Why I struggled to enjoy the Boks win and the Proteas' good form

[View in browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( M&G Mornings | Thu 19 Oct   The Boks won their Rugby World Cup quarterfinal on Sunday against France in a cracker of a match. The edge-of-your-seat game saw the Boks narrowly defeat France 29-28 leading to widespread ecstasy and jubilee among South Africans, including me. But I struggled to enjoy the victory in full, the feelings of happiness quickly dissipated. The sadness I felt at watching a genocide taking place while the world stands by hit home. Let’s define genocide. In 1944, Polish Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin explained it like this: “A coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves.” What we’re seeing unfolding in Gaza is exactly this. Around 2 800 people have already lost their lives. Around 1 000 Palestinian children in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7, that’s a child every 15 minutes for context. A hospital has also been attacked by Israel leading to numerous lives lost. After the attack the Israeli digital spokesperson claimed that they targeted a terrorist at the hospital before the Tweet was deleted and blame was put on Hamas. Now Israel say they will “investigate” the incident. Israel’s aerial bombardment shows no signs of relenting. Stopping all food, water and electricity to Gaza’s people. Ordering them to leave and then bombing them as they leave amounts to genocidal actions in my book. Please scroll down to see Donovan Williams’ [piece]( called Tries and terror: Life’s joy and despair. It much more eloquently describes the feelings I have about the Rugby World Cup and the situation in Gaza. Our [environmental newsletter]( the Green Guardian is out! You’ll find our climate and environment news as well as a fun weekly quiz. Ozayr Patel | Climate & Environment Editor [@Ozayr8]( [Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor. Gallo]( [ANC reacts to Hamas backlash: ‘Hands off Naledi Pandor’]( Secretary general Fikile Mbalula says the heavily criticised international relations minister was doing her job as a diplomat to advance peace during call with Hamas leader [// Read more]( [Broke and stressed, South Africans spiral into debt trap]( A new bank study reveals many citizens are under massive mental stress due to financial difficulty as they spend more than they earn [// Read more]( Premium [Suspended Ingonyama Trust Board staff battle to clear their names]( Despite being reinstated, staff members have not been compensated for their ordeal [// Read more]( ADVERTISEMENT Recommended Reads [Inflation rises sharply in September]( Data released on Wednesday showed that the annual rate accelerated to 5.4%, from a previous reading of 4.8% [// Read more]( [Wind energy playing crucial role in Africa’s energy supply]( A new report by the Global Wind Energy Council’s Africa Wind Power initiative examines the status of wind energy in Africa [// Read more]( [Tries and terror: Life’s joy and despair]( How can we reconcile our World Cup excitement with the human tragedies taking place in Palestine? [// Read more]( [The countries whose citizens were killed, kidnapped or are missing after Hamas attack]( Russia, China, Tanzania, Mexico, Portugal and Cambodia are among the scores of countries whose citizens are dead, kidnapped or missing [// Read more]( [How will South Africans vote in 2024?]( The data indicates that political parties will be punished if they fail to shift away from superficial politics [// Read more]( [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Mail & Guardian Media LTD · 25 Owl St · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001 · South Africa