Review | Makhafula Vilakazi’s Concerning Blacks
In Ramashia’s new project, the presence of violence in all facets of the Black existence is felt and responded to. This violence does not, however, define those involved in it and Blacks in general.
Part one | Zondo’s nuclear deal revelations
In the first of this two-part series, evidence before the state capture inquiry shows how the multibillion-rand deal went ahead despite warnings about the exorbitant cost and danger to health.
Mamelodi Sundowns’ coaching trio get it right
Defying the conventional wisdom of too many cooks spoiling the broth, the Brazilians’ top three have ensured the club’s dominance continues. Manqoba Mngqithi explains how they work together.
Cartoon | Bad chemistry
In this week’s cartoon, the French and German heads of state demonstrate a captured loyalty to pharmaceutical giants in resisting global calls to waive Covid-19 vaccine patents.
US withdraws from Afghanistan? Not really
The US will remove 2 500 troops from the country teetering on the brink of civil war, but that leaves soldiers, contractors and aerial bombardment teams still on the ground.
Editor's Pick
Long Read | Covid’s stealthy factor: moral injury
The physical safety and mental wellbeing of photographers working on the front line have traditionally fallen by the wayside. But what about less noticeable harm?
Football versus faith – the Ramadan conundrum
The holy month is challenging for Muslim footballers and their clubs. How does one honour one’s religion by fasting yet remain in top condition? With some compromises, that’s how.
No Covid-19 grant, no food on the table
Families such as the Mapapas have been surviving on the special Covid-19 grant, which has come to an end. How they will survive moving forward is a question many in South Africa now face.
The urgency of universal healthcare
Giving everyone access to quality medical treatment can no longer be treated as an unrealisable dream. In these dangerous times, it is simply vital to make it a reality.
The terror of fire
Residents of shack settlements live in constant fear of the blazes that rip through communities with grim regularity.
Podcasts
S4 Episode 15: The strikes that changed South Africa
To celebrate Workers’ Day, we go back in time. In Durban in 1973, South African workers were raising their voices for better conditions and their fists against the system of apartheid.
Mixtape 41: I talk to the trees
Charles Leonard goes back to his roots in this tree-themed mixtape recorded under the 100-year-old lemon tree in his garden. He’s collected an orchard of related songs.
S4 Episode 14: Under the influence of influencers
Everyone can be a social media influencer in a hyper-capitalist society. What comes next in advertising? Also, we look at the sinister side of the internet economy.
News
‘Victimised’ for campus protest
South West Gauteng College has forced students to sign affidavits saying they will not participate in any more protests while preventing another protester from registering for the 2021 academic year.
Setback for Narenda Modi’s BJP in state elections
The failure of the Indian prime minister’s right-wing party to wrest control of three crucial states could signal an increasing regional threat to his leadership.
Xenophobia flares ahead of Zambian elections
Shop customers are threatening migrant traders with violence come the national elections in August, amid a rise in xenophobia that appears to correlate with election periods in Africa.
Once begun, mass vaccination cannot be halted
On 17 May, a long race against the clock starts, one in which every day and every vaccination matters. We should aim to administer at least 250 000 doses a day.
India’s Covid-19 crisis behind bars
Political prisoners, many of whom are awaiting trial, face abysmal conditions in far-flung, overcrowded jails. Now they are threatened with infection without access to heathcare.
Desperate workers say the CCMA is failing them
Covid-19 and budget cuts have combined to create a nightmare for those seeking help with cases of unfair dismissal or suspension, which have risen because of the pandemic’s economic effects.
Raining on shack dwellers’ dream of a better life
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape does little to improve the living conditions of those who live in shack settlements in and around Gqeberha, residents say.
India is being pulverised by a second Covid-19 wave
Oxygen, hospital bed and medication shortages have left thousands dead. But the ruling party lets millions gather at religious festivals and remains on the campaign trail.
Spar workers’ strike passes the five-week mark
With the help of a union that recently expanded its footprint to the Eastern Cape, employees remain steadfast in challenging the retail giant to improve their wages and working conditions.
Features
Sharp Read | Guerrilla Radios in Southern Africa
A collection of new studies captures the spirit, voices and influence of the region’s rebel broadcasters and the memories of those who grew up listening to them.
