Thought Leader

Part I: Farming in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region Producing enough food to satisfy domestic markets is a challenge that countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa face. But for places in Africa where conflict and war prevail, the threat of hunger and malnutrition is particularly acute. For many, the biggest obstacle is accessibility, as internal conflict often limits…

One of the major differences between the South African and British criminal justice systems is the absence of a jury. In South Africa there is no option, as accused are tried before either a magistrate or a judge. Sometimes, in matters such as murder they may sit with assessors, but that is part of the…

2010 marks the 60th anniversary of the death of Jan Christiaan Smuts, the JC I was referring to in the title. So far this event seems to have passed by with little interest in the South African media and society. For me Jan Smuts represents a number of things, but if I were to sum…

One of the major disappointments of the Brett Kebble murder trial was the fact that in granting Glenn Agliotti a section 174 discharge at the close of the state’s case we were unable to see whether Lawrence Hodes SC was going to raise the issue of assisted suicide during the defence. As many will recall…

There are certain books I don’t read on principle. Either it’s because what I think is between their covers is so much bullshit — The Secret and anything by Dan Brown fit in here — or because I imagine that the experience of reading it will, for whatever reason, be just too painful. Anything by…

By Roger Diamond When people refuse to look beyond their own noses, or the jumping stallion on their sports car, they can contradict whatever you say about the state of the world. Why is this a problem? Because the rich and powerful, who sit behind the closed glass doors of a boardroom or the windscreen…

By Danny Glenwright Well old buddy, here we are again. I was sort of hoping the last discussion would be our final heart-to-heart. Sadly, you’ve let me down again. And again, and again. I must say you’ve outdone yourself this time. Just when I thought your service could get no worse, it has become shockingly…

By Steven Hussey If you think you’ve managed to stay clean of them GMOs (genetically modified organisms) by going “organic”, chances are you’ve unknowingly been eating them or wearing them. But don’t worry. After more than three decades of experimentation there’s still no convincing evidence that GMOs are harmful. It’s the paranoia of groups like…

Time magazine’s Person of the Year award profiles a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that “for better or for worse … has done the most to influence the events of the year”. Well, that’s the official line, at least. So why then in a year where Julian Assange made us all sit up…

Japan is … well, different. Which does not say much, if one considers that the minutiae of experience make every day (even in familiar places) different from one day to the next. But the differences in Japan are palpable, albeit reminiscent of China, which I visited last year, in some ways. But only up to…