Litnet

"Can a Russia without Ukraine be the Russia it thinks it should be?"

"Within this country’s contemporary political discussion any mention of insurrection would likely refer to last July’s still unsatisfactorily understood KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng events. Besides historical enthusiasts, comparatively few South Africans will be aware that March marks the centenary of another local insurrection: the 1922 Rand Revolt/Revolution/Uprising or Miners’ Strike ..."

"But meanwhile, when Viktor was pressed to describe the essential difference between the bilingual Ukrainians and Russians, essentially speaking one another's language, he said the nearest analogy was that of Ireland and England."

"Am I waxing poetic about Russian culture? No, I don’t think so. I am not saying that Putin is good, or doing good things. But I have seen and experienced and read and been born into a life that sees, very well, that to heal the cycles of violence we are used to, we need to think differently to how we have been feeling thus far."

"What wasn’t surprising about the vote on Ukraine at the United Nations General Assembly on 2 March 2022 was that South Africa abstained ... For South Africa’s foreign policy to become focused on human rights again, the left-nationalist power cabal that is the ANC must go ... But underneath, tremendous forces are at play. The world is being reordered and it is unlikely to be in Africa’s favour."

"They bomb in the evening. And with bags in hand, we go down from the tenth floor to the subway."

"Institutional support and status involves far more than just mouthing platitudes to the electorate. It means a dogged determination, as displayed in the development of Afrikaans to where it is today."

"All the public talks and podcasts in Russia, all the conversations with friends and family, come down to just a few topics: Will the metro be a safe place to hide in case Moscow is bombed by NATO? Is it the right time to withdraw all cash from our bank accounts? Is it too late to buy US dollars and sell the stocks? Will our young male family members be mobilised and sent to war, most of them against their will? Will the government start mass repression of its own citizens, those who dare to speak up?"

"With the sun reaching nearly 40 degrees, some of the uncles are not singing from the flat-surfaced rock, and instead they sit under a gazebo, serenading the beachgoers with their velvet voices."

"The war began today (24 February 2022) ... Today represents the world’s failure to find peace for Ukraine. Unfortunately, tomorrow won’t be any better."

"The need for comfortable multilingual interaction from childhood is crucial in establishing respect and a sense of community in a country of diverse people." – Marguerite Poland remembers Benjamin Mahlasela, her Xhosa language tutor at Rhodes University 50 years ago.

"He was one of the greatest the country has ever seen, iconic beyond description, who stood up for the rights of all South Africans, and whose legendary status reached the rooms, offices, courts of monarchs, heads of nations and spiritual leaders of virtually every country in the world."

"I accept this on behalf of so many disadvantaged women, persons with disabilities and also people who have no voice in life. I started my life in what can be seen as a cycle where you are born into poverty and would ultimately die in poverty."

"On Sunday, 5 December more than 500 people met at Surfer’s Corner on Beach Road in Muizenberg to protest against seismic blasting off the South African coast."

"What my friend failed to mention was that the gevaarlike Jordanian couldn’t help us both at the same time, and due to my impatience, I landed in the chair of Abbaas Sylvester."

"This book allows one to understand how the arbitrary discourses of colonial subjugation and racial repression changed and took on new grammars of human degradation and regression."

"A unique challenge presented to us, and specifically Stellenbosch University, is that the New Policy Framework excludes Afrikaans as an indigenous language. This is something Stellenbosch University would like to see amended." - Wim de Villiers, SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor.

"And what would South Africa be without its biggest export: corruption? A popular anecdote says that if corruption were an Olympic sport, South Africa would win the gold, silver and bronze medals."

"After each global convulsion, the world is flooded with ideas of how to make and manage what amounts to a new normal. The present confluence of COVID, climate change and the collapse of the West’s 20 years in Afghanistan is such a moment."

"Yet the very legitimate criticisms of American actions are not being applied to South Africa’s present involvement in Mozambique’s civil war ... South Africa should not replicate America’s grievous mistakes."