News/Politics

Where to begin on the mess that is unfolding in Libya? In the words of my friend from the East End of London, “Will the West never learn?” The shortsightedness — no, the self-righteous blindness — the arrogance, and the goldfish-like forgetfulness of lessons from the recent past are staggering. It all boils down to […]

What did South Africa expect after voting in support of the UN resolution to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya? That the UN would issue a press statement that would cause Gaddafi immediately to cease all fire and halt all fighter jets? I fail to understand why, having sanctioned a vote in favour at the […]

By Anton I Botha Talking about affirmative action has become rather hazardous in contemporary South Africa. One runs the risk of being labelled either a racist or, as the ANCYL would have it, a “counter-revolutionary”. What you are about to read is no doubt going to ruffle some feathers among both black and white audiences. […]

I do not imagine that a courageous and outspoken African man of the calibre of government spokesperson Jimmy Manyi would ever be left alone in this country. He will always be put under scrutiny and hounded until his handlers or managers drop him like a hot potato, that is, if they are not guided by […]

Rather than regurgitate what his Excellency said at Athlone Stadium on occasion of the celebration of Human Rights Day on March 21, I would rather focus on what he did not say. What attracts me is the eloquence with which he did not say what he did not say. I stand in awe at the […]

Dear Letters You might not be aware of this but you are making one helluva comeback here in the Republic of South Africa. In this age of emails, SMSs and tweets our country is knuckling down getting back to basics sorting things out with good old fashioned letters. Fake, red, legal, formal – we do […]

The realisation of a non-racial society as enshrined in the Constitution depends on blacks, that is, Africans, Indians and coloureds, first, facing certain truths about themselves. The struggle for freedom and democracy has always been premised on principled unity among these groups, including white progressives, to give a “human face” to the African first, if […]

Mr G was jug-eared and wore towelling socks with Barker moccasins. His moustache was more Yosemite Sam than Magnum PI. On good days, he wore a canary-yellow tracksuit in keeping with his role as the phys-ed instructor. But normally it was the stovepipe pants and white shirt combo. Oh, and the bad tie. But these […]

Not a week passes without some ANC luminary, of manifestly pure heart and clear conscience, promising in soulful soliloquy to the news cameras that the government will not tolerate malfeasance an instant longer. This week it was the turn of the Minister in the Presidency, Collins Chabane, who railed against the “scourge of corruption”, in […]

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Tuesday embarked on a regional tour to seek support from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in finding a lasting solution to the multi-faceted but mainly political crisis in his country. He is reported to have met with leaders in South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique. Last week, Tsvangirai threatened, […]

The uprising that began in Egypt on January 25 and concluded more than 18 days later with the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak — a dictator who clung tenaciously to power for 30 years — has been rightfully celebrated as an historic turning point in international politics. But the meaning of the “revolution” remains far […]