Mandela: The zeitgeist, in antiquity, to posterity
As the world remembered Madiba on International Nelson Mandela Day, the spotlight shone on the difficulty with which we can conscientiously reflect about Nelson Mandela’s legacy without sloganeering and political point scoring, more so now in the electioneering period. Some people find it easy to analyse Mandela and write what they like about this international icon, often in ahistorical and depoliticised narratives, writes Busani Ngcaweni: Paradoxically, I am inclined to concur: it is not difficult to write and say anything about Madiba. What is difficult is writing what ought to be written, what ought to be said about what he…
Nkosi Johnson — the Hector Pieterson of the AIDS generation
Fifteen years after his death at the age of 12 and two days before the start of the International Aids Conference, Anso Thom pays tribute to AIDS activist Nkosi Johnson Dear Nkosi, It has been 15 years since you exhaled for the last time; you would have turned 27 this year. I would imagine it was a relief… a long breath that spoke of having carried a heavy burden and responsibility in your much too short life. You were the Hector Pieterson of the HIV generation in the ‘80s and ‘90s, a reluctant hero and activist who smiled bravely when…
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Discrimination and the law explained – again
Another week. Another incident of racial and homophobic discrimination comes to light. This time the perpetrator is the owner of Sodwana Bay guesthouse, André Slade, who says no black people or gays and lesbians are welcome at his establishment. Slade is obviously a bit unhinged and his views would be considered extreme – even by middle of the road racists and homophobes. But many share his unfounded belief that the religious views of the owner of a private business justifies discrimination, writes Pierre De Vos. For some reason that defies logic, many South Africans still believe the myth that their…
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