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Articles by Saleem Badat
The 1976 Soweto uprising, on the road to democracy
Apartheid On June 16, 1976 students in Soweto took the streets to protest against Bantu education and the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in their schools. June 16 is seen as a day when the youth of 1976 stood courageously against apartheid. Their bravery pushed South Africa's journey towards democracy, and their legacy continues to inspire generations, says the writer.
Former vice-chancellors call for support for Fort Hare leader
SOUTH AFRICA As former South African university vice-chancellors, we note with great concern the ZAR500 million (about US$28.7 million) damage caused by violent acts and arson to infrastructure at the University of Fort Hare. An additional concern is that the arsonists targeted newly renovated and upgraded buildings, such as the agriculture building’s new laboratories, a new student clinic, and a recently renovated staff centre.
Prof Buhlungu has shown great courage in tackling corruption at Fort Hare | Daily Maverick
Ruth First and activist research: the legacy of a South African freedom fighter
Ruth First, born 100 years ago, was a South African freedom fighter, journalist and scholar who worked against the racist system of apartheid during white minority rule. She was assassinated by apartheid forces in her office at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique in 1982. Her ideas, work and legacy live on. Sociologists Saleem Badat and Vasu Reddy have edited a new book called Research and Activism: Ruth First & Activist Research. We asked them about her and their project.
Reflecting on 70 years of the Freedom Charter: a journey towards equality
Progress and challenges Professor Saleem Badat|Published 5 minutes ago 5min A copy of The Freedom Charter, signed in 1960 by, among others, Chief Albert Luthuli. Image: Cara Viereckl/African News Agency(ANA) SEVENTY years ago, on June 26, 1955, the Freedom Charter was adopted at the Congress of the People in Kliptown. It followed Professor ZK Matthews’ suggestion in 1953 to hold a "national convention" to formulate "a Freedom Charter for the democratic South Africa of the future".
The Ruth First Legacy
New book Professor Saleem Badat|Published 18 minutes ago 4min The book cover Image: Supplied A MAJOR highway in Durban is named Ruth First, but who was she. First was a South African freedom fighter, journalist and scholar who worked against the racist system of apartheid during white minority rule. She was murdered by apartheid assassins in her office at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo in 1982.
Wimbledon investigation continues,Tennis SA’s silence and brazen complicity
One year later, a 72-year-old former black SA tennis champion, Hoosen Bobat, still awaits justice from Wimbledon and the International Tennis Federation (ITF). In 2023, the Observer, Guardian, BBC and local media publicised the racist exclusion of Bobat from the 1971 junior Wimbledon championship organised by the All England Lawn Tennis Club .
Zuleikha Mayat: South African author and activist who led a life of courage, compassion and integrity
By Saleem Badat, Research Professor, UFS History Department, University of the Free State Few Indian South African women have achieved wider public recognition than author, human rights and cultural activist Zuleikha Mayat, who passed away on 2 February 2024. An honorary doctorate from the University of KwaZulu-Natal was just one of many awards bestowed on her during a life that spanned almost 98 years.
Zuleikha Mayat: South African author and activist who led a life of courage, compassion and integrity
Few Indian South African women have achieved wider public recognition than author, human rights and cultural activist Zuleikha Mayat, who passed away on 2 February 2024. An honorary doctorate from the University of KwaZulu-Natal was just one of many awards bestowed on her during a life that spanned almost 98 years. Mayat was a remarkable pioneer, evocative writer, public speaker, civic worker, human rights champion and philanthropist.
Colonialism shaped modern universities in Africa - how they can become truly African
By Saleem Badat, Research Professor, UFS History Department, University of the Free State Colonialism profoundly shaped modern universities in Africa. It implanted institutions on African soil that were largely replicas of European universities rather than organically African. For historian and political theorist Achille Mbembe, one problem of universities in Africa “is that they are ‘Westernised”.
Colonialism shaped modern universities in Africa - how they can become truly African
Colonialism profoundly shaped modern universities in Africa. It implanted institutions on African soil that were largely replicas of European universities rather than organically African. For historian and political theorist Achille Mbembe, one problem of universities in Africa “is that they are ‘Westernised”. He describes them as “local institutions of a dominant academic model based on a Eurocentric epistemic canon that attributes truth only to the Western way of knowledge production”.
