Because of South Africa’s history of racial divisions, mistrust and stereotypes some of the teachers have a real fear, justified or not, of being white in Soweto. This story is about one of thousands of small battles being fought every day in key public and private institutions to turn South Africa into an ordinary country.
In this, the most divisive time in the history of post-apartheid media, we have had to answer what only politicians and NGO activists with too much time on their hands love asking: what is media’s role in a democratic society? The answer is that our role is to cut through the bullshit, tell the truth and reflect society as it mutates.
What’s next on the responsibility binge? Can we look forward to a national campaign advocating responsible cocaine use? A newspaper ad stating: "Don’t buy your stash on any old Yeoville street corner. Use a reputable dealer who will guarantee you’re getting the pure product. Be cautious! Sniff responsibly!"
Has Mbeki changed his mind; is his government’s embrace of conventional Aids science wholehearted; and does he support the methods of prevention, treatment and care of Aids that the rest of the world now recognises as optimal? Mbeki will trip up again and again on the Aids issue because the answer to each of the above is no, no and no again — though it shouldn’t be.
Predicting the outcome of the Rugby World Cup 2003 tournament should be easy. Take the bookmakers’ favourites and put your house on them. Except that the bookmakers favour (albeit narrowly) New Zealand. If we move one place down the bookmakers’ rankings we find the real winners of the World Cup: England.
Iraq’s governing council believes it will take many months to draw up a Constitution before power can be handed over to an Iraqi government through a general election. The warning will come as a challenge to the US administration, currently under pressure from foreign critics to transfer power swiftly to a local administration.
Environmentalists have accused the European Commission of giving in to corporate and government lobbying from Britain and elsewhere after it emerged that European Union legislation on the safety of industrial chemicals has been watered down.
Palestinians have condemned Sharon’s decision to extend Israel’s controversial ”security fence” to encircle Jewish settlements deep in the West Bank. They claimed that the barrier, which is mostly fence but includes sections of wall 9m high, would wreck the possibility of creating a viable Palestinian state.
Africa is getting on with its own peacekeeping despite the tardiness of countries in ratifying the AU’s Peace and Security Council, said UN Under Secretary General Ibrahim Gambari. Gambari spoke to the Mail & Guardian at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development this week.
The recent gathering of 86 countries ended in Tokyo with a largely rhetorical declaration. As Mbeki pointed out to fellow African leaders at the start of the conference, participants still have to implement much of the detailed programme of action adopted by Ticad II five years ago. There was little point in setting further goals.