A woman holds a sign as demonstrators gather Sept. 4, 2019, at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town during a protest against gender-based violence. (CNS photo/Sumaya Hisham, Reuters)

Violence against women is a plague in South Africa

by Russell Pollitt, S.J. September 8, 2022

Advocates for the protection of women charge that rape is systemic and endemic in South Africa. Police statistics confirm this: There are about 115 rapes per day, a level that is among the highest in the world.

A listening session in Johannesburg. Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg.

Dispatches, Faith

In South Africa’s synodal process, lay enthusiasm is often met with gatekeeping from priests

by Russell Pollitt, S.J. August 15, 2022

Bruce Botha, S.J., said one notable achievement of the synodal process was that many people who experienced themselves on the margins of the church felt that they were heard.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, on June 9, 2022. Ramaphosa could face criminal charges and is already facing calls to step down over claims that he tried to cover up the theft of millions of dollars in U.S. currency that was hidden inside furniture at his game farm. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht, File)

Dispatches, Politics & Society

Corruption and incompetence plague A.N.C.: Liberation lost in South Africa?

by Russell Pollitt, S.J. July 5, 2022

The #farmgate scandal is only the latest example of dysfunction within the African National Congress. Critics warn that corruption and incompetence have become endemic, contributing to a massive breakdown in basic services.

Arts & Culture, Books

Review: South Africa’s answer to William Faulkner

by Diane Scharper March 31, 2022

Using present tense, omniscient point of view and a William Faulkner-like stream-of-consciousness, Damon Galgut takes readers into the heads of every character in his new novel.

Dispatches, Politics & Society

A South African Jesuit remembers Archbishop Desmond Tutu

by Anthony Egan, S.J. December 27, 2021

The South African human rights campaigner and Anglican clergyman was known throughout the world for his human rights accomplishments. But above all, he was a committed priest and person of deep prayer.

Children wait in line for food at a school near Cape Town, South Africa, May 4, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. (CNS photo/Mike Hutchings, Reuters)

Dispatches, Politics & Society

Discontent—and hunger—in South Africa grows under pandemic lockdown

by Anthony Egan, S.J. May 14, 2020

A senior opposition leader said that the lockdown—aimed not to prevent the spread of Covid-19 but to give the health services a window to prepare for it—was now doing more harm than good.

South African National Defense Forces patrol the Sjwetla informal settlement after pushing back residents into their homes on the outskirts of the Alexandra township in Johannesburg, on April 20. The residents were protesting the lack of food. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Dispatches, Politics & Society

Hunger begins to replace Covid-19 as existential fear in South Africa

by Anthony Egan, S.J. April 28, 2020

The national coronavirus lockdown has translated into a sharp increase in levels of poverty and malnutrition in South Africa. Because of that emerging suffering, some are already beginning to wonder if the nationwide restrictions are doing more harm than good.

Residents stand on a balcony as a South African National Defence Forces vehicle patrol the street, in Johannesburg on April 7. South Africa and more than half of Africa's 54 countries have imposed lockdowns, curfews, travel bans or other restrictions to try to contain the spread of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Dispatches, Politics & Society

A coronavirus lockdown lands hard on South Africa

by Anthony Egan, S.J. April 8, 2020

The national measures being taken against the spread of the coronavirus in South Africa are unprecedented and are considered among the strictest in the world.

Faith, Podcasts

AIDS, the Catholic Church and LGBT issues today

by Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS & the Catholic Church January 12, 2020

In the series finale of ‘Plague,’ Mike looks at what’s happening in the church in HIV and AIDS care today and then reflects on comments and questions from listeners about the ongoing debates over LGBT issues in the Catholic Church.