The increasing number of school children in South Africa who are being cyber bullied needs to be noted as a distinct phenomenon impacting on the lives of many young people, families and communities. If ignored, this could reach undesirable crisis levels which could impact negatively on broader society. Apart from upsetting messages, gossip and rumour spreading, bullying includes exposure to sexual remarks and unflattering and suggestive personal photos spread online. Statistics also revealed evidence of sexting as a phenomenon emerging among young people. 

South Africa, and many other countries around the world, have recently been hard hit with the loss of senior business and political leaders through resignations and untimely deaths. Everybody acknowledges that to replace such high-profile individuals is not a quick and easy process. However, there is hope for the future of such organisations, businesses and even countries if they were to invest in the practice of a well-developed succession plan, writes Prof. Basil C Leonard. 

With most political developments in South Africa having taken a break along with Parliament’s winter recess or a “constituency period”, not much is happening on that front. However, the one political theatre that is not resting is the African National Congress’ ongoing presidential race, with new candidates speculatively being added to the list almost daily. 

A summit of leaders of the African National Congress-led governing alliance in the province of KwaZulu-Natal is the latest important gathering to call for intervention in an escalating trend of seemingly political murders in the country. The issue is complicated by accompanying corruption and criminal activity. 

The electricity generation capacity of Eskom has been widely regarded as the biggest threat to the country’s energy security and a major risk to the economy. But at parliamentary hearings last week, the electricity distribution network and its maintenance by the fragile municipal level of government was fingered as the really dangerous area that could collapse over the next three years. 

Word is that South Africa’s Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will need all her experience and skills in the art of diplomacy to heal the rifts between African states that were created by her bruising election battle with Jean Ping of Gabon for the position of chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission. The history of diplomacy goes right back to the ancient Greeks and it has a pretty chequered past.

South Africa can achieve the ultimate cricket prize in the second test against England at Headingley in Leeds this week by beating the hosts to move to the summit of the world rankings in tests. But their biggest foe at the famous ground won’t be England, it will be the ‘enemy within’.

The Chiefs will have to do more than be aware of the shrewd last-minute changes of the Sharks if they want to win the Vodacom Super Rugby title in Hamilton on Saturday. A last minute, master stroke by the Sharks coach, John Plumtree, contributed to this weekend’s emphatic victory against the Stormers, but they also proved to be the ultimate “road warriors.” 

Swimmer Cameron van der Burgh winning the gold medal in the men’s 100m breaststroke in a word record time of 58.46 seconds, was one of South Africa’s most memorable Olympic moments ever. It is on par with Penny Heyns’s triumph in Atlanta in 1996 and the performance by our 'Awesome Foursome' in the swimming relay in Athens in 2005.