Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi speaks in parliament.
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Buthelezi should not be dismissed as a mere stooge during apartheid. Yet, he deserves little praise as an advocate for human rights and civil liberties.
Nelson and Winnie Mandela, a day after he was released from prison in
1990.
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The early Nelson comes across as a man consumed by insecurity and ambition, plagued by inner strife and anger.
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South Africa needs a new social contract whose core aim is the creation of dynamic economy.
Lilian Ngoyi, one of the leaders of the 1956 women’s march against apartheid, is immortalised on an abandoned building.
Justin Pearce
The sites provide a rare tangible record of the international solidarity that existed during the Cold War.
The African National Congress has lost electoral support but remains dominant.
Phill Magakoe / AFP via Getty Images.
Dissatisfied ANC voters were much more likely to switch their votes if they held positive views of an opposition party. However, the problem for the opposition is that few people held these views.
Presidents Hage Geingob, left, and Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings in Tshwane.
GCIS
How Swapo and the ANC respond to any further decline in electoral support will define the future of democracy in both countries.
Supporters of the opposition EFF carry a mock coffin bearing the face of the President Cyril Ramaphosa, leader of the ruling ANC.
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ANC and EFF differ on ideology and policy – an alliance between them would prove difficult to put together and made to work.
Pastors pray for former South African president and ANC leader Jacob Zuma.
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Perhaps the combination of religious rhetoric and secular laws is a winning electoral strategy.
Paul Mashatile was voted ANC deputy president in December 2022.
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The veteran liberation struggle activist brings gravitas to every position he occupies.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa receives reports of the of the state capture commission from Justice Raymond Zondo. The reports found exposed massive state corruption involving private individuals and companies.
GCIS
South Africans are actively challenging the criminalisation of the state. Many of the revelations about fraud, corruption and nepotism come from principled whistle-blowers within the state.
South Africa’s governing ANC has continued the anti-cannabis repression inherited from apartheid.
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A 1971 law, and the parallel growth of an illegal economy, shaped South Africa’s unique cannabis landscape.
The African National Congress’s fully black leadership belies its commitment to non-racialism.
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Mzala’s distinctive intellectual contribution combined a sophisticated grasp of revolutionary theory with the reality of ethnic nationalism.
South Africa’s agricultural sector has great potential to reduce poverty and create jobs.
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Year after year, challenges have distracted the country from its agricultural expansion goals.
Frene Ginwala addressing the media in 2017, tireless in her fight for justice.
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A younger generation of feminists will remember her, above all, for her remarkable championing of the struggle against patriarchy.
Protesters demonstrate outside the high court in Cape Town against parole for Janusz Walus.
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The decision is likely to be relied on by courts to order the Department of Correctional Services to grant offenders parole.
Simon Nkoli (left) with activist and physician Ivan Toms in 1989.
Courtesy Julia Nicol Collection/GALA Queer Archive
The activist is today the subject of songs, sculptures, an annual lecture and even a new musical.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the 2022 state of nation address to a joint sitting of Parliament. Coalitions could soon be a feature of national government.
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Stable coalitions will depend on strong democratic values being embedded among political elites.
Mpho Phalatse was toppled as mayor of Johannesburg following a no-confidence vote in September. A high court reinstated her.
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In South Africa coalitions are weaponised as extensions of elections.
South Africans celebrate the anniversary of the Soweto Uprising of 1976, planned in Orlando East.
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Soon after it was established in 1932 Orlando became a mecca of black urban culture and liberation politics.
Corruption involving contracts for personal protective equipment during the COVID pandemic in South Africa has been uncovered.
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A policy intended to help the majority of South Africans improve their lives has instead been abused to benefit only a few.