Opinion
No sympathy for metered taxi companies protesting against Uber
I have taken thousands of trips in metered taxis in Cape Town over the last ten years. In the last year or so I’ve switched to predominantly Uber taxis. Since I can’t legally drive due to poor eyesight, these are my primary ways of navigating the city. I therefore have a very significant interest in the battle between metered taxi companies and Uber. The aim of regulating an industry must ultimately be to serve the public interest. In the case of the metered taxi industry, the aim must be to ensure that a safe, reliable and affordable service is provided to the public, whilst of course ensuring that drivers are working under fair conditions of employment.
Marcus Low
Opinion | 13 July 2015
Global campaign to make corporations more accountable
Transnational corporations influence every aspect of our lives. From the television programmes we watch to the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the way we communicate.
Baone Twala, Centre for Applied Legal Studies
Opinion | 9 July 2015
I’m a lesbian sangoma from Nyanga
I was raised in a township that is known for its murders, rapes, hate crimes and robberies. Nyanga molded me with a strong personality, but has left me with challenges that will forever be rubbed in my face by those who see my sexuality as satanic.
Pharie Sefali
Opinion | 9 July 2015
Why selection of next Concourt judge is a big deal
The Judicial Service Commission is interviewing four candidates for the Constitutional Court today and tomorrow (9 and 10 July). Alison Tilley of the Open Democracy Advice Centre explains why this week's process matters so much.
Alison Tilley
Opinion | 9 July 2015
Mining - coming to a protected area near you
On 28 May 2015 the Traditional Healers Organisation laid criminal charges against mining company Aquila Steel SA (Pty) Ltd and three of its directors for illegally causing extensive damage to one of South Africa’s most sacred cultural sites.
Tracey Davies
Opinion | 6 July 2015
Sick miners: time for the mines to share the burden
Between 1,500 and 2,000 miners a year still apply for compensation for silicosis and TB contracted on the gold mines - yet the mining industry is doing very little to share the burden of these deadly diseases, writes Pete Lewis.
Pete Lewis
Opinion | 2 July 2015
Mining communities are ready to explode, say activists
Phakisa, from the Sesotho word meaning "hurry up", has been touted by government as the silver bullet that would “fast track the implementation of solutions on critical development issues.”
Christopher Rutledge
Opinion | 1 July 2015
Disturbing court judgment ignores our rights
On 23 June the Pretoria High Court struck from the roll an application by Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) that tried to put an urgent end to Operation Fiela. Lara Wallis explains why this is deeply concerning.
Lara Wallis
Opinion | 1 July 2015
Steel giant’s environmental records exposed
Earlier this week, the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance formally released the long-sought Environmental Master Plan for the Vanderbijlpark Steel Works owned by international steel giant ArcelorMittal (AMSA). AMSA only handed over this Master Plan, a series of expert reports on the environmental and health impacts of the steel works compiled in 2003, in December 2014, after being ordered to do so by the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Melissa Fourie, Robyn Hugo and Nicole Löser
Opinion | 29 June 2015