On its way to negotiating with the apartheid regime between 1985 and 1990, the ANC was already under pressure to seize the moral high ground of the struggle against apartheid rather than hope for a hard power type of advantage. The perceived triumph of the liberal order with the US [...]
A defining feature of freedom is that as the frontiers of society's knowledge about it are extended, new mysteries beyond the frontiers become the sharper focus. Post-1994-South Africa is entering a stage where its freedom is gradually getting unencumbered to individuals, institutions, organisations, and political parties that played a role [...]
South African history tells us that the Voortrekkers, Dutch-speaking settlers known as Boers, left the British Cape Colony in Southern Africa between 1835 and the early 1840s in search of independence and new territory. This journey called the Great Trek, involves travelling overland to the continent's interior using ox-drawn wagons. [...]
South Africa celebrates its Human Rights Day as a divided society. How we see each other puts the meaning of humans to the test. The founders of our constitutional order committed us to a society anchored on fundamental human rights. Being human comes with rights. Rights specify entitlement and confer power. [...]
TimesLive 07 March 2025South Africa has steadfastly assumed the unique role of being the new global advocate of a rules-based international governance system. By courageously confronting apartheid wherever it rears its head in the world, RSA has emerged as a beacon of hope on matters of racism, equality, decoloniality, and [...]
The decision by the US Secretary of State to declare RSA Ambassador to the US Ibrahim Rasool, a persona non grata, is unprecedented and consequential in USA-RSA relations. Given the post-Trump inauguration tensions between RSA and the Trump administration, South Africa faces one of its consequential post-1994 foreign policy challenges [...]
Steve Biko stressed the need for South Africans to liberate themselves psychologically and become self-reliant to change South Africa fundamentally. South Africans need to remember that the historical and structural roots of racial inequality and privilege run deep. Notwithstanding that they are less visible, they lie beneath the surface, and [...]
Sunday Times, 23 February 2025South Africa, once a society where the absolute majority ruled, has now transitioned into a consensus-driven democracy. The DA's rejection of the budget is a clear sign of this shift, where all voices that can muster a 51% majority for an issue have a say, marking [...]
The South African political settlement between 1994 and 1996 was a monumental event that reshaped history. It mandated the state to establish a new societal order, challenging existing norms and structures. The success of the pre-1994 state, built on a form of despotism, created a 'normality' that was incompatible with [...]
When reality sets in, history compels men and women to react thoughtfully. Leaders in crisis face a pivotal moment that will shape their legacy. Like falling off a cliff, once you begin to descend, the ensuing narrative will revolve around how you landed or were crushed upon impact. Only your [...]
