Johannesburg is a very different beast to Cape Town. Bigger, more dense, constantly growing; it’s the economic heart of South Africa. Despite its faults, the local ANC government in Joburg has received mostly clean audits and managed to do okay given the massive challenges it faces in such a complex area. There is a lot […]
Elections
Posted inNews/Politics
Making sense of #ThisFlag, Zimbabwean dissent and South African solidarity
Blessed are the poor, in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus. (Commas restored) . Jesus was as usual talking about solidarity: about how we join with others and, in spirit, feel the world, and suffering, the same as them. This is the kingdom of owning the other as self, the self as […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
The Tshwane protests, Freud and how to control a crowd
It is regrettable that so many thinking people today – even those in the discipline of psychology – regard the work of the founder of psychoanalysis (which is by no means synonymous with psychology) as being of no more than historical importance, and Sigmund Freud himself as a historical curiosity. And yet, Freud is more […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Democratic agitation needs a different protest language
The report by Municipal IQ (May 11, 2016) on the trends in service-delivery protests in the country is indeed very disturbing. A worrying component of these protests is the increasing level of violence that is associated with these protests. What is even more worrying is the fact that the violence is mostly perpetrated by the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
ANC, the real clever blacks
By Lesego Setou I’ve been observing with great interest how the ANC is lining up its election strategy, and the strategy is simple, let’s blame President Jacob Zuma. Local elections are coming and the politicians are nervous, their elevated blood pressure is partly caused by the fear of losing Gauteng due to the e-tolls, not […]
Posted inEquality, General, News/Politics
The battle for the heart and soul of the DA
Two out of three ain’t bad South Africans are continuously singing the same tune to the DA, to borrow from the artist Meatloaf “I want you, I need you, but there ain’t no way I’m ever gonna love you”. But unlike South Africans Meatloaf goes on to say, “but two out of three ain’t bad”. […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Any heroes in the ANC, please stand up?
Just when you thought it could not get any worse, it just did. Jacob Zuma clearly wants what he wants and he wants it now. And so, the prospect of JZ waking up to a R4 BILLION jet under his Christmas tree at his R250 MILLION Nkandla on the 25th has edged a little closer with the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The fulcrum of SA’s democracy develops a wobble
It is the Supreme Court of Appeal overturning Oscar Pistorius’ manslaughter conviction, in favour of one for murder, that dominates the headlines. But this week’s Constitutional Court ruling around what appears to be a trifling municipal squabble has potentially far wider-reaching consequences. The real stress test of a democracy is whether the governing party allows […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
How long can the ANC keep winning elections?
The discussion documents that have recently been released by the ANC in preparation for its national general council in October reveal renewed intention to have a serious discussion and reflection on a number of key issues, which if unresolved, can accelerate the demise of the organisation. In reality the fundamental question is about what is […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The EFF ‘hooligans’ in Parliament…
“Who are these idiots who voted for the ANC and the EFF?” I heard this question in passing while the election results were trickling in. The aftermath of the elections has been focused on a few issues but I would like to focus on these two: – Does the EFF have what it takes to […]
Posted inNews/Politics
iANC ayisafani
By Kelebone Lekunya I first knew of the liberation movement called the ANC when I was a teenager. I’ve noticed lately that it takes a very different form. Back then it was a party associated with equality for all, non-racialism and non-sexism. I was told tales of its principled and brave leaders like John L […]
Posted inNews/Politics
I am not voting against the ANC
On Monday I will cast my special vote in the 2014 national and provincial elections. This is the fourth South African election I am eligible to vote in, and this is the first time I will vote for the Democratic Alliance (DA). I was set on voting for the DA long before the Economist endorsed […]