Time for apartheid-era beneficiaries to 'get over themselves’
As South Africa reflects on the legacy of leaders like Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe, and Steve Biko, their teachings on unity, justice, and human dignity stand in stark contrast to the divisions and inequalities of today.
Prof Saths Cooper: Vote for your dream to break the shackles of exploitation
When l was expelled from University College in my second year, for opposing the College becoming an ethnic degree-granting institution, the University of Durban-Westville, Inspector Naidoo ensured that l became a substitute teacher, so that l “wouldn’t get into more trouble”.
South Africa has regained some of its lost moral authority with ICJ genocide case against Israel - Prof Saths Cooper
Most of us know that terrible geopolitics and tiresome and failing narratives – where oppression and dehumanisation assume a mindless, alluringly misguided and abnormal value – can once again so easily prevail post-the ICJ case.
Seedlings of the future central to breaking apartheid era shackles
OPINION: Youth can be enjoined to be part of literally repairing this damaged society, street by street, from villages to towns.
British crimes against humanity: Will Ramaphosa succumb to imperial subjugation?
OPINION: Professor Saths Cooper says the burning questions that many liberated thinkers here, on the continent, and across the globe would be asking are: What would our president say to Charles III, who is heir to the most rapacious, self-aggrandising system of colonialism, slavery, exploitation and decapitation of numerous parts of the world?
Biko's legacy betrayed
OPINION: It is undeniable that some of those who were part of ‘Biko’s generation’ and who joined the government have also been tainted by the morass that surrounds us, writes Prof Saths Cooper.
No middle road for Duarte, Mattera
OPINION: Don Mattera and Jessie Duarte were not saints, like most of us, but were mere mortals who had shared a profound compassion for all of humanity. They will retain a special place in our hearts in very special ways, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
‘We’re bereft of capable, ethical leadership’
OPINION: It’s time to come together as fellow human beings on the southern tip of Africa, to save our country, writes Prof Saths Cooper.
‘Provincial experiment has been a colossal failure’
OPINION: We can, indeed must, stop the rot from further engulfing us into a cesspool from which there will be no return, writes Prof Saths Cooper.
‘Educators actively fan racism flames’
OPINION: Racism is personal, very personal, and we must get over ourselves and stop the spread of this virus in order to realise the quest for our common humanity, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
‘Prevailing narratives entrench mediocrity for the majority’
OPINION: Our heady memories of April 27, 1994, are what dreams are made of, and cannot be deferred or turned into new nightmares, writes Prof Saths Cooper.
Liberation dividend benefits the elite
OPINION: Even the countries where there has been a rich history of liberation struggle, and the promise of a better life for all, have failed to deliver meaningfully to their citizens, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
SA Human Rights Day: it is time to resurrect the idea of the Patriotic Front
OPINION: SA’s exceptionalism, blinding partisanship and twisting of language and narrative to suit narrow political ends are the heritage of our colonial and apartheid past. Yet here we are 28 years after hard-won democracy, having to constantly disabuse ourselves of outdated bias and prejudice that should have no place in any vibrant society.
War crimes: Double standards exposed as ’hypocrisy, racism hinder our ability to embrace common humanity’
OPINION: War cannot be condoned. Human suffering cannot be excused. Violence in any form injures all of us. . . All of us, everywhere, deserve better. Let’s strive to change the unjust colonial UN system and its spawn in Africa and elsewhere, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
Sona 2022: “Appeasing SA’s elite at the expense of its people”
OPINION: Mr President, please stop mouthing further grand plans to eliminate poverty, unemployment, inequality, corruption and “build a better life for all” when you well know that you cannot deliver on these, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
Tribute to the Arch: A selfless giver
OPINION: At a perilous time when fearless heroes and iconic role models are quite rare to come by, when greed and selfishness abound, when the few take what belongs to the majority, the Arch’s demise ends an era of truly outstanding ethical leadership that our world is in dire need of.
Social cohesion: Leadership, political vision, maturity essential for unity
OPINION: It is in our hands to create a better future for all; beyond the rhetoric, outdated politics, ridiculous excuses, and unconvincing leaders. . . Our children cannot afford the debt and nightmares that we are bequeathing them. We can do better. They deserve better, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
Mandela’s decisive leadership sorely missed with Omicron variant debacle as the latest in a litany of colonial interventions
OPINION: The recent negative events, culminating in South Africa and neighbouring southern African countries experiencing apartheid sanctions imposed by the west is a damning indictment of how low we have fallen in the esteem of most of the world, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
FW De Klerk – A prisoner of his own past
OPINION: The ghosts of those murdered without a thought is FW’s haunting legacy, which unless exorcised will infect our grandchildren long after the pandemic is contained, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
Elections 2021: Seething nation punished ’callous’ elite
OPINION: A united front to restore the lost faith in our democracy, led by tried and trusted leaders who can meet the demands of our times is overdue, lest we see more winters of discontent, with more deterioration in our public and personal spheres, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
Black Consciousness: The spark that lit a veld fire across South Africa
OPINION: Today, more than ever before, we need to claim our common humanity and a joint quest to restore pride, compassion and caring for one another to survive as a nation, which is struggling to be born, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
Unless we, the people, hold public officials accountable, the bad guys always win
OPINION: The bad guys win, and will continue to win as long as we are taken for granted. As long as we don’t raise our voices in holding public officials accountable, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
Communities must reclaim their voices
OPINION: The orgy of power gone wrong requires urgent fixing. To do that, we need to attract the wealth of real expertise that goes unnoticed. South Africa can work, if we craft a viable, inclusive way forward that embraces people’s concerns, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
Mandela’s legacy – building a culture of moral leadership as a key ingredient for democracy
OPINION: Unfortunately, there is no Madiba to lead us in this winter of our discontent. His legacy rent asunder by self-serving persons in public office, who feebly attempt to show the way, but don’t go there themselves, writes Professor Saths Cooper.
Hopefully, Zuma will use his time behind bars for self-reflection and healing
OPINION: Prison is not for the fainthearted, which Jacob Zuma is definitely not, but the ignominy of descending from the highest office in the land to being Prisoner No. …/21 will take its toll, writes Professor Saths Cooper.