Opinion

Fighting for decent toilets in Gauteng schools

On 13 September Equal Education marched in Johannesburg for decent school sanitation in Gauteng. Brad Brockman, the organisation's General Secretary, explains the campaign.

Brad Brockman

Opinion | 16 September 2014

People with HIV should be able to fight for their country

There is no reason people with HIV shouldn't be soldiers, says Tim Flack, who served in the navy and is the Western Cape representative for the South African National Defence Force Union.

Tim Flack

Opinion | 16 September 2014

Political abuse & arrogant dogma

Deputy defence minister Kebby Maphatsoe this week withdrew his claim that public protector Thuli Madonsela was a “CIA spy” and apologised for the statement. But the issue continues to reverberate throughout the body politic.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 15 September 2014

From Steve Biko to Thuli Madonsela

This week the Public Protector was called a CIA agent. The ruling party’s tactic of labeling its critics foreign agents is counterproductive, has a bloody history and is damaging the country, writes Ayanda Kota.

Ayanda Kota

Opinion | 10 September 2014

Constitutional misunderstandings

Our justly praised Constitution and the institutions it created have taken something of a verbal battering over the past week and more — and often for the wrong reasons. In the process, the office of the public protector has become something of a surrogate battleground for the opposing factions in Cosatu.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 8 September 2014

Premier Zille: wrong again

DA leader and Western Cape premier Helen Zille has again entered the HIV prevention arena, telling us we are failing to deal with HIV because we don’t have the right approach to taking personal responsibility for sexual behaviours.

Francois Venter

Opinion | 4 September 2014

Education as an elixir for freedom

In 2010 there were 3228 matrics in Khayelitsha’s 19 high schools. They achieved just 44 ‘A’ symbols between them, in all subjects.

Doron Isaacs

Opinion | 4 September 2014

Khayelitsha Commission findings: what now?

The conclusion of the Khayelitsha Commission has left many people asking “what now?” writes Ayanda Nyoka.

Ayanda Nyoka

Opinion | 3 September 2014

Daryl Impey: a very unusual case

Daryl Impey’s exoneration on doping charges brought relief to many cycling fans. But, ponders Shuaib Manjra, there may be much more to this story.

Shuaib Manjra

Opinion | 2 September 2014

What the law says about police using violence

Police are only allowed to use force as an absolute last resort when managing protests. But recent violence around several evictions of shackdwellers in Cape Town, prompted GroundUp to establish what the law says.

Daneel Knoetze

Opinion | 2 September 2014

Business shoots itself in the wages foot

The opening salvoes have again been fired in another round in the war about a national minimum wage. And on both sides there are accusations of the selective choice of research to bolster arguments.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 1 September 2014

Tim Noakes and the responsibility of experts

One of the major medical advances of the last few decades has been the two-dose vaccine for children against measles. A responsible doctor or public health expert would not do anything to jeopardise public confidence in the vaccine. Yet this is exactly what UCT's Professor Tim Noakes did this past weekend, writes Nathan Geffen.

Nathan Geffen

Opinion | 27 August 2014

Welcoming a slight improvement for vulnerable workers

In an unequal society, and especially one suffering an economic crisis, the sellers of labour will always be disadvantaged. That is the simple reality of the system in which we live.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 25 August 2014

Do big electronic dance music festivals spread the love?

From Miami’s supercharged Ultra Music festival to Rocking the Daisies, Cape Town has become home to some of the highest grossing music festivals in the country. Our music journalist, Zethu Gqola, takes a look at how, if at all, four of the biggest festivals have benefitted struggling communities in and around Cape Town.

Zethu Gqola

Opinion | 20 August 2014

Sex work, crime & the working class

All who sell their labour in order to survive are workers. And all workers are, to one or other degree, exploited in that they are paid less than the final value of the work they do. Within a profit-driven system it could hardly be otherwise.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 18 August 2014

Philippi: an eviction by any other name

When the Anti-Land Invasion Unity (ALIU) descended on 40-year-old Sophie Nqiba's shack they destroyed only half of it. Presumably, if the City of Cape Town's own criteria for the demolitions are used, it was the half which was “uncompleted” or “vacant”. For Nqiba, her partner and their five children it is a surreal and meaningless explanation.

Daneel Knoetze

Opinion | 15 August 2014