The competition for the top six leadership positions in South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), was no carefully choreographed script such as the one-candidate-per-election of Chinese Communist Party congresses. It was a rip-roaring, full-throated democratic contestation – as raucous as US primary elections. Even more so, with
By David Hearst On 21 August 1969, an Australian citizen called Denis Rohan set fire to an 800-year-old wooden pulpit, a gift to al-Aqsa mosque from the Islamic hero Saladin (1137-1193), who led the military campaign against the Crusaders. Apart from being considered mentally ill, Rohan thought he was acting
By Ibrahim Vawda In announcing Jerusalem as the capital of Zionist Israel, Trump displayed an affront and foolhardiness, which his predecessors failed to do. To occupy Palestine and to get rid of the Palestinians at all and any cost from their homes and their land was always part of the
OPINION by Daoud Kuttab Ever since the US government recognised Israel in 1948, no one has ever doubted where Washington stood in terms of the conflict between Israel and the Arabs. But while the US has always been pro-Israel, it tried, at least in theory, to adhere to international law
OPINION by Alex Magaisa After 37 years in power, the curtain is surely closing on Robert Mugabe’s long reign as president of Zimbabwe. Today, although they insisted that they were not carrying out a coup, the military generals effectively took control of state power. This came just two days after the
By Iqbal Jassat What’s going on in Saudi Arabia? This appears to be the dominant question raised in many circles. A question, coupled with many more, seeking answers to try to make sense of the drama unfolding in the House of Saud. While some insiders refer to it as an
OPINION by Halim Shebaya A week after the surprise resignation of Saad Hariri broadcast on Saudi-owned Al-Arabiyya from Riyadh, Lebanon has stopped asking where he is and has started demanding his release. Lebanese President Michel Aoun called the circumstances of his disappearance “ambiguous and mysterious” and asked Saudi Arabia for
OPINION by Salma Yaqoo We live in a dangerous world. This is the reality in which Prime Minister Theresa May wants to carve out a future as a “truly global Britain” after Brexit to “reach beyond the borders of Europe” and play an even more international role. But surviving in
The South African Kashmiri Action Group held a mass protest action outside United Nation Offices in Pretoria to protest the lack of action to resolve the dispute of Kashmir. The 27th October each year marks the anniversary of India’s occupation of Kashmir, commonly referred to as Kashmir’s Black Day. Since
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
