The proceedings of the Farlam Commission of Inquiry into the killings at Marikana have been widely criticised for their many shortcomings, but a number of important points of evidence have emerged in key thematic areas. What follows is a brief overview of the most...
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Transnet: coughing canary in the climate coal mine | by Patrick Bond
Facing the most serious civilizational threat ever, what is the South African government doing? The new Infrastructure Development Act pushed into law by economic development minister Ebrahim Patel will fast-track carbon-intensive mega-projects on behalf of mainly...
Palestine and Beyond: the Current Political Moment in the Middle East
An Exclusive Amandla! Interview with Gilbert Achcar A!: What impact has the conflict in Israel/Palestine had generally on the political situation in the Middle East? GA: Basically it's a further factor in radicalising the populations in the Arab world. You have...
Interview with Gilbert Achcar by Brian Ashley, August 2014
Amandla!: What in your view are the factors that gave rise to the latest assault on Gaza and why did it happen at this time? Why has it taken such an exceptionally brutal form? Gilbert Achcar: The real qualitative escalation in brutality goes along with the drift of...
Ukraine:Civil War or Revolution
Russsian bureaucrats have been honestly surprised at the reaction by the official West – they did not expect such anger or unanimous condemnation. European politicians are beside themselves with fury. The mainstream press is relating appalling stories to its readers...
South African Hip Hop: An outsider’s perspective
One evening while channel surfing at home, I stumbled upon what sounded like a rap cypher on the radio. Quickly, I got up to look for an empty cassette tape nearby. Once I found one (a see-through Sonotech C-60 if memory serves right), I hurriedly inserted it into the...
What, really, did the ANC deliver? Tokenistic social policy
What has the South African government delivered in 20 years? A massive welfare state with 16 million grant recipients (nearly a third of the population); 95% of the people served with clean water access; a rising rate of matriculation by 12th graders; a dramatic...
Why Did The Heaven’s Not Darken? Fear and Loathing in Girl Killer SA
The life and death of Rene by Andre Marias This newspaper headline refers to the rape and murder of my niece Rene, 28 years ago. She was four years old at the time of her death on Xmas Eve, 1986. As is so often the case, she knew her killer and he was known to the...
The Fall of Bophutaswana
In 1994 the Bantustan Dictator, Lucas Mangope refused to participate in the transformation of South Africa. On Friday, 3 March 1994 we met as teachers at Rooigrond hotel which was just outside the fictional borders of Bophutatswana, and about a kilometer from...


