The advice of the Italian revolutionary, Antonio Gramsci constantly comes to mind these days: exercise pessimism of the intellect, but optimism of the will. I must admit that it has become a great deal easier over recent months to exercise pessimism of the intellect — and increasingly difficult to exercise optimism of the will to do something about changing things, domestically or globally.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 2 July 2013
On Sunday I helped organise and participated in a small protest against human rights abuses and inadequate action on climate change by the Obama administration during his visit to the University of Cape Town.
Eduard Grebe
Opinion | 2 July 2013
Last Saturday, after three days of discussion, 300 members of multiple social movements marched in Cape Town and delivered a letter to the South African Government about land reform and land tenure.
Camila Osorio
News | 26 June 2013
Monica Gotshana, is a single mother of five children from Khayelitsha’s Site B. Today is her last day working as a janitor for the City of Cape Town because her six month contract comes to an end. She talked about her experience working as a toilet cleaner.
Mary-Anne Gontsana
News | 26 June 2013
Last Friday, 27 civil society organizations signed a letter directed at Ms Jenni Irish-Qhobosheane, of the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service. The organisations requested more time to comment on the Green Paper on Policing that Ms Irish-Qhobosheane published last week.
Camila Osorio
News | 25 June 2013
Immigrants who protested outside Kraaifontein Police station on Thursday 20 June claim that police officers assigned to the Wallacedene area yelled offensive statements at them. They also gave harrowing accounts of how they lost their livelihoods.
Tariro Washinyira
News | 25 June 2013
The struggle between Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, and activist organisation Equal Education, is getting nasty. The Department has accused EE of using whites to mislead black people and EE has accused the Department of racism. EE held Youth Day marches on Monday 17 June in Cape Town and Pretoria. The marches were part of EE’s campaign to get Minister Motshekga to publish a policy on minimum norms and standards for school infrastructure.
Thandile Majivolo
News | 19 June 2013
This is the last in a three-part series on the United States government's PRISM programme.
Nathan Geffen
Opinion | 18 June 2013
This is the second in a three-part series on the United States government's PRISM programme.
Nathan Geffen
Opinion | 18 June 2013
This is the first in a three-part series on the United States government's PRISM programme.
Nathan Geffen
Opinion | 18 June 2013
This was originally published as a letter in the Cape Times on 14 June 2013.
Doron Isaacs
Opinion | 14 June 2013
On 10 and 11 June, the fourth round in the trial of two Zambian men who are charged with having “carnal knowledge [of each other] against the order of nature” took place.
Jonathan Dockney
News | 12 June 2013
The public spats over portable toilets have been at the forefront of the news. But what exactly are portable toilets? How do they work? What is good and what is bad about them?
Mary-Anne Gontsana
News | 12 June 2013
Zambian activist Paul Kasonkomona has won an important first round in his court battle. In an interview on Zambian television in April he called for the recognition of gay and lesbian rights, as well as the rights of sex workers. He was arrested after the interview and charged under section 178(g) of the Zambian Penal Code.
Jonathan Dockney
News | 6 June 2013
While Thembisa Maso, a KTC resident still waits for her house to be completed, Mbuyiselo Vena, her neighbour, is struggling day in and day out in a wheelchair after being on a housing waiting list for the past 20 years.
Mary-Anne Gontsana
News | 29 May 2013
“Join our hands to fight the drug companies, join our hands to raise money from the private sector, join our hands in raising money from each of us who will contribute to save lives of everyone who needs to be saved.” With these words Zackie Achmat launched the Treatment Action Campaign in 1998.
Doron Isaacs
Opinion | 29 May 2013