Opinion
A union key to a really democratic future
The bloodbath at Lonmin’s Marikana mine served to alert more of the public to aspects of feuding and tension that have been ongoing for years and not only at Lonmin and in the mining industry generally. In particular it has highlighted the stresses, strains and battles for power and position within the trade union movement and opened up a number of debates about the way forward.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 3 September 2012
Lance Armstrong: It’s about the bike, not the boosters
The name Armstrong dominated the past week's headlines. Neil remained a public hero until his end. Lance’s drug infested career came home to roost. However the level of public support demonstrated for Lance Armstrong, as evidenced in website comments and polls, has been surprising.
Shuaib Manjra
Opinion | 29 August 2012
Behind the political posturing and defensiveness are people with genuine unfilled needs
None of the big political parties are showing the kind of leadership that is needed when it comes to housing.
Nathan Geffen
Opinion | 29 August 2012
Sorting facts from propaganda at Marikana
“Money, historic distrust, poor communication by and between different parties and the intervention of a small criminal element provided the volatile mix that exploded into violence....."
Terry Bell
Opinion | 27 August 2012
Implats, Lonmin and the battle of the unions
Given the amount of often dangerous nonsense being sprouted about "anarchists" and about Amcu allegedly being a newly formed union sponsored by everyone from the Chamber of Mines to BHP Billiton, I provide this historic record: an Inside Labour column published on February 19 this year with which nobody from the NUM or SACP disagreed.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 22 August 2012
On the Politics of Protest in Cape Town
A few weeks ago, the City of Cape Town was rocked by a spate of road blockades and other significant protests. Certain liberal NGOs joined the Democratic Alliance in condemning the protests claiming that they are violent and motivated by political party agendas.
Jared Sacks
Opinion | 22 August 2012
Why Cape Town has erupted and what we can do about it
On the evening of Friday 3 August thousands of Khayelitsha residents were nearing the end of the long and difficult bus journey that city workers endure twice a day.
Gavin Silber
Opinion | 17 August 2012
No angels in the bloody Lonmin clashes
The ongoing tension and violence at South Africa’s Lonmin platinum mine is a much more complex and messy business than a simple turf war between unions in the Rustenburg region of the country.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 17 August 2012
Mars and the need to imagine a different South Africa
On 6 August, something extraordinary happened: NASA, the US space agency, landed a research craft called the Curiosity rover on Mars.
Jacques van Heerden
Opinion | 15 August 2012