Opinion – The thin blue line is getting thinner
On Tuesday Jackie Selebi, South Africa’s former police chief, will make a desperate last bid to stay out of jail for corruption. At the same time a commission of inquiry will convene to determine whether his successor, General Bheki Cele, acted unlawfully or illegally in procuring new buildings for the police in Durban and Pretoria. It is no secret that the South African Police Service is in crisis – again, writes Adriaan Basson.
Opinion – Mazibuko is the real deal – for now
In a recent article in Vanity Fair, writer Michael Lewis provides a revealing portrait of the inner workings of the mind of former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as he cycles through early morning traffic in Los Angeles.This might provide some insight as regards the leaders we choose to govern us, particularly at a time when the DA has just elected a fresh, young talent to lead the party in Parliament in the form of 31-year-old Lindiwe Mazibuko, writes Marianne Thamm.
Opinion – Real work ahead for ‘new movers’
The picture on the front page of The Star newspaper on Friday said it all. A group of 13 people – eight white males, three white women, one Asian-looking man, a single black male holding an iPad clicking away and others snapping away on their cellphones – watching a group of marchers, all of them young black males, pass the swanky Hyatt Hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The picture was a snapshot of the distribution of opportunities in South Africa. By Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya
Malema and the youth’s dignified march to hope
During its economic march to freedom, we saw the ANC Youth League as its president, Julius Malema, often describes it: militant but restrained, struggling.
‘God has given us these diamonds’
In an impoverished town, illegal diggers risk all in the search for rare gems.
Farmer’s history of racist attacks
The Limpopo grape farmer accused of shooting and killing one of four boys he found fishing on his farm has a history of racist attacks against farmworkers. In fact, Pieter Swart faced fresh charges of assaulting three of his workers just two days before the fatal shooting.
The return of Winnie, queen of the party
In what seems to be defiance of the ANC national executive committee decision to muzzle any debate on leadership succession, ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has promised there will be a change in the leadership of the ruling party in Mangaung next year.
Newsmaker – ‘I’m not Bheki Cele’
General Bheki Cele thrived on the attention the media afforded him during his reign as police commissioner. But Lieutenant-General Sibusiso Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the man who found himself thrust into Cele’s crime-busting boots this week, made it clear that he would have a different relationship with the media.