KZN overrun by Covid-19 bodies
From health centres to crematoriums, the province is struggling to keep up with the logistics of death.
Museveni’s trusted playbook delivers victory again
The Bobi Wine-led revolution in Uganda might have been streamed live, but Uganda’s president relied on tried-and-tested strategies to prevail in the election.
Divided Ugandans speak out after Museveni win
The president of Uganda bagged his sixth term after an election outcome that has been widely regarded as unsurprising, but citizens are already asking who will take over from him.
Lindiwe Ndlovu was a woman of valour and vitality
The popular South African TV and film actress who practised her craft with dedication and integrity died suddenly while about to start a new chapter in her working life.
Nick Kyrgios, a team player in an individual sport
The talented Australian tennis player has a tendency to talk his way into controversy, but his headstrong opinions often overshadow actions that speak louder than words.
Editor's Pick
Biden is an inadequate response to the rise of the Right
Defeating right-wing authoritarianism means rejecting the neoliberal status quo and replacing it with an emancipatory agenda driven by popular organisation.
‘Major gaps’ in the impact of human noise on fish
Fossil fuel companies have targeted South Africa’s oceans for new oil and gas discoveries, using loud equipment to explore the seabed. But how will growing noise levels affect marine life?
Mpumalanga health workers depleted and unprotected
Shortages in personnel and protective equipment have left nurses and support workers in clinics at risk of contracting the virus, and so crippling hospitals in the province.
Why prisoners are a priority in vaccine rollout
Inmates comprise a vulnerable group in society and they are meant to receive Covid-19 vaccines earlier than the general population. This has sparked debate locally and globally.
Hiding from the sun, the stares and the killers
The albinism community remains marginalised, vulnerable and exploited, yet little is being done to protect them from human rights abuses.
Alcohol industry and government have to do better
The three sales bans the government has imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic have placed South Africans’ alcohol abuse and the booze industry’s predatory nature firmly in the spotlight.
Podcasts
S4 Episode 1: Covid-19 conspiracies | SA’s new jazz dawn
Covid-19 hoaxes have been rife since the start of the pandemic. But where do these conspiracies originate? And why is it so easy to dupe so many?
Mixtape 34: The Festive Fix
This is a bumper 50-track edition of the mixtape, with half Christmassy, non-preachy songs, and the other half tunes welcoming in 2021 with cautious optimism.
S3 Episode 15: Great minds | Round table | Oops
In this final episode for the year, Radio New Frame reflects on 2020. For the first time since lockdown, the whole team, masked and at a distance, got together and picked some of our favourite interviews.
COVID-19
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News
Long Read | The officers who interrogated Aggett
The testimony and cross-examination of apartheid-era police who interrogated activist Neil Aggett reveals the mindset of the feared Security Branch officers who covered up his death.
WhatsApp has been mining your data all along
The messaging application’s updated privacy policy has users crying foul and jumping ship. But they are just telling you what they have already been doing.
Severed hand ‘destroys’ Truda Foods worker
A horrific accident caused by a malfunctioning machine has left a young factory worker distraught, in pain and without hope for the future. His colleagues, too, are traumatised.
Old security police likely to remain mum on Aggett
As the reopened inquest into the death of anti-apartheid activist Neil Aggett picks up again, his sister Jill Burger admits to having to adjust her expectations of the outcome.
Khayelitsha shack fire victims in relief limbo
The City of Cape Town says it has no budget for relief efforts after a New Year’s Day blaze in Khayelitsha’s Taiwan shack settlement left about 500 people homeless.
Calls for transparency in how KZN manages Covid-19
Doctors, nurses, undertakers and civic activists want national and provincial interventions that address the reality of the dire situation in KwaZulu-Natal.
South Africa to blame for its border posts problem
The country has been moving steadily towards more securitised and militarised borders, further endangering those desperate to move to South Africa, but without addressing the real problems.
Ugandans vote as Museveni wilfully clings to power
It could be a landmark election because of its potential impact on East Africa as well as the possibility of a youthful candidate taking over from a president who has been in power for 35 years.
Injured farm workers need justice and compensation
Many labourers in the Sundays River Valley have never seen a cent after suffering debilitating pain and even disability from accidents while at work. A non-profit trust wants to change this.
Features
Exhibition | Nuclear power and spaces
This online visual project examines how landscapes, humans, plant and animal species as well as objects exist in relationship to the Koeberg nuclear power station and Cape Town.
