Opinion and Analysis

Cape Town’s informal settlements the same, despite facelift

Ruth Massey recently undertook doctoral research in Cape Town’s Makhaza and New Rest settlements. Here, she shares her concerns about the way informal settlements are being managed.

Dr Ruth T. Massey

Opinion | 5 June 2014

Fix our healthcare system so that we may live!

Access to the Constitution and constitutional education in isiXhosa is not an an added extra—it is a constitutional right, argue Tim Hodgson and Mluleki Marongo.

Tim Hodgson and Mluleki Marongo

Opinion | 4 June 2014

Unions get back to democratic basics

Misunderstanding and confusion about the platinum sector pay issue persists. And much of the media is to blame for repeating, without analysis, the public relations spin of the mining companies.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 2 June 2014

An ‘oasis of excellence’ in the arid karoo

For all the special pleading by the major teachers’ union, Sadtu and the assertions by basic education minister Angie Motshekga that all is well, our schooling system is in crisis.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 26 May 2014

Why should South Africa decriminalise sex work?

Two recent events brought the question of decriminalisation of sex work into the public eye. The first was the leaking of a draft policy document developed by Amnesty International advocating for decriminalisation of both the buying and selling of sex.

Ayesha Krige and Marlise Richter

Opinion | 23 May 2014

Government should do more to protect communities from companies that destroy environment

Tracey Davies explains how the Batlhabine community fought back against a mining company that ignored the law. She also argues that the Department of Mineral Resources should have done more to help.

Tracey Davies

Opinion | 20 May 2014

The myth of the lady with the lamp

Nursing unions and the media noted last week that Monday was a day dedicated to nurses, to those who treat the sick and the ailing. And, as they did so, they continued to perpetuate a myth.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 19 May 2014

Empty promises or promising new beginnings? South African government launches three-year gay rights campaign

Things are looking up, right? Just days ago, our beloved Caster Semenya was in the headlines of none other than the Daily Sun, not because her gender or hormone levels were, once again, put under a degrading spotlight, but because she had announced her soon-to-be marriage to her girlfriend.

Laura Pascoe

Opinion | 16 May 2014

UNHCR responds to Delphine Pedeboy

Here is a response to Delphine Pedeboy’s criticisms of the UNHCR published on 13 May 2014.

Tina Ghelli

Opinion | 16 May 2014

Risking their lives is a daily routine for Kossovo residents

The people of Kossovo exist on the margins of unguarded train tracks. Their children are at risk. A lack of service delivery and poor sanitation makes dire conditions worse.

Dudumalingani Mqomboti

Opinion | 14 May 2014

Myths about the election

From a perusal of social media and certain sections of the commentariat (on both the Left and Right) one wouldn’t know that an intelligent South African electorate just handed the ANC a convincing victory in an overwhelming peaceful, free, fair and democratic election.

Gilad Isaacs

Opinion | 14 May 2014

How the UN in Cape Town deals with refugees: an insider’s account

Delphine Pedeboy interned with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) earlier this year. It was a frustrating experience, for her but even more so for the refugees she dealt with.

Delphine Pedeboy

Opinion | 13 May 2014

I get upset when people say they not going to vote

Some of my friends from university say that they are not going to vote because they do not see what difference the vote will make. They say politicians are corrupt.

Pharie Sefali

Opinion | 7 May 2014

I will be heard

I was born into a new South Africa. At a time when the promise of a country, free from any prejudice, was enough to win the majority vote during the first democratic elections.

Barbara Maregele

Opinion | 7 May 2014

On the brink of genocide: Understanding what’s happening in the Central African Republic

“The Central African Republic stands on the brink of genocide; some would say it has already commenced,” said Archbishop Desmond Tutu in April.

Shireen Mukadam

Opinion | 5 May 2014

A brief history of May Day

The basic demand of May Day was for an eight-hour working day —eight for work, eight for leisure and eight for sleep. It is something we still have to achieve, not just in South Africa, but in many other countries.

Terry Bell

Analysis | 1 May 2014