Dr Johan Burger
The issue off farm attacks has remained a topical issue in South Africa with authorities grappling to find effective solutions to the problem. Some people have blamed it on high unemployment levels, others have pointed to poor security while some think political leaders need to take charge and effectively address the problem. The Weekly’s Martin Makoni spoke to Dr Johan Burger, a senior researcher at the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) when he visited Bloemfontein to have a better understanding of what motivates farm attacks and how the situation affects farming and the economy at large. He also asked him…
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Professor Henry Alfred Makura
The department of basic education has appointed a task team to review textbooks to ensure they are free of bias in terms of race, sex and other forms of discrimination. This followed an outcry by parents over a story in a grade 10 textbook that appeared to blame a rape victim for the attack because she had gone out to a party (where she was victimised) without the permission of her parents. To shed light on bigotry in the classroom and assess whether the department’s response could be the panacea to this social ill, The Weekly’s Martin Makoni spoke to…
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Baleka Mbete
In a wide ranging interview with The Weekly’s Thapelo Molebatsi, ANC national chairperson Baleka Mbete is boisterous about the chances of the ruling party in next week’s local government elections, rejecting the findings of various surveys and predictions that the ruling party could suffer serious setbacks or even lose some major municipalities in the August 3 polls. Excerpts: Next week’s election is being billed as the toughest for the ANC since 1994: tell us, does this worry the party; is there any fear you might lose ground to the opposition; what’s the mood in the party? The media and so-called…
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