Litnet

"This note will address these developments in terms of 'Winners' and 'Losers', and of course we must begin with the first of the election’s big stories, the travails of the ANC."

"Perhaps the country most deeply affected by the ICC warrants, other than Israel itself, would be the USA. While itself not an ICC states party, US criticism of the Palestine case – in light of its previous support for the ICC warrants against Putin and Bashir, among others – exposes not only its double standards, but the shallowness of its much-touted moral compass."

"But suddenly the agenda has become denser and more complex. International issues, bad old South African racial politics, and opportunistic political engineering have all made an appearance. So let’s pinpoint some of the key issues."

"In examining the legal framework surrounding self-defence, it is evident that a state cannot assert this right when facing a threat from an armed group within an occupied territory, especially where that territory is kept under belligerent occupation."

"As is often the case with any bureaucratised system, the human is supplanted by numerical representation. For healthcare, one needs money." Emelia Steenekamp writes about her experience of private and public healthcare in South Africa, Canada and South Korea.

"As an author, I am constantly asked for PDF versions of my books. Sure, go ahead and help yourself; I mean, it’s not like I paid a proofreader, paid a designer and sourced the rights to use the artwork on the covers. Sure, go ahead and have a PDF copy on WhatsApp. And cast it as far as mistletoe throughout your entire village, so everyone can read my book while I never benefit a dime off it."

"Not only does Zuma challenge the ANC politically, but he also claims its heritage."

"Thirty years of democracy has eased the strained relations between the races of the apartheid years. There is a spontaneity, humour and verve in public life, in the shops and eateries, which is very refreshing to any outside visitor."

"Even the water sector reform after the political transition of 1994 has largely stuck to the direct municipal WSS delivery model from the apartheid era. A major difference, though, is that post-apartheid municipalities took on responsibility for service delivery in areas that had never been as well connected and managed as the previous white-only areas. This still hinders the bridging of these gaps."

"It is morally, ethically and democratically wrong to exclude the voices of people who live on the margins, to speak for them. Trans and gender-diverse identities and lives are undeniable; to deny them is to rewrite history and to engage in behaviour which is bullying and abusive."

"The weather could not be any more different from South Africa’s sunny Karoo to the freezing winters in Moscow, where sunlight may be there for only four hours a day!"

"What does social media say about you, and what could it say about others around you? Social media reveals more than just your basic likes, like listening to Nirvana and reading a lot of Tolkien, but also locks your thoughts and musings in time. TikTok, Facebook and YouTube can be a good way to know someone, but when potential danger signs are ignored, social media is a darker trip."

"It is easy in South African politics to blame Zuma, the preterit king of the superfluous, while failing to understand that the fundamental root of our current problems is extreme inequality."

"I don’t have the answers or pretend that any of this is easy. Nor will I accept that the ANC inherited an immaculate country in 1994. There was a lot to address – many vast inequalities and systems which were already corrupt and unjust. But it is now 30 years later and there is no denying the fact that we should be much further along ..."

"Despite our country facing challenges such as crime, corruption and energy insecurity, our democracy is worth defending through our vote."

"My reservations have nothing to do with whether I support this or that party in the Israel-Palestine conflict. It also has nothing to do with the question of whether it is or is not the right thing to do to support the two-state solution. My question turns on the lesson imparted above, ie, 'And then what will happen?'"

"Tens of thousands of civilians flooded into the streets – no one slept that night. Carnations were the flowers in season, and many of the soldiers 'planted' the long-stemmed flowers in their gun barrels – an image broadcast across the world."

"Widespread municipal corruption, management failures, poor skills and continual disruptions raise serious questions about the prospects of municipalities or other public bodies sustainably delivering better services. Meanwhile, National Treasury has often cited ineffective grant utilisation by municipalities as a key reason for why water finances have not reached local low-income groups."

"The word 'intent' is of paramount importance here."

"This always seems to happen nowadays: When wars break out conveniently close and accessible to the world’s press, they get wall-to-wall coverage."