By Martin Young Like it or not, Justin Bieber has got under my skin. For an adult in his fifties, that is a startling admission, but I think I have good reason. I like the guy, I really do. Bieber as a child dreamt of a big future, of fame and fortune, took the initiative…
By Lawrence Twigg I love sports. A thousand years ago I used to play a lot of it. Nowadays I enjoy watching the odd live game. My big passion is soccer but I have an appreciation of almost any discipline which requires skill and dedication. For goodness sake I am even hooked on the McCoy’s…
By Neil Achary Guy Scott, who is vice-president of Zambia and, incidentally, a white Zambian, has ruffled a few feathers by saying that he hates South Africa. In an interview with The Guardian, although he seemed to imply that he likes South Africans on an individual basis, he dislikes South Africa for the same reason…
By Pauline Rose It is no secret that many developing countries are sitting on a “gold mine”, whether it is gold, or oil, or diamonds, copper or ore. It is also true that natural resource discovery is expected to grow significantly in the near future, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. What is confusing is why, with…
By Yershen Pillay Dear Sir, Your open letter gives me hope. If we are to engage openly, honestly and constructively around the issues facing us as the youth and the country at large then we are certainly on the right path towards consolidating our democracy and building a better society. Let me then engage the…
By Janine Preesman My daughter is black, I am white. She currently speaks three languages, Dutch, which is her home language because it is mine, Afrikaans, because she started attending a pre-school that was predominantly Afrikaans and now, English, because since the beginning of this year she started attending a new pre-school, which is English…
*Name withheld It’s 10am on a Tuesday morning, and routinely, I browse through the web for the morning news. I know that I will come across the article soon, because my partner texted me late the night before saying: “Have you heard about Mars1? They’re making a reality show … and after eight years, whoever…
By Roshila Jarosz At around 12.20pm last Wednesday afternoon I was stunned. Actually, for a brief moment I thought my ears were deceiving me, then I realised there was no such luck. In part it was my fault — I was listening to student radio station Tuks FM (what’s an alternative rock girl to do?)….
By Willie Tafadzwa Chinyamurindi Dear Yershen Pillay, the chairperson of the National Youth Development Agency Yershen, youths like kids often say the darndest things. I challenged my students during a class to think radically concerning issues on employability and the insurmountable challenges facing youths in our country. The usual answers ensued, “government must provide a…
By Esinako Hintsa Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Mbuyiseli Madlanga, Chris Jafta and Khaya Dlanga are a few of the many leaders born and bred in the Eastern Cape and that’s what makes me proud to be born in this beautiful province. Sadly all its beauty fades when you see the challenges it faces: poverty, Aids,…
