Opinion 
NEWS ANALYSIS: Why Rhodes’ heavy handed action against student activists is misplaced
Rhodes University dealt a strong hand against alleged “criminality” by permanently excluding at least two of its students involved in last year’s #RUReferenceList protests – sparking the ire of anti-rape violence activists around the country.
Students Yolanda Dyantyi and Dominique McFall were charged and found guilty by the university for kidnapping and insubordination. Dyantyi was also found guilty of assault and “engaging in offensive/defamatory conduct”. The two were excluded from the university for life.
The evolution of the Sexual Offences Act in South Africa, in effect for 10 years
South Africa has some of the most progressive legislation regarding sexual violence today. But this wasn’t always the case.
Joburg’s new ‘lady of the Orient’ Saigon Suzy is just as racist and sexist as #Misohawni
A couple of white bro former night club owners caused quite the stir on social media this week when it was revealed that their Asian mishmash restaurant in Melville was billed with the classy name: Misohawni. Or phonetically: “me so horny”.
Let’s talk about sex, ethically
Think back to your high school sex education classes (assuming you had any). If they were anything like mine, they were limited to images of putrefying genitals — blighted with some or other sexually transmitted illness — and birth control (“Be wise, condomise!”).
Con court ruling against ‘teen sex’ law protects rape survivors’ rights
Last week’s Constitutional Court ruling decriminalising consensual sexual relationships between teens was met with moralising outrage across the country. Sensationalist media fanned the flames of indignation by failing to contextualise the law’s effect on teen sexual relations – including rape.
Under the impugned sections 15 and 16 of the Sexual Offences Act (SOA) teenage rape survivors, especially girls, run the risk of being criminally charged for being raped.
Freedom House, internet freedom and dataless dark Africa
South Africa is ranked number one for Internet Freedom on the continent, with the status “free” for while Ethiopia was ranked lowest, and “not free” – of the countries counted in the survey by watchdog organisation, Freedom House, last month. However, it noted there were two threats to SA’s “free” status: the Protection of State Information bill (Secrecy bill) and the lesser known General Intelligence Laws Amendment bill.
The effect of twitter on professional roles in journalism – the 2009 Iran protests
The surge in information and news dissemination via micro-blogging has posed interesting questions and dilemmas for ‘professional’ journalists, and indeed may result in the renegotiation of their traditional roles. Discourses of the ‘gatekeeper’ role and the objectivity imperative for professional journalists have been especially affected by the use of Twitter as an informational tool, as was demonstrated by Twitter coverage of the 2009 Iran protests.
The rights of rape survivors: access to free PEP
The 2007 Sexual Offences Act (SOA) requires that certain services be made available to rape survivors. Among these services, survivors of oral, anal and vaginal rape are entitled to receive post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), a 28-day course of antiretrovirals for the prevention of HIV infection. This must be provided to survivors – at state expense – when they… Read More ›
The blinding pall of “whiteness”
When Lindiwe Suttle tweeted about her experience of racism in Cape Town, several other non-white South Africans voiced additional experiences of racism in the old city. These voices soon joined forces in the controversial and contested Twitter hashtag, #CapeTownIsRacist. Helen Zille, in a rash and petty tweet, called the claim “a baseless assertion” and “complete nonsense”. Zille’s comments… Read More ›
Reclaiming the term ‘rape survivor’
There are times when silence is more eloquent and expressive than shouts of protest, or words spoken in the face of ignorance. The Silent Protest seeks to embody this silence in solidarity with rape survivors who, for whatever reason, are not able to speak out about the violence exerted on them and their bodies. The Silent Protest also serves to make a space for those survivors who know and have experienced the deep vault of secrecy to come forward in a safe space, and make their voices heard. On this day, these survivors who feel they are able to come forward wear a T-shirt identifying themselves as a “Rape Survivor”.
Michelle Solomon 