This week, we had contributors weighing in on EFF CIC Julius Malema's comments about the Indian community. There was also a conversation about the dangers of social media, how easily one can get caught in the vicious social media trend of cyberbullying, and what to do when you fall victim.
With June being youth month, we had a few comment pieces on what it means to be young in South Africa today. Mental health will always be a talking point, one blogger goes into what the 'doing the work' of self-care entails.
Here are some of the best from the blogs desk this week:
1. Julius Malema Is Playing On The Same Field As America's Trump
Anti-black prejudice and sentiment is something Indian people need to work on in a big way. Definitely. But making broad claims, as Malema and Shivambu have respectively, is irresponsible at the least, especially when you have a bully pulpit as big as that which EFF leaders have, writes Ayesha Fakie.
2. 6 Steps To Take If You're The Victim Of Cyberbullying
Ferial Haffajee wrote powerfully about how she has been silenced after a series of vile attacks on social media. It is essential reading, not just to understand the human impact of spreading hate on social media, or the repugnant sexist dimension these issues tend almost always to share, but also because it highlights a deeply worrying issue for our emerging democracy, writes William Bird.
3. 'SA's White Squatter Camps' – How Google's Easily Skewed Results Spread Misinformation
South Africans clashed with the powerful Google algorithm last week when it was revealed that a search for South African squatter camps throws up white squatters in a majority of results. Read more.
4. Why Dubai Should Be Seriously Worried About The Damage The Guptas Are Doing To Its Brand
Every time another newspaper article, TV clip or blog post mentions the unlovely fugitives and Dubai in the same sentence, Dubai damages itself in the minds of the international business community. Every mention sends out exactly the wrong message about Dubai. Care should be taken that this image isn't muddied by the royal family of state capture, writes John Davenport.
5. Today's Youth Have Many Lessons To Impart
The events of 1976 undoubtedly marked a turning point in the South African struggle. It is impossible to think or speak about where South Africa is as a country outside of the dedication and resilience showed by the 1976 generation. Post-1994 the biggest moments where the youth demonstrated unity and coherence were the Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) and Fees Must Fall (FMF) campaigns, which were also led by young people, writes Mcebo Dlamini.
6. Mental Health: What Is 'Doing The Work'?
Doing the work is restoring your mental health, i.e. healing it and practising mental hygiene. It is going to a therapist and confronting those things that hurt your feelings and make you feel angry, sad, less productive, anxious or depressed but have nothing to do with your physical health. It is seeking and taking medication if need be, writes Lukhanyo Velelo.
7. What Can Corporate Leaders Learn From The Springboks? Quite A Lot, Actually
There's nothing like sport to unite a nation. There's nothing like the dream of a win to unite a team. On a sports field, we see a microcosm of life play out. When the going gets tough, sports stars get grounded. They pull together and rely on one another's talents to turn the situation around. Perhaps that's the big lesson corporates need to learn, writes Tienie Ehlers.
