The four US demands
President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC must be furious that the Trump Administration is conducting much of its foreign policy toward South Africa through Afrikaner
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Iran: is genuine, positive change a plausible prospect?
There is much debate in the analytical sphere as to whether the audacious attacks on Iran's nuclear production and weapons sites were sufficient to set back Iran's nuclear programme. The United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency announced on 12 June
Cops & Robbers?
Nicholas Lorimer and Hermann Pretorius discuss accusations by a senior cop that the minister of police is covering up political killings. They also talk about a Bidvest bursary that excludes poor white kids, and a problem with the President's plane.
National Dialogue: consensus not realistic
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 is meant to be a big, bold conversation about who and what we are as
How the ANC obstructs progress
The ANC’s national dialogue initiative is a propaganda exercise which other political parties and civil society leaders should counter with workable solutions. Let’s explore why this is unlikely. Our ruling party has long been very effective at shaping our national
The tragic failure of independent Africa
“Look what’s happening in the north! Look what happens when the blacks take over!” In South Africa, in the 1960s, this is what I heard over and over again from white people, when I tried to argue for giving black
The BEE 100: publish their names
World attention is increasingly focused on South Africa. In the vast, rich country of extremes and diversity, human dramas are played off every day. It is the country of gold, diamonds, apartheid and Soweto. Despite this, a crucial element of
With the wind at his back … Steenhuisen and the “moonshot pact”
The following is the second extract from my book, Rule Breakers: How the 2024 election campaign changed South Africa forever, published by Protea. The first extract, Turning up the volume: Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma and democratic SA’s most consequential election, was
A non-racial future: The Baby Boks, Joburg and economic growth
I was recently pondering the Junior Springboks’ 73-17 thrashing of Australia and the fact that the starting line-up had seven black players, four coloured players and four white players. As a keen watcher of rugby at school level and having