South Africa: The curse of high expectations
It is a story as old as humanity itself. Icarus burns his wings when he flies too close to the sun. Icarus didn’t fail –
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The fall and fall of the BBC
Last week the BBC was more animated than at any time I can remember. Not just BBC News Africa, but home base too – actually Portland Place, where a sculpture by a paedophile (Eric Gill) of a man tenderly holding
Ending Violence Against Children: Expectation versus Reality
This week is National Child Protection Week. It is an opportunity to look back at the legacy of violence against children in South Africa, and also a chance to look forwards, envisaging a country where the rights of children are
Rule of law versus rule by emergency decree
A US court nixed “reciprocal” tariffs, as institutional checks and balances start to function against Trump’s imperious rule by emergency decree. When Trump returned to the Oval Office in January this year, he returned with an ambitious agenda. Many of
Mantashe launches attack on mining industry
Makone Maja and Nicholas Lorimer discuss the awful new mining legislation proposed by the minister of mining. They also chat about the PA's chances in the Northern Cape and the ANC's resistance to changing internet rules. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaSCduFnyhg
Time to rethink local government?
South African municipal government is in crisis. Many municipalities cannot even provide basic services. Rubbish remains uncollected, water (if it even gets to a tap) is dirty, electricity supply is unstable and erratic, and roads fall apart. And while this
The Constitution is a race law and the ConCourt makes race laws
One of the common criticisms “of” (a strawman of) the Index of Race Law is that most if not all of the post-1994 race laws it records are constitutional and must therefore not be recorded. This puzzling submission was repeated
Suggested memo from POTUS to PROSA
The brambles of fact-checking, the recriminations from the commentariat, the revealed misconceptions in Washington and the need for a reset of relations between South Africa and the US all suggest that constructive communication is now vital. What if Donald Trump
These critical steps are needed
Dear Editor In light of the budget tussle and debates on transformation vs growth strategies, the following comes to mind. Firstly, Starlink should reject any special treatment, even though it is cloaked under an IT sector dispensation. This is just