Double standards, and let's band together to save Southside FM and build a better South Africa

IOL News

2 days ago

Such double standards applied
There are moves afoot to impeach Ayman Odeh, a Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset known for his principled stands against what Israel is doing in Gaza.
Military theorist Carl von Clausewitz said: 'War is the continuation of politics by other means.'
It is the obverse vis-a-vis Israel's Knesset, for their parliamentary duties have become the perilous as typically the Jewish lawmakers like the apartheid SA lawmakers acted in a similar fashion, with Helen Suzman one of the few active opponents Prime Minister BJ Vorster's war against anyone who opposed his government.
And so in the Knesset, being an opponent to apartheid has led to the continuation of war by other means. What was Odeh's crime? In January 2025, soon after the two-month Gaza ceasefire came into effect, he reportedly tweeted that: 'I am happy about the release of the (Israeli) hostages and (Palestinian)prisoners. From here, both peoples (sic) must be freed from the yoke of the occupation. We were all born free.' Scant attention was paid by the 'only democracy in the Middle East', ignoring the parliamentary legal adviser that impeachment was illegal.
Nevertheless, it carried on. It looks like the mask of democracy has slipped as (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) Bibi's minions mimic their Arab cousins (Arabs and Jews bear a similar bloodline).
The next move – Supreme Court action? | Saber Ahmed Jazbhay Newlands
Band together save Tamil radio station
Southside FM faces financial crisis; Icasa gives 3 month ultimatum', highlights a regrettable reality.
The Chatsworth community radio station is facing a critical financial crisis that threatens its very existence.
This institution has been a cornerstone of community life, providing a platform for local voices. The South Indian community needs to fully support Southside FM. Let's rally together to save our station. Tamil culture has been an important characteristic that embodies our rich cultural heritage.
We need your (community) support to preserve our culture for future generations. It's time for a major shake-up and a new chapter. Maybe it's time for the station to seek more additional vibrant board members, the likes of Morgan and Darsen Nadasen, Merebank Tamil School Society, and Professor Gan Moodley to play a crucial role in shaping the station's future.
If elected it will have people making significant contributions towards reaffirming Tamil values, as this is important so it can be passed down to the next generation. Let's make it happen. We owe it to ourselves, our community, and future generations to preserve this vital institution. The fate of our radio station reflects our community's values. We need to act now to ensure that Southside FM continues to thrive. It is unfortunate that staff are volunteering. Hats off to the presenters Thashriya Naidoo, Yogambal Singaram, Lalitha Gurukkal, Daeshni Pather, and not forgetting Station Manager Tansen Nepaul and many others who work tirelessly on a voluntary basis, sacrificing their time, energy, and expertise – you will be richly blessed. It is also unfair for these presenters not to be paid. Something has to be done.
I love the quote by Elizabeth Andrew that so aptly expresses puts their devotion into context: 'Volunteers do not necessarily have the time, they just have the heart'. | Dhayalan Moodley Mobeni Heights
Let's build on this for the good of SA
Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube's announcement of the Safe Schools Programme is a welcome sign of urgency and intent.
School safety is a foundational issue – learners cannot thrive in classrooms where violence, fear or instability are the norm.
For too long, South Africa's education debate has been weighed down by basic questions of safety, sanitation, infrastructure and attendance. This programme is an important step forward, but let us be clear: Safety is only the beginning, not the end goal.
The real crisis in education is not just about safety, but about outcomes – and what those outcomes mean for the future of our economy. We are in the grip of a long-term unemployment crisis, especially among the youth. And while government and civil society focus on interventions to stimulate job creation, too often they ignore the truth: Jobs don't just appear – they are built by entrepreneurs.
The question is whether our education system is producing the kinds of learners who will go on to create businesses, innovate products, and grow industries. Right now the answer is no. If we truly want to prepare learners for life beyond the classroom, we must go beyond ensuring safety. We must commit to building schools that nurture entrepreneurial thinking, problem-solving, curiosity and digital fluency, because that's where job creation really begins – not in a policy, but in a classroom that gives every child the confidence and tools to dream big and build boldly.
Gwarube has opened the door, now let's walk through it and transform our schools from safe zones into launch pads for a thriving business ecosystem in South Africa. | Nicole Mirkin CEO at Omnia Strategic Counsel & Communications
Digging an even deeper hole for itself
Israel will only be digging a deeper hole for itself internationally if it proceeds with a plan outlined by its Defence Minister Israel Katz to eventually forcibly relocate the entire Palestinian population to a 'humanitarian city' on the ruins of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, from where they will be unable to leave once relocated. | Eric Palm Gympie, Australia
Have we truly lose our critical thinking?
If you can create a global crisis, you can promote a global solution, right?
Successful and famous businessmen and philanthropists such as Bill Gates, George Soros and Klaus Schwab are masters of making us believe that if we do not agree with them or go along with their sick ideas for a better future, we are the problem.
Think of the 2020 Covid Pandemic, so-called global warming and other potentially dangerous, but highly fabricated, man-made dilemmas, such as water or food shortages. They were all designed to make you believe that if we don't do something quickly, or if don't trust the global elites and unelected oligarchs, something terrible will happen if we do not heed their calls.
Meanwhile, the opposite is true, but any attempt to discredit these obscenely rich know-it-alls, is drowned out or deemed to be 'misinformation/­disinformation.
When you hear woke doomsday prophets, such as Greta Thunberg spew garbage about the planet busy dying from too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, Bill Gates warning us of the 'next global pandemic, or Klaus Schwab – whose brainchild is the World Economic Forum – tells you that you will 'own nothing and be happy', you know that its time to start asking some serious questions.
How did these unelected bullies get so wealthy, influential and ­arrogant, and why do we listen to them? When the World Economic Forum suggests that we should start eating crickets and bugs instead of meat, due to rising carbon dioxide levels in the Earth's atmosphere, are we honestly going to believe this rubbish?
It's scary that so many people believe these lies and spend 99% of their lives with their heads buried deep in the sand. Can we not think for ourselves anymore? Have we lost the ability to think critically?
A big threat to our privacy is the rise of CBDC's, or Central Bank Digital Currencies, and digital ID. Could you imagine the immense power that would be given to any government if we allow them to track our every move and transaction.
This is already happening in some parts of the world, such as Scotland and Australia and other first-world countries. | L Oosthuizen Durban
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