South Africa has been experiencing a series of tensions that may be eating on its social fabric. This is due to the continued use of demeaning vocabulary aimed at a section of its people that were called ‘kaffirs’. Whilst the use of ‘kaffir’ is an abhorrence to humanity, it would [...]

A BEQUEATHED FREEDOM CHARTER AS THE SOUL OF THE NATION   The cohesion of a nation is always found in what is defined as its soul. Successful nations and democracies were and still are able to weather most storms as a result of their reliance on what defines them, rather [...]

THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS AND NATION BUILDING The African National Congress, arguably one of the key nexus of a nation-building assignment for South Africa, has over its history been at considerable pains to define a national vision acceptable to all. The general moral high ground it occupies or rather occupied, [...]

The political institutions, policies and mechanisms for reshaping a better nation can be conceptualised. The more challenging issue is embedding the right attitudes about the socio-political structure of those charged with the task. All socio-political, cultural and economic revolutions and evolutions require a set of congruent attitudes if they are [...]

Over the last decade, the debate on Black Economic Empowerment has been receiving heightened attention in respect of its impact, value, and contribution to the transformation and/or otherwise of the South African economy. Most analyses of BEE examine the interests and behaviour of the ‘power holders’, ‘the empowering agents’, and [...]

Smangaliso Mkhatshwa  (Fr.) The elections in Zim have come and gone. I want to suggest why ZanuPF won and defeated the MDC coalition. The November military coup was effected with panache. Its leaders are steeped in the ZanuPF ideology and highly educated. They are not your usual rifle-toting power mongers. [...]

“We cannot feel that we understand a thing until we can give an account of the causes and its modus operandi” Aristotle. The purpose of higher education in society is amongst others to give ‘a person a clear conscious view of his opinions and judgements, a truth in developing them, [...]

The announcement by the South African National Cabinet that it will be invoking Section 100 (1) (b) of the Constitution of South Africa to address the ‘apparent crisis’ in the North West Province, particularly in the health sector, has brought the use of the section onto the sharp edge of [...]

Heritage is an embodiment of a past we wish to take into our future without losing the benefits of a changing present. It defines not only a sense of belonging, it makes the past a form of the present and an abstraction of what a future will look like with [...]

The leadership succession process in the ANC, arguably South Africa’ and Africa’s most influential political coalition by any standards, is in full swing. The nomination process by branches of the ANC, the often overrated ‘basic units’ of decision making in the ANC, is underway. Branches of the ANC are nominating [...]