Blue skies, home hope

THERE is no question about Mama Winnie Madikizelamandela’s contribution to our emancipation from a system that dehumanised and brutalised people at will.

She must be remembered for keeping the flame of hope alive against immense odds. We pay tribute to her on pages 16, 17 and 18, and in SM.

The homeless gained a small victory this week when the Gauteng High Court ordered that metro police pay compensation to a group of people whose goods had been confiscated in a clean-up operation. See page 7.

Do praying mantis females really eat the males? Can all lizards lose their tails? Can birds fly upside down? Why do they lay eggs?

Why do baboons have such big teeth? Why is the sky blue, and why do sunsets turn red?

These are some of the questions answered in Trevor Carnaby’s book reviewed by Vivien Horler on page 9.

The treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli detention is a serious human rights violation. The new generation, who should be growing up together in peace, remain divided by the conflict.

Whichever side of the Israeli-palestinian conflict one is sympathetic to, children anywhere in the world must be protected. Our group foreign editor Shannon Ebrahim makes this point on page 10

Our big issue on page 19 involves a look at why the ANC still needs Jacob Zuma.

President Cyril Ramaphosa should take note if the ANC is to win next year’s elections.