Back to zero for uninsured migrant businesses
For the second time in two years, migrants in Johannesburg have witnessed the destruction of their enterprises. Many don’t know if they can pick up the pieces again.
‘I don’t want food parcels, I want justice’
The family members of loved ones killed by vigilantes in Phoenix, north of Durban, during the week of unrest are demanding justice as they bury their relatives.
Libyan exile’s life captured vividly on film
The recently released documentary The Colonel’s Stray Dogs provides a political and personal perspective of Libya under the rule of the late Muammar Gaddafi.
Global green energy: trick or treat for fossil era workers?
What will the renewable energy economy mean for millions of people who have spent their lives digging for coal, oil and gas, or servicing other carbon-intensive industries?
Sound and image evoke and honour spirit of June 16
Trumpeter Mandla Mlangeni’s ‘Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth’, at this year’s National Arts Festival, interrogates and reimagines personal and public history.
Editor's Pick
Boipelo Awuah is gonna be all right
The 15-year-old who used to steal her brother’s skateboard and sneak out to skate will now do so watched by millions of spectators around the globe in sport’s biggest spectacle, the Olympic Games.
Friends mourn death of staunch champion of migrants
Having fled the Rwandan genocide in 1994, Gabriel Hertis worked tirelessly in South Africa to make life a little easier, and better, for the most vulnerable people in society.
A history of South African Nazis
Those on the far Right identified with the despotic and racist ideology developed by Adolf Hitler. And when the National Party came to power, those fascists moved into politics.
Lighting a candle for love, victory and country
Akani Simbine and Jo Prins find strength in each other, their faith and being able to share what it takes to be the best in their respective sports. Theirs is really … er … a match made in heaven.
Mayhem in Mayfield leaves workers in despair
As the riots in Gauteng started to ease, those employed in areas affected by the destructive violence feared losing their jobs and decried the futility of it all.
What does the future hold for the Lions Tour?
SA Rugby had no choice but to go ahead with the tour following the financial devastation that Covid-19 inflicted on the local game. This state of affairs could be an ominous sign of things to come.
Podcasts
Mixtape 47: Walking in Rhythm
Press “play” and let Charles Leonard take you on a relaxing musical walk with songs about walking, wandering, meandering, sauntering, rambling and ambling.
S5 Episode 10: Mandla Langa | Rise of the pink tide
Esteemed South African poet and novelist Mandla Langa discusses his work, what’s wrong with the ANC and what looting we should be looking at. Also, why Latin America is swinging Left.
S5 Episode 9: Saving Mother Earth | Sarathy Korwar
What do you do when you’ve retired as a unionist and a cabinet minister? You try and save the Earth. Jay Naidoo tells us why this is his mission now.
News
Western Cape taxi violence brings lives to a halt
Not only has a major taxi route in the province been closed, but even clinics are empty because health workers cannot get to their places of employment.
Riots leave the dead unburied
Crematoriums, funeral parlours and cemeteries were forced to close, leaving the families of those who died during the unrest to live with their bodies.
Calata’s last stand for the Cradock Four
Lukhanyo Calata has resorted to the courts to compel the Hawks to finalise their investigation into the 1985 murders of his father Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlauli and Sparrow Mkonto.
A renewed commitment to TRC cases
The NPA and the Hawks are allocating people and resources to investigate apartheid-era crimes that have gone unpunished, but not everyone is altogether happy about it.
Why no health warnings for Durban chemicals blaze?
As firemen doused the toxic embers and smouldering sludge from a major chemical fire and explosion at a pesticide warehouse, questions about the lack of communication remained unanswered.
Makhanda joins in rejecting looting and politicians
Members of the Unemployed People’s Movement in Makhanda have taken matters into their own hands to ensure their town does not fall victim to the battles instigated by factions in the ANC.
Neighbours reconsider their dependence on SA
Economists and business leaders in Zimbabwe believe it would be foolish for the country to waste a good crisis and now is the time to reduce its reliance on South African imports and infrastructure.
Charitable acts cross many divides in KwaZulu-Natal
What was once a point of contention became a place of help and relief for the residents of a suburb in Durban, proving that humaneness crosses boundaries – real and imagined.
Reality bites as food shortages and rations remain
Although companies affected by the riots are working round the clock to get supplies to shops, South Africans are facing long hours in queues to get basic staples to their families.
