Jared Sacks

Not to understate the willingness of our government to shamelessly exploit 'the father of the nation', Madiba's image can now be found not on just one note, but on all five South African rand notes. We may have indeed forgotten that there are a few other struggle heroes worth acknowledging!

In an earlier article I explained how disturbed I was at the way the political rhetoric of politicians and some NGOs seemed to create a double standard in the way they expected the protesters to act vis à vis the violence which the state and police subject them to on a daily basis.

On the 27 April, Freedom Day (a South African national holiday) was marked throughout the country with political party rallies, NGO commemorations and thousands of now customary non-political braais (BBQs).

‘This is our Common, not yours’ - member of Friends of Rondebosch Common

For months, communities from all over Cape Town have been planning a three-day People's Land, Housing and Jobs Summit at one of Cape Town's huge open pieces of unused land. This summit is set to take place this weekend from 27 until the 29 January.

On 28 October, the Mail & Guardian published a critical reflection I wrote on our first attempt at building an Occupy Cape Town movement.

Approximately 200 Cape Town residents participated in the call for a World Revolution Day on 15 October, inspired by the growing worldwide Occupy Movement.

'We live in a world turned on its head, a desolate, de-souled world that practices the superstitious worship of machines and the idolatry of arms, an upside-down world with its left on its right, its belly button on its backside, and its head where its feet should be...

I have no desire to undermine the legacy of Fatima Meer. Nor, frankly, do I have any desire to undermine Ashwin Desai as an academic, intellectual or as an activist.