Lessons from the platinum strike: the poison of inequality
The timing, duration and intensity of the long strike on the platinum belt were fuelled by a familiar South African problem: persistent and very high inequality.
Gilad Isaacs
Opinion | 1 July 2014
Help! People are breathing here
Breathing air that does not damage health is one of the most important constitutional rights. But some municipalities on the polluted Mpumalanga Highveld are battling to enforce the Air Quality Act, writes Robyn Hugo.
Robyn Hugo
Opinion | 1 July 2014
Boxing ref shows it’s not just for men
Most women don’t go far in boxing, but Zodumo Ndude from Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay did not let that stop her. Today she is a referee and a judge.
Siyabonga Kalipa
News | 1 July 2014
Mother of four battles to survive
HIV-positive Zuziwe* from Nyanga is worried about how she is going to survive this winter because she says she doesn’t have enough food or blankets for her children.
Pharie Sefali
News | 1 July 2014
AMCU victory is more than just about the figures: A response to Gilad Isaacs
Gilad Isaacs underestimates the scale of AMCU's victory. His analysis offers an indicator of winner/loser based on contrasting the final settlement with the initial demand and initial offer. But this is arbitrary.
Peter Alexander
Opinion | 30 June 2014
Workers say Metrorail endangers their livelihoods and lives
Every morning at the TCI Apparel factory in Epping, shop steward Mymoena Williams writes down the names of the textile workers who arrive late. In this notebook are entire pages filled with employees being late for the same reason: the trains.
Joy Shan
News | 30 June 2014
The social catastrophe that threatens South Africa
The South African economy is facing a rocky period. But don’t blame the platinum strike or the union or workers involved. That labour dispute was a symptom, not the cause, of problems that had developed outside of the control of the workers.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 30 June 2014
Apartheid’s Nuclear Shame
During apartheid, a nuclear weapons programme at Pelindaba used workers from nearby settlements. Decades have gone by and millions of rands have been spent on investigations, yet questions remain and hundreds of workers who claim to have become ill after exposure to hazardous material are still fighting for compensation.
Mandy de Waal and Jon Pienaar
Feature | 27 June 2014
Refugees enduring prejudice twofold
Junior Nsamia Mayema, 25, of Democratic Republic of Congo and Flavirina Naze, 32, from Burundi are refugees and activists. They have endured both xenophobia and homophobia. It has also been challenging for them to integrate with the South African lesbian and gay community.
Tariro Washinyira
News | 27 June 2014