Articles for Brent Meersman

Is UCT a safe space for art?

Since paintings were burnt by Rhodes Must Fall students, dozens of artworks have been put into safe keeping. Pictures that may cause offense have also been taken down.

By

News | 4 April 2016

Strange beds

The homeless in Cape Town find refuge wherever they can and sometimes in the most surprising spaces. Where they sleep is often precarious and exposed to various hazards from bad weather and pollution to criminals or people who don't want them around. Although mostly transient, homeless people will often stay in the same place, wherever it is they have managed to carve out a shelter for themselves. Some homeless people have lived in a suburb or street for longer than many residents who live there in brick and mortar buildings.

Pictures by Masixole Feni.Text by Brent Meersman

News | 24 July 2015

Tokolos collective graffiti bomb Sea Point Ray-Bans

Guerrilla graffiti artist group Tokolos Stencil Collective struck again on Monday night, this time targeting Michael Elion’s controversial giant Ray-Ban sunglasses on Sea Point promenade.

Brent Meersman

Brief | 18 November 2014

Ehrenreich’s Facebook post “idiotic and against the traditions of Cosatu”

An eye for an eye and the whole world would be blind, the Mahatma famously said.

Brent Meersman

Opinion | 14 August 2014

No one should have to bump into De Kock in the supermarket

A growing number of people, including some surprising names, such as Max du Preez, and others more predictable, such as FW de Klerk, seem to believe that Eugene De Kock, head of the Vlakplaas torture camp and death squad, should be released from prison. Here is why I disagree.

Brent Meersman

Opinion | 22 July 2014

Where to for Cape Town Pride?

At a meeting on 12 April convened by Ikasi Pride, members of a divided gay and lesbian community discussed the future of gay pride in the city, its steady depoliticisation, its lack of community outreach and its image problem.

Brent Meersman

Opinion | 15 April 2014

Hani’s murder: an attempt to assassinate a country’s future

10 April marks the 21st anniversary of Chris Hani’s murder. His death left a nation wondering what its future would have been like had he lived.

Brent Meersman

News | 10 April 2014

The week in political activism

This week we cover a helpful guide to whistleblowing from Corruption Watch and a further victory for informal traders who were unlawfully removed by the City of Johannesburg.

Brent Meersman

News | 9 April 2014

Where do political parties stand on health issues?

The People’s Health Manifesto is an initiative of the Treatment Action Campaign. With elections upon us, the TAC wanted to know what political parties proposed to do for healthcare. They put 11 questions to them. This is what they discovered.

Brent Meersman

Opinion | 7 April 2014

The week in political activism - March 26, 2014

This week we cover the TAC’s march on Khayelitsha Hospital and an alert put out by Lawyers for Human Rights on the unconstitutionality of draft immigration regulations.

Brent Meersman

News | 26 March 2014

The week in political activism - March 19, 2014

This week we cover the NUMSA Day of Action for Youth Jobs and the TAC’s People’s Health Manifesto campaign.

Brent Meersman

News | 19 March 2014

The week in political activism

This week we cover the campaign to fix our patent laws, concern over changes to the new Public Administration Bill that may make it easier for corrupt officials, and the Israeli Apartheid week.

Brent Meersman

News | 12 March 2014

The week in political activism

This week we have reports on civil society’s response to the budget and a documentary hosted by Sonke Gender Justice.

Compiled by Brent Meersman

News | 26 February 2014

The week in activism

This week we have reports on Abahlali baseMjondolo and the Phillipi settlement named after Marikana, a new book by SERI, Greenpeace and fracking and facts and fibs in the President’s state of the nation speech as explained by Africa Check. Also, the SJC and others have published a report on the Khayelitsha Inquiry into policing.

Compiled by Brent Meersman

News | 19 February 2014

The week in political activism

This week we have reports on COSATU's allegations against Sun City, an Equal Education seminar on Marikana and a new digital application from Corruption Watch.

Compiled by Brent Meersman

News | 13 February 2014

The week in political activism

This week we have reports from Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), SECTION27, Medecins Sans Frontieres, SERI, the residents of Slovo Park, Lawyers for Human Rights, Wits Justice Project and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Compiled by Brent Meersman

News | 6 February 2014