Identity and the bane of essentialism
Book review: The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity Kwame Anthony Appiah (2019) One of the issues that South African liberals have a stellar record of
Land reform: there is a better way
There is little point in handing out land and ending up with assets that are dying in the hands of the poor. Well, detractors might
Reporters and the security police – then and now
The most recent issue of the Mail & Guardian contains two follow-up articles about the recent Zondo Commission evidence relating to reporters being on the
SA’s antipathy to Big Pharma’s patent rights
Some of the pharmaceutical companies producing Covid-19 vaccinations would be forgiven for being unenthusiastic about South Africa’s whining about vaccine availability. The whole sorry vaccine
Mboweni plays the race card to South Africa’s detriment
On Wednesday a number of strange missives were dispatched by the minister of finance, Tito Mboweni, from (presumably) the wilderness of Magoebaskloof where he has
Speak up while the opportunity exists
South Africa has been given a reprieve. A short one, to be sure, but a reprieve, nonetheless. Last week Parliament announced that the deadline for
Alcohol ban leads to poverty and misery
After springing a surprise alcohol ban on South Africans during what was supposed to be a festive season, minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said another liquor sales
This Week in History recalls memorable and decisive events and personalities of the past. 5th February 1862 – Moldavia and Wallachia formally unite to create the
Don’t be misled about the Expropriation Bill
The government and other commentators – in describing the Expropriation Bill of 2020 as ‘a good piece of legislation’ which ‘carefully circumscribes’ the powers of
The economic consequences of EWC
The passage through Parliament of the Expropriation Bill, which is likely later this year, will be a watershed moment in South Africa’s post-1994 politics, with