Michael Trapido

Like many of you lot I read about the African National Congress Youth League’s decision to close down its controversial investment wing Lembede with interest. There is, after all, nothing more fascinating than the latest goings on down at ANCYL headquarters. In essence, ANCYL President Julius Malema told reporters that they had had it with […]

Pursuant to a fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe the Democratic Alliance gave a media briefing at Parliament confirming that they were of the view that there is no doubt about it but that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is preparing for war. In the briefing they set out the facts upon which they rely for coming to […]

The central finding made by His Lordship Judge Ntsikelelo Poswa in his ruling which set aside the 2005 report on the “Oilgate scandal” was that the Public Protector (PP), Advocate Lawrence Mushwana, had failed/refused to investigate certain allegations and drew conclusions without launching a proper probe upon which to base them. In essence that the […]

Whether the “vehicle” with which to challenge the ANC’s supremacy emerges sooner rather than later from the secret meetings held between the parties set out in the heading above is not the crucial issue but rather the fact that they recognise the need for it. Independently they can win many battles but the war will […]

Yesterday we saw confirmation that Judge John Hlophe’s preliminary inquiry could be covered by the media as well as the appointment of Bheki Cele as the chief of police. Both issues forming the subject matter of much heated debate and no-little gnashing of teeth. This suggests that we revisit the age-old question of whether certain […]

The funniest thing I have read in a long time is the article about the “diesel conjurer” who was convicted of fraud for fooling Bob Mugabe’s government into thinking she could tap diesel from a rock. What makes it so funny is the fact that a con of such simplicity could not be picked up […]

Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale has blamed councillors elected during former president Thabo Mbeki’s time as the reason for the latest wave of protests sweeping the country. He then goes on to suggest that it has to be the former government’s fault because this one has only been in power for three months. Minister, this […]

How has it come to this? Our African National Congress Youth League President Julius Malema reduced to an also-ran in the 2009 World Under-70s Political Sledging Finals. It’s enough to make any self-respecting revolutionary weep. Having slagged his party off, former president Mbeki, party elders, cabinet ministers, Helen Zille, the Democratic Alliance, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the […]

Most of my regular readers will know that I have stood squarely behind former National Prosecuting Authority boss Vusi Pikoli in his bid to regain his position at the head of the NPA. I have done so because Pikoli is a man of unquestionable integrity who showed that he had the courage to withstand the […]

Whenever I raise the issues surrounding Judge John Hlophe’s latest endeavours I am set upon by Paul Ngobeni, the man who cannot see wrong in His Lordship and is hell-bent on ensuring that he is made Chief Justice of South Africa. Unfortunately in his quest to explain why this country badly needs a judge steeped […]

Over the past few weeks we have seen waves of strikes, one after the other, putting pressure on the newly formed administration of President Jacob Zuma. This was followed up by two significant events over the weekend both of which involve the ANC’s alliance partner Cosatu and neither of which covered them in glory either. […]

With Morgan Stanley cutting the allocation to South African stocks while upping Brazil, we have just one measure of the impact of what the words and conduct of the ANC’s alliance partners and the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) have on the South African economy. Indeed President Jacob Zuma has not been hammered a […]