April 2013

Visit the archives.

Getting Away with Murder

Picture: Lost in Transit [Keep St Joe Weird]/Flickr Jane Duncan - Many people were shocked by the judgement in the Andries Tatane case, who was killed by police rubber bullets in a service delivery protest in Ficksburg, and are even more shocked that the National Prosecuting Authority has decided against appealing the judgement. The fact that his fatal shooting had been caught on camera led many to assume that it would have been an open and shut case, and the responsible police officers would be found guilty of murder, convicted and sentenced. But this...

Diva with a Conscience: Masello Motana's 'Makarena on Marikana'

Picture: As seen on You Tube. Video Fabulously talented singer, writer and actress, Masello Motano, is no ordinary pop diva. Hugely concerned about South Africa’s deep poverty, widening inequality and the disconnect between the country’s leaders and its people, she has launched the musical career of her alter ego, “Cyrilina Ramaposer” whose debut single “Makarina on Marikana” tackles the most pressing social injustices of the day. Edgy lyrics set to a profoundly effective minimalist tune,...

The Growing Campaign to Revoke Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

Picture: Nobel Committee Chairman Thorbjorn Jagland presents President Barack Obama with the Nobel Prize courtesy White House/Wikimedia. Norman Solomon - The Nobel Peace Prize that President Obama received 40 months ago has emerged as the most appalling Orwellian award of this century. No, war is not peace. George Carlin used to riff about oxymorons like “jumbo shrimp,” “genuine imitation,” “political science” and “military intelligence.” But humor is of the gallows sort when we consider the absurdity and tragedy of the world’s most important peace prize honoring the world’s top...

The Controversial 'Monsanto Protection Act'

Picture: Steve Rhodes/Flickr Video A bill that bars the courts from halting the production or sale of genetically modified foods even if they are found to pose health risks was approved by US president, Barack Obama. The bill, which quickly got labeled the "Monsanto Protection Act", has outraged American food activists. Despite industry claims about the sophistication of the science behind genetically modified organisms (GMOs), activists argue that GMOs are produced via a crude technology. There is general...

Funding Civil Society in South Africa: Where Does the Money Go?

Picture: P V Pleasant Alexander O'Riordan - Last week South African NGO, The Institute for Democracy in Africa (Idasa) announced its closure for lack of funds. Many have asked how this could happen when donor funding to South Africa is at a ten year high? Participating donors report their financial disbursements to the OECD as part of a coordination and anti-corruption mechanism. Using the OECD QWIDS database, one can see that in 2011, donors reported $1.2 billion in disbursements to South Africa with $90 million (around R820...

South Africa's Military Adventurism: A Dangerous Shift in Foreign Policy

Picture: SANDF soldiers courtesy Cpl. Jad Sleiman, U.S. Marine Corps/Wikimedia. Glenn Ashton - The role of the military in Africa has morphed from the established model of supporting strongmen, to that of projecting economic power and influence. This has recently been placed in sharp focus by the questionable intervention of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) troops in the Central African Republic (CAR). The opacity around South Africa’s presence in the CAR has been tragically emphasised by the statistically unsatisfactory outcome of 13 dead and 26 declared injured...