Queues for state services are the embodiment of indifference to those who wait, with disrespect and apathy often the only rewards. Consider this incident during our monitoring of the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act. Ms X arrived at the…
Barely a week goes by without the appearance of a number of media stories reporting on actual or alleged incidents of police criminality or misconduct. Whether its official reports detailing police involvement in taxi criminality or dismissive behaviour from police…
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) recommendation that medical schools should increase the intake of black students at undergraduate and postgraduate level has failed to solve racial imbalances in the provision of doctors in the country. Although the recommendation helps…
An interesting feature of post-1994 politics is the emergence of men who fight violence against women. From "everyday hero" campaigns to conferences, pledges and marches, something new is going down. Could this be the solution to violence against women? Some…
When Safety and Security Minister Steve Tshwete announced the need to "deal with crime the way a bulldog deals with a bone", he could not have envisaged a more suitably placed or aptly named candidate as Bulldog Rathokolo. Named for…
Thus is the story of "Johanna Smit", sentenced in 1997 to 20 years for the murder of her abusive husband. Johanna met her second husband "Thinus" through a magazine advertisement. Within four months of meeting for the first time, they…