Litnet

"I have never been a houseworker, but I can relate to the character – from part of my responsibilities as an artist and performer – as a “space holder”: someone who holds space for people, either in grief or distress, or just in enabling them to be themselves and being able to thrive."

"I couldn’t put this book down. It now resides at my elbow at breakfast, where I can turn to today’s date and read the relevant quote to my wife. It provides space, as the authors say, to step back briefly from taking part in life, and instead to reflect simply for a while on how we all live. The Shakespearean quotes all strike a chord."

"The many intrigues in these pages are told not only by a great writer, but by the country’s foremost historian; Van Onselen’s work opens new ways to think about a range of issues like the responsibilities of scholarship, the idea of southern Africa, and the roots of South Africa’s foreign policy, among other things."

"African spirituality does not entail the idea of eternal damnation. It is anchored in the belief that even in death, a sinner can be forgiven and be reunited with his or her ancestors. The question is: would Africans be willing to forgive the sins Mangosuthu Buthelezi committed before 1994?"

"Truth be told, I was introduced to political propaganda and speech writing through Buthelezi’s speeches. He was indeed a gifted writer, crafting statements that could move masses. My father, an Inkatha member, often brought home Buthelezi’s speeches in Zulu and English."

You are invited to attend the book launch of Statues and Storms: Leading through change by Max Price on 21 September at Exclusive Books, V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The book offers a gripping insider's account of Max Price’s tenure as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town during a transformative period in South African higher education. 

Coloured is a reflection on, and celebration of Coloured identities as lived experiences. It is a call to Coloured communities to reclaim their identity and an invitation to understand the history and place of Coloured people in the making of South Africa’s future.

"The new thing among African juntas is leeching on the grievances of the demos, that is, pretending to be (and celebrated as) a liberating force – at the beginning at least – before also creating a pattern similar to that of the new elite."

Isobel Dixon will be on tour in South Africa for the first time since Covid. Herewith more information on the respective events.

"Stop dreaming, take on the issues in front of you, DA, and get back to talking with the ANC. There are a number of South Africa’s biggest cities that are in real trouble (I know, I live in one), and only a determined effort by both the ANC and the DA working together can pull them right."

"The pleasing thing about this graphic novel – or comic book, in the parlance of this old-timer – is how it teaches not only old African beliefs, but also that ancient wisdom can be adopted to support the protection of our ecosystem."

"In South Africa, it’s inspiring to see young people, especially, taking a passionate interest in this industry. Whether one starts in school plays or reciting poems at an eisteddfod, the arts are alive with energy and possibility! And I guess that’s also why I love theatre myself! Anything can happen!"

"The more fantasy, visual effects and large world set-ups in a story, the more it lends itself to animation. Animation makes anything possible."

Why do some states thrive, grow their economies and uplift their people while others, facing similar challenges, slide into low growth, social dysfunction and failure?

"I was moved to tears at the sense of torches being passed, comfort given, and of the long and transcendent reach of love."

"I have my doubts that it’s genetic. I think that the anxiety is genetic and the alcohol is a form of self-medication. We also learn from the example set by our parents/caregivers. The whole 'needing a drink to relax' after a stressful day and the adults in our lives having what seems to be a whale of a time when they’re drunk – we learn that that’s how we should behave."

There are still so many misconceptions about disability in society at large. Disability does not mean inability. Society in general, individuals, the business sector and employers must learn that people with disabilities are also able and should not be written off.

"Brics must be more of a foundation for economic growth with equal partners, and not be another cause for global political insecurity. The colonial mentality we resent from the West we shall not tolerate from the East either."

"It is a common thing in the South African political scene, approaching elections, that every political party takes its campaign line mark from the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) to jumpstart the race - by a rowdy form of political assertion. This usually takes a form of its cultish leader, Julius Malema, igniting the tinder by doing something deliberately controversial, like singing the 'Kill the Boer' song."

"I wish you the open heart that brings the truth and love to all mankind,
beyond any political blocks and false leagues.
Only the free flow of borderless wisdom!"