Michael Trapido

When the United States and the European Union indicated that they would assist Zimbabwe if the power sharing deal gave de facto control to Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC, it offered the parties the prospect of substantial progress in bringing material relief and a start to rebuilding the country. It also afforded the Zanu-PF an […]

In case you aren’t aware of the Duckworth-Lewis method, it is in fact a mathematical formula used in cricket to calculate what the team batting second has to score in order to win, as a result of the match overs being reduced by bad weather. This calculation it seems has now been extended by Allan […]

Unless I’m very much mistaken, every morning the senior leadership members of the ANC are requested to remove their shoes in order to inspect their feet and thereby avoid putting a bullet in the same foot as they did the day before. And every day almost like clockwork the sounds of gunshots ring out from […]

Deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Johannesburg Professor Adam Habib, in his analysis of the Bloemfontein conference held by Cope for the SABC, suggested that the ANC could be its own worst enemy in the upcoming elections if it continued to speak with a forked-tongue. In this regard he was referring to the party’s failure […]

UN chief Ban Ki-Moon has said his organisation can do little to help Zimbabwe because of its leaders’ refusal to allow it to mediate. UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband described Mr Ban’s closed-door briefing on the situation in Zimbabwe as “devastating”. The meeting ended without agreement on a motion to censure Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, […]

On Wednesday this week a UN panel of experts delivered a damning report to the security council outlining the involvement of the Rwandan and Democratic Republic of Congo governments in supporting the Hutu and Tutsi militias in the ongoing conflict in the eastern DRC. The report confirms that Rwanda has been sending officers and units […]

South Africa’s foreign affairs team must come clean and admit that the reason why we have refused to send Mugabe into oblivion is because they’re hoping to turn his stand-up routine into a commercial venture. Given Wednesday’s performance during a nationally televised speech Mugabe will have them rolling in the aisles down on Broadway and […]

“The wind of change is blowing through this continent and, whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact. We must all accept it as a fact and our national policies must take account of it. (Harold Macmillan – February3 1960) When I met with Mbhazima Shilowa he advised […]

“ANC President, Jacob Zuma, says high levels of corruption in government remains a worrying factor. Zuma says corruption is tainting the image of his party, adding that they have to root out corruption within their ranks in order to preserve the dignity of the ruling party.” (SABC) While the message from Windhoek during the ANC […]

While parliament still has to verify the factors justifying National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli’s dismissal and thereafter approve the same, there can be little doubt that that is simply a formality which will be overcome shortly. The true impact of president Motlanthe’s decision to ignore the recommendations of the Ginwala Commission may however endure […]