The Amplats workers' committee formed during last year's Marikana wildcat strike on the platinum belt. The Amplats strike did not begin because of the events at Lonmin; it arose out of a long-running dispute between workers, NUM and Amplats. Since June 2012 workers at...
issues
Farmworker Housing | by Benjamin Fogel
The housing crisis is not merely confined to the cities and towns of South Africa; it is at the heart of political struggles in rural areas as well. Farmworkers not only face the same types of issues as those who dwell in urban areas, but also face some that are...
Blaqpearl: The new voice of the Cape?
WHY THE NAME BLAQPEARL? Back in the day I was part of a hip hop group called Insidious Inc. The three males in the group, including my late brother, Mr Devious, all had stage names – of course I also wanted one! So being rarely aware of myself from a very young age...
Tunis, the Birthplace of the Arab Spring, 2 Years On| by Boris Kagarlitsky
I first visited Tunis four years ago. I liked its French-Arab feel, the streets that still carried such French names as Lafayette, Jaures and Pasteur, and the tram connecting the city center to the residential area that the locals proudly referred to as a "metro."...
COSATU: a house divided| by Benjamin Fogel
COSATU is in the midst of the biggest crisis in its 27-year history. This crisis has arisen from an SACP-driven attempt to oust democratically elected COSATU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, under the guise of corruption charges. The conflict's roots are in...
It’s time for women to lead South Africa | by Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge
You who have no work, speak. You, who have no homes, speak. You, who have no schools, speak. You, who have to run like chickens from vultures, speak. We must share the problems so that we can solve them together. We must free ourselves. Dora Tamana Should we as women...
Whose strike to whose gain? | by Christian Selz
Alongside the prominent demand for R150 a day, striking farm workers in the Western Cape are demanding an end to labour brokering – an uphill battle that they are likely to lose given that some of their perceived leaders appear to trade in that very business. It is...
After the massacre: The Women’s Solidarity Forum | by Jeanne Hefez
Nomfulela's husband, Apa November, arrives from work around 3pm, covered in sweat under the scorching sun of Marikana and overly dressed in his rock driller outfit. He has spent twelve hours underground chasing a meager bonus with a 75kg machine in hand. Before the...
Protest Politics:Sweet Home
a version of this article was published in the Mail & Guardian on 21 September 2012 By Jared Sacks For much of this winter, communities in shack settlements across Cape Town have taken to the streets in some of the most active civil disobedience protests since...





