Opinion

Some lessons for South Africa’s sectarian middle-class lefties

Some NGOs with no membership that cast themselves as "radical" misuse grassroots organisations for their own purposes, writes Ayanda Kota.

Ayanda Kota

Opinion | 4 December 2014

Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance claim court victory

Steel Valley communities’ victory against ArcelorMittal is a victory for pollution-affected communities across the country, writes Melissa Fourie.

Melissa Fourie

Opinion | 3 December 2014

Militarisation and depoliticisation in South Africa today

One of the striking features of South African politics in recent years is its re-militarisation - a tendency for political issues to be addressed or resolved by force. This is part of a wider problem of violence suffusing South African society in general - that people, especially men, vent their anger with violence rather than discuss what has caused them to be annoyed in areas unrelated to politics, for example so-called “road rage”.

Raymond Suttner

Opinion | 2 December 2014

SACP: the biggest potential loser in Cosatu crisis

Politically, the biggest potential loser in the ongoing and increasingly bitter fracas within Cosatu and its affiliates is the smallest member of the ANC-led tripartite alliance, the South African Communist Party (SACP). That party’s Medium Term Vision (MTV), described in some party documents as a “ten-year plan” looks close to being in tatters.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 30 November 2014

What is at issue in the minimum wage debate?

Wages should be regulated, but minimum wages should be set at levels that do not destroy jobs, write Jeremy Seekings and Nicoli Nattrass.

Jeremy Seekings and Nicoli Nattrass

Opinion | 27 November 2014

Trade union supported political parties: lessons to be learned

Learning from the mistakes of others, and being aware of the basis of those mistakes, helps us not to repeat the same errors. This is something to which those individuals, groups and unions now agitating to move South Africa onto a new political trajectory via a trade union supported political party would do well to pay heed.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 24 November 2014

Ebola: the difficult return from the front

The health care workers who put their lives at risk to fight Ebola should be honoured, not quarantined, writes Kathryn Stinson, who recently returned from Sierra Leone.

Kathryn Stinson

Opinion | 20 November 2014

Why we should support the new complementary medicines regulations

It has been a year since regulations were published to protect the public from poor quality complementary medicines. The industry’s response has been characterised by obfuscation, denial and blatant contraventions, writes Professor Roy Jobson.

Roy Jobson

Opinion | 17 November 2014

Farm workers union Csaawu should be saved

Csaawu is facing bankruptcy for supporting farm workers dismissed after the sector’s historic strikes in 2012/13 - arguably the strongest challenge to rural labour exploitation in recent South African history. This is the story of why it is important for the union to be saved.

Daneel Knoetze

Opinion | 17 November 2014