Sensational reporting on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is spreading fear and stereotypes about the so-called "dark continent". The disease has killed over 1,500 people in West Africa this year. With decent health care facilities, access to clean water and...
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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...
Mining strike: Whose reality is ‘the real world’?
Everyone, other thaN lunatics, troublemakers and the economically illiterate, is supposed to know that the demand by the striking platinum workers for a starting basic wage of R12 500 is plainly unaffordable. Indeed, anything even near R12 500 is supposedly so...
Venezuela
Venezuela is once again in the grip of violent protests, targeting the post-Chavez administration of Nicholas Maduro and which have claimed at least 19 lives as of writing. The official reasons for these protests range from a high crime rate (particularly violent...
Nicolás Maduro is Venezuela’s vote for Chávismo| by Mark Weisbrot
Hugo Chávez's economic policies were successful but a close vote means the new president cannot become complacent After a short but bitterly fought, insult-laden campaign, Chávista standard-bearer Nicolás Maduro defeated challenger Henrique Capriles, thus assuring...
Chavez: Lessons for SA
Fidel Castro said of Chavez, "If you want to know what kind of man he was, look who was crying at death and who was celebrating". The torrential hatred directed at Chavez from the metropoles of global power is hardly surprising. Perhaps more than any other, the...
The Revolution Begins Today | by Daniel Chavez
By definition, a revolution is a collective process, not a one-man endeavour. While the social and political legacy of Hugo Chávez is remarkable, the Bolivarian Revolution has been intrinsically tied to him as the leader. With Chávez's death, the Boliviarian...
The 2013/14 Budget: One step forward, two steps backwards
This budget takes one step forward, only to take two steps backwards. It is delivered in a deepening economic and social crisis. In our country, this is highlighted by desperate struggles for basic needs. We have seen this in Marikana and the mineworkers' and...
Pampering of rich too costly | by Dick Forslund
Speculation is rife in anticipation of next week's budget speech. Will Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announce tax increases? Might the tax rate for personal income above R617 000 increase to 42 percent? Might it even return to 45 percent for the portion of income...



