Most university students today are concerned about their individual economic freedom. Graduates no longer root for the preservation of a national culture founded on the principles of ubuntu and those enshrined in the Freedom Charter. Does "The people shall share" ring a bell?
In 1995, Thabo Dikobe’s* goal was to become an electrical engineer. His mind was set and nothing was going to prevent him from realising his dream. He started his studies at the former Johannesburg Technical College (JTC), but in his third term misfortune struck. His parents divorced and his mother, a domestic worker, could not afford to pay for his studies.
‘Our problem is so big I even contemplated suicide," said Edgar Ledwaba, a traumatology "graduate" at the Tshwane University of Technology. Ledwaba, like several other traumatology students at the institution, was shocked earlier this year when university officials announced that the national diploma in traumaÂtology had been cancelled and that he would not graduate in May.
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/ 2 February 2007
“The smell my brother, the smell. My relatives from Jo’burg can’t visit me anymore because they dread staying in shit,” says a distraught Linda Dlamini (40). Dlamini lives in a leaky one-roomed shack in Ezenzeleni township, on the outskirts of Warden in the Free State. He has stayed in this shack for more than 10 years, waiting patiently for his RDP house application to be approved.
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/ 12 January 2007
When the 2006/07 season began, none could have predicted that midway through the season a small side like Silver Stars would be leading the log. The high-flying ”Tycoons” — an ironic nickname for a side run on a shoestring budget — have done exactly that and, even better, clinched the inaugural Telkom Knockout Cup in December.
The recent arrest of Mulalo Sivhidzo in connection with the murder of Avhatakali Netshisaulu, the son of City Press editor Mathatha Tsedu, points to a possible national surge in contract killings, analysts say. Netshisaulu’s wife of several months, Sivhidzo, is alleged to have contracted several men to carry out the brutal murder last month of her husband.
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/ 21 December 2006
‘Within our cultures we only pick what suits us best and use it in our everyday lives — lobola is one of them," says Nandipha Mosia, a young newly wed from the West Rand. Interviews with 10 urban, black South Africans revealed the many ways in which "traditional" beliefs are transformed in a modern setting and shape attitudes to marriage.
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/ 8 December 2006
There were moments in the past when the Soweto derby brought the entire nation to a standstill; clashes where the league championship was decided. But this Saturday’s match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates stands out for one reason only: it is the last game to be played at FNB before the stadium is closed and extensively renovated for the 2010 World Cup.
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/ 4 December 2006
"This thing [the taxi recapitalisation programme] is going to kill our businesses once and for all. Where will we get customers if all taxis are new and are serviced in town?" asks mechanic and Soweto taxi owner Edward Singo. Singo is one of Gauteng’s vehicle mechanics in the informal minibus taxi support industry who is worried about the government’s taxi recapitalisation programme.
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/ 24 November 2006
In football, teams are not given nicknames such as ”Glamour Boys” and ”Bold and the Beautiful” for fun. They are awarded such praise names because of their ability to outplay the opposition at all times. But victory often depends not just on the quality of the first-choice line-up, but on the balance and depth of the squad — giving a team the ability to rise from the dead, if you like.