The edited version was published in the Sunday Times on 1 December 2024 under the headline. "Capable municipalities are the ultimate coal face of governance."South Africa is a multi-jurisdiction democratic state. While many would want to believe that it operates within a context of separation of powers, it is, in [...]
The ANC's member integrity management policy is adrift. The credibility of its leadership is putting the organisation into disrepute. The effectiveness of its step-aside rule is undermined by how those in leadership react to revelations of malfeasance. It is not the guilty or otherwise verdict that matters, but the extent [...]
This has been published in TimesLive 27 November 2024Establishing the Government of National Unity (GNU) has been lauded as the best way to govern South Africa. It is the culmination of a decades-old sought-after political alternative to apartheid by the liberal centre: the protection of minority rights without undermining majority [...]
Since the 2017 ANC National Elective Conference, the beyond ANC consent about President Ramaphosa's leadership of the country has been the bedrock of its renewal program. But today, the ANC's relationship with its quest to continue controlling state power after the 2029 elections depends on its ambitious yet fragile and [...]
The passing on of Ronnie Mhlabane-Ntuli triggered memories that posterity must know about. As the imagination of a lifeless Ronnie could not be reconciled with the continuous sounds of his giggles, the urge to call Reuben Baloyi, who broke the news and ask him if he was not joking, grew [...]
This is a rendition prepared for the launch of Dr. Sibongile Vilakazi's book "Putting Her in Her Place". It could not be read in full at the occasion. Seldom do we find a book written based on personal experience. In this maze of reading, characterised by envy, jealousy, power, appreciation, mentorship, [...]
Dear Principal, David Makhura An intense process to renew Africa's oldest political movement and arguably the nexus of political life in South Africa, the ANC, is underway. Its membership and leadership is expected to be determined in altering its habits which have morphed into values its supporters might have internalised. While its [...]
Uit die Breyten Breytenbach-heidUit sy gedigte het Afrikaans grys geword Uit sy sin het Afrikanerdom 'n nuwe reis gevat Uit die opbruis het groente vleis gewordUit sy gesprekke het Suid-Afrikanerheid in biblioteke gebrouHy was 'n growwe sout wat die biltong wat Suid-Afrika is, sagter gemaak hetHy kon sonder toesteming die regte kant [...]
The edited version was published in the Sunday Times on 17th November 2024The South African coalition government experiment at the national level is facing challenges that might induce its disintegration. The limited time the legislative framework allows for a government to be formed needs to be extended to give more [...]
The edited version was published in TimesLive on 12 November 2024When the concept of “re o rata kaofela,” understood as unquestioning loyalty or infatuation with a leader or party, becomes the dominant force in politics, the traditional political playbook is disregarded. A core lesson of democracy in several world [...]
