Publications
Put away your despair and fight for South Africa
As the country stands on the cusp of its 30th anniversary of celebrating democracy, it is hard not to fall into a pit of despair, anger and frustration.
For a couple of hours each day, we have to scrounge around in the dark. And while the government says it is working on the challenge, continuous load shedding is having massive repercussions on our growing unemployment rate, and on our economy, which is barely standing after the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic.
And we have been glued to each update coming out of the Thabo Bester saga - because it highlights the chronic dysfunction of our justice system. The recent assassination of Cloete Murray and his son, Thomas, has led to much consternation that the mafia state is upon us. With all these and other developments, it is hard not to feel despair.
But this is exactly what Discovery CEO Adrian Gore is warning against.
In this week's edition of Friday Briefing, Gore explains why he refuses to allow pessimism to get the better of him, and why he is not giving up on South Africa.
We invited the co-founder of Reimagine SA, Dr Mamphela Ramphele, to express her thoughts on what South Africans need to do to shape the future they want.
Also, the senior director of social impact and transformation at Stellenbosch University, Dr Leslie van Rooi, writes about a brief moment he experienced, which gave him hope for our country's future.
This week's edition of Friday Briefing comes ahead of News24's Good News Day, where our site will be filled with stories of motivation and hope. Perhaps this will assist in stepping away from the pit of despair.
And, as part of rebuilding your passion for this great country, our Friday Briefing writers' contributions will be open this week to all News24 readers.
Hopefully, the contributions will inspire and help you think of ways that you, as an individual, can give back to South Africa and assist in building a better future.
Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Best,
Vanessa Banton
Opinions editor.
My view on SA remains unchanged: We need action, not despair
Adrian Gore writes that he has a deep belief in the potential of our country and it is clear to him that this is not a time for pessimism, despair and inaction. He argues that, on the contrary, we are in desperate need of optimism, hope and action.
The hope for the future we desire rests within us
Now is the opportunity for us as citizens to free ourselves from dependence on those claiming to be our liberators. We must reclaim our agency as we did in the 1970s and 1980s to free ourselves from a much more organised and brutal regime, argues Mamphela Ramphele.
Soccer on the 'voorgras' shows the way forward for SA
The past can become a haunting presence in the present and something that robs us of the possibilities of the future. Leslie van Rooi reflects on a moment that provided a view of the possibilities and realities of South Africans' futures.
