The advice of the Italian revolutionary, Antonio Gramsci constantly comes to mind these days: exercise pessimism of the intellect, but optimism of the will. I must admit that it has become a great deal easier over recent months to exercise pessimism of the intellect — and increasingly difficult to exercise optimism of the will to do something about changing things, domestically or globally.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 2 July 2013
On Sunday I helped organise and participated in a small protest against human rights abuses and inadequate action on climate change by the Obama administration during his visit to the University of Cape Town.
Eduard Grebe
Opinion | 2 July 2013
I have examined myself and cannot find an anti-American bone. I don’t feel conflicted at the fact that I prefer hamburgers to kneidlach soup or cholent or pap.
Doron Isaacs
Opinion | 1 July 2013
The private security industry in South Africa is one of the largest in the world, with active registered security guards outnumbering police by almost three to one and eight security companies for every police station.
Craig Oosthuizen
Opinion | 26 June 2013
E-tolling, excrement and expanded public works. Apart from starting with the letter “E” they appear at first sight to have nothing in common. But with the country heading toward what promises to be a bitterly contested election in April or May next year, they are not only linked, they are likely to be major campaigning features.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 24 June 2013
Jack Lewis argues that government's transformation plan is based on identity politics and is misguided. He asks people on the political left to speak out against it.
Jack Lewis
Opinion | 19 June 2013
For all the sound and fury of the current fight between poultry producers and meat importers, their dispute may turn out to be only a minor skirmish in what promises to be a war of words and protest action aimed at securing the high ground of economic policy. And central to this will be the question of land.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 19 June 2013
This is the last in a three-part series on the United States government's PRISM programme.
Nathan Geffen
Opinion | 18 June 2013
This is the second in a three-part series on the United States government's PRISM programme.
Nathan Geffen
Opinion | 18 June 2013
This is the first in a three-part series on the United States government's PRISM programme.
Nathan Geffen
Opinion | 18 June 2013
One month ago the Daily Maverick published an article by De Wet Potgieter headlined "Al Qaeda is alive and well in South Africa." A second part was promised, but has still not been published.
Yael Even Or and Camila Osorio
Opinion | 17 June 2013
This was originally published as a letter in the Cape Times on 14 June 2013.
Doron Isaacs
Opinion | 14 June 2013
The annual wage bargaining season — erroneously labelled the “strike season” — is upon us. Workers around the country, through their unions and in bargaining councils and bilateral negotiations with employers, are determining wages and conditions for the coming year or more.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 12 June 2013
Open Data is possibly the big change waiting to happen. It is not only going to change our interaction with the world, but also define new ideas and solutions to problems for us.
Jonathan Dockney
Opinion | 5 June 2013
‘Are you a boy or a girl?’ ‘Go outside and play with other boys and throw that doll away. Who bought it?’ My father shouts at me as he finds me playing with the cheap fashion doll which I secretly brought with my lunch money after months of saving.
Luckyboy Mkhondwane
Opinion | 5 June 2013
“Confusion hath made his masterpiece.” That quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth seems perfectly to sum up the statements, comments, reports and machinations surrounding the Cosatu executive committee meeting last week.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 5 June 2013