Sharp Read | After Brecht
Poetry has the power to comment swiftly, incisively and economically on the follies of politicians and skewer them in a few pointed lines. Here is a witty reworking of a classic satirical poem.
New Books | Anarchism in the Philippines
In an interview, activists Jong Pairez and Bas Umali discuss alternatives to social organisation that move away from the traditional – and often fragmented – Left.
Dirk Coetzee’s chilling service to his country
As former security police blame fading memories to dodge questions about apartheid atrocities, an unpublished memoir breaks their code of silence.
In hiding, Ghana’s queer activists keep up the fight
Despite having to flee after the state raided their offices, members of LGBT+ Rights Ghana vow to continue to work for legal recognition in a country pushing for even more repressive laws.
Culture
Phumlani Pikoli’s world without restriction
The multidisciplinary artist, whose novel was recently longlisted for the prestigious Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards, leaves behind a unique body of work to explore, and an ethos to inspire others.
Arabic calligraphy and the art of social justice
Three exponents of Arabic script reflect on the meaning, spirituality and activism of their craft and how they use it to celebrate faith and practise everyday compassion.
Book Review | Open Water
In his debut novel, British-Ghanaian writer Caleb Azumah Nelson pens a Black love story that taps into the rhythms of South East London by offering an ode to Black art, freedom and music.
The socialist feminism of Nawal El Saadawi
It was not from the academy that El Saadawi’s views on feminism and socialism were forged but in her impoverished birthplace of Kafr Tahla, among women who never seemed to have a voice.
Empires should fear history’s lessons in decline
In this week’s Text Messages, raising the spectre of ‘the clash of civilisations’ should not be lightly done when empires have been shown to crumble easily once their ‘artificial supports’ are removed.
Film and the radical politics of the long 1960s
In an era of decolonisation, feminism, gay liberation and pop counterculture, movies not only responded to the rebellious ideas of the moment but also helped shape them.
Writing of death is private art and public therapy
Eulogy, newspaper article, novel, poem… the obituary epitomises communal mourning, another aspect of being human that has been wrenched from society by Covid-19 restrictions.
Sport
Hail the sports pioneers daring to break the mould
There has been a noticeable rise in the number of women coaching men in professional sport across the globe. But is this positive trend an honest effort and can it be sustained?
The secret to AmaZulu’s success
Usuthu coach Benni McCarthy reveals what he has done to transform a team that was fighting to avoid relegation last season to being among title contenders in this campaign.
The state of cricket capture in India
Keeping the Indian Premier League running was part of Modi’s strategy to market his government’s ability to handle the Covid-19 pandemic, but it only reinforced his party’s intrusion in Indian cricket.
Blowing the whistle on patriarchy
As players turned referees, Akhona Makalima and Aimee Barrett-Theron are trailblazers in the male-dominated sports of football and rugby. They share the ups and downs of their jobs.
Long Read | SA football needs a reboot
Former Safa technical directors Fran Hilton-Smith and Serame Letsoaka assess why the dysfunctional association is on its knees and how to get South African football back in contention.
The SA coach with eyes in the back of her head
Sherylle Calder is sought after around the world as an expert who teaches sports teams and individual athletes to ‘see’ better, improving their speed, decisions, actions – and results.
Why Tokyo Olympics is special for Erin Gallagher
The SA swimmer had a challenging Covid-19 experience as she was hit hard by the virus. But she was able to bounce back and claim three individual national titles. This is how she did it.
Sarel Erwee, a Dolphin in calmer waters
The Dolphins opener used lockdown to address a mental health issue, transforming into the confident and resolute batsman that helped his team to success in the last competition of the franchise era.
Hitting a bullseye for SA’s least celebrated sport
For many South Africans, darts is a pastime at family gatherings and in pubs. But quietly and resolutely, players like Cameron Carolissen are making a living from it in the international arena.
Editorial and Analysis
SA’s impoverished excluded from inequality debate
South Africa’s economic policies have been moving to the right, embracing big business and ignoring workers and jobless people. Why does no organised voice speak out against this?
Building real alternatives to ANC’s degeneration
The political decay in the ruling party is so pervasive that weeding out a few leaders will not be sufficient to rebuild the possibility of real social hope
Italy’s futile abortion laws
Despite legislation, far-right politicians and religious organisations have entrenched ways to deny women their right to an abortion and shame those who do terminate a pregnancy.