Patenting of genes incentivises research and the discovery of new treatments, tests and drugs. But does the exclusive ownership of biological material stop the sharing of information and prevent treatment getting to the people that need it?
Kerry Gordon
Opinion | 12 August 2013
Vuyiseka Dubula’s opinion piece published in GroundUp raises some important issues concerning the promotion of breastfeeding in South Africa. Vuyiseka is correct: breastfeeding is much safer than formula feeding.
David Sanders, Tanya Doherty, Debra Jackson, Ameena Goga
Opinion | 12 August 2013
Today the fuel price goes up 32 cents per litre. This means diesel, which drives our big trucks that distribute food and other goods across the country, will be over R13 a litre. Commuter transport will become more expensive as will the price of paraffin used by by the poor for cooking and lighting.
Jack Lewis
Opinion | 7 August 2013
Nelson Mandela may not be aware of it but he has got us talking about death; something we have never had the courage to do before. This is certainly a discussion he wanted us to have. As President of the country he appointed the South African Law Commission to write a report on end-of life issues, and it was Nelson Mandela himself who tabled this in parliament.
Sean Davison
Opinion | 6 August 2013
A process has begun in Turkey which has the potential to find solutions to the Kurdish question.
Mansoor Jaffer
Opinion | 5 August 2013
Sex scandals, amid accusations of conspiracy, strikes and ongoing fears of violence have dominated the news about trade unions over the past week and more. And the spectre of Wonderkop and the dead and crippled miners, both pre and post Marikana has continued to loom large.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 5 August 2013
South Africa and Brazil have quite a few things in common. Both are economic powerhouses and members of BRICS. They both play an important role in regional and global affairs acting as political advisors to their nearby countries.
Fabio da Graca
Opinion | 5 August 2013
It is election day in Zimbabwe. This is a good day to reconsider the Zimbabwean land reform experience and what to make of it, especially as we consider what should be done about land reform in South Africa.
Jack Lewis
Opinion | 31 July 2013
The government is discontinuing the provision of free formula milk at public health facilities. This policy is intended to promote exclusive breastfeeding for all mothers, including those living with HIV.
Vuyiseka Dubula
Opinion | 30 July 2013
The discussion of socialism and nationalisation in this column last week has upset some trade unionists and at least one academic. They felt that the demands of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) of Julius Malema were equated with those of movements of the traditional Left.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 29 July 2013
I think about land matters quite a bit, especially now that I’m living on a small holding in the Karoo. In 1999, I was invited to make a video showing the "challenges" (yes that was still an acceptable word back then) of land reform in the Free State.
Jack Lewis
Opinion | 24 July 2013
Kevin Charleston explains why he stands by the comments a popular vitamin company is suing him for.
Kevin Charleston
Opinion | 23 July 2013
Helen Zille may seem like an unlikely advocate for Angie Motshekga, but she is not. The two have come to each other’s aid on more than one occasion.
Doron Isaacs
Opinion | 23 July 2013
Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has now emerged as a new, self proclaimed, socialist party. It plans to stage a mass rally at Marikana on August 17, marking the anniversary of the bloody fracture in the local trade union and political environment.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 22 July 2013
Living conditions of Lonmin workers show how exploitation and neglect continue on South African platinum mines.
Raphael Chaskalson
Opinion | 17 July 2013
“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived. But, if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” So wrote American author and poet Maya Angelou; providing an insight that seems highly pertinent to the South Africa of today, especially when considering the fraught situation in the mining sector.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 16 July 2013