If the gaffes coming from the highest office in the land are anything to go by, there are forces right in the Union Buildings, Luthuli House and even in Cabinet working against and embarrassing the man from Nkandla. It seems the “Alliance of the Walking Wounded”, which rallied around President Jacob Zuma in the run-up […]
Jacob Zuma
Posted inNews/Politics
President Zuma’s report card
It seems as if the Democratic Alliance was a little bit hasty in grading President Jacob Zuma and the Cabinet with the former being given an “F” for failure while the latter, with a few notable exceptions, not doing much better. Of course simply furnishing us with an overall symbol without going into any detail […]
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Do myths about African sexuality hurt the fight against Aids?
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Q: How many sizes do penises come in? A: Five — “small”, “medium”, “large”, “extra-large”, and “does that come in white?” African men have been the subject of European myth-making since the very earliest days of contact between the two continents. One of the hardiest and most enduring […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The ANC’s meaningless victory over the media
A belligerent government claims victory. A defiant coalition of media and civil society organisations vows that it will seek legal recourse. The decision to ram through parliament the so-called ‘secrecy Bill’ on what has been dubbed Black Tuesday – the vote was brought forward by a day in a futile attempt to avoid embarrassing comparisons […]
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Going bonkers over bunkers
So, this is where we find ourselves in 2011. We have, north of the continent, the now deceased Muammar Gaddafi — notwithstanding his bunkers from which he ultimately had to run away from, not because they did not provide him with enough comfort, but because they could not withstand the people’s will. We now, unbelievably […]
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Malema could learn from Mbeki and Zuma ordeals
It’s time Julius Malema had some afternoon tea with SA President Jacob Zuma. This followed by a single malt evening with former president Thabo Mbeki. If ever there was a time for Malema to think outside the box, this is it. Though he has the option of appealing, there are dire implications, whichever way one […]
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Secrecy Bill good in theory, police state in practice
The Protection of State Information Bill will be tabled in the National Assembly on Wednesday where it may be referred to a parliamentary ad hoc committee or passed and sent to the National Council of Provinces for deliberations. This does not mean that it cannot be amended or modified before being sent to President Jacob […]
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Berlusconi falls: Is Zuma next?
The downfall of Silvio Berlusconi leaves Jacob Zuma the sole custodian of an exclusive club of self-made, charismatic populists with persistent legal issues. Not to mention leaving no-one to send him pyjamas! “There’s not really much difference between Zuma and Berlusconi,” emailed my friend Christiaan. “Both are dogged by allegations of corruption and sexual exploits. […]
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Zuma eyeing Manguang?
In the last few days and weeks President Jacob Zuma has released advocate Michael Donen’s report on the Oilgate inquiry, sacked Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde and Cooperative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka, suspended National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele, pending the outcome of a Section 9 Inquiry, and appointed a commission of inquiry in terms of […]
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Was Loyiso Gola the Zuma assassin?
Over the weekend South African President Jacob Zuma confirmed that, while he was still the deputy president, there had been a plot to have him assassinated, which was only thwarted because his loyal bodyguards refused to become involved. Along the lines of Valkyrie without the knobkerrie. Yet by mid-morning Monday only News24 and iAfrica have […]
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Is SA the next Zimbabwe?
The simple answer is, no. I’ve attempted to answer this question once before, in 2009. My argument at the time was that South Africa had a strong Constitution, which ensured the country stayed on democratic course. Unlike Zimbabwe, post-apartheid South Africa has endeavoured to consolidate democracy by empowering independent institutions such as the judiciary. Soon […]
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Malema misguided on judicial transformation
African National Congress Youth League president Julius Malema selected the decisions in his case before the equality court in Johannesburg and those of Robert McBride and Bees Roux to draw the conclusion that the South African judiciary has failed to transform since the end of apartheid. This, like many of his other utterances, is not […]