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 […]
THE ETERNAL FLAME: A TRIBUTE TO THE GREAT DR EDUARDO CHIVAMBO MONDLANE
“My brothers and sisters stand up and sing, Eduardo Mondlane is not gone Frelimo, Frelimo, your eternal flame has shown us the light of dawn” This a line from Mama Zenzile Makeba’s song, ‘Aluta Continua’. A song that she had asked her daughter, Sibongile, to write. This was after she was captivated by what she […]
THERE ARE NON-REVOLUTIONARIES HERE
The neo-colonial reconstruction of reconciliation has destroyed the soul of Black people. As a result, Black people are obsessed with being peaceful and nice to both oppressors and collaborators. In his analysis of current political devevloments and electoral trends where there are hundreds of political parties, outspoken author of the best-selling autobiography, The Oddessey : […]
THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ASSASSINATION OF THE GREAT PATRICE EMERY LUMUMBA
“[T]he only thing which we wanted for our country is the right to a worthy life, to dignity without pretence, to independence without restrictions. This was never the desire of the Belgian colonialists and their Western allies…” This extract is taken from a letter that Baba Patrice Emery Lumumba wrote to his wife, shortly before […]
BRING BACK THE BLACK “LOST SHEEP” BACK TO ITS BLACK SHEPHERDS
I think it is about time we asked white people to bring back to us, black people. I’m talking about the black people White society, globally, has used and no longer has use of. Active observation has shown that there’s plenty of such. They’ve gone beyond expiry date. The Black folks could, I bet, find […]
AZAPO’S OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA
Greetings Mr President, To act in this uncharacteristic manner is a desperate attempt to grab your highly contested and congested attention and redirect it to the voice of the voiceless. The fact that you cut your political teeth in the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM), of which I remain an activist, gives me the assurance that […]
“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 […]
OPEN MIC, OPEN MIND: A MASTERCLASS WITH LEFIFI TLADI
There are evenings that unfold as planned. Carefully curated events with clear start times, smooth transitions, and a sense of control that leaves everyone reassured. And then there are evenings that refuse containment. Where the very act of gathering becomes part ritual, part rebellion, and part revelation. The recent evening at MOMO Gallery, in honour […]
CURRENT POLITICAL BICKERING MISSES STEVE BIKO’S HISTORIC MISSION TO UNITE LIBERATION FORCES
From his arrest at a roadblock with Peter Jones, on August 18, 1977 in Grahamstown, Steve Biko was on a mission he described as forming one liberation movement. That was the last detention that Biko, the founding father of Black Consciousness, would be seen alive. He would only emerge weeks later when his mortal remains […]
FREEDOM PARK TO HOLD A SYMPOSIUM ON YOUTH ACTIVISM TO COMPARE AND REFLECT ON DIFFERENT EPOCHS
Freedom Park, in collaboration with Keeloz Global Entertainment, will on Saturday June 21 hold a symposium to focus on the role of youth activism through different political eras, before and after the advent of democracy in 1994. The main theme of the day for the engaging intergenerational dialogue will be titled: Youth Activism: Then and […]