Creator
Philip Machanick
Philip Machanick is an emeritus associate professor of computer science at Rhodes University.
Watershedding not cool
It is a really bad idea for a number of reasons. It can damage infrastructure, result in inequitable access to water and contamination of the water supply
Makana is not ripe for anarchy
Instead of replacing state capacity with grassroots action, we need to strengthen state institutions to serve the poor
Selective outrage: Can Zionists be challenged for being anti-Semitic?
The New York Times seems to believe Islamophobia cancels out anti-Semitism as it downplays Trump’s remarks and publishes a racist piece
Could Ramaphosa make a refugee deal with Trump fly?
Our president, a skilled negotiator, can offer to broker a compromise between Israel and Palestine and take awkward asylum seekers off the US president’s hands
The Great Reset could be hiding in plain sight
The death of the Cold War and the waning influence of the US and Russian might shift geopolitics in a way that Africa could benefit from
Patriarchal view of only two genders is more complex than XX and XY
Gender identity and sexual orientation are not a choice – they happen during pregnancy
Pardon me?: The ground rules behind the power given to presidents
In South Africa, such actions must be be rational and consistent with the Bill of Rights, and are reviewable, but there are fewer constraints in the US
The Trump-Musk regime: State capture on steroids
We have started out on a rocky road as the US president and his henchmen make Jacob Zuma look like an amateur
Lying with the facts: Labour leaves the left
Rhetoric like Keir Starmer’s inflammatory comment on migration makes it more difficult to advance real solutions, which are complex and need careful explanation
The ramifications of the Republic of Trumpistan
The new Trump administration is bad news for American civil and human rights and brings uncertainty for the rest of the world
The Trump presidential campaign a billionaires’ ballot
In the fight are Patrick Soon-Shiong and Jeff Bizos, who put pressure on the editors of the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post, X’s Elon Musk and Silicon Valley’s Peter Thiel
What we can learn from the factors that broke UK politics
Creating a proportional representation list out of constituency votes would give greater representation and help tackle corruption
Why ‘Confidence and Supply’ is the best option for South Africa’s ANC in a divided political landscape
How the numbers could play out with various parties when the ANC is 42 parliamentary seats short
The case for a professional public service
Professionalising the public service needs to start with making top positions permanent, breaking the link between political parties and public servants and swift justice for…
It’s the telephone directory election
This year’s national and provicial poll introduces changes – but no sure fixes for a broken system