Monday, 29 November 2021
South Africa’s social crisis has erupted as the people Cyril Ramaphosa and Jacob Zuma deem expendable, those who bear the brunt of the past and of the social costs of Covid-19, appropriate the bread of life.
Like the former South African president, the king of eSwatini is destined to fall from grace and power. But as the wheel of history turns, it is imperative to think about viable routes into a just future.
Two New Frame journalists were swept up in the tumult in eSwatini. They are now safely across the border, but opposition to the dictatorship continues to face severe repression.
The law has no absolute character and always reflects the balance of social forces at the time it was written. It is a terrain of struggle, not a replacement for struggle.
In this week’s New Frame, New Economy forum on women in the economy, we face up to the urgent task of what it will take to rebuild an economy that works for women.
The Covid-19 pandemic hasn’t brought South Africa’s health system to its knees. Instead, it has simply exposed on a wider scale the systematic failures that were already there.
Kenneth Kaunda’s legacy is complex, but he is remembered fondly for opening his country and his heart to liberation movements, living modestly and investing heavily in education.
There are alarming examples all around us of sport, its heroes and those who milk its cash cows being cloaked in admiration when they deserve our harshest scorn.
South Africa’s largest city is a world city, the home of jazz, art, politics and insurgent popular aspirations. But it is in precipitous decline, making now the time to act.
The social devastation of mass unemployment renders South Africa a non-viable society for millions. Something must give.
Jacob Zuma is finally having his day in court. But while there is deep popular opposition to corruption, the criminal justice system requires urgent reform if it is to sustain credibility.
The most recent New Frame, New Economy forum shows that expecting individuals to shoulder the responsibility for overcoming inequality is futile. An effective solution to mass impoverishment can only be a political project to force systemic change.
Inequality is South Africa’s most pernicious economic inheritance. The New Frame, New Economy forum on inequality shows that a properly democratic future demands we reckon with it.
Condemning Israel while continuing to do business with the state is a cynical attempt to spin optics when what Palestinians need is decisive action.
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
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.
Football was broken long before the European Super League. But the united effort that dismantled this money-grubbing venture has to be sustained to fix the other ills in the beautiful game.
It may have taken 34 years, but the decision to bring the murderers of Thomas Sankara to book is an important warning to assassins and their backers.
South African network providers MTN and Vodacom have been exploiting their customers for decades, from high SMS prices to exorbitant data costs. They need far more than just a slap on the wrist.
The South African state and the society from which it stems and governs are systemically violent. It is time to break this cycle of violence with a politics rooted in a commitment to healing.
Trust in the state and the ANC has declined precipitously since the initial lockdown began, making it urgent to look beyond shallow political dramas and see what is driving the country’s crisis.