I’m not sure when I became aware of the existence of this thing called rape; probably during my early teens. But from that moment, I have known with unwavering certainty that I would rather die than be raped. I simply don’t think I would be able to continue living. I live in awe of rape […]

The response to the column I wrote on Friday 18th October (Do we want to make life less comfortable for people who sleep on the street?) has encouraged and motivated me. But, at the same time, it’s left me feeling a tad uneasy. Apart from the three letters that appeared in this paper on 21 […]

A few nights ago I attended the AGM of my neighbourhood watch, a good example of how a community can mobilise itself and cooperate with SAPS and armed response companies to help control crime in the area. But, unfortunately, the evening ended on a sombre note for me. A man got up during question time, […]

A few months ago my then 3-year-old daughter, Billie, told me that when she and Sam (my 7-year-old son) grow up, he is going to be “a daddy who goes to work” while she will stay home with me and “do what mommies do”. I was gutted. At the time I was working from home […]

Caryn Gootkin has recently encountered several reminders of the publication restrictions placed on South Africans over the years. She discusses the tyranny of censorship and satire as a valid form of political commentary, before making a shameless punt for the Big Issue. A while ago I read Patrick Flanery’s Absolution, a novel that characterises our […]