Society

Immigrant businessman launches a gospel album

29 year old Prince Ikenna, a native of Nigeria who set up a successful salon and cosmetics business in South Africa in 2010, launched a new gospel album, "In his presence", at Salt River Community Hall on 16 June 2013.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 18 June 2013

Maverick and the Dockrats: Where is the al-Qaeda link?

One month ago the Daily Maverick published an article by De Wet Potgieter headlined "Al Qaeda is alive and well in South Africa." A second part was promised, but has still not been published.

Yael Even Or and Camila Osorio

Opinion | 17 June 2013

Plumber who cycles to his clients

While many South Africans are enduring overcrowded taxis or ever-increasing rail fares on their daily commute, Wilfred “Jack” Delekile, a 60 year old plumber from Khayelitsha, is cycling to and from his work.

Bonga Magazi

News | 13 June 2013

What kind of boy are you?

‘Are you a boy or a girl?’ ‘Go outside and play with other boys and throw that doll away. Who bought it?’ My father shouts at me as he finds me playing with the cheap fashion doll which I secretly brought with my lunch money after months of saving.

Luckyboy Mkhondwane

Opinion | 5 June 2013

The People’s Paper: Reflections on another world, not so long ago

The offices of a community newspaper were burned to the ground in October 1985. It was situated opposite the Grand Parade and next to Cape Town’s historic City Hall. A few weeks earlier three of the newspaper’s employees were taken into detention by apartheid security police who swooped on their homes in the dead of night, armed to the teeth.

Mansoor Jaffer

News | 5 June 2013

Controversial youth website dodges censorship

“Outoilet” is an Afrikaans word meaning “old toilet”, but it also refers to a cellphone chat site, aimed mainly at Cape Flats youth. Its URLs are blocked by several service providers, but the site frequently re-emerges with different URLs.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 22 May 2013

Get Up, Stand Up, Fight like Lerato

On Friday Judge Phalatsi ordered that 13-year old Lerato Radebe be immediately readmitted to her school in Welkom. Every morning since 26 February Lerato was removed from her classroom and marched to the staff-room where she was made to spend the school day sitting idly. This was done because Lerato, whose family is Rastafarian, wears dreadlocks in her hair.

Doron Isaacs

Opinion | 20 May 2013

“˜Prodigal daughters’ speak out at Franschoek literary festival

The exile experience of women in the liberation movements — a largely neglected aspect of recent South African history — will feature this year at the Franschhoek Literary Festival in a discussion involving the octogenarian feminist writer, Lauretta Ngcobo.

Terry Bell

News | 16 May 2013

Interview with Lauren Beukes

Cape Town-based writer Lauren Beukes won the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award for her novel Zoo City. Her new novel, The Shining Girls, is receiving rave reviews and is set to make best-seller lists around the world. Marcus Low talked to her about her writing and about the links between speculative fiction and real-world social issues.

Marcus Low

News | 15 May 2013