My life is complete because I know you, My completeness is living by your side My livelihood is rounded around your sanctuary My incompleteness is a result of your absence Our paths were ordered by the most high Our meeting remain underpinned by righteousness Our spirits belong to the High [...]
In his article on ‘sniffing out racial intolerance in campuses; Mail and Guardian, 13 August 2010’ Professor Jansen make observations that do not only require a response but need further elucidation. In the article mention is made of ‘an accusatory tone of public discourse that works to further separate ordinary [...]
The FIFA 2010 World Cup hosting by South Africa will go into history as an event that redefined the essence of being South African. The pre-June 11 preparations were to most of us seen within the prism of infrastructure and team readiness rather than national readiness. The built-up games that [...]
The subject of political correctness is probably politically incorrect in itself. South Africa has a racial past that is toxic to all manner of discourse on any aspect of our co-existence as humans. The reasons for this toxicity can be traced to our developmental path as a nation that continues [...]
The intergovernmental relations challenge of the Zuma administration is snowballing into a cooperation quagmire that requires political maturity similar to the pre-1994 democratic breakthrough elections. The political grandstanding of party leaders and spokespersons can only polarise the environment with grass and elephant consequences for the electorate. The need to understand [...]
This was written on invitation from LitNet. The edited version was published by The Sunday Independent on April 11, 2010. The ‘death’, ‘murder’ and/or ‘killing’ of Eugene Tereblanche will continue to court controversy, scorn and political grand standing for a foreseeable future. The central role this incident will be playing [...]
South African history is continuously being rewritten, expanded, and reinterpreted. This process is complicated by the diverse historical contributions of the country’s people, particularly in defining who the victors are in the broader anti-colonial struggle. Fortunately, this contestation has largely avoided becoming a major political mobilisation point, even though it [...]
It is my pleasure to be invited to this conference. I have been asking myself what qualifies me to be the keynote speaker. In my quest to find the correct answer, because I know there are many another incorrect answers, I stumbled on the fact that I like controversy. Controversy [...]
This was written on the 20 July 2009 The recent pronouncements on Co-operative government have resuscitated the almost buried debate on the nature of our governance system as it relates to the powers and functions of sub-national governments and the concomitant intergovernmental relations system. Whilst the current igniters seem to [...]
This edited version of this article was published by the CITY PRESS: 10 May 2009The 2009 national elections results have not only redefined the South African political landscape but also laid the basis for the fracturing of existing paradigms of intergovernmental relations. The intergovernmental relations honeymoon that was ‘oiled’ by [...]
