We have overcome worse under apartheid and we shall overcome this tumultuous period as well
By Ryland Fisher
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On Tuesday, democratic South Africa turns 27. It’s an age when our country can no longer be considered young and when we would have been expected to deal with many of the problems we inherited from our apartheid past.
When I think of the number 27, two instances come to mind. The first is that 27 is the number of the prison gang which, according to criminologists, are the guardians of gang law and responsible for peacekeeping in prisons. The second is that the 27 Club is a group of talented musicians who all died at the age of 27, after already making their mark on the music industry.
Beneficiaries lining up to get their Sassa special Covid-19 social relief grant at Thulamahashe mall. (Photo: Oris Mnisi)
With no signs that the Covid-19 pandemic is disappearing any time soon, government will probably have to find more money to extend the payment of the special grant of R350 for another few months, writes Ryland Fisher.
If South Africa was a perfect country, everyone would have had decent jobs which paid more than a living wage; and everyone would have had access to basic rights such as proper housing, reasonable education which prepares you for the jobs market, swift and fair legal justice, among many others.
Throughout the morning of Friday 9 April, messages of condolences poured in on media platforms following the news of the death of democratic struggle stalwart, educationist, and activist Graeme Bloch.
“He passed away early this morning peacefully at Constantiaberg Hospital in Cape Town,” his brother Shaun Bloch said, confirming the news of his death to
Daily Maverick.
Bloch succumbed to an uncommon brain disorder affecting movement and control of walking, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), seven years after his diagnosis.
He had an illustrious political career and extensively fought against apartheid during his days as a student activist at the University of Cape Town.
Struggle activist and education expert Graeme Bloch has died
Graeme’s brother Lance took to social media on Friday morning to make the announcement.
Graeme was battling a neurodegenerative disease, according to his brother. He passed away this morning with his wife activist, Cheryl Carolus, by his side.
Bloch lectured at the University of the Western Cape for several years. He was a project manager at the Joint Education Trust and an executive member of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and NECC (National Eduction Crisis Committee) in the eighties.
In 2009, he also published his book “The Toxic Mix: What s Wrong with South Africa’s Schools and how to Fix it”, in which he tackled the toxic mix of factors that are causing this crisis, taking government and teachers to task for not performing as they should and highlighting the socio-economic challenges that many learners face.
Karima Brown stood on the shoulders of giants in journalism
By Opinion
Marlan Padayachee
On Sunday, independent 24-hour news channel eNCA paid a fitting and final farewell to its TV host, Karima Brown, and did a reprise on some of her excellent interviews on her show,
The Fix, that relived the prowess of a brave-hearted commentator until Covid-19 ended her colourful and controversial career last week.
Coronavirus continued its ruthless march at the weekend, taking more high-profile lives of that of top business leader Peter Matlare and Durban’s first black mayor, Sipho Ngwenya, and scores of other victims.
Born Karima Semaar of Muslim faith in Mitchell’s Plain, Cape Town, on May 20, in death, Karima Brown shone a light on the country’s controversial and complex media landscape. At 53, she lost her battle to survive coronavirus.