Litnet

"But to acknowledge complexity is not to erase hierarchy. Staphorst suggests that my argument assumes identity is fixed. It does not. Identity is layered, contested and always in motion."

"We don’t know what violence, what conquest, what inter-'indigenous' strife lies behind the compound name !kam-dhabu. To assume it speaks of a glorious past and the reclamation of an 'indigenous identity' is not only unfounded, but offensively naïve."

"Yes, as a people of South Africa, we still need to have very open, frank conversations instead of hiding behind broad terms like 'rainbow nation', 'nation building' and 'social cohesion', etc."

"For formerly colonised peoples, restoring indigenous names is not nostalgia; it is epistemic independence. It declares: We are not what conquest called us."

"South Africa’s 2026 municipal elections are likely to take place in the last quarter of the year. Much will still be written, said and – annoyingly – also warped, over the course of the year. Let us then reflect briefly on what South Africans might expect and want to consider as the elections loom – especially on service delivery, fiscal sustainability, broader political change, and governance and accountability, or the lack thereof."

"He never wanted to hear the same phrase played the same way. It always had to be different, sometimes even shockingly different, but never boring."

"On 6 February 2026 Gayton McKenzie, minister of sport, arts and culture, published a declaration indicating that more towns in the Eastern Cape would be renamed. We have created a link to an online portal for people to object to the changes."

Under the theme "Local Government Elections 2026 – Chances & Challenges for Municipalities to Fulfil their Constitutional Mandate" the event will explore key institutional, administrative and political dimensions of local governance ahead of the 2026 local elections.

"The main point is that it is exactly the sort of potential crisis that may explode, as the impression gains ground that the rules-based system under the UN and other bodies is impotent and toothless."

"Here we are, thirty-two years into our so-called non-racial, non-sexist democracy premised on human rights that are enshrined in our Constitution, and we have the minister responsible for arts and culture essentially banning an artist from participating in the Venice Biennial, because in his view, her work does not contribute to social cohesion in the country."

"Can AI imitate God? What is lost when one seeks guidance from a machine?" This video overview of an accredited LitNet Akademies (Godsdienswetenskappe) article by Anné Verhoef is generated by AI.

Are you a parent looking for videos, infographics and slides of educational materials to send to your school-aged child? AI quickly summarises and packages LitNet text material in various formats. | Is jy ’n ouer op soek na video’s, infografika en skyfies van verrykingsmateriaal wat jy aan jou skoolgaande kind kan aanstuur? KI kan LitNet-teksmateriaal opsom en blitsig in verskeie formate verpak.

AI quickly summarises and packages LitNet text material in various formats, such as podcasts, videos and infographics. | KI kan LitNet-teksmateriaal opsom en blitsig in verskeie formate (soos podsendinggesprekke, video’s en infografika) verpak.

"At the outset, I must make note, on the subject of identity, that I believe that we as human beings are wired to collect identities (plural) and discard identities, from the day we are born to the day we die, and these go way beyond notions of race, ethnicity, colour and nation."

Listen to a concise overview of Afrikaans content presented in the form of a podcast-style discussion by (American) AI hosts. | Luister na ’n baie kort oorsig van Afrikaanse inhoud in die vorm van ’n podsendinggesprek deur Amerikaanse KI-aanbieders. 

"The 22nd of November 2025 is a very special day. It is the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor."

"South Africa can learn from other countries and cities. Megacities as diverse as Bangkok, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Dhaka, Jakarta, Calcutta, Lagos, London, Manila, Mexico City, New Delhi and Shanghai already use groundwater to varying degrees for water supply."

"These issues are not unique to Johannesburg, Cape Town and the other big cities (metros), but are very relevant in all municipalities."

"China’s Global Security Initiative (GSI) is designed to enhance China’s geostrategic position through coalition-building with partners that align with Chinese principles regarding international security and domestic law enforcement. Introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2022, the GSI represents one among several initiatives intended to reshape global governance structures in a manner favourable to China’s resurgence as a major power."

"All I saw was this one word: Rejected. My eyes blurred, and I couldn’t even read further to see why."