Graham Robert Pote argues that with eleven official languages and over fifteen cultures, each predominantly defined by a different language, South Africa is ‘diversity-101’. The country’s motto, which lies beneath the coat of arms, states “diverse people unite” and can also mean “unity in diversity.” However, is there really unity in South Africa, he wonders.
Fantastic fourth: green energy, social cohesion and men to be avoided
Our fourth issue is now live! We took a break on Thursday, but are back with a bang. Read all about why race-obsession won’t bridge South Africa’s wealth gap (and how social-cohesion can) in Politics & Society.
Green Eyes, an undercover blogger, spills the beans on the men that should be avoided, and the telltale signs [...]
Men to avoid: three relationship dealbreakers
There’s three dealbreakers which women muse over when deciding a potential mate. [Bad] fashion, grooming and male arrogance: these are the little things that can be paramount to whether a relationship stays on course. And here’s why….
Why class is more important than race
Cilliers Brink advocates a paradigm-shift from that of racial competition to social cohesion, arguing that a cohesion-centred paradigm in our society, rooted in Constitutional values, can achieve so more to channel the human and financial resources of the wealthy in aid of the poor than the ANC (and COPE) model of a racial tug-of-war.
Restuarant franchises bedevilled by branding schizophrenia
Mireille Wenger finds it very disturbing that South African franchises have become such a hodgepodge of unrelated ideas that are mass-marketed to the consumer. She deconstructs the chaos of Cubaña, a supposedly Cuban chain that isn’t quite sure what it really is.
Third time lucky: the ANC, a new “sosati” and American arms
The Soapbox has now been live for a week!
A big thank you to all our contributors who have taken the time and effort to put fingers to keyboard and speak out about the issues on their mind. With this third issue of fresh opinion, we have an ANC supporter’s post-election analysis, a look at the [...]
US arms sales to the Middle East soar
A new report (pdf.) released earlier this week by the independent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that the volume of arms transfers worldwide increased by 21 percent during the group’s latest five-year reporting period. While that number is off a low base as arms transfers had been at their lowest level [...]
How will Madiba’s children COPE in DA new “sosati”
How will those who started the school system from 1990 onwards cope in this new society, wonders Amanda Ngwenya. In answering this question, she argues that being black or white has always referred to a social identity. But what happens when the colour of your skin no longer gives you entitlement to that social identity?
Election result was a victory for the struggle
An ANC supporter celebrates his party’s election victory, exploring its ramifications and and identifying it as the legacy of struggle heroes like Chief Albert Luthuli, Pixley kaSeme, ZK Matthews, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela.
