Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
Scott Peter Smith

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Scott Peter Smith

Scott Peter Smith is a co-founder of The Angle and founder of Submedia+, a cross-platform publisher in non-fiction storytelling. He is the former chief digital officer of the Mail & Guardian, where he led the publication’s digital strategy and product development.

Barrier to entry: The IEC and constitutional court remain firm in their decision about proof of support and deposits required for small parties to be able to contest the elections. Photo: Darren Stewart/Getty Images

Vote 2024 | One week to go…

Explore the state of South African democracy 30 years post-apartheid. Discover the alarming rise in political assassinations and voter apathy leading up to the 2024 elections.

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa arrives at  the African National Congress party manifesto launch in Durban, South Africa, on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. Photo: Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Vote 2024 | The ANC campaign trail

We delve into the ANC’s campaign trail as we approach the 2024 elections, marking a critical juncture 30 years into South Africa’s democracy. We uncover the enduring patterns and…

Former president Thabo Mbeki has laid the blame for South Africa’s energy crisis at the feet of his successor Jacob Zuma (Photo by Kyodo News Stills via Getty Images)

Vote 2024 | Mbeki, Zuma and Eskom

Mbeki said it would be dishonest not to mention that some of the negative developments in the country’s governance over the 30 years of democracy were a result of negative…

Knife edge: Voters sing while they wait to make their crosses at a voting station on 27 April 1994 in Lindelani, in what was then Natal. (Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Image)

Vote 2024 | 30 years of democracy

The first democratic elections in 1994 were a major logistical and political feat, with nearly 20 million citizens casting their votes together for the first time over three…

Vote 2024 | National election debate at Fort Hare

As South Africa marks 30 years of democracy, this election debate at Fort Hare is more than just a discussion; it’s a pivotal moment for reflection, decision-making, and shaping…

Katse Dam

Vote 2024 | If you thought load-shedding sucked…

As South Africa approaches the 29 May national and provincial elections, the narrative has shifted from load-shedding to a crisis that hits even closer to home: water. Plus,…

(Graphic: John McCann/M&G)

God edition: Conversations with the new divine

‘In the beginning there was the Word of God. Now the Word is AI, writes Scott Peter Smith

DA leader John Steenhuisen.
(Delwyn Verasamy/ M&G)

Vote 2024 | A DA-ANC coalition not off the table

This week we sat down with Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen. We focus on that party, where they are at, what they want and a dash of where they have come from.

Jacob Zuma addresses members of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party outside the high court in Johannesburg on April 11, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP)

Vote 2024 | Will uMkhonto weSizwe contest on 29 May?

The battle between uMkhonto weSizwe party and the ANC will be a fascinating one, whatever the outcome of the current skirmish in the court, with Zuma continuing to haunt the…

The empty Onkgopotse Tiro Hall at the University of Limpopo. Taken 11 March 2024 before the M&G Election Town Hall.
Pic by Scott Peter Smith

Vote 2024 | Town hall debate at University of Limpopo

The Mail & Guardian, in partnership with the University of Limpopo, hosted an election town hall meeting on 12 March 2024. It’s the first of what we hope will be many upcoming…

Well versed: A still from the documentary ‘Conscripted Poet’, which tells of Kris Marais, who turned his experiences in the apartheid army, and those of other men, into poetry.
Video

Trauma, silence and complicity

Matthew Robinson’s film ‘Conscripted Poet’ delves into the stories of former apartheid soldiers

Joubert Street, Johannesburg: The author says there is nowhere else on earth that he would rather be. Photo: Scott Peter Smith

Why I chose but now question living in downtown Johannesburg

My choice of residence has always been out in the bush, or skyscrapers. My work required the skyscrapers

Father in Jerusalem: My father the minister had doubts about his belief even until his death. Blind faith is not a respectable position for me. Photo: Scott Peter Smith

The non-believer’s believer

At some point, you need to admit you don’t know everything. But not knowing something does not mean that what you choose to believe is true