Opinion Pieces

What would a country be without the youth? They are the future, after all. We have experienced how every generation does things in their own special way.

While government has admitted to having missed the mark in adequately resolving water challenges experienced by several communities around the country, action is being taken to ensure access to clean water for all, writes Neo Semono.

In today's digital age, technology has transformed the way we communicate with each other. Gone are the days of the traditional communication flow of a sender and receiver – everyone has the potential to be a sender.

When President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in 2018 the country’s ambitious drive to raise R1.2 trillion worth of investments over five years, many thought South Africa’s number one was biting off more than he could chew.

South Africa’s COVID-19 journey began on Friday 27 March 2020, shortly after midnight, when President Cyril Ramaphosa called on us to remain at home and to observe the 21-day lockdown period. The initial lockdown was extended again on 09 April 2022, and a number of subsequent lockdowns followed, based on the need to save lives and livelihoods.

On 01-02 November 2022 the Second Presidential Summit on Gender Based Violence and Femicide took place at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg. The summit was convened under the theme: “Accountability, Acceleration and Amplification NOW”.

The lifting in April this year of the National State of Disaster, which was declared in March 2020 in terms of the Disaster Management Act of 2002 to contain the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), brought much-needed socio-economic relief in South Africa.

The NDP may not be perfect, but it continues to be a guide in our vision to tackle poverty, inequality and unemployment, writes Phumla Williams.

One of the most seasoned public servants and a government communicator of note, Mr Thabo Masebe, has passed away. Five years ago in July, we shared the same platform with him when we bid farewell to another finest government communicator, Mr Ronnie Mamoepa. May His Soul Rest in Peace.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) made a significant breakthrough this week in the ongoing effort to end impunity for high-level corruption. The preservation orders in the Optimum Coal Mine case are a demonstration that the wheels of justice in relation to complex crime are starting to turn in meaningful ways.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) released a landmark report last week calling for a radical change in government spending on wildfires, shifting investments from reaction and response to prevention and preparedness.

Despite the geo-political tension in Eastern Europe, the global economy appears to be on a firm path to recovery after a period of turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

By: Phumla Williams 

Tomorrow our young democracy reaches another milestone, one that will usher in our country’s fifth term of local governance. Incidentally, this was the same date South Africa held its first local government elections for the interim local governments in 1995. We cast our votes in honour of our compatriots who fought to secure equal rights, including the right to vote. Some of them paid the ultimate price.

As the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) continues cementing its presence in our everyday life, keeping abreast of the developments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is everyone’s responsibility. There is no better time to start thinking of ways in which technology can be harnessed to improve the lot of women, especially when it comes to their safety in a predominantly misogynistic world.

In the month of October 2021, our team has been knocking off after midnight at South Africa’s pavilion at the Dubai EXPO2020.

When South Africa assumed the Chair of the African Union, President Cyril Ramaphosa made an undertaking that the continent’s women’s financial and economic inclusion will be high on the agenda.

The absence of a COVID-19 vaccine elevates prevention measures as a country’s first line of defence against the onslaught of the virus. To create awareness of these measures and effect behaviour change, reliable information needs to be shared with citizens so that they can make informed decisions on protecting themselves and their families.

Financial literacy is a crucial skill in every stage of life, more so for young people today.

It comes as no surprise that at a time when the country finds itself at its most vulnerable, there will be companies and individuals that will take the opportunity to profiteer for their own gain and take advantage of the current state of national disaster, finding ways of exploiting consumers by selling COVID-19 related items and passing them off as locally made and/or safe to use against the spread of the pandemic.