‘It isn’t safe’: South African first responders attacked while saving lives
Ambulance crews and paramedics are increasingly being robbed, their vehicles hijacked while they are working, in a country with one of the world’s highest rates of violent crime.
Out on the Road – Old Style Journalism Read More »
My Xhosa teacher Ally Weakley (seen here centre) was a powerful advocate of non-racialism in apartheid South Africa. He was tragically gunned down in rage after Chris Hani’s assassination. Rhodes honoured him this weekend by naming their main sports field after him. Here, published in the Sunday Times this weekend, I remember just what a powerful influence he had on my life.
Powerful Memories of My Xhosa Teacher Read More »
Al, ex-British army and our security advisor, spread a map out on the hood of our vehicle.
‘We’ll take the Amarah road,’ he said. ‘The other road through Nasiriyah is not too good. Bandits are operating on that route.’
He paused. ‘I must make one thing clear. There are no weapons on this convoy. If bandits pull us over, we comply 100%. There must be no threatening gestures.’
The Shadows of El Alamein Read More »
“Today we’re going to look for the ‘Big Five!’” South African guide Eelco Meyjes announces from the front of his safari vehicle – a strange thing to hear on the streets of suburban Johannesburg.
Graffiti treasures in Joburg Read More »
I was commissioned to write a piece about my face years ago and for various reasons it never saw print. I thought it would be interesting to post now.
Thoughts on a mirror and its meaning Read More »
Memory is layered into our lives. Our understanding of what happened in the past grows as we grow. And the southern autumn for me for the last decade or so has always been a time for memories.
Autumn Thoughts on the Eve of Our Elections Hamilton Wende Read More »
A full moon emerges above the horizon. Slowly at first, and then rapidly, the sound of hard, calloused palms beating the skin of drums rises from the huts all around us.
Keeping a dream alive … Read More »
On a long ago trip to Alaska I met some fascinating people who are the type of people who now believe in Trump’s MAGA vision. We don’t have to agree with them to try and understand them.
The humanity of those we don’t understand Read More »
Years ago, in my childhood, I was being driven in a car down Louis Botha Avenue. Ahead of us, prominent on the Linksfield Ridge, was a magnificent white house. ‘That,’ the adult in the car told me, ‘is the house where the Shah of Iran lived during the Second World War.’
Jo’burg’s Forgotten Royal History Read More »
It was his eyes I remember best, carefully watching us through his glasses as he listened, and we spoke. It was the early 1980s. Apartheid was at its height. The power of white supremacy and the tyranny that went with it seemed unassailable.
Remember our heroes with integrity Read More »