Freedom celebration is an important aspect of nation building that cannot be left only to annual Union Buildings festivities, but should be deliberately weaved as a national project. The ‘dual’ history of South Africa often characterised as white and black history compounds the quest for a national meaning of freedom. [...]
In one of his seminal speeches Martin Luther King Jnr warns society that “in the end, we will remember not the words (or noises) of our enemies, but the silences of our friends”. The ascendance of Mr Julius Malema to what is arguably the most powerful position to be held [...]
The passing of Nelson Mandela represents the passing of both an era, a consciousness, and a societal epoch. As an era, he represents a generation that refused to be subjugated by another. In his era, the call has always been that humanity was created equal in the eyes of God [...]
The Marikana shooting incident is now part of the annals of post-Apartheid South African history. It represents one of the most graphic interfaces between the need for law and order, and the wish for continued disorder in society. Whilst the police should be held accountable for the hard handed manner [...]
The death of Margaret Thatcher and the shenanigans surrounding it should come as a preview of events to come in South Africa when the passing away of Nelson Mandela is announced. Paraphrasing Jonathan Freedland of the Mail and Guardian we can also say; “after a life in politics, the politics [...]
The ANC’s succession debate has again taken centre stage in the analysis of all manner of discourse in South Africa. The contest for political power is now firmly within the ANC domain. Opposing factions have once again concretised around personalities and not ‘policy positions’ and ‘promises for [...]
Article Published in The African Executive and LITNET.It is oftentimes unusual to have a name of a locality being analyzed for its political significance and meaning rather than what it means for the residents of the area. Mangaung, South Sotho for a place of cheetahs, is metaphoric in its relationship [...]
Published in the June Edition of The Thinker.African post-colonial democracies and states are functioned by a perpetual need to undo the vestiges of colonialism. The passionate zeal with which this assignment is pursued creates in the state formation paradigm of the post-liberation rulers a government deconstruction firmament that always gets [...]
In the discussion document titled ‘organisational renewal’ the ANC identifies the seven dangers that any governing party has to contend with. The contextualisation of these dangers is within a ‘rather short’ and yet potent self-critique heading of organisational shortcomings and weaknesses. Whilst these weaknesses are presented for members to concur [...]
In his 08 January 2012 President Jacob Zuma spoke of an ANC that has been born out of a call for unity in diversity. In the same speech the President dealt with the heroic anti-colonial and later anti-apartheid struggle the ANC has waged against both a distant and a resident [...]
