The View Point

The language of Afrikaans remains a contested issue in South Africa. The controversy over the medium of instruction at traditionally Afrikaans universities such as Stellenbosch has brought this to the fore again. Should it be in Afrikaans, English, a combination, or a hybrid which will include other South African languages? Afrikaans is a creole language that evolved during the 19th century under...

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) says it it ready for the long-awaited auctioning of high demand spectrum. The regulator says the auctioning of the spectrum would involve six bidders, which included Cell C, Liquid Telecoms, Rain Networks, MTN and Telkom. But despite its benefits to the economy, the auction process has been hindered by several legal challenges, and a...

Following a grueling and rowdy series of Judicial Service Commission interviews, the ball of who will become the next chief justice of South Africa is now firmly in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s court. As many have stated, the decision ultimately lies with the President, despite the JSC’s recommendation of Supreme Court of Appeal President Mandisa Maya. We’re in conversation with J...

Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences recently hosted an international high-level delegation, led by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The university’s Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers spoke about the significance of the visit and how the new Biomedical Research Institute is one of the most...

Anti-apartheid activists believe the Neil Aggett ruling is a step towards justice for many families still seeking answers. Trade unionist and medical doctor, Neil Aggett was found hanging from his cell at John Vorster Square in 1982. A first inquest ruled his death a suicide. However, the recent Johannesburg High Court judgment that trade unionist and medical doctor didn’t commit suicide, bu...

Many years ago, Mpho Phalatse became qualified as a medical doctor and started an internship at Tembisa Hospital. This was followed by community service in Hammanskraal, where she offered services at Jubilee Hospital as well as various clinics within the area. She also spent six years of her career exploring service delivery models in different contexts such as mining houses, and proceeded to regi...

Languages feature - isiXhosa The AmaXhosa are one of four nations, known as Nguni, the other three are AmaNdebele, AmaSwazi and AmaZulu. The AmaXhosa settled in the Eastern Cape and over time spread to the Western Cape. The Xhosa nation is made up of tribes and clans which are groups of families with different surnames but sharing one clan name. For example, Radebe is the clan, but the nation is c...

As Sobukwe Month comes to an end, we take a moment to reminisce and talk about Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe and LOVE.      Yes, love. Love was at the heart of everything that Sobukwe did and we seldom hear stories about his love for the country that he fought so tirelessly for; his love for the people; and his love for his wife uMama uZondeni Sobukwe.  We’ll also to...

Hundreds of people living on the streets of Durban have been counted and surveyed in the start of the national census week. The count was done by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) volunteers in partnership with the Denis Hurley Centre.  According to centre director Raymond Perrier, they prepared a map for Stats SA, identifying homeless shelters and hotspots of where most homeless people cong...

  Gauteng Accelerator Programme (GAP) Innovation competition The Innovation Hub announced the winners of its 2021 Gauteng Accelerator Programme (GAP) Innovation competition last week. With novel business concepts including an Internet of Things (IoT) system to prevent load shedding, a digital payment platform for spaza shops, and a portable DNA testing “lab”, both first-prize winn...

  Today the ConCourt ruled that the 2018 multi term collective agreement (Resolution 1 of 2018) concluded under the auspices of the Public Sector Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) between public sector unions and Government is now invalid and non – binding. Unions have described this as a bitter pill to swallow because this remains the fact that the scourge of corruption that larg...

GUEST: Judge Kate O’Reagan - former Constitutional Court Judge GUEST: Tshegofatso Phala - Executive Director of the Equal Education Law Centre GUEST: Tshegofatso Phala - Executive Director of the Equal Education Law Centre

  GUEST: Prince Manene Tabane - Executive Council member of CONTRALESA - Gauteng Province

Construction workers who have been hired to build dams for the Department of Water and Sanitation in Polokwane have called on the government to pay outstanding workers merit bonuses. Title:                        [• Mr ]    Name:       &nbs...

Small businesses often struggle to access markets, especially in a world where big brands with big budgets dominate the advertising space. Almost a quarter listed access to markets as a bigger challenge than funding. In this year’s State of the Nation Address, President Ramaphosa alluded to the fact that small businesses are the driving force of the economy and featured prominently We're in...

A coalition of hunger relief organizations has launched a petition to protest the donation of R50 million by the Department of International Relations (DIRCO) towards fighting hunger in Cuba. The group of over sixty organizations has chosen to object the donation as the government has not addressed the injustice of hunger suffered by millions every day. According to World Hunger, 52% of South Afri...

Genetics testing has evolved from simply being used to determine paternity. Advances in both the understanding and accessibility of genetic testing are giving healthcare professionals and their patients a unique understanding of human biology with new ways to analyze health data. This data can help you determine which diet, lifestyle, and medication are best for your long-term health. Our next gue...

Andy Mashaile is an Interpol Ambassador for the Turn Back Crime Campaign with a coverage of 194 countries. He’s a co-author of the current National Community Policing Strategy with 12 years Community Policing experience. Andy is also a Cyber Security Advisor, who is frequently featured on various talk shows as an expert on Cyber Crime and Cyber Security issues.  He’s the former Ch...

It is a worthwhile and powerful message in the SONA! Our take from the President’s message is that the time has come for the commercial proposition of cannabis to be mined for its full economic potential. South African cannabis companies will capitalise from this, and this sector will be a powerful thrust for measurable change in our manufacturing and service industries” these are the...

It has been said for years that the future success of South Africa’s unique democracy depends on the development of harmonious race relations. Understanding the factors underlying the countrys interracial attitudes is, consequently, important. The past couple of days have been shocking to say the least - how can a racial incident cause such havoc and put learning to a halt in a community? We...

The word ‘Excelerator’ in the name of the programme blends key concepts such as excellence and accelerator. In line with this, MiX Telematics Africa has launched its Ithuba Excelerator Programme, an enterprise development project to assist young entrepreneurs establish their own fitment centre businesses. It provides opportunities for young black entrepreneurs with a technical certific...

STI and Condom Awareness Week: Consequences of unprotected sex on Valentines Day are not romantic Precious Robinson, chief technical specialist for prevention, care and treatment at health NGO, Right to Care, is calling on South Africans to, “Use condoms to reduce your risk of getting HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which include the human papillomavirus (HPV). Go to your clo...

The National Heritage Council (NHC) of South Africa in partnership with the Limpopo Sport, Arts and Culture is inviting stakeholders to nominate Heritage activists who work selflessly to make the country proud of its African heritage for the annual 2021/22 Golden Shield Heritage Awards. The NHC seeks to honour individuals, groups or organisations in municipalities, management authorities, conserva...

Feziwe Phungula is the Director at Mnedisi Ndlovu Sedumedi attorneys. She joined the organisation in 2016. Feziwe specialises in litigation such as medical malpractice, employment law, administrative law and contractual law. She holds a LLB degree from the University of Zululand. She has instituted and defended matters from the High Court to the Constitutional Court. She is currently the lead atto...