Attack on Helen Suzman Foundation
The attack on Helen Suzman Foundation is shocking. Such lawlessness has been the regular experience of some grassroots organisations like Abahlali baseMjondolo and they have not enjoyed support even from supposedly left organisations like NUMSA. There is also massive repression meted out against students, notably in the formerly black universities and recently at UFS. Why it is that the forces of repression who may be the same forces who are supposed to be defending our democracy are entering the relatively elite sphere to carry out an armed attack and robbery on HSF on so heavy a scale. Is HSF so big a threat? They have been acting to remove General Ntlemeza, head of the Hawks.
Does this mean that the security forces are acting lawlessly and with whose authority? Who will defend them if it is so discovered or will they disown them? Once this type of attack starts to become bolder and enter ‘more respectable’ society it is not likely to cease and it is important that forces of civil society unite to resist attacks. Clearly this must have a link with the state. As citizens, we need to act to stop its spread.

http://www.polity.org.za/article/if-zuma-goes-what-is-to-follow-2016-03-18

http://polity.org.za/article/did-mandela-sell-out-the-struggle-for-freedom-2016-03-08

No matter how weak our media may be they can count on me as a reader. I spent many, many years without newspapers other than those we managed to smuggle as political prisoners. The white male prisoners were separated in Pretoria and our capacity to smuggle was less than that on the Island. We brought a court action for access to newspapers which went up to the then Appellate Division with Kentridge appearing for us. Curlewis, who had sentenced many MK people to death or heavy sentences in spite of torture, heard our case at provincial level and said prison was not ‘a hotel without a right of egress’. We also lost on appeal but eventually got news legally albeit in dribs and drabs, first censored news bulletins with all but the gold price omitted but in the end all the newspapers. When I was re-arrested in the States of Emergency there was again denial of newspapers but smuggling was pretty good, because I was near to criminal gangsters who were happy to exchange things. Interestingly, there were some right wing white warders who would also secretly put newspapers in my cell. The dynamics when held in a criminal prison were very strange and there was no animosity from warders (who out of respect for my having been a prisoner before and also fear for capacity for drama by virtue of being more respectable than the rest, treated me with some awe), as opposed to security police.

Nomboniso Gasa SACP Betrays the poor July 2007

http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/letters/2016/02/25/letter-let-the-truth-be-told

http://www.polity.org.za/article/leadership-honour-integrity-and-breach-of-trust-2016-02-16

http://www.polity.org.za/article/student-protests-and-the-quality-of-post-apartheid-south-africa-2016-02-10

https://soundcloud.com/powerfm987/iman-rappetti-speaks-with-prof-raymond-suttner?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=facebook

What concessions were made? One of the suggestions relating to Mandela ‘selling out’ is that he sold out on property clauses and that it is impossible to expropriate, a constitution which was not of course made by Mandela alone. Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke says this is a fallacious reading of section 25 of the constitution:
“The Constitution does not protect property, it merely protects an owner against arbitrary deprivation. Deprivation that is not arbitrary is permissible. The property clause does not carry the phrase, ‘willing buyer: willing seller’, which is often blamed for an inadequate resolution of the land question. The state’s power to expropriate does not depend on the willingness of the landowner.
“The compensation may be agreed but if not, a court must fix it. The compensation must be just and equitable and not necessarily the market value of the land. Market price is but one of five criteria the Constitution lists for a court to set fair compensation. The property clause is emphatic that the state must take reasonable measures, within available resources, to enable citizens to gain access to land on an equitable basis.”