Up the Luddites!
BACK in the day, as they say, I was a busy and productive writer: letters to the editor and opinion pieces in the newspaper, articles in journals and chapters in books, and a couple of […]
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The Fall of the University of Cape Town: Africa’s Leading University in Decline
David Benatar, The Fall of the University of Cape Town: Africa’s Leading University in Decline (S.l.: Politicsweb Publishing, 2021) IN his conclusion to this history of the University of Cape Town (UCT) since 2015, David […]
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Native Merchants: The Building of the Black Business Class in South Africa
Phakamisa Ndzamela, Native Merchants: The Building of the Black Business Class in South Africa (Cape Town: Tafelberg, 2021) MOST South Africans probably think of black business people as those who have grown rich in the […]
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Views on life in the continuing crisis – part five
‘PLEASE consider wearing a face mask in this shop …’ I did consider and I did wear one, but no one else came to the same conclusion. Apparently, the pandemic is over. In late February, […]
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Guns and Needles: A Journey into the Heart of South African Sport’s Steroid and Drug Culture
Clinton van der Berg, Guns and Needles: A Journey into the Heart of South African Sport’s Steroid and Drug Culture (Cape Town: Penguin, 2022) SOUTH Africa has a major problem with drugs in sport: the […]
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Contemporary Campus Life: Transformation, Manic Managerialism and Academentia
Keyan G. Tomaselli, Contemporary Campus Life: Transformation, Manic Managerialism and Academentia (Cape Town: BestRed, 2021) THIS book is a reminder that the medium is indeed sometimes the message. Keyan Tomaselli, for many years the well-known […]
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Out of Quatro: From Exile to Exoneration
Luthando Dyasop, Out of Quatro: From Exile to Exoneration (Cape Town: Kwela, 2021) ONE Saturday afternoon in 1980, Luthando Dyasop left home in Mthatha on foot. A week later after a circuitous journey he arrived […]
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Pretoria and Putin
IF Vladimir Putin thought his army would breeze through Ukraine to Kyiv and beyond to be received as liberators, he must have been disabused by now. Instead, his name will go down in infamy alongside […]
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The Poisoners: On South Africa’s Toxic Past, 1973‒2020
Imraan Coovadia, The Poisoners: On South Africa’s Toxic Past, 1973‒2020 (Cape Town: Umuzi, 2021) THE USE of poison as a political weapon is characteristic of fragile societies enveloped by suspicion and conspiracy. Imraan Coovadia opens […]
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Unpacking Cricket South Africa’s truth commission’s report
TWO former South African cricket captains obstructed the careers of promising black test players, Khayelihle Zondo and Thami Tsolekeli. Another senior player indulged in racist language, which now forms part of a charge of gross […]