Interview with Eddie Webster, director of the Chris Hani Institute Edward Webster is Professor Emeritus in the Society, Work and Development Institute (SWOP), at the University of the Witwatersrand. He was recently appointed director of the Chris Hani Institite (CHI)...
organised
Harvesting discontent
"I earn R800,00 per month and with this money I have to feed, clothe and fend for my family of eight. We barely survive; I cannot even afford to buy school shoes for the children. I cannot take it any longer"- Gertie Beukes, Ashton farmworker. "We produce the food...
Neoliberal land & agricultural policies at heart of farm strikes | by Mazibuko K. Jara
The heroic and historic strike by thousands of farm workers in the Western Cape has struck at the heart of the ANC government's neoliberal policies on land reform and agricultural policy. The strike marks the beginnings of much-needed mass struggles to challenge white...
The massacre of our illusions …and the seeds of something new | by Lenny Gentle
The story of Marikana has so far been painted shallowly as an inter-union spat. In the first few days after the fateful Thursday and the shock and horror of watching people being massacred on TV there have correctly been howls of anger and grief. Of course no one...
Egyptian workers’ movement and the 25 January Revolution | by Anne Alexander
“It is midnight in Cairo”, intoned the BBC reporter on the Ten O’ Clock News bulletin, “and still tens of thousands are in Tahrir Square. One chant echoes again and again: ‘Go, go, go’. But this time it is not Mubarak they want to quit, but Egypt’s military ruler...
The Occupy movement and class politics in the US | by Megan Trudell
The Occupy movement that began in New York in September 2011 and has spread with remarkable speed across the country represents a massive shift in the politics of the United States.1 A year ago the seemingly inexorable rise of the Tea Party saw the startling...
Seeking a definition of Socialism
Is North Korea socialist? Is the sort of society that exists there the sort of society that we, in South Africa, should wish to emulate? Is it the sort of regime that workers the world over should support? These may seem strange questions to ask in South Africa. Or...
Four more years! Four more years! Equal Education (EE) celebrates its fourth birthday | by Doron Isaacs
Four years ago two groups of people came together for a discussion. On the one side were some of South Africa’s most thoughtful educationalists and educational academics. Opposite them sat some of the country’s most hardworking post-apartheid activists, including some...
The January Awakening in Nigeria | by Baba Aye
Few in Nigeria would have the feeling that 2012 is barely a month old. The past few weeks have been filled with events of historic proportions. First, in response to the unpopular 120% hike in petrol price, the people spontaneously took to the streets across the...






