News/Politics

Submitted by Marius Redelinghuys Not only has thinking the unthinkable become more apparent, but touching those formerly considered untouchable seems ever more likely, as an examination of the virtues, vices and future of the “Shikota” movement illustrates. Shikota appears to pose a significant challenge to the electoral dominance of the ANC, especially as support for […]

I am not one prone to the indiscriminate use of profanity. In fact, those who know me well will tell you that I rarely descend to this sort of level. But Julius’ ability to spew out the most outlandish statements has reduced my I.Q to levels I didn’t think possible. This is my excuse for […]

People who complain about the suppression of individual freedom in the ANC often fail to notice that dissenters who want to do as they please are, equally, a threat to the organisation’s unity and African people’s political self-determination and power. You can see this clearly with the resentment, anger and threat of violence aroused by […]

With apologies to JK Rowling for borrowing part of the Harry Potter title I believe that the ANCYL president Julius Malema would be wasted doing law through Unisa when a degree in philosophy surely beckons. Philosophy is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as follows : “• noun (pl. philosophies) 1 the study of the fundamental […]

… barring some unforeseen event or the Republicans doing what they know what to do best every four years – stealing an election. It’s easy to use the typical and lazy argument that black people support Obama simply because he is black. Naturally, blacks will be proud of him, just like women would have been […]

I hugely welcome the decision to start giving security guards in Jo’burg the same status as police officers. If I was still living in South Africa I would be enormously relieved. The police force is hopelessly inadequate. This is not to say that many of the men in blue are not fine officers; they simply […]

As the global economy stands on the edge of a financial precipice, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) armed with a paltry $200 billion rescue package attempts to intervene and prevent emerging economies from collapsing under the stressful weight of the financial turmoil. Some emerging economies are already experiencing liquidity problems and look toward the IMF […]

It has long been my view that Barrack Obama will triumph in the upcoming US presidential elections barring an act bordering on World War III. Analysts across the board generally ad idem that if the material issue governing this election is the economy then it’s the Senator from Illinois while a major incident along 9/11 […]

All this publicity for Sarah Palin has got me thinking about one of the most endemic myths of contemporary (largely Western) political culture: the idea that if women were in charge, the world would be a kinder, gentler place. This is a load of bollocks. Look at Margaret Thatcher. The Iron Lady, famous for crushing […]

With The Honourable Nhlanhla Musa Nene’s struggles with gravity occupying much of the public consciousness late last week, (does that moment NOT justify this year’s licence fee all of its own?), you most likely missed the following story in the news on the same day: A man was killed by an angry mob in uMlazi’s […]

It is deeply worrying when a person of Cyril Ramaphosa’s respectable standing appears to harbour personal grudges and allow them to impede his good judgement. Ramaphosa is held in the highest regard by a large majority of South Africans; to the extent that many were imploring him to avail himself for the presidency of the […]

In light of the matric report card of ANCYL president Julius Malema, it is easy to understand where the problems South Africans are experiencing with his leadership may have arisen. Let’s examine just a few of the areas that might be causing the problems: Report Card English C (HG) Afrikaans E (HG) Math H (SG) […]