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 [...]
This was published in the TimesLive on 05 November 2024.As South Africans celebrate or reflect on the 100 days and counting of the GNU, it is essential to pause and ask, what does the GNU mean for South African politics? Like any system, especially within the context of politics, the GNU [...]
This was published on 03 November 2024 in an edited version under the headline "The supply-side dynamics of national human development issues."The unfolding 'tension' surrounding the BELA Act in South Africa is a complex and multifaceted issue. This tension, primarily between the determined and resourceful Ethnonationalist Afrikaner Leadership Complex and [...]
“Higher Education is not the birthplace of poets or immortal authors, founders of schools, leaders of countries or conquerors of nations. Its purpose is not limited to training professional men, though this falls within its scope. A university education should instead give humanity a clear conscious view of his own opinions [...]
The renewal of the ANC is more about resolving tensions within the organisation than institutional renewal. A getting to do the right things right approach assumes a membership that knows the right things. Since the Polokwane putsch, the ANC's internal order began to be defined in factional terms. From that [...]
Since the dawn of a constitutional state and a consequent democratic order, South Africa has worked and believed in the sustainability of the Mandela national unity spirit for the past thirty years. The emerging government of national unity, the choice of the opening of Parliament on Nelson Mandela Day, and [...]
We become the people our world ultimately shapes. We become the education we have or have gone through. We become the experiences we have had. We are the background that shaped us. Most importantly, we are the window from whence we originate. Those who do not know where we come from [...]
Society seldom reflects on any other recession but the economic recession. Described as a significant, widespread, and prolonged downturn in (economic) activity, it is deep, pervasive, and lasting. A recession lasts for sustained periods, and recovery never translates into former peaks as new growth trajectories will always begin at the [...]
The ANC’s loss of absolute power to govern has necessitated its transition into a coalition government mode. This loss carries significant implications, representing a substantial territorial gain for the opposition complex on all fronts. Despite the 40% performance of the ANC at the polls being derived from a low voter turnout [...]
As the government of national unity (GNU) evolves, South Africa must adapt or suffer the consequences of its choice. The adaptation process, however, is usually plodding, if it happens at all. President Cyril Ramaphosa's call to steer the country into a service delivery-focused direction has thus far enjoyed the support [...]