What makes an ‘African’ university authentically African?
AFRICA Universities are vital institutions with great promise and contribute in myriad ways to society. But there are good reasons to critique universities in Africa, both those created by colonial overlords and those that emerged in the post-independence years.
Tennis and apartheid: how a South African teenager was denied his Wimbledon dream
In 1971, 18-year-old Hoosen Bobat was excluded from the Wimbledon men’s junior tournament because of apartheid 12 July 2023 - 22:16 Today, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/atoz/about_aeltc.html) hosts the famous Wimbledon Championships (https://www.wimbledon.com/), pledging to be diverse and inclusive.
Tennis and apartheid: how a South African teenager was denied his dream of playing at Wimbledon
© 2023 Tolerance.ca ® Inc. All reproduction rights reserved. All information reproduced on the Web pages of www.tolerance.ca (including articles, images, photographs, and logos) is protected by intellectual property rights owned by Tolerance.ca ® Inc. or, in certain cases, by its author. Any reproduction of the information for use other than personal use is prohibited.
Tennis and apartheid: how a South African teenager was denied his dream of playing at Wimbledon Original
Today the All England Lawn Tennis Club, hosts of the famous Wimbledon Championships, pledges to be diverse and inclusive. But in 1971 an 18-year-old university student, Hoosen Bobat from Durban, was excluded from achieving his dream of becoming the first black South African to play in the Wimbledon men’s junior tournament. This was due to apartheid, and the collusion of the all-white tennis union in South Africa and the International Lawn Tennis Federation, with Wimbledon toeing the line.
OPINIONISTA: South Africa needs a new progressive popular political movement that boldly tackles our festering ills
No amount of repression can sustain our current deeply unequal and fractured society. We need radical changes that benefit all, not just self-serving elites. Perhaps it is time to return to the grassroots, local-level, street-by-street activism, mass mobilisation and organisation of the 1980s. Once the Constitutional Court issued its verdict, it was predictable that imprisoning Jacob Zuma would heighten political tension.
South Africa: 'The 4IR Super-Highway' - a Dangerously Technocratic Utopia
The first three industrial revolutions have not created a just and humane world, so why do we believe that the 4IR will do any better? The recent Daily Maverick column by Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, "Covid-19 has forced us into the fast land of the 4IR super-highway" (28 May) prompted the recollection of one of the early 1990s policy debates on higher education.
OPINIONISTA: ‘The 4IR super-highway’: A dangerously technocratic utopia
The first three industrial revolutions have not created a just and humane world, so why do we believe that the 4IR will do any better? The recent Daily Maverick column by Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, “Covid-19 has forced us into the fast land of the 4IR super-highway” (28 May) prompted the recollection of one of the early 1990s policy debates on higher education.
South Africa: The COVID-19 Crisis - Our Winter of Despair Could Become a Spring of Hope
The current crisis requires South Africans genuinely committed to social justice to forge a new imagination, to see through the storm that is still gathering and to envision what can lie beyond. It should enable us to think about and forge a different kind of country and world. We currently live, in the words of the memorable opening lines of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, in "the worst of times", a "season of darkness".
OPINIONISTA: The Covid-19 crisis: Our winter of despair could become a spring of hope
The current crisis requires South Africans genuinely committed to social justice to forge a new imagination, to see through the storm that is still gathering and to envision what can lie beyond. It should enable us to think about and forge a different kind of country and world. We currently live, in the words of the memorable opening lines of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, in “the worst of times”, a “season of darkness”.
Saleem Badat: on black professors, deracialisation and transformation
27 November, 2018 Saleem Badat: on black professors, deracialisation and transformation Saleem Badat writes a response to an article in our October edition titled “A Need for Racial Reform in Academia in South Africa”. Advancing equity, creating meaningful development opportunities, and cultivating high quality academics have been key issues post-1994 with respect to the academic workforce at universities. Racism and patriarchy profoundly shaped the social composition of academic staff.
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