It’s raining in Johannesburg. In Africa, we believe rain is a blessing, that it cleanses, brings new life. This week African National Congress delegates at Polokwane make the most important political decision the movement has taken since 1956 when it voted to allow white members, and pan-Africanists under Robert Sobukwe broke away. In the same […]
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Posted inNews/Politics
No, dear, that’s not mob rule — it’s called democracy
We say we want democracy — but we don’t seem to like it much when we see it. How else to interpret the breast-beating from commentators and some delegates here at Polokwane after the opening day of the ANC conference? Most of us no doubt know by now that day one of Polokwane was a […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A day of terror
Sunday will go down as the day on which President Thabo Mbeki lost the leadership of the ANC, but it’s party chairperson Terror Lekota who goes home with the biggest headache. What a day! It’s never been this good (for journalists) and so bad (for the ANC). The day ended as it began: with a […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A blogger in Polokwane … an experiment gone wrong
I believe in affirmative action. This noble policy has ensured that this blogger has had plenty of experience with being thrown into the deep end and expected to sink swim. It’s old news by now that it seems that I have made history by being the first blogger to gain accreditation for the Mecca of […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Right or left? The arm struggle and Polokwane’s choice
Ever heard yourself say: “Could Zimbabweans not have read the writing on the wall?” What are South Africans waiting for, a plane to write it on the sky? Simply put, the choice at Polokwane is: Would it be better to remove my left arm or my right arm? Pundits have proclaimed Jacob Zuma is better; […]
Posted inGeneral
The trial of John Tengo Jabavu for (mis)representing African opinion
Some friends asked me to attend a day-long talk shop by some of the country’s to opinion-leaders at some white university now the other day. I did not have to think hard before I answered with a resounding: “I am not particularly interested!” They were quiet for a minute before they answered: “This is so […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A redistributive presidency: Some incomplete thoughts on political leadership
The After 8 Debate raised an important question for me: What are the qualities of leadership? The debate provided important perspectives, especially that leadership is both complex and contextual. What qualities should the president of South Africa have to implement a programme of redistribution? As I argued in an earlier article, that programme is needed […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Our tragic reality on the eve of Polokwane
The most unfortunate reality at this moment is that our collective fate and future is in the hands of just over 4 000 ANC delegates to next week’s Polokwane conference when the party is facing its worst internal crisis yet. Therefore, the key question we should all be asking is just how this conference can reach […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The person may change, but the policy lingers on
If you want to know why ANC policy won’t change dramatically whoever wins in Polokwane, take a look at the front page of one of our daily business newspapers on Tuesday morning, which features a photo of Jacob Zuma, Tokyo Sexwale and Zwelinzima Vavi at a meeting at Wits University. All three are laughing and […]
Posted inBusiness
Neo-what?
I was quite surprised that so many commentators on my previous piece “A shift of emphasis?” focused, to a large extent, not on my argument concerning the likely reasons for the ostensible shift away from support for Mbeki towards favouring Zuma, but on the meaning of the concept “neoliberal economics”, for the use of which […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A return to realism
I’ve been in the US on holiday for the past few weeks, and although I’ve kept a distant eye on things from overseas, I am interested to note the distinct rise in political tension since my departure, drawn from the regional voting for the succession nominations. Funnily enough, it mirrors some aspects of what is […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Live blog of the president’s interview with the SABC
For all those political junkies out there, I tried something new (for me, at least) on Wednesday night and blogged about President Thabo Mbeki’s interview with the SABC. After 10 minutes, the political editor of the SABC has only asked boring, sweetheart questions. The SABC would find it difficult to defend itself against claims that […]