Alexander Matthews says ANC trying to place a taboo on discussions of Zuma's version of masculinity Brett Murray's defaced The Spear stands as a monument to intolerance. After thousands of ANC supporters marched to the Goodman where it had once been on display, the...
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The Spear asks many questions, also about our view of human dignity by | Pierre De Vos
The Spear – as I have written before – has become about far more than about whether a painting resembling President Jacob Zuma with his penis hanging out should be banned because it humiliates Zuma, his many wives and children as well as affronts the dignity of all...
The Spear: The ANC’s phony outrage | by Brent Meersman
Brent Meersman says the fuss was manufactured to assist Jacob Zuma's re-election at Mangaung. The outrage over the Zuma Spear has now revealed itself to be as all about politics. Not for the first time, the country was brought almost to a standstill by its...
Trying to censor the internet is neither legal nor rational | by Pierre De Vos
The Films and Publications Board (FPB) announced this morning that a panel of its classifiers has classified The Spear (as well as “images and/or replicas” of it), in terms of the Film and Publications Act and gave it a rating of 16N. The Spear, for those readers who...
An Explanation by Brett Murray
Artist Brett Murray, in his affidavit, explains why he painted 'The Spear' "At the outset, I would like to say that I am a proud South African and a former supporter of the ANC. I am not a racist. I do not produce art with an intention to hurt, humiliate or insult,...
Unpacking the legal arguments in The Spear case | by Pierre De Vos
The presentation of the legal arguments about whether a final interdict should be granted against the Goodman Gallery and City Press to cease publication (on their websites) of a work of art, depicting someone who looks like President Jacob Zuma with his private parts...
An open letter to Ferial Haffajee | by Eusebius McKaiser
Eusebius McKaiser responds to The Spear's virtual death An open letter to Ferial Haffajee: A response to The Spear's virtual death Dear Ferial, You are obviously one of the country's most respected editors and perhaps even, as Peter Bruce, editor of Business Day,...
We are all racists | by Nhlanhla Mtaka
Nhlanhla Mtaka says the Spear controversy has unmasked us as a nation From tolerance to acceptance: The controversy over the Zuma painting has revealed us all to be racists In his book The Other Side of History: An Anecdotal Reflection on Political Transition in South...
ANC vs City Press: What lies beneath | by Mandy de Waal
Some say it was the ANC's best chance to steer public attention away from its disastrous handling of the economy. Some say they just couldn't wait to spark an outrage so people would stop talking about textbooks being five months late in Limpopo. Some say the public...
