eThekwini ANC faction chooses power over the people
Zandile Gumede’s election to yet another powerful position in the KwaZulu-Natal region is, by most accounts, in the interest of her self-serving supporters and not the long-suffering residents.
Editorial and Analysis
Devastation in Durban
The floods that have wreaked havoc in the shacklands of Durban are another searing indictment of the social abandonment of the majority by a predatory political elite.
The imperative of political hope
The widening separation between the nationalist imagination and emancipatory hopes is turning the former into an alibi for increasingly dangerous forms of reactionary politics.
International law and ‘European civilisation’
Despite its promises of universalism, international law has clearly not yet shaken its foundation as a racial order.
Indian health workers criminalised for protesting
Underpaid and overworked health personnel who serve in rural communities have been dismissed for striking. But how else can these vital women have their concerns addressed?
Fascism spoken softly does not soften its blows
As xenophobic mobilisation escalates, democracy appears increasingly fragile. A new vision of emancipation rooted in a politics of solidarity is needed now more than ever.
Anti-migrant sentiment is a national emergency
Hounding people born elsewhere is a form of bigotry, no less than racism or sexism. Those who believe in equal treatment for everyone should campaign against this prejudice.
Joburg court flouts right to housing
A new study shows that in most cases the Johannesburg magistrate’s court evicts people without looking into their personal circumstances, as recommended by the Constitution.
SA football will die if things don’t change
Some tough decisions need to be made if football is to thrive as an industry in South Africa, starting with putting fans front and centre.
Can hateful and abusive podcasts be stopped in SA?
Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular in South Africa, but what does accountability look like for a medium that falls outside traditional broadcasting regulations?
Azapo seeks renewal
The party of socialist Black Consciousness has fresh leaders and a pact with the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania to begin working on the local level to create a viable and radical Left.
The liberal order never loved us
Powerful actors in the South African public sphere assume that Western domination of the world is something virtuous, something to be uncritically defended. It is a deeply flawed world view.
The reasons for Ramaphosa’s top-judge ruminations
South Africa’s president took his time – and then some – to announce the country’s new chief justice. What took him so long, and is Raymond Zondo ultimately the best choice?
July riots reports exposes SA’s failed neoliberalism
Sparked by Jacob Zuma loyalists but spurred by infighting and impoverishment, the 2021 riots show a society trapped between predator politics and state abandonment.
Zondo has his work cut out tackling many issues
There is no shortage of pressing problems at the Constitutional Court and the judiciary in general for the new chief justice to deal with in the short time he has.
School-to-prison pathways raise a red flag
Instead of helping children overcome bad behaviour, some schools have a zero-tolerance policy, which may push learners into the criminal justice system. Many struggle to return to school.
South Africa’s government is stuck on oil and gas
The energy minister continues to sing the same old song. More concerning is the petroleum agency’s authoritarian stance despite the environmental issues being interrogated in court.
Pakistan’s rising feminist movement
Collective action is shaking up the male-dominated social order in the Muslim-majority nation and rewriting the narratives around gender-based violence, body politics, sexuality and consent.
Modi gets a boost in India’s high-stake polls
The Indian prime minister’s Hindu nationalist party has retained power in Uttar Pradesh, signifying wide approval of its divisive politics ahead of national elections in 2024.
The slow Marikana
The scale and intensity of the repression against popular dissent in Durban is staggering. If left unchallenged it will, in time, arrive in the suburbs.
If only all refugees were treated like Ukrainians
People fleeing wars in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen have faced racially motivated hostility in Europe, revealing Western double standards.