Recent polarising events, both local and global, have got me thinking about the concept of ‘the other’ and how it hampers our moral imperative of Tikkun Olam – the ancient concept of healing the broken world. Seemingly unconnected events weave together in my mind because at their core they all concern an ‘us’ and a ‘them’, groups pitted against each other in a divided world.

On Monday 7th April Ikeys beat Pukke 39-33 in the Varsity Cup in Potchefstroom. By all accounts the match ended in spectacular fashion with Ikeys scoring three tries in the last five minutes. The UCT boys had cause to celebrate; the North West University lads had cause to drown their sorrows. I’m sure that even […]

I am weary, dragged down by the waves of controversy, aggression and conflict that have engulfed my reality over the past two weeks. My Twitter TL, usually a good barometer of the state of my corner of the nation; the daily newspapers I read or glance at in the supermarket queue; our news and radio channels: all stuffed to capacity with events and issues that polarise people.

The Big Issue has launched a Thundafund campaign to finance the costs of publishing its first three issues of 2014. A non-profit organisation, the Big Issue publishes a quality general-interest magazine which is sold through a vendor force of unemployed, homeless and socially-excluded adults. The organisation’s operating budget is already behind for the year, hence the campaign. Here’s why.

I attended a chat session featuring Helen Zille and Terror Lekota interviewed by Lindiwe Mazibuko and got much more than I bargained for. The poster invited us to On the Couch with Helen Zille & Mosiuoa Lekota: South Africa at a Crossroads, an informal chat led by Mmusi Maimane. The DA’s national spokesperson was not there but […]