Should bio-tech startups be allowed to harvest placentas and umbilical cords free of charge, without a mother's knowledge or consent? Will the new Hawks boss make a difference fighting organised crime and state capture? Would someone like Siya Kolisi as Bok captain do more for rugby transformation than years of quotas? How do we get the media to portray black women leaders fairly? How can Cyril Ramaphosa unearth the rainbow nation's pot of gold? Can we take valuable lessons out of the collapse of North West about reforming the provinces? And has the ANC finally been spurred into using the Constitution as it stands to get land reform right?
This week's blogs try to answer all those questions — relax with some long reads...
1. BioTech: Profiting From Women's Bodies Without Their Consent
In most countries it is illegal to sell human organs, therefore mothers cannot sell their placenta and umbilical cord. Women usually leave the placenta and umbilical cord at the hospital under the assumption that it will either be discarded as medical waste, or donated to advance science. This is not the first time women's bodies have been used to boost the bottom line without their consent, writes Tiyani Majoko.
2. Can Lebeya Sharpen Hawks' Crime-Fighting Talons? Mandy Wiener Takes A Look
Last year, Godfrey Lebeya told Mandy Wiener what needed to be done to fight organised crime. The new Hawks head now faces huge challenges getting it done. Read more.
3. Here's Why Siya Kolisi's Captaincy Could Do More For SA Rugby Than Quotas
Transformation is more than a game of numbers: it is a titanic battle for the very soul of South African rugby — and a massive test of wills between old-fashioned gatekeepers in rugby establishments and forward-looking patriots who harbour an all-encompassing passion for life and humanity, writes Tafi Mhaka.
4. 'The Media Should Stop Portraying Black Women Leaders As Brutes'
A few weeks ago Gender Links SA held a webinar conference looking at the media coverage that unfolded after Winnie-Madikizela Mandela's passing, focusing on Women In Politics. The conversation aimed to centre itself in a feminist perspective of the issues within media coverage of women leaders. Read more.
5. No Pot Of Gold At End Of Rainbow Nation — Even From Messiah Cyril
The joyride of the ascending rainbow nation was applauded, envied and encouraged the world over — but then we hit the decline, writes Sarah Setlaelo.
6. Rebuilding North West Might Provide Us With Much Needed Direction
One of the questions which the North West saga brings to fore is the viability of provinces in general. Why do we have provinces in this current form? They are based on apartheid bantustans and often run along tribal lines in any event. While the rate of unaccountability and lack of service delivery is a major concern, there is also the systemic question about whether our provinces in their current form economically sustainable or not, writes JJ Tabane.
7. 'It's Time For The ANC To Get Land Reform Right'
The problems are being identified; lines are being drawn. People in South Africa will in the next few months participate to highlight their plights. It is time for the ANC to listen to the voices of the people, writes Prof. Elmien du Plessis.
