Corruption chickens coming home to roost?
In this episode of The Daily Friend Show, Michael Morris and Hermann Pretorius dive into the multi-faceted and evergreen issue of corruption. A new proposed
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“Mr President, we are not willing to do your dirty work”
An open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of Employment and Labour Nomakhosazana Meth Dear Mr President and Minister Meth By this time, you should be well aware of the urgent legal challenge launched by the National Employers’ Association
Ramaphosa blinks to save budget
In today's episode, Marius Roodt and Hermann Pretorius take a look at the sacking of the ANC's Minister of Higher Education and Training; Kenny Kunene of the PA, being in the wrong place at the wrong time; and a time
The crazy bullet train to nowhere
Gauteng and Limpopo provinces are planning a high-speed rail connection. The jackpot question is: why, oh why? Feasibility studies and environmental impact assessments are underway for a new high-speed rail link between Pretoria and Musina, via Hammanskraal, Bela-Bela, Mokopane, Polokwane,
SA must confront some hard truths
In this episode of the Daily Friend Show, John Endres and Hermann Pretorius break down how South Africa is facing a moment of truth in terms of politics, policies, and national priorities. They also ask if the DA is trapped
Coups, Secrets, Conspiracies, and the Unexplained
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 for South Africa’s future. There is little enough cheer there, but I changed tack when
Making sense of military options in a complex and chaotic world
Few aircraft define the Second World War as much as the Lancaster bomber. With just two airworthy today, it is a relic of a bygone age, a petrol-fuelled analogue weapon of war, its interior a claustrophobic hellhole. Reeking of a
How does SA’s culture block growth?
South Africa’s mix of insularity, ubiquitous patronage, and much magical thinking blocks economic growth by undermining merit and global integration. A serious national dialogue initiative would unpack how cultural factors influence a country’s prospects. This is not a task that
There is no “media narrative”, mostly
The media is often accused, en bloc, of following a particular narrative. What that narrative might be, and who writes it, varies depending on who you ask. On both sides of the political aisle – if you’ll excuse my resorting