It is time for the Second Republic
/ 15 May 2026

It is time for the Second Republic

Our private and political lives are always punctuated by upheavals and storms. These moments signal the direction we should take.  The unfolding political and economic crisis in South Africa presents a rich opportunity to chart a revolutionary path that could alter the future. We dare not miss this opening for a moral resetting of our […]

Immigration debate is misdirected, savage 
/ 15 May 2026

Immigration debate is misdirected, savage 

It is also true that undocumented migration can create space for criminal activity. But we have to be honest: immigrants are not the main drivers of crime in this country. Data from the department of Correctional Services shows that foreign nationals make up around 11% to 14% of inmates, while South Africans make up the majority. So the idea that crime is mainly caused by immigrants is simply not true

Africa can survive global shock
/ 14 May 2026

Africa can survive global shock

The Dangote refinery in Nigeria offers a reminder that African ambition can materialise when the enabling environment and project size meet. AfCFTA’s promise is to replicate Dangote-like transformative industries across the continent across multiple sectors.

The NPA’s war on leopards and the wildlife laws
/ 12 May 2026

The NPA’s war on leopards and the wildlife laws

In three separate incidents across the Western Cape in the past year — in Piketberg, Bot River and Bredasdorp—landowners or their agents captured leopards alive in cage traps without the required permits for such traps. The three cases share a common feature beyond the permit failure: in each instance, the relevant authorities—CapeNature, the police and/or the NPA—were either notified or became aware of the incident and elected not to prosecute. No public explanation has been given for any of these decisions

New nurse graduates in critical care units need better support
/ 12 May 2026

New nurse graduates in critical care units need better support

New nurse graduates in South Africa often enter the workforce with limited exposure to CCUs during their undergraduate training. By investing in the next generation of nurses, we strengthen the workforce and safeguard the future of healthcare. As we honour nurses today, 12 May, let us also commit to creating the conditions they need to thrive tomorrow

Is Ngcukaitobi being set up against black empowerment?
/ 8 May 2026

Is Ngcukaitobi being set up against black empowerment?

The Bar will invoke the cab-rank rule, which generally requires counsel to accept a brief in a field where they practise, even when they dislike the client or cause. Yet the rule allows refusal where conflicts, competence, availability, improper instructions, fee issues or other special circumstances arise

Blocking NHI undermines transformation agenda
/ 8 May 2026

Blocking NHI undermines transformation agenda

The reality is that the State is granting subsidies to those who are financially better off. This is what the NHI seeks to do away with. NHI is a common fund that will fund our healthcare needs in both the public and private sector without regard to the economic status of the patient

SA’s moral, technical high ground upends unipolar narrative
/ 8 May 2026

SA’s moral, technical high ground upends unipolar narrative

The “white genocide” narrative works inside this wider machinery. It racialises South Africa’s internal contradictions for foreign consumption. It turns a country struggling with the unresolved consequences of colonialism and apartheid into a supposed persecutor of whites. It erases land theft, labour exploitation, racial capitalism and the real suffering of the African majority. It invites external intervention and commercial leverage through racial fear

Where does patriotism end and xenophobia begin?
/ 7 May 2026

Where does patriotism end and xenophobia begin?

There is something deeply dishonest about how few South Africans discuss immigration. They have become comfortable with moral grandstanding while communities collapse under the pressure of uncontrolled migration, criminal syndicates, collapsing infrastructure, drug networks and economic exclusion. The ordinary South African who raises these realities is quickly condemned before they are even heard

The Populist vs. the Pope
/ 7 May 2026

The Populist vs. the Pope

The war of words between Pope Leo XIV and US President Donald Trump has revived the age-old clash between the sacred and the secular. But Trump has severely misjudged the “soft power” of the world’s preeminent religious leader, and attacking a popular pontiff will likely come at a high political cost.

Throwing basket of diagnostics, drugs, vaccines and mozzie stoppers at malaria has not stopped the disease
/ 6 May 2026

Throwing basket of diagnostics, drugs, vaccines and mozzie stoppers at malaria has not stopped the disease

The disease we know as Malaria was thought to be caused by breathing “bad air” (mal aria) that emanates from swamps. This was not “fake news” but a lack of understanding and evidence at the time. As you probably know, swamps and stagnant water are excellent breeding sites for mosquitoes that transmit the Plasmodium parasites that cause the disease