In the past week, many contributors wanted to share their thoughts on the various current affairs touchpoints the country faces, both political and economical, and a good number of other contributors offered some lifestyle tips in the way of relationships, work and how to ensure that your mental health is as taken care of as your physical health.
Here are some of the best from the blogs desk this week:
1. 'Dear Mayor De Lille – Take Lessons From Zuma And Mahumapelo...'
You cannot claim to serve the interests of Cape Town residents without the DA's blessing. You should learn from Jacob Zuma and his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, as well as former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo, to name but a few who resigned when the ANC expressed its loss of confidence in them. They had — and perhaps still do have — reservations, of course, but resigned out of respect for their party, writes Molifi Tshabalala.
2. The Forces Of Capture Are Mustering
Suspended Sars commissioner Tom Moyane's fight back against the investigation into how he ran the tax institution, as well as against his upcoming disciplinary inquiry, is a symbol of a much bigger fight back by alleged instruments of state capture against President Cyril Ramaphosa, writes Ferial Haffajee.
3. OPINION: The Thin Line Between Practising One's Freedoms, And Infringing On Those Of Others
Julius Malema was reckless in the extreme in accusing "most Indians" of being racist — and was wholly within in his rights as a free man in a free society to say the things he did. This, in a nutshell, is the testing proposition of democratic liberty. Or is it, asks Michael Morris.
4. EXTRACT: 'Death And Taxes' – Sars And The Effects Of State Capture
It hardly needs stating that the loss of highly skilled staff and the continued downgrading of revenue targets – among many other signals – weren't indicative of a healthy and fully functioning tax and customs agency. What it came down to was that our government was growing poorer, meaning it had less money to spend on building new schools, hospitals, infrastructure and housing, funding services, growing the economy, creating jobs and assisting the poor. I took no pleasure in this bad news: if Sars failed, the country suffered – and it was the poorest of the poor who bore the biggest brunt, writes Johann van Loggerenberg in his book, "Death And Taxes".
5. Family Secrets: What Do We Tell The Children?
The assumption is that telling secrets — no matter how, when or to whom — is morally superior to keeping them, and that it is automatically healing. Clinically, I have learned that telling secrets in the wrong way or at the wrong time can be remarkably painful and destructive, writes Dr Eve.
6. Mental Health And Physical Health Are Equally Important
The mental health crisis in South Africa is undeniable — it has been so greatly written about, year in and year out — so why does it feel like nothing is being done about it? As a mental health sufferer in South Africa, I cannot begin to explain what life is like, writes Thembelihle Ncayiyana.
7. Reflecting On 'The Ugly Duckling' As A Symbol Of Colourism
I've had to acknowledge that by subconsciously not recognising the impact of colourism on the social imagination, I also inadvertently participated in the erasure and misrepresentation of other black women. As a black person who's been privileged by her default of being born with a lighter skin, I equally have a responsibility to break the silence on the oppressive culture that continues to render darker-skinned women invisible, writes Rebone Masemola.
