Opinion

On the Politics of Protest in Cape Town

A few weeks ago, the City of Cape Town was rocked by a spate of road blockades and other significant protests. Certain liberal NGOs joined the Democratic Alliance in condemning the protests claiming that they are violent and motivated by political party agendas.

Jared Sacks

Opinion | 22 August 2012

Why Cape Town has erupted and what we can do about it

On the evening of Friday 3 August thousands of Khayelitsha residents were nearing the end of the long and difficult bus journey that city workers endure twice a day.

Gavin Silber

Opinion | 17 August 2012

No angels in the bloody Lonmin clashes

The ongoing tension and violence at South Africa’s Lonmin platinum mine is a much more complex and messy business than a simple turf war between unions in the Rustenburg region of the country.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 17 August 2012

Mars and the need to imagine a different South Africa

On 6 August, something extraordinary happened: NASA, the US space agency, landed a research craft called the Curiosity rover on Mars.

Jacques van Heerden

Opinion | 15 August 2012

The forgotten history of workers’ Olympics

In this week of Women’s Day, the 30th summer Olympiad is coming to an end. Over the past week and more, women and men from all backgrounds have displayed their sporting abilities, watched on television by more than 1 billion people around the world.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 13 August 2012

Service delivery failures: we need leadership not opportunists

I live in a house in Nyanga township in Cape Town. But before 1994 I lived in Nyanga Bush in a tent, then a plastic shack, then a corrugated iron shack.

Vuyiseka Dubula

Opinion | 8 August 2012

Know clearly what you want - and will fight for

That there is widespread and apparently growing cynicism within the labour movement about politics and politicians is perfectly understandable. Recent history provides many reasons, not least of them the corruption scandals, the circumstances surrounding the murder of Moss Phakoe and the ongoing school textbook crisis.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 8 August 2012

An important victory for education rights

Mary Waters High School in Grahamstown has 1087 learners from poor families.

Doron Isaacs

Opinion | 6 August 2012

Parole furore raises the dialysis conundrum

The controversial medical parole of former top cop, Jackie Selebi, has once again thrown into stark relief questions about kidney disease and treatment, questions that have long disturbed the labour movement.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 2 August 2012