Sunday, June 24, 2012

Foreign Nationals Mistreated By South African Health & Law Enforcement Authorities

Gift Ngobeni
@nyikogifted

In 2010, more asylum applications were lodged in South Africa than in any other country in the world. The trend continued in 2011, and the heavy demands on the asylum system have resulted in a backlog of more than 300,000 applications awaiting a decision. Even if they are granted legal stay in South Africa, many still get harassed by the police and are not granted adequate health care by South African nurses. Gift Ngobeni spoke to some foreign nationals about the hardships they face in South Africa and compiled this audio story. (VIDEO - AUDIO STORY)




Friday, June 22, 2012

UK Media News Must Turn Mirror on British Society

Siphumelele Zondi
@SZondi

For as long as I can remember British musician, Sade, has always played at home. I have memories of her and Kenny G. in my father’s car when we were going on long drives. That’s probably why Sade and her band are my favourite music group of all time. I also fell in love with British movies I was too young to watch such as Trainspotting and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. So it was probably the arts and their history that sold Britain to me as a place I wanted to study in and indeed I found a huge appreciation of poetry, cinema, theatre and music here. I have a Zimbabwean friend who was drawn to this country by football; he is a huge Manchester United fan. I would say that is what Britain has sold to its former colonies and those are the images we have bought.

When I watch British television I hardly see positive images of the developing world. They talk of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe sometimes, but that is to criticise him. Last year they had many stories on Libya, Gaddafi was just a bad North African dictator that had to be conquered to save his people. Now we see stories on Syria, a Middle Eastern country which has a horrible leader that kills people every single day. I have also seen stories on South Sudan and how hungry people are there with a currency that isn’t worth much. I have actually never seen a positive story on Africa or the Middle East on TV here. One would think their culture is perfect and needs no saving, but it takes no expert to realise that is not true. 

Saturday, June 16, 2012

16 June 2010 – The Day Joy Turned Into Unimaginable Pain

Clyde Tlou
@clydegoal

It’s been two years since the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and Clyde Tlou remembers a match that took place on youth day. This is his journey as he made his way through Pretoria to watch South Africa take on Uruguay on 16 June 2010.

The streets of Pretoria were all green and yellow as the World Cup euphoria grasped the South African capital city ahead of the Bafana Bafana game against Uruguay. All roads were leading to Loftus Stadium or fan parks around Tshwane and the country as a whole.