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That being said… 

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This is a piece that I’ve thought over very carefully over a number of weeks. It relates to an issue that I’ve been watching for

Real tragedies and performative responses

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The fire that claimed dozens of lives in Johannesburg’s inner city recently prompted a predictable round of outrage, recrimination and pledges to do better. President

Freedom and citizenship: untangling the knot

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In dealing with inequalities, protecting a maximal level of freedom must be an imperative. It is only in freedom that democratic citizenship is possible.  These

Will RISE Mzansi finish the race?

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I’m glad that the coffee shop has space inside, since it’s bitingly cold on the patio. There is an enrapturing aroma of coffee and confectionery

Pull yourself out of poverty, says Mantashe… well, here’s how

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Speaking on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit after a meeting with Brazilian president Lula da Silva, Minister Gwede Mantashe appealed to South Africans to

Reflections on the UDF’s fortieth anniversary

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The United Democratic Front existed for less than a decade, from 1983 until 1991 (for much of that under severe legal restrictions), but its short

Music, heritage, and a debased politics

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Music is an immutable part of the human experience. Song and rhythm have captured our joys and heartaches, celebrated our achievements, mourned our failings and

Tragically delusional

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The South African Communist Party is marking 102 years in existence. That is no mean feat for any party, not to mention one that was

The water quotas are as much about lawmaking as about agriculture

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For years, ‘the land’ has been the vehicle through which property rights have been attacked. Going back well over a decade, a succession of proposed

Another ‘controversial’ speaker

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I must confess that when I first chanced upon Prof PLO Lumumba, I assumed that the name was a nom de plume, a portmanteau invoking