When someone is defamed, particularly online, speed matters
It is critical that municipalities prioritise the routine maintenance and upgrading of stormwater systems, bridges, roads and essential services
Over a decade after the Glenister judgments, it remains an indictment of the so-called post-state capture moment that we are not further along as a country in settling the institutional architecture required to reverse endemic corruption
In his 2026 State of the Nation Address (Sona), President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “If every small and medium-sized business in South Africa could employ one additional person, we would create three million new jobs.” On its own, the maths seems to add up until you reckon with the fact that slogans do not hire people. […]
For many, Sona feels less like a turning point and more like a reminder of how far removed political speeches are from daily life
Wars unfold in full view of the world with little consequence for the powerful and overwhelming punishment for the weak. To describe this order as functional requires a suspension of reality. The system is not reforming. It is decomposing
Lesufi’s remark about resorting to hotel showers during water shortages was not an isolated lapse of judgment but a revealing window into this broader political environment
For reindustrialisation to take off, statements by politicians must be turned into practical, measurable policy steps.
South Africa can move to get more emergency orders from the International Court of Justice. The UN General Assembly’s Uniting for Peace power can overcome the US government’s veto and obstruction
Beyond the noise: A sober and rigorous assessment of criticism of the Sona
The president should address this
He fought tooth and nail so that the transatlantic slave trade should not repeat itself anywhere, where our people faced brutal conditions and many lost their lives
For many matriculants, a gap year can be a practical decision for their specific circumstances or even health and mental well-being. However, there are many who may have their hearts set on pursuing tertiary qualifications straight after school, but who face the same placement hurdles that so many other South African matrics are experiencing. Delayed […]
In the early years of South Africa’s democracy, as the country confronted one of the most devastating public health emergencies in its history, the government turned to an unconventional yet powerful solution: mobilising ordinary citizens to save lives. Community Health Workers (CHWs), also known as Lay Counsellors, were introduced under the leadership of former Health […]
The presence of the UN does not signal transformation on its own
The benefits of lower grain prices, ample fruit and vegetable supplies, and potentially sideways meat prices will