Against the Tide by Steven Friedman

You would think that a court case against the government charging that its rules deprive 8 million people of a grant they badly need would be a major news event. It isn't. Why? Because the people who are said to be losing out are not part of the one-third whose voices are heard in this country's debates. And because the people who decide what we should talk about love dismissing grants and the people who receive them despite the fact that grants are by far the country's most successful measure against poverty. So the fact that the case is being ignored shows again that one-third of the country could not care less about the rest.

This is the argument of my  Against the Tide column this week which was sent to subscribers this morning. To read it, visit the  Against the Tide website and subscribe. If you can't afford to subscribe, contact us at info@againstthetide.co.za to request a reduced or free subscription

Steven Friedman is a public commentator and an academic, currently employed as a Research Professor at the University of Johannesburg. He has been writing on South African politics for the entire democratic period both as a scholar and public commentator. He has published books on South Africa’s transition to democracy, the role of the trade union movement, and current South African politics. He has also written columns and articles for several South African newspapers. His writing seeks to use academic research to shed light on current politics but to ensure that this is conveyed in a way easily understood by people who have no academic training.