THE Congress of Traditional Leaders of SA has a lot of time on its hands. In the same week that critics of the Traditional Courts Bill amplified their voices, this group of men started another debate which takes us back to the last century.
SOMEONE needs to call former president Nelson Mandela and gently break the news that the opposite of his fervent avowal that "the sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement" has happened.
SOUTH Africans need to make a choice: either we sacrifice and become part of the solution or we drown in our fear of the consequences of exposing corruption.
THE police chief in South Korea has resigned amid an outcry over the case of a woman who was raped and murdered, despite calling police for help.
WILLIAM "King of Bling" Mbatha will spend the next 35 years in prison for a string of crimes. And so he should.
SOUTH Africa's R2.4-billion loan to Swaziland prevented an implosion in the tiny kingdom last year. The collapse in the Swaziland economy meant that wages for teachers, health workers and other civil servants could not be paid.
MINISTER in the Presidency and chairman of the National Planning Commission Trevor Manuel is spot on when he says South Africans need to be more active in the country's politics than they were during the anti-apartheid struggle.
THE image of Sharpeville residents burning the South African flag is haunting. It is an emphatic message that the honeymoon is over. It has been over for many years really, and the question is: is our government doing enough to rekindle this love?
ACATASTROPHE has befallen Switzerland and Belgium. It is not a war, a famine or a plane crash. It has made international headlines and changed the busy schedules of these countries' leaders. So huge was it that Belgium planned a national day of mourning.
JULIUS Malema turned 31 yesterday but did not have much to celebrate. His political career has dimmed, his world has changed and what once looked like a promising future can now be seen as a "tale full of sound and fury".
THE Freedom Front+ has unwisely opened festering wounds - and gone even further by adding salt. In a country that is still battling inequality, racism and all forms of prejudice, it is irresponsible for any leader to distort history and sow fear. Pieter Mulder, the FF+ leader who is also the deputy minister of agriculture, must know that his ill-considered comments about land ownership will go down as the most foolhardy moment of his political career.
THE government wants South Africans to support the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, and those questioning its feasibility have been accused of being elitist and not wanting to share resources with the public sector.
Middle-class South Africans love to talk about the poor. We have very clear ideas about poverty and how the poor should behave. They must not steal. They must not harass us by begging at street corners. They must not disturb the peace and tranquility of our lives by ringing our doorbells to ask for food or work. Those who do not wish to beg but choose to ply their "trade" as "parking assistants" or windscreen washers are a nuisance because they extort money from us. And the advice given to the poor is that "they must stop breeding"!
WE are a nation of spectators. That is clear from the way we sit back and allow decision-makers to get away with iniquitous behaviour.
HOW did Limpopo end up with a government that is devoid of morality? How did the ruling party bequeath to the people of Limpopo leaders who have no regard for the welfare of the people but are driven by their own selfish interests?
Three and a half years ago I led a miniskirt march to the Noord Street taxi rank in protest against the assault on Nwabisa Ngcukana. I had been moved by her experience at the hands of sexist taxi drivers, who had appointed themselves arbiters of what a woman can and cannot wear.
THE party that has shaped our history turns 100 years old today and by all accounts this is no ordinary event. This formidable liberation movement has been in the vanguard against an evil dogma that should never have been given space in South Africa.
THE obligatory and overused platitudes "Compliments of the season" and "Happy new year" will continue to be icebreakers in conversations for the next few weeks.
THE law sucks! No, sit down, this is not an attack on the judiciary but outrage at a law that allows for cold-blooded murderers of a homeless man to walk out of prison and back home for a braai with their relieved families and friends.
WHEN news surfaced that another South African had been caught with drugs in a foreign country, my first reaction was: "What was she thinking! Has she not heard of Janice Linden's execution?"
Now Jackie Selebi has plenty of time to reflect on the brilliance - and cunning - that took him to high places
SOUTH African men have to be among the most defensive in the world. I wonder if they pause and reflect on how frightening it is to be a woman or a child in this country. The violent expression of male power not only manifests itself in the rape statistics, incidence of sexual violence and domestic abuse in South Africa, but also in the denialism that is typical of men's response.
MAC Maharaj is not a dunce. He is a seasoned politician whose distinguished political pedigree has seen him survive many political battles. He is also smooth, very smooth. But this past week Mac was neither charming nor convincing as he lashed out at the Mail & Guardian for what he claimed was possession of "protected" information.
THE Democratic Alliance has a new madam in parliament and she is a township-bred, educated black girl with an accent. Those less acquainted with her call her a tea girl.
SHORTLY after Sicelo Shiceka was sworn in as the minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs, he came to Talk Radio 702 for a live radio interaction with listeners.
SOUTH Africans should not be duped into believing that President Jacob Zuma is a man committed to openness.
Cricket South Africa should change its name to Crisis South Africa. Yesterday's ousting of Mtutuzeli Nyoka from the presidency could be seen as an end of the bruising battle between him and chief executive Gerald Majola.
IT is hard to be a hypocrite. Ask Julius Malema. To play to the gallery and lament the ills of the rich while running to the same people for succour in difficult times must be an intolerable burden.
I recently spent a day in a crowded prison cell with 120 male prisoners, at Sun City prison, south of Johannesburg. The visit was part of my ongoing research into an issue that makes me afraid to be a woman in South Africa - sexual violence.
