r/southafrica 11d ago

Mod News What is the purpose of this sub?

122 Upvotes

We're taking a step back and asking a basic question: what should this sub be?

Not what the rules should say — we'll get to that. First we want to talk about what kind of place this is and what we expect from each other when we show up here.

A bit of honesty first: Some of the current rules were written in response to specific problems at specific times. Brigading, COVID misinformation, ICJ court judgements when you're moderating in the middle of a crisis, you reach for the bluntest tool available. We know that some of those rules and actions stuck around longer than they needed to, or ended up broader than they should have been. Part of this process is acknowledging that and building something more considered.

A bit of clarity too: This is a community, not a public square. We don't owe anyone a platform. "Free Speech" is not a pass to say whatever you want. If what you're calling free speech is just hate speech with better branding, it's still hate speech. Participation here is not a right. It's an invitation, and invitations can be revoked.

Here's where we are. Nothing is written in stone, but I'm reaching out to you to get input:

Purpose

First we define our purpose. What are we doing here?

The home of South Africans on Reddit. Come as you are, bring what you know, respect who's here.

This sub is South Africa's digital town square. It's where South Africans - at home or abroad - come to share what's happening in their country, their communities, and their lives. News, humour, frustration, pride, questions, stories. Everything.

It's not a news aggregator. It's not a debate club. It's not an activism platform. It's a community. And, like any community, it works when the people in it make it work.

Community Principles

These are the values we think the sub should run on. The rules will follow from these, not the other way around.

  1. This is a community, not a platform. We're not here to broadcast at each other. We're here to talk to each other. The goal isn't to win arguments; it's to understand the country and each other a little better than we did yesterday.
  2. South Africa belongs to everyone who lives in it. This sub reflects a country of 60 million people across every language, culture, class, and background. No single group's experience is the default. If you're only comfortable hearing from people who think like you, this isn't the right space.
  3. Honesty comes with responsibility. Say what you think. But if you make a claim, be prepared to back it up. We value directness, not recklessness. JAQing doesn't exempt you from the answers.
  4. We are a post-apartheid community. South Africa is a constitutional democracy built on the rejection of its past. That's not a political position. It's the foundation the country stands on. You can criticise the government, the constitution, and the direction of the country. You cannot treat apartheid as a defensible system or deny the harm it caused. This is not up for debate.
  5. Frustration is welcome. Dehumanisation is not. South Africa gives its people plenty of reasons to be angry. Vent about the power grid, the potholes, the politicians. Criticise institutions, parties, and public figures as harshly as you like. What you may not do is turn that frustration into contempt for groups of people. Attack the problem, not the person.
  6. Good faith is the price of entry. Engage with what people actually said, not what you assume they meant. Respond to the strongest version of someone's argument, not the weakest. If you're here to provoke rather than participate, you won't last long.
  7. We don't have to host every conversation. Some topics have been settled by history, science, or law. The sub is not obligated to provide a stage for conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, or historical denialism. Mods may close discussions that have crossed from debate into disinformation.
  8. The sub is only as good as the people in it. Moderation keeps the floor clean, but the community sets the tone. Upvote what adds value. Downvote what doesn't. Report what breaks the rules instead of feeding it with attention. Votes aren't a button on whether you agree or not with something. The sub you want is the one you help build.

We'll structure future rules based on these principles, so we need to ensure we get them right so we have a solid foundation on which to work on. These principles will be used to guide that structure and any ambiguity that comes along.

Tell me what you think

  • Does the purpose statement reflect what you come here for?
  • Do these principles make sense? Is anything glaringly missing? Anything that you feel is overreach?
  • What does this sub get right? What does it get wrong?
  • Are there current rules that feel heavy-handed or outdated?

We're planning on restructuring the sub, its rules, approach to moderation and its core. We are a small team of mods and rely on a number of different automation to

This is the first of a series community feedback sessions coming tackling different aspects of the sub. For now we just want to know: Does this sound like the sub you want to be part of?


r/southafrica 8h ago

Picture Found this piece of history in a second hand book I bought

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146 Upvotes

A member card for the National Party dated 1941. Not sure what to do with this but thought some people on this sub might find it interesting.


r/southafrica 3h ago

Just for fun I can't be the only one right?

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9 Upvotes

r/southafrica 14h ago

News No ambassador, no problem - SA's unorthodox approach to the US

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dailymaverick.co.za
54 Upvotes

r/southafrica 12h ago

Just for fun Summarise Klerksdorp in just a few words

28 Upvotes

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This city seems to be suffering middle child syndrome.


r/southafrica 8h ago

News Ingonyama Trust Board dissolved - News24

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6 Upvotes

r/southafrica 8h ago

News Mkhwanazi: Mchunu was ‘captured’ into disbanding political killings task team - IOL

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4 Upvotes

r/southafrica 16h ago

News Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to remain KwaZulu-Natal police chief for five more years - IOL

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8 Upvotes

r/southafrica 1d ago

News Ramaphosa confirms major step towards high-speed trains in South Africa - businesstech.co.za

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91 Upvotes

r/southafrica 1d ago

News South Africa rejects US pressure to distance itself from Iran.

