Opinion and Analysis

A tribute to Arthur Chaskalson

This is a tribute by Advocate Geoff Budlender to the late Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson at a memorial service in Johannesburg City Hall on 5 December.

Geoff Budlender

Opinion | 18 December 2012

Holocaust denial is hateful, immoral and factually wrong

Holocaust denialism is hateful, immoral and factually wrong. It legitimises the taking of measures by individuals, organisations and governments that lead to the destruction of human dignity and life. This destruction of dignity and life is based on ideologies of hate and profit.

Zackie Achmat

Opinion | 14 December 2012

Nelson Mandela is going to die - it’s sad, but it’s ok

Madiba is in hospital. Spokespeople assure us he is doing well. That he is old, sick and likely to die soon are avoided or dealt with euphemistically.

Nathan Geffen, Editor GroundUp

Opinion | 12 December 2012

Residents of Khayelitsha stand behind Commission of Inquiry

As a 21-year-old member of the Khayelitsha community, I firmly support the Commission of Inquiry into the Police in Khayelitsha.

Sifiso Zitwana

Opinion | 12 December 2012

Desperate cry for victim counselling in Khayelitsha

It is well-known that those who report crimes to the police stations in Khayelitsha are not likely to receive a great deal of help. This leads to a situation where many victims of crime simply do not come forward to open a case.

Andiswa Hala

Opinion | 12 December 2012

Time to find a new way forward

The Bill of Rights is rightly hailed throughout the labour movement and beyond as
perhaps the finest exposition of the desire of the bulk of humanity for a world that
guarantees the maximum level of dignity, equality and freedom for all.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 12 December 2012

What should the state do now that it has lost the Dudley Lee case?

The Constitutional Court gave judgment in the matter between Dudley Lee and the Minister of Correctional Services on 11 December 2012. The court ruled in favour of Lee. Thus, yesterday almost marked the end of Mr Lee’s seven-year journey through three courts; the Cape High Court will still have to determine the amount the state must pay him.

John Stephens

Opinion | 12 December 2012

Youth of the 21st century must speak maths

Some people say that maths is not for everyone. Many say that we should value people for their differing strengths, whether mathematic, dramatic or athletic.

Doron Isaacs

Opinion | 12 December 2012

Marikana, farms and forestry

There are none so blind as those that will not see. It is a saying popularised more
than 300 years ago and it has had marked resonance following the bloody events at
Marikana and the more recent upheavals among the fruit and wine farms of the
Western Cape.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 28 November 2012

My Mother’s Black Eye

There is only one thing in this world that infuriates me and that is the abuse of women. I can't stand it. The thought of it unleashes this rage within that makes me want to scream and destroy every man that has ever laid a hand on a woman.

Baldi Lox

Opinion | 28 November 2012

Behind the scenes of school infrastructure victory

Doron Isaacs of Equal Education describes the organisation's campaign that got the Minister of Basic Education to settle their court case last week.

Doron Isaacs

Opinion | 21 November 2012

De Doorns: an explosion waiting to happen…

There should have been no surprise or outrage expressed by mining companies,
agribusiness, and government officials about the recent explosion of strikes and
protests on mines and farms. And trade unionists across the board should not have
been caught flat-footed by the outbursts of anger that erupted in the North West,
Limpopo and now in the Western Cape.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 21 November 2012

Turning our backs on girl learners

Last week, it was reported with a sense of accomplishment that 38 teachers have been struck off the roll since 2010 for sexual abuse of their learners. I am a lawyer currently working on six cases of sexual violence in schools in three provinces.

Nikki Stein

Opinion | 14 November 2012

Understanding the two Commissions of Inquiry into the police

There are two Commissions of Inquiry underway in South Africa (SA) that involve the SA Police Service (SAPS), the Police Minister and Police Commissioner, that we should be interrogating, examining, monitoring, overseeing and following with equal vigour.

Fatima Hassan

Opinion | 14 November 2012

The unseemly hat of opposition: A time for self-reflection?

When I saw the TimesLIVE photograph of Premier Zille leading the Democratic Alliance in a march to President Zuma’s Nkandla homestead, I had a visceral reaction. To some, outrage might have been caused by Zille’s finger-pointing, or the gross abuse of state resources symbolised by the police line blocking her delegation’s access to a public road.

Dustin Kramer

Opinion | 7 November 2012

Still dealing with symptoms rather than causes

By tomorrow afternoon (Saturday, October 20) it should become clear whether
Britain is about to join the growing tide of European rebellion against economic
austerity that has become particularly vociferous and violent in Greece and Spain.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 24 October 2012