# Black Serpent

Site: https://blackserpent.co.za/

## Recent posts

- [South African Rugby Chases Dollars, Leaving Its Heart in the Townships](https://blackserpent.co.za/south-african-rugby-dollar-chase-local-impact/): This article discusses SA Rugby's decision to move a Springboks home Test against New Zealand to a 71,000-seat NFL stadium in Baltimore, United States. It details how this move prioritizes financial gain from the American market over the traditional support from South African township communities like Soweto and Khayelitsha, who view rugby as a national religion.
- [Britain's Post-war Loan Drama Obscures South Africa's Gold](https://blackserpent.co.za/britain-postwar-debt-south-africa-gold/): This article discusses how Britain's post-war economic recovery, often attributed to US aid, was significantly reliant on gold extracted from South Africa. It details the economic humiliation from US loans and the role of South African gold, obtained through labour coercion, in sustaining the British pound and white capital.
- [South Africa's Economy Built a Bridge That Never Opened](https://blackserpent.co.za/south-africa-lost-economic-ladder/): This article discusses South Africa's economic transformation, detailing how traditional paths to upward mobility like factory and mine jobs have disappeared. It explains the current mismatch between the advanced skills demanded by the modern economy and the inadequate education system, creating a national trap for young South Africans.
- [A White South African Chose Prison Over Apartheid's Conscription](https://blackserpent.co.za/billy-paddock-apartheid-conscription-refusal/): This article details the story of Billy Paddock, a white South African who, in 1982, refused conscription into the South African Defence Force (SADF) during apartheid. Paddock, from Durban and training for Anglican ministry, chose imprisonment over military service, directly rejecting the system's racial bargain.
- [Western Cape's R821 Million Housing Failure Leaves 680,000 Families Waiting](https://blackserpent.co.za/western-cape-housing-crisis-r821m-failure/): The article reports on the Western Cape's R821.5 million housing budget shortfall, affecting over 680,000 families. It discusses the government's explanation of illegal invasions and extortion as project blockers, contrasting it with arguments for an underlying administrative delivery problem.