Tag: Liberation Struggle

HUGH MASIKELA WAS NEITHER “A FREEDOM FIGHTER NOR POLITICAL ACTIVIST”

It is unfair for anyone to think or expect that Tribute to Hugh Masekela was about the celebration of a political icon. Yes, Bra Hugh, as the legendary musician was affectionately called, was …er a highly conscientized politically conscious artist. But he was neither a freedom fighter nor a political activist. More than anything, when […]

A CURRICULUM BUILT ON ERASURE: RECLAIMING OUR BURIED HISTORY 

If you want to destroy a people, you start with their identity — because in identity lives memory, and in memory lives power. And that is exactly what history has always been: not just dates and events, but the story of who we are allowed to believe we are. For too long in South Africa, that […]

MEA CULPA: THE ABDICATION AND CO-OPTION OF THE BLACK MIDDLE CLASS

South Africa has more Black leaders in powerful institutions than ever before. Yet the distance between the Black middle class and the communities that shaped it continues to widen. This essay reflects on the quiet abdication and co-option of that class—and the responsibility that now confronts it. There comes a moment when confession must move […]

ZIMBABWE’S CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BILL NO.3 SPARKS SOCIAL MEDIA DEBATE OVER ‘ONE MAN, ONE VOTE’

The ongoing debate around Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 of 2026 has produced many strong opinions, but unfortunately, much of the discussion has also been clouded by misunderstanding, particularly around the idea that the amendment somehow removes Zimbabweans’ right to vote. One of the most prominent criticisms came from Honourable Tendai Biti, who, during an […]

SACP’S CONDOLENCES TO FAMILY OF MOSIUOA ‘TERROR’ LEKOTA

The South African Communist Party (SACP) conveys its message of condolences to the family of Mosiuoa Patrick Lekota, the founding member and president of the Congress of the People (COPE) political party. The SACP also conveys its condolences to his party as well as the people of South Africa for the loss. Affectionately known as […]

PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA’S EULOGY AT FUNERAL OF HOSI PHYLIA N’WAMITWA II

“It is with great sorrow that we today bid farewell to a leader, a pioneer and a great daughter of the soil, Hosi Dr Phylia Tinyiko N’wamitwa II. The VaTsonga nation has lost a mother. Those who have experienced the pain of losing a mother will attest that it is one of the deepest wounds. […]

WHAT ON EARTH QUALIFIES HELEN ZILLE AS AN ‘ANTI-APARTHEID ACTIVIST’?

South African history records Saths Cooper as one of the SASO Nine — student leaders arrested in 1974 for their ‘anti-apartheid’ activities. Cooper was not “so-called.” He was, and remains, a central figure in the Black Consciousness Movement and a true liberation activist. Yet, in stark contrast, Helen Zille is also labeled an “anti-apartheid activist” […]

PRESIDENT XI PROMISES ZIMBABWEANS AN “ALL-WEATHER CHINA-AFRICA COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE”.

Zimbabwean War Veterans recently wrote an emotional letter to the Chinese President Xi Jinping, thanking him for the cordial historical ties that continue to be unbreakable to this day. In writing to President Xi the Zimbabwean “War Vets”, as they are passionately called, expressed a deep sense of gratitude to the Chinese leader on behalf […]

IN THE HOUSE OF JESSE JACKSON: HOW A CIVIL RIGHTS GIANT RE-ANCHORED A YOUNG SOUTH AFRICAN IN EXILE

The news of the passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson arrives with a weight that is both public and profoundly personal. To the world, he will be remembered as a towering figure of the global freedom struggle, a relentless advocate for civil rights and a moral voice that refused to be silenced. To South Africa, he […]

MAXIMUM DISCLOSURE. MINIMUM CONSEQUENCE. WELCOME TO MZANSI.

From boardroom liberation to procedural democracy: the quiet making of a government fluent in process and allergic to consequence. There was a moment, not announced and not televised, when South Africa quietly changed posture. Not the moment of liberation. Not the first election. Not the swearing-in ceremonies or victory speeches. A quieter moment. A moment […]

SPOKES, A SELFLESS SERVANT OF THE STRUGGLE THROUGH THE MEDIA

We buried Theophilus Sjuja Spokes Mashiyane. He was my childhood friend, a university mate and later a media colleague. We buried the bones, flesh and blood. But his spirit lives in our memories, hearts and souls. Friends and family spoke about his life, his achievements and intentions. However, I am not too sure if the […]

A PERSONAL TRIBUTE TO BHEKI MLANGENI – LEST WE FORGET

This week, 35 years ago, my brother, friend and dependable comrade, Bheki “Mabhekza” Mlangeni, got his young life cut short by a parcel bomb. The explosive(s) that were packed into what was referred to as a “Walkman” (cassette player) detonated the minute Cde Mabhekza switched on the device upon wearing its headphones. The explosion shattered […]