ANC grassroots intimidation continues

The ANC appears determined to extinguish political dissent in the impoverished Kennedy Road community. Last month, Afrodissident reported how ANC-affiliated thugs rampaged through Durban’s Kennedy Road township, demolishing homes, and attacking people with knives and sticks. The victims were members of the Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) shack dwellers’ movement. Ironically, though, thirteen AbM members were arrested [...]

Zuma hopes name changes in police will strike fear in criminals

Our dear  President Zuma believes, somewhat hysterically, that a key way to intimidate criminals is to change the names of officials in the police as well as to rename the South African Police Service the South African Police Force. He writes in his online letter:
Criminals would be more fearful of a police force than a [...]

TAC speaks out on ANC-affiliated attacks

The Treatment Action Campaign has released a statement regarding the attacks on the Kennedy Road settlement in Durban by ANC-affiliated militia:
Attacks on Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the AIDS Law Project (ALP) are concerned by reports of violence and intimidation against members of the Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement (ABM) in the Kennedy Road [...]

Malema: “Hermaphrodites don’t exist”

Julius Malema believes there’s only males and females — and, contrary to science, nothing in between. He claims that gender’s shades of grey are some sort of imperialist plot.
With backward bigots like him, it’s no wonder intersex people and those of sex and sexualities that are contrary to the “norm” get such a rough time [...]

“The ANC has invaded Kennedy Road”

Here is a piece by Sibusiso Zikode, the head of the Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) shack dwellers’ movement, about the aftermath of politically-motivated violence against members of his community:
The ANC Has Invaded Kennedy Road
The ANC has invaded Kennedy Road. We have been arrested, beaten, killed, jailed and made homeless by their armed wing. This is what [...]

“ANC militia” attacks Durban township

On Saturday night, forty or so armed men went on the rampage in Durban’s Kennedy Road township, demolishing homes, and attacking people with knives and sticks. Below is a statement from the Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) shack dwellers’ movement which was conducting a youth camp at the time of the attack. The AbM believes that the [...]

Travelling down the DA’s Country Road

Early last year I complained that the DA’s image was too rich, too old, too white. I wrote, “Clearly brand DA is in need of a major overhaul, a major injection of cool. Its fusty look is rather reminiscent of what Woolworths was like 10 or 15 years ago when people under 30 refused to [...]

Helping Cape Town’s refugees

Adonis Musati Project was established in 2007 commemoration of a Zimbabwean refugee who died of starvation on the doorstep of the government office in Cape Town where he was trying to apply for asylum.
The project provides vital humanitarian support to refugees in Cape Town, including the provision of food and clothing, and even accommodation. On [...]

Zimbabwe heading towards a Rwandan genocide

Once upon a time there was an African country that after several years of instability seemed to be moving shakily towards reform and democracy. Its ageing despotic president had signed a power-sharing deal with the opposition that created a unity government that would precipitate a new constitution and elections.
Sounds rather like Zimbabwe, doesn’t it? But [...]

Zim diamond fields’ human rights horrors – interview

Recently, I wrote about the military’s abuses uncovered by Human Rights Watch in Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields.
Click here to listen to my interview with Steve Crilley of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation’s FM4 radio station about this tragedy and the Zimbabwean situation in general.