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National Dialogue may ask difficult questions – but we know the answers

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South Africa, says President Cyril Ramaphosa, needs to have difficult conversations. Speaking at the opening of the National Convention, he called for a bold exchange

Ghosts haunt the banks of South Africa’s roiling Rubicon

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There is a dreadful sense of familiarity between PW Botha and Fikile Mbalula, and between the NP of 1985 and the ANC of 2025. “It’s

A Monday morning rant

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“Was ist denn das für Quatsch?” I muttered. What sort of nonsense is this? When excited, Bart Simpson switches to Spanish. I also switch languages,

Recognise the problem before a solution is possible

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Remedies come from accurate diagnoses. Before we can deal with a problem, we have to admit it exists. The nature of the problem then needs

An important DIRCO statement goes ignored 

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On 21 July, Monday last week, the Government Gazette carried a notice, No. 6444, entitled “Status of the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa”. Henceforth,

Coups, Secrets, Conspiracies, and the Unexplained 

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I started this week’s column as a reflection on the country’s investment malaise and what the impending US tariff regime would mean for it and

South Africa, for good reason, has lost the ability to trust

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Like many of us, I suspect, I watched the media conference by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi with a grim fascination. Here we

National Dialogue: consensus not realistic

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As I write this, South Africa is looking at a dialogue “process”. This is the National Dialogue, a project close to President Ramaphosa’s heart. It

Putting “public service” in the public service

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Governments may come and go, but the state over which they preside will endure. In a democracy, its staff and institutions will faithfully carry out

Do we want solutions or perpetual conflict?

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Thanks in large part to Donald Trump, violence against farmers is back in focus. And since the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have featured prominently in