In recent weeks, as load-shedding has intensified, there has been a growing narrative seeking to blame Eskom, and specifically its management, for the crisis. At the governing party’s National Executive Committee meeting last Friday, some members argued that the company’s Chief Executive, Andre de Ruyter, should be dismissed; as a lawyer, rather than an engineer, […]
In recent weeks, as load-shedding has intensified, there has been a growing narrative seeking to blame Eskom, and specifically its management, for the crisis. At the governing party’s National Executive Committee meeting last Friday, some members argued that the company’s Chief Executive, Andre de Ruyter, should be dismissed; as a lawyer, rather than an engineer, […]
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual campaign that begins on 25th November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and concludes on 10th December, which is International Human Rights Day. It focuses on raising awareness about the devastating impact that gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) has on women and […]
Corruption, incompetence, patronage and misgovernance were never official policies of the governing ANC, but cadre deployment, which was and still is official policy, promoted and facilitated all of these. Once cadre deployment became the norm, the era of State Capture was a virtual inevitability. People appointed primarily on the basis of their party loyalty, rather […]
It has become notorious in recent years that construction companies embarking on new projects have had to agree to take on a certain number of labourers nominated by local ‘businesspeople’ or, alterna- tively, to commit to purchasing building materials from the same source. Where companies resisted, they found their workers threatened and intimidated and even […]
There have recently been two very interesting comments from cabinet ministers with regard to the contested issue of immigration and the presence (and cost of hosting) migrants. From the outset it should be clear that we must not read too much into these statements, as the overall environment with regard to refugees and migrants remains […]
On 2nd September the Department of Home Affairs issued a communique advising that the Minister had extended the validity of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEPs) to 30th June, 2023; they had been due to expire on 31st December, 2022. The spokesperson indicated that there would be no further extensions after the June deadline, and the […]
Across the world, politicians and elected officials of all stripes seem to be vying with each other to make the most outrageous, offensive, dismissive and exclusionary statements about migrants and refugees. The recent comments of the MEC for Health in Limpopo province must in this context be among the worst. Dr Phophi Ramathuba, herself a […]
“The rights of the person have a fundamental social dimension which finds an innate and vital expression in the family.”[i] Vatican Charter on the Rights of the Family [i]Preamble to the Charter of the Rights of the Family 1982:4 Response-International Day of Families by Lois Law
It is probably fair to say that most people would have expected President Cyril Ramaphosa to appoint Judge Mandisa Maya as the next Chief Justice of South Africa. Not only was she a very strong candidate, there was also widespread support for having a woman at the head of the judicial arm of government for […]
