News/Politics

Sometimes, progress can look like a mess — particularly for those who prefer not to see it. An excellent example is the current state of African politics. As it often does, the continent is offering Afro-pessimists — a long, fancy word for people who don’t believe black people in Africa can run anything — no […]

While Charles Taylor was pondering his future in court in The Hague, I was sitting in the back seat of a 4×4, speeding along one of Monrovia’s main boulevards while dodging the Liberian capital’s potholes, squashed between three of my gracious hosts from the National Drug Enforcement Authority, with Boney M booming. As we passed […]

It comes as no surprise to me that JZ is charming the pants off the media down in Davos — he is, after all, the most charismatic leader this country has ever produced (and that includes Madiba): http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id =6&art_id=vn20080125025211403C858475 http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/ BusinessTimes/Article.aspx?id=692199 At Polokwane, we watched him strutting his stuff and it really was exciting fare […]

Jackie Mason (who links his blog to ours through yours truly) once asked: What is the difference between a Jewish stuntman and an ordinary one? A normal stuntman, like Evel Knievel, is the guy who jumps his motorcycle over 20 buses while a Jewish stuntman is the guy who takes in $20-million and shows a […]

“We never thought it could happen here” is the most common phrase you hear in Kenya today. In three decades of covering conflict in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Korea, Chile, Argentina, Namibia, Angola and Mozambique, the two weeks I have just spent in Kenya saw the worst violence I’ve ever experienced among many of the nicest […]

A lot of South African politicians and public officials can take a lesson from Peter Hain’s resignation today.

Considering that this is my first post, I would rather be writing about something else, but I feel compelled to tackle the subject at hand — even though it goes against everything I am; my natural sense of optimism. As I understand it, optimists are not oblivious to the realities of earthly existence and its […]

This week’s Talkback question on the Mail & Guardian Online: Why is the ANC moving the Scorpions into the South African Police Service?

While much has been made of Jacob Zuma’s stature — and in particular his championing of the poor and oppressed — I, as a result of my ignorance of factors on the ground, would like to make a few observations and ask some questions. First of all, there is no doubting the ANC president’s charm […]