Politics and Policy – Media Watch
Mandatory HIV testing: A brief legal perspective
In 2011 there were around 34 million people in the world living with HIV. South Africa has the largest number of HIV infections in the world.
Other African countries - including Malawi and Zimbabwe - have considered implementing mandatory HIV testing in certain circumstances.
One pertinent question that our legislators must face is whether the law is responding fast enough, and in an appropriate manner, to these shocking statistics.
Why Jimmy Carter almost punched Mbeki
Jimmy Carter admitted this week that he once came close to punching former president Thabo Mbeki.
The former US president and Nobel peace prize winner, who was in South Africa as part of a meeting of The Elders, made the admission in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times.
Investing in health
Economic infrastructure plays a vital role in economic development, but to the same degree, the improvement of social infrastructure is also critical if real and lasting economic progress is to be achieved in SA.
One of the main constituents of social infrastructure is health, and health conditions in teh country also contribute to the country's ability to achieve its economic development goals. Numerous global studies have established a direct correlation between health and economic development, and therefore investment in human capital through the improvement of health infrastructure is vital.
Equality courts a buffer against rights abuse
Soon we will be celebrating 30 years of our democracy, yet acts of discrimination, hate speech and harassment are still prevalent in our society. It is sad that the great strides we have made towards racial reconciliation and tolerance are occasionally undermined by some bigots among us who continue to judge their compatriots on the basis of the colour of their skins.
These narrow-minded people are however, not representative of how the majority of people feel about their fellow citizens, but their actions still annoy and cause unnecessary heartache.
Sex act declared unconstitutional
Teenagers between the ages of 12 and 16 can freely engage in consensual kissing and other forms of intimate expression and sex without any fear of being arrested after the Constitutional Court declared Sexual Offences Act as non-constitutional and harmful to teenagers.
This came after the Constitutional Court recently ruled that the controversial Act infringed the right to dignity and privacy of teenagers.
