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Ramaphosa needs to lose the unity narrative if he is to dispel the stink of the Zuma years

Gauteng: Too close to call for ANC

A party divided, disappointed voters, ‘clever blacks’ and flawed polls; everything is in play in the prized province ahead of the May 8 election, as the ANC tries to cling to its slim majority

EFF wets feet in Port St Johns

Mpofu shows that he can get down and dirty

The fine art of polling

A Gauteng elections research team says an ANC win in the province will mean the party has one last chance to ‘get it right’

Final rallying call before the polls

It’s all systems go as parties consolidate their campaigns ahead of next week’s election

It’s hard to build a credible opposition.
Ask the Nigerians

The ANC is most likely going to win South Africa’s elections on May 8. For many South Africans who have faced declining economic and social conditions over the past two decades, that’s a scary prospect.

Jozini: Where youth actually vote

The youth of Jozini are determined to make a better future for themselves despite record unemployment

Slice of life: Skin shapes the way I am

‘Why do I write? Being born as the light-skinned girl in a dark-skinned neighbourhood gives you an interesting perspective’

Billions spent, squalor still

Students are the future. That’s what politicians keep saying. They will unlock the much-hyped fourth industrial revolution and move this country away from being the most unequal in the world.

Northern Cape prefers status quo

The DA is working hard at wooing the province’s voters, but its electorate would rather abstain than not vote for the ANC

Matlosana municipal manager accused of hiding his criminal record

Residents of the Matlosana local municipality in North West have approached lawyers to force the municipality to remove its municipal manager, claiming that he failed to disclose his alleged criminal record.

‘Politicians take our votes and then they do nothing’

The M&G returns to the Mayixhale household, in the Eastern Cape, for the fifth time since the 2004 elections. In that time, the family says it has given up on believing that change will come to the ANC stronghold

Flag case will set precedent

In court, everyone agreed that the apartheid flag is a symbol of racism. But the two sides could not agree on how it plays into the Equality Act

New Zealand media set rules for mosque shooting trial

New Zealand’s major media outlets vowed on Wednesday to prevent the man charged with the Christchurch mosque shooting from using his trial as a platform for extremist propaganda.

The ANC’s lowest mark is for education

Opposition parties are eager to pick on this blot on the ruling party’s copy book

It’s mayday for unions as May Day turnout disappoints

May Day rallies across the country showed that trade unions have lost their lustre and are no longer the political force they were a decade ago.

HEALTH:

Smoke, spies and lies: Should you throw away your e-cigarette?

South Africa’s top public health experts sat down to discuss the safety of e-cigarettes. The verdict? Stay away

Vote like a mother: Five things moms should ask politicians

Political leaders ought to consider moms’ needs when campaigning for votes. In short, motherhood should be treated as the serious and life-altering process that it is.

AFRICA:

Africa’s disappearing forests

Rapid loss of primary rainforests is a double blow to the planet’s biodiversity

Bittersweet Euphoria of Sudan’s exiles

Our hearts belong with the revolution at home, say Sudanese exiles based in South Africa

BUSINESS:

Eskom: the abyss just gets deeper

South Africa’s power utility has become a bottomless pit of expenses; it’s debatable as to whether it can feasibly ever be saved

Capone solution for graft?

Even one-year sentences will effectively disqualify state capturers from the realm of politics

Patrice’s rainbow empire

Self-made billionaire Patrice Motsepe embraces disruption and renewables in growth strategy

Alternative straws: the long and the short of it

After footage went viral of a baby turtle struggling to breathe because a plastic straw was trapped in its nose, it didn’t take people long to denounce plastic straws. But are reusable or collapsible straws the answer?

COMMENT & ANALYSIS:

Elections 2019: It’s all a little below par

‘This is the most important election since 1994. Yet, strangely, it has been the most boring’

Editorial: We stand behind you, Caster

‘We have come to expect discrimination from world athletics bodies. Witness the ongoing battle to force Caster Semenya off the track’

Editorial: Help defend the free press

‘Media ownership is becoming increasingly politicised, further undermining the independence of major broadcasters and titles’

Letters to the editor: May 3 to 9

Our readers write in about plastic waste, SMEs, humanism, and restitution

Cyril can’t fill up the stadium either

A hot day at Sugar Ray Xulu with campaigning almost over may show why the ruling party should be worried

Fear maintains harassment in the workplace

Black women are the most common victims, especially because of socioeconomic hierarchy

Depressed? Blame it on governance

It’s perfectly normal for the ongoing stress of load-shedding and water outages to leave you feeling blue

Home affairs minister abdicates his duties

Our Constitution requires a humane treatment of people but functionaries fail to recognise this

Free press development impeded by crackdowns

Now, with a new reformist prime minister Abiy Ahmed in office, Ethiopia has made so much progress in freeing jailed journalists and lifting press controls that it is hosting World Press Freedom Day on May 3. But don’t celebrate yet.

Burka talk in a time of bias

The Western mass media misuses the term ‘burkini’ for the mainstream gaze

Fifth column: To have a dad like Raymond Ackerman

‘Most days, however, looking at it from my side of the fence, the idea of a parent company is somewhat jaded’

EDUCATION:

Danger in restricting knowledge

Secrecy and the selective education of a few led to the fall of the Ancient Egyptians

Migrant children’s education must be ensured

Although the education of children of immigrants is protected in the Bill of Rights, it is labelled an offence in the Immigration Act

FRIDAY:

The Weekend Guide

For good vibes and an art fix, don’t miss this

Capers of a cheeky jazzman

Balancing the horn with the DJ set from Hillbrow to Ibiza, George Sax is a master of mixology

The Portfolio: Madoda Mkhobeni

“I try to make sure that wherever I am, my camera settings are right for that location and my film is fully loaded.”

Invincible yet still mercurial

Albert Adams worked in self-imposed obscurity, but his work speaks boldly for himself and others

Creating black art collectors

Black South Africans were excluded from galleries, and still don’t purchase much art

Reading the psalm of Yeezy

Kanye West’s Sunday Services continue to gain popularity – but what’s really good?

A brief history of gospel music’s evolution

“Gospel’s journey continues today producing musicians of extraordinary dedication who continue to carry the word.”

Blowtorch prose hits the spot

Filled with the great skill and craftsmanship, Fred Khumalo’s short stories are exceptional

Weaving the last threads of a dying art

Sophie Pons speaks to Abdelkader Ouazzani about how his profession of weaving is dying in Morocco

A simple plot points to high art

The Bookshop may not have all the answers about literature’s role in society, but it raises the questions.