Joan Madiba looks at recent scandals regarding the use of political icons for publicity.
Former president Nelson Mandela was in the news in the past weeks because of his ailing health. Shortly after he returned home after his most recent stay in hospital the South African audience was invited into his home by the SABC. The broadcaster followed a political delegation …

Nadia Mabika looks at debates that emerge around current systems within education.
Does success in the school system correlate to success in life? And is getting that D symbol an indication for future failure?
On December 2, a Spoken Word artist by the name of Suli Breaks posted a video titled “Why I hate School but love Education.” This particular work of art- …

Thabisile Ndhlovu looks at the recent Gupta wedding scandal that took place in South Africa.
The arrival of the Guptas for their extravagant wedding at Sun City surely caused a lot of controversy. Their arrival at the Waterkloof air base and their entry into the country without going through customs caused much alarm and eventually led to the questioning of the …

Joan Madiba looks at the Protection of State Information Bill in South Africa.
It is said that the media we have today, cannot be separated from our history or past. However, that can be argued otherwise. The media in South Africa is notably developing in a rather controversial manner. Questions such as “is the media free?” tend to regularly come to …

 Rafieka Williams looks at modern day activism.
This past Friday (19 April 2013) when I arrived on main campus (University of the Witwatersrand) I couldn’t help but notice the hoards of people who were wearing pieces of tape over their mouths. This unconventional sight brought tears to my eyes but not the intended kind. It was tears brought about by laughter …

Sharney Nel looks at the debate around role models in South Africa.
The recent feud between self-pronounced “Sushi King”, Kenny Kunene, and DA spokesperson Mmusi Maimane has raised several discussions in the media regarding the lifestyle, character and actions of Kunene. The feud erupted after an opinion piece in a Sunday newspaper, by Maimane, where he criticised Kunene for failing to …

Daniel Mpala looks at the legacy of Margaret Thatcher.
Margaret Thatcher died on the 08th of March 2013 at the age of 87 and she will be laid to rest this Wednesday. Even in the wake of her death, she’s still generating as much controversy as she did during her prime.  There have been all sorts of mixed reactions to her …

Thabisile Ndhlovu looks at renovation plans in Nkandla and how that money can be put to better use.
When the news that one of the President’s houses had begun renovations, which in total is estimated to cost a whopping sum of R200 million, more than a few eyebrows were raised. One would obviously wonder how such a large sum of the …

Daniel Mpala looks at the issues of social welfare and grants.
South Africa leads the continent when it comes to social welfare services. It is one of only a handful of countries in Africa with such an advanced child welfare grant programme.  With the government setting aside close to R134 billion for social welfare in this year’s budget, the child support …

Joan Madiba looks at the SABC and the ongoing management crisis.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as the SABC is the “state-owned broadcaster in South Africa and which provides 18 radio stations, both AM/FM and three television broadcasts to the general public.”
The corporation was established in 1936 by the then government, with the aim of emphasizing the importance of …