HERE TO STAY: MOTHER TONGUE BILINGUAL LEARNING REINFORCED AS A SILVER BULLET TO SOLVE SA’S DIRE LITERACY CRISIS
2025 has been a watershed year for South Africa’s Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) “equaliser” policy. It has also been the year that confirmed the country’s severe literacy crisis. Casting a shadow on South Africa’s ability to achieve its 2030 goal that all 10-year-olds will be able to read for meaning, last week’s release of […]
“STOP ABUSING PEOPLE WHO HAVE ENTRUSTED THEIR FAITH IN YOU”, RELIGIOUS LEADERS WARNED
October 2, 2025 will rank as a great milestone for the community members of faith in the march to bring to a stop the perpetuation of harmful practices of some religious leaders in their congregations. The milestone has been spurred by the Commission for the Promotion and Protection Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Rights (CRL). The […]
NYDA EXECUTIVE CHAIRPERSON AT 80TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
As the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), we were honoured to form part of the South African delegation to the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Week. During this historic gathering, we participated in the high-level plenary meeting commemorating the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth, reaffirming […]
WHY WE MUST FORGET THE PAST
No one really talks about the messy situation following the dawn of freedom and democracy. The conversation is mostly nostalgic and about the renewal of the liberation movement. This is flogging a dead horse. Something happened after the unbanning, the return and release of political prisoners. Over the last 32 years or so, it has […]
DIRCO MOURNS HIGH COMMISSIONER TO KENYA, AMB MNINWA MJ MAHLANGU
It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Mr Ronald Lamola, announces the untimely passing of a dedicated family man and public servant, Mr Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu, who passed away on 24 August 2025, on his way to a South African hospital after a short illness. […]
TRAFFICKED, TORTURED AND FORGOTTEN: THE MODERN ENSLAVEMENT OF HUNDREDS OF SOUTH AFRICANS
A mere month ago, it was reported that over 200 South Africans are currently stranded in Thailand, after having been lured into a sophisticated human trafficking ring with the false promise of employment in Myanmar. This comes after 23 South Africans were rescued, following their initial trafficking back in March 2025. They are among thousands […]
THE COST OF HYPOCRISY: GAYTON MCKENZIE AND THE WEAPONISATION OF THE K-WORD
When I first heard that Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader and Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie had repeatedly used the K-word on social media – South Africa’s most vile and violent racial slur – I wasn’t shocked. Instead, I was enraged! Not because I expected any better from him, but because once again, black pain has been put up for public debate, […]
OURS IS COUNTRY WHERE “FITNESS IS A PRIVILEGE”
“Summer bodies are made in winter!” This is the popular chant across the globe, particularly at the start of the winter season. But in South Africa, this seasonal motivation underscores deep inequalities in access to health and fitness resources. The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), a mere two months ago, reported that our national […]
“ABSURD FOR ANYONE IN ANC TO EQUATE SACP’S ELECTION CONTESTATION TO THE MKP – A PARTY FOUNDED ON ETHNIC MOBILIZATION AND CHAUVINISM” – SAMBATHA
A few days ago, I read with distraught an article in one of the country’s leading newspapers titled: “Consider the implications’: ANC officials warn SACP against contesting elections”. The opening sequence of the article goes further proclaiming the following: “The ANC’s national officials have warned the SACP it could suffer the same fate as former […]
FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER LAMOLA SPEAKS AT THE THIRD G20 SHERPA MEETING
“On this day, 70 years ago, 26 June 1955, the people of South Africa from all walks of life congregated under the hawkish eyes of the Apartheid government and declared the following: We, the People of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know: With regards to International Relations they declared […]
WHY PRIDE MONTH IS STILL A PROTEST, NOT A CELEBRATION
In South Africa, the month of June is not only Youth Month, it is also the international Pride Month. This is a commemorative month-long observance dedicated to the celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, celebrating the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in local and international cultures and communities. South Africa is not only […]
DEPUTY PRESIDENT MASHATILE’S YOUTH DAY SPEECH
“Today we honour and pay tribute to the valiant and fearless young people who stood at the forefront of the liberation struggle on June 16, 1976. Regardless of their youthful stature, the youth of 1976 stood strong in the face of the oppressive system of the apartheid regime. They faced death with unwavering determination, fuelled […]