Of popes and politicians
The passing of a pope – head of the world’s largest Christian denomination, and uniquely, also the head of a sovereign state – invariably attracts
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Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor, Martin van Staden dismissed my criticism of the Index of Race Law as “vibe-based”. I am not sure what this means, but was disappointed that he used this to avoid dealing with the substance of the criticism. In
The subtle re-racialisation of property rights
In South Africa’s long and painful journey from apartheid to democracy, the de-racialisation of law and statecraft has been both a moral imperative and a constitutional necessity. Ours is a society founded on the idea that race, once the central
BEE isn't as popular as you think
Today's Daily Friend Show with Nicholas Lorimer, John Endres, and Marius Roodt discuss the polling down by IPSOS which shows South Africans are sceptical of BEE. They also discuss the climb down on VAT and the ANC’s internal factional battles.
Hermann Pretorius reveals the first part of the IRR survey on astonishing changes in political support
We present the podcasts of the weekly IRR Show on Chai FM. The show is broadcast live every Tuesday from 09h00 to 10h00 on Chai FM 101.9 and deals with the politics of the day and related issues. We also
Adapt or Die: The ANC at a Crossroads
How has the Catholic Church, the oldest continuously existing institution in the world, survived for so long? Two thousand years have passed since its founding, and it remains a central force in the lives of over a billion people. Its
Wounded GNU: Should the DA leave?
Yesterday was a red-letter day in the history of the Government of National Unity. Of unity, there was no sign. As dawn broke yesterday, Thursday 24 April 2025, it looked like the GNU’s days were numbered. First, a late-night announcement
The worst supervillain
Before James Bond converted to Islam, before he got knocked up in a Palestinian refugee camp, and before he was given a prize for social media moderation from some anti-racism centre linked to the British government, he was quite the
SA’s Goldilocks moment?
While stating the global economy is at a “critical juncture,” in its latest World Economic Outlook the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed its global GDP outlook for this year from the 3.3% projected in January to 2.8%. For South