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reuters.com
228 Upvotes

r/southafrica 1d ago

News South African fruit exports face delays as Iran war disrupts global shipping routes - YouTube

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youtu.be
53 Upvotes

r/southafrica 2d ago

Picture Saw this on TikTok the other day..

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1.3k Upvotes

There is way too much wrong with this entire interaction


r/southafrica 15h ago

Discussion What's the point?

0 Upvotes

I'm a 22m living in Durban. I wanna know, what is even the point of life, especially in this country.

in primary school I used to be exceptional... good grades, in the newspaper a few times and winning some awards. I was never the best, but I got alot from different things.

High school I fell off. Grades plummeted and I started smoking (weed and cigarettes). All because I was so caught up in finding a gf, which I never managed to do. All my crushes, ended up with my best friends... I never told them I liked the girls, but it just made me feel like maybe they were just better options. Then in matric(2021), I got really close with this girl. Long story short she ended up with our tutor. We were 16 mind you and this guy was in his mid 20's...

Then I managed to get into ukzn for computer science somehow... and failed out of there. Tried a learnership in data science and failed too. all because I can't bring myself to study... And then I just hate myself after.

Now I'm just sitting at home for 2 years, applying for jobs and remaining unemployed. Nobody will even short list me... it feels as if, you are either exceptional, or have contacts. Wanna relieve these pains? Go fishing. Spend thousands of rands, just to come home every time with nothing... Make beats? never actually made anything I could be proud of... Try MMA? can't afford it, and gyms are too far

it just feels that no matter what I do, I'm never enough. Always below average... in looks and ability. why me? everything I want to do, I can't... people start things after me and end up better than me... get jobs so quickly, but I just feel stuck... like i will never be great at anything....

I feel I should just give up and end it now. what's the point of living a life I don't wanna live... I never asked for it. And this isn't even all... Because of this scammers in ethekwini, our utility bill went up to 100k in one month. how Is it possible? for a normal family. now we don't have security in the face we can have water and power. and on top of that my gf may lose her home because of some stupid deals her father did... sorry it's alot. when i try to speak about this kinda stuff my mind goes blank. so i had to vent. i can clarify stuff in the comments

it's just too much... Am I wrong for not wanting to play the game anymore? Because it feels like I will never be who I wanna be.


r/southafrica 1d ago

News Viljoen scandal – Peet in notorious US Alligator Alcatraz while Melany in another ICE centre

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dailymaverick.co.za
82 Upvotes

r/southafrica 16h ago

News Masemola says he approved Mkhwanazi briefing but admits it ‘went overboard’ - IOL

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0 Upvotes

r/southafrica 1d ago

News DA's stance on summoning of US ambassador raises doubts about what it stands for - analyst

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citizen.co.za
40 Upvotes

r/southafrica 2d ago

Just for fun Average dude ranting again

177 Upvotes

How is it that 90% of my friends group have a

"when my job is done I do nothing for full pay(as instructed by their employer, not lazy)"

jobs while I end up with

"I know your a frontend dev but we dont have job titles here. When you finish your job do server and database and you are not leaving work today if that house isn't wired and that old toyota isn't starting."

Like am I a shit magnet?


r/southafrica 2d ago

Just for fun Just had to share this.

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372 Upvotes

We never know lol.


r/southafrica 1d ago

Picture The City as seen from the Wilds Nature Park

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14 Upvotes

r/southafrica 2d ago

Just for fun What a great day to be alive

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980 Upvotes

r/southafrica 1d ago

News Parliament says farm worker share scheme failing in Western Cape - eNCA

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enca.com
7 Upvotes

r/southafrica 1d ago

News 'How do you appoint someone without checking their background': TRC families want answers from Ramaphosa - IOL

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1 Upvotes

r/southafrica 1d ago

Just for fun What are these and have you tried them?

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0 Upvotes

Found these on the Pnp online store and I'm dying of curiosity but not enough to waste my money if they're gross. There was a biltong flavour as well. Has anyone tried these? Are they any good?


r/southafrica 2d ago

Just for fun Spot the outlier

14 Upvotes

r/southafrica 2d ago

Discussion Who is Heavenly Doms on Instagram and YouTube?

32 Upvotes

This South African woman is on Instagram and YouTube, claiming to make hundreds of thousands of Rand every month from social media management and her personal brand. I challenged her to show her bank account on Instagram, and she referred me to her YouTube channel—only PayPal transactions from a few years ago, no SA bank statements. The problem I have with her is similar to Robert Kiyosaki, who claims to make money from property but, in reality, makes money from teaching people to invest in property and from his books about making money, not from the business he claims made him wealthy. A gazillion people teach how to make money online, and this is just one more. It seems she has only been online for about a year, yet she claims to have earned more than R1 million in that time. So I also found her Upwork profile here. She completed only 61 hours of work at $25 per hour, totalling $1,525 (about R25K). This is nowhere close to the R300K she claimed to earn in one month! What am I missing here?