Features
The push to make ecocide a punishable crime
Law experts have unveiled a formal definition of the term in an effort to make the destruction of the planet prosecutable by the International Criminal Court. But will it gain enough traction?
Long Read | Durban’s homeless seek shelter
Life is tough for the thousands who sleep on the streets of KwaZulu-Natal’s major port city. While some organisations try to help, police and hospitals often don’t treat them as kindly.
Anglophone Cameroon plays politics with no-work day
With Mondays enforced as off-days from work in conflict-ridden Cameroon, gathering at dog meat eateries to consume the delicacy and drink alcohol has become a weekly pastime.
The heartbreak behind children leaving school
A young boy’s education is stopped when it has barely started, all because he’s from an impoverished family who hardly survived even before Covid-19 brought added burdens.
Dilip Kumar showed India’s social reality on screen
The iconic actor transformed acting into an artistic expression of sublime genius, bringing realism to Indian cinema and leaving a cinematic legacy rich in esoteric content.
Culture
Urban Village are sonic archivists
By capturing and preserving the everyday sounds of the city and the musical influences that shape our present, the Soweto-based quartet brings the rural home to the metropole.
The edifying ministry of Mandisi
It is part of the required creative courage in jazz for the artist to take us into his confidence like this, as Mandisi Dyantyis and his band perform a poetic workshipping of their new material.
Angélique Kidjo puts Africa at the centre
Her latest project, Mother Nature, continues a musical trajectory that reflects on Africa’s history, the world’s perceptions of the continent and its influence on music everywhere.
Remembering Tsepo Tshola, Lesotho’s musical giant
The artist dubbed The Village Pope for the way he preached against racism and the evils of addiction has died after half a century of making music.
Album Review | Laura Mvula’s defiant return
With her third studio album, British vocalist Laura Mvula defies the critics who said her music wasn’t mainstream enough and rewards fans with her boldest album to date.
N’Goné Fall curates from the ground up
The Senegalese curator reflects on her extensive journey as a pioneer Black woman in contemporary African art and curating as well as the exhibitions closest to her heart.
Linda Tshabalala breathes artistry on ‘Convergence’
The alto saxophonist and composer’s debut record could well place her in the pantheon of jazz giants, standing tall as one of the lone female voices among the reed players.
Sport
Precious Mashele, the reluctant Olympian
The Olympic Games mean more to the Boxer Athletic Club runner than glory. They’re a means to a much-needed potential pay cheque.
Pierre Blignaut’s Olympic dream fulfilled at last
The 72-year-old shot put and discus coach will achieve his dream in Tokyo, and after that he wants to steam forward with more energy as he has no intention of retiring anytime soon.
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio has it figured out
The cyclist has had her fair share of disappointments at the Olympics. But they’ve helped her determine what type of road racer she is, leaving her confident and in form for Tokyo.
What lies behind Africa’s elusive World Cup glory?
Men’s national football teams have done well in junior world tournaments, but that success hasn’t been replicated on the senior global stage. What causes this and how can it be corrected?
Katlego Mohamme sets a high bar for Soshanguve
The young player has achieved much early in his football career, but his biggest contributions to the residents of his township are off the field.
A win bigger than the Euro cup?
England’s diverse and socially aware team stood in stark contrast to the football hooligans who stormed Wembley and the bigots who hurled racist insults at three Black players.
Arthur Zwane’s debt of thanks to Kaizer and Chiefs
Amakhosi’s stand-in coach, who will lead them in the final of the CAF Champions League, wants to bring home the coveted trophy to repay the man and the club that have always stood by him.
Lessons from the Kaizer Chiefs march
Amakhosi supporters’ unprecedented peaceful protest shook the establishment and started an important conversation about how fans can engage with their clubs in a productive manner.
Cricket dreams die on unsafe pitch in Khayelitsha
Harry Gwala Secondary School principal Gcinisile Mlungu laments how a pitch that was supposed to grow the sport in the school and surrounding areas now lies unused because of vandalism.
Editorial and Analysis
Neville Alexander’s warning
The ex-Robben Island prisoner and arguably South Africa’s foremost public intellectual cautioned against the spectre of violence that will arise from not resolving inequality and racism.
A future without illusion
For too long we have understood South Africa in terms of myth rather than history, fantasy rather than reality. Now we must take full measure of who and where we are.
SA could eliminate poverty in three years
It would take a liveable basic income grant and a job-guarantee programme with the state and private sector behind it. But it can be done.