Chaos and conflict unfold globally.
Image: ChatGPT
I wrote some time back about the zig zag road markings on the M1 and Hans Dettman Highway.
I am happy to write that the crooked lines are being straightened. The officials from the roads department must be thanked for attending to this problem promptly.
While on this matter, I wish to draw the attention of the roads department to another problem on the M1 – a big pothole on the single-lane section of this busy road. It had been filled up previously but, like the crooked lines, it wasn’t done properly. It is dangerous because vehicles often swerve onto the oncoming lane to avoid the pothole. This could cause a serious collision.
| T Markandan Kloof Kloof
I strongly condemn the Israeli regime’s continued closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which prevents worshippers from reaching one of Islam’s holiest sites.
Families, elderly worshippers, and children are being denied the opportunity to pray, connect spiritually, and fulfil their religious duties due to the closure of the Mosque. This situation deeply hurts millions of Muslims around the world.
I am deeply concerned that these unnecessary and unjustified actions against Jerusalem and its sacred sites are alarming. They inflame tensions, provoke cycles of violence, and threaten stability in the region.
Jerusalem, a city of immense spiritual significance to Muslims as well as to the Christian community, must remain accessible to all who seek to worship peacefully in their respective places of worship. Blocking access to holy sites undermines coexistence and deepens frustration and despair.
The international community must step in to protect the Holy Land and uphold the fundamental rights of worshippers. These provocations by the Zionist colonial Israeli occupiers cannot continue. The closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque must end immediately to preserve its sanctity and allow worshippers to return, restoring dignity, peace, and stability to the region.
| MOHAMED SAEED Pietermaritzburg 2025 Pietermaritzburg
Trump was beaming with pride. Surrounded by his henchmen, he proudly proclaimed to the world that he had got rid of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, and ‘everything’s been knocked out in Iran.’
What a hero he was. He had saved the people of Iran, the Middle East, and, in fact, the whole world from a man who was a serious threat to world peace with his nuclear ambitions. In the eyes of Trump, he had to go.
Trump made his intentions clear to Iran: he must have a say in who would replace Khamenei. He must be a puppet of the US whom he could manipulate by pulling the strings. If he had done it in Venezuela, why can’t he do it in Iran? Which power on earth is going to stop him?
But has Trump miscalculated the spirit of the Iranian people? Bombs and missiles could reduce a country to rubble, but could they destroy the spirit of a nation which has a long, proud legacy going back to ancient times?
Despite the bombs and missiles raining down on Iran, the leaders remained defiant. The Assembly of Experts ignored Trump and elected dead Ayatollah Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as their next Supreme Leader.
The US has tried to make regime changes around the world and has often failed miserably: Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, etc. Will it succeed in Iran?
And why shouldn’t Trump be removed from power? He has caused chaos on the world markets with his tariff war and now, with the war on Iran, has sent the oil price soaring and world markets plummeting. But what will Trump do if Mojtaba turns out to be like his father? Kill him too?
What a wasted effort it will be—so many lives, so much destruction, rubble, all going up in smoke.
| T Markandan Kloof Kloof
When one starts connecting the dots around the Trump administration’s invasion strategy, an ominous picture emerges.
It was always a mystery as to why Trump was so soft on Russia with regards to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and why he was so hostile to President Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the Oval Office.
It now becomes clear that Trump had his own invasion plans in place way back then. Trump’s invasion of Venezuela and now his bombing and threats of invasion in Iran, together with his recent bluster about Cuba being next on his list, highlights his surreptitious intentions.
Trump’s a fraud for attempting to paint a rosy picture of him being a peacemaker when he is, in fact, the world’s number one warmonger. Let’s not forget that Trump stood back for an entire year whilst little brother Israel slaughtered over 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza before lifting a finger to stop the slaughter.
The 30,000 slaughtered Iranians is also on Trump, as it was he that encouraged the attempted insurrection in Iran by promising agitators in Iran that “help is on the way.” History shows that help was never provided and 30,000 lives were lost as a result.
Donald Trump has much to answer for… his ascension to the White House by default will forever rest on the conscience of American voters. Never again will the American people give a psychopath the power to impose his will on America and the world unhindered, without restraint or recourse.
| Colin Bosman Newlands Newlands
We are witnessing a troubling era in politics where many people want to skip the crawling stage and leap straight into leadership roles. Politics, like any serious calling, requires patience, discipline, and a proven track record of service. Yet increasingly, some believe that visibility alone, often amplified by social media, is enough qualification to lead.
Leadership cannot be built on ambition alone. It must be built on experience, sacrifice, and a history of doing the hard work when no one is watching. Those who rush to the top without first walking the long road of community engagement, organisational work, and policy understanding often struggle when confronted with the real responsibilities of leadership.
The danger is that politics becomes a platform for personal elevation rather than public service. When people bypass the foundational stages of learning, listening, and serving, institutions weaken, and public trust erodes. Leadership then becomes performative rather than purposeful.
There is value in the slow process of growth in politics. Crawling teaches humility. Walking builds resilience. Only after that should one run. Those who have done the groundwork carry with them the wisdom of experience and the credibility that cannot be manufactured overnight.
Young and emerging leaders should absolutely aspire to lead, but they must first commit to the journey. The future of our political institutions depends on leaders who understand that authority is earned through service, not simply claimed through ambition.
| Thulani Dasa Khayelitsha Khayelitsha
DAILY NEWS