Hair and beauty courses help refugees and migrants
The Jesuit Refugee Service’s skills programme uplifts refugees, migrants and South African women by teaching them business skills and offering beauty and hairdressing courses.
Cartoon | Loose Cannon
In this week’s cartoon, Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu oversees (and then defends) the police taking a water cannon to a queue of elderly and disabled Sassa grant recipients in Bellville, Cape Town.
From the Archive | ‘No Serenity Here’
Poet Keorapetse Kgositsile casts an unflinching eye on the fallout of imperialism in Africa, refusing to let the struggle die while arbitrary borders break up the continent.
Long Read | Mystery of G4S and its prison stranglehold
The company controversially continues to bag huge contracts despite dramas and scandals in the correctional facilities it runs in South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Culture
‘Happenstance’: Shane Cooper’s sonic adventures
Inspired by tape collage, the artist used a vintage reel-to-reel tape machine to explore the possibilities of sound in a collaboration that is as captivating as it is distinctive.
Proposed identity law changes ‘send a strong message’
Queer rights activists welcome the suggested amendments, which could see the ID number format change, as a sign of inclusion despite concerns over a potential ‘third gender’ category.
Rest in peace, Portia Lebohang Mashigo
The choreographer, muse and formidable performer created a rich and unforgettable legacy in her too short 46 years.
Caged in community: Terry-Ann Adams on her debut
Those Who Live in Cages, a story of five women in Eldorado Park, is rooted in a commitment to doing the neighbourhood justice and anchoring characters in real life.
Book Review | Those Who Live in Cages
Terry-Ann Adams pens a striking, sensitive and original debut, rendering the complex lives of women in Eldorado Park while turning a sharp eye on the structures that cage them.
SA pianist Kyle Shepherd’s journey into film
Already a successful musician, the multiple award-winning composer learned the art of scoring from scratch. He reflects on the dedication it took to shift his music from the stage to the screen.
Book Review | An anti-capitalist utopia
Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future explores a path away from the deadly realities of capitalism, with worldwide peoples’ movements leading the charge to salvation.
Sport
At last, Pakistan opens for international cricket
With heavy security and no fans because of Covid-19, the Proteas’ tour to Pakistan will be like no other. But in a way, both nations are in a similar situation as they try to resurrect their glorious pasts.
Victors not victims, says Ntombesintu Mfunzi
The Nedbank Running Club athlete speaks about being raped, her road to recovery and how she supports others, and the impact of delivering talks to convicted rapists.
Marcus Rashford’s greatest goal
The Manchester United striker netted a far more memorable goal than those scored on the pitch when he used his voice and influence to keep vulnerable children fed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Why Cameroon is obsessed with hosting the Afcon
The African nation is hoping to use the tournament to paper over the divisions of the Anglophone crisis and the cracks made by a dictator who has ruled for almost four decades. Will it work?
Darian Townsend’s mission to nurture future swimmers
The South African-born and gold-medal-winning Olympian is looking to build a strong swimming team at Ottawa University where he is now coaching after finishing his career in the US.
CAF’s reactive nature leads to Covid-19 chaos
The pandemic will test Africa’s football governing body as fears grow that some clubs have and will weaponise the virus to use against their opponents in the inter-club competitions.
Makhathini still taps away at sports to good effect
Legendary boxer Elijah “Tap Tap” Makhathini is working in the hills of rural KwaZulu-Natal to give impoverished youngsters hope.
Off-field politics hurt Namibian footballers
The suspension of the southern African nation’s football league has stunted the growth of players who were already not making much from the beautiful game.
Why Zane Waddell has retired at just 22
The Bloemfontein-born swimmer had the world at his feet in 2019. But just over a year later, in an Olympic year, he called it quits. He explains why he retired and what he plans to do now.
Editorial and Analysis
No cure for South Africa’s colonised medical minds
Elites have ignored the countries successfully using preventative measures against Covid-19. Instead, they’ve followed Western nations with their blind faith in technical solutions.
White licence was allowed to storm the Capitol
The attack on Congress should be seen for what it is: an assault by enfranchised white supremacists who cannot tolerate those outside their racist circle.
Affirming medicine as a public good
Medical science has developed hugely powerful technologies that can be used for social purposes. But to achieve this, it needs to be clearly on the side of the people.