rule of law require? In South Africa the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) have been circling finance minister Pravin Gordhan. Two main narratives are emerging to explain the ongoing saga. The first is that the minister may have committed some […]

In the last week, Pokemon Go, an augmented reality game for mobile phones, has taken off. Daily traffic for the game exceeded Twitter and Facebook use. What is driving this intense interest and involvement? One way to understand is to take a closer look at the game’s design. First, for those who haven’t played or […]

There is a debate in South Africa about who Nelson Mandela belongs to, as though he is the property of someone, a political party or a faction of the African National Congress. Added to that, there is a new generation of young people – the “born frees” who never lived under apartheid – who now […]

South African tourists, Peter and Michelle Roos, captured these poignant photos and the mood of a cemetery in Italy that became the last resting place for so many young South African soldiers… Michelle says that in the “midst of hedonistic pleasures” in Italy, the graves provided “a somber dose of other things that happened in […]