Sentletse Diakanyo

The origins of democracy can be traced back to ancient Greece and it was a Greek philosopher, Aristotle (384BC — 322BC), who said that “the basis of a democratic state is liberty” After many years of persistent tyranny that engulfed Greece in the period leading towards to the 6th century, the people of Athens reclaimed […]

The ANC’s never in short supply of shady characters in senior positions, whether in government or its party structures. One would be forgiven for thinking that the criteria for a senior leadership position at the moment is having a tainted integrity, character and morality — a criminal record or criminal charges would be preferred. Not […]

Common consensus appears to exist that men (and women) in all circumstances are naturally disposed to duplicity, dishonesty, hypocrisy and corruption; that those with greater prominence almost always reflect the vices and virtues of society in which they exist. Their pursuit and preservation of power in all spheres of life is characterised by the shameful […]

On February 2 1990 ,the last president of the repressive nationalist regime FW de Klerk stood before parliament and made this important and long overdue announcement: “I wish to put it plainly that the government has taken a firm decision to release Mr Mandela unconditionally.” The announcement of the release of Mandela marked a crucial […]

The Lothario from Inkandla is reported to have struck again! This time he has “allegedly” — in his friend’s backyard — seduced a relatively young lady from Soweto and left her toothless father fuming at such blatant betrayal. I choose to use the word “allegedly” very reluctantly because nothing that has been reported seems out […]

Climate change has been a topical issue over the last few years. It has enjoyed overwhelming prominence not because it is an uncommon occurrence but because of its potential adverse consequences. Though humanity acknowledges the reality of climate change, there are those who have attempted to solely attribute this phenomenon to what we do here […]

The Scramble for Africa which began in the 1880s has been largely blamed for disrupting and eroding the cultural practices and traditions of Africans. Africans have maintained that colonialism and imperialism served to entrench Western values while undermining their way of life. The rise of African nationalism since the end of colonisation imbued those who […]

There exists a disturbing phenomenon in our country where no one person appears to be eager to assume responsibility for their individual deeds. The culture of blame shifting and victimhood is so deeply entrenched in the fibre of society that none of us appear willing to account for our individual actions, nor do we muster […]

The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2009/2010 was released a few days ago and it reveals that South Africa has maintained its 45th spot among 133 countries assessed. It may be reason to feel rather chuffed with ourselves that despite the global economic turmoil, we have managed to retain our position among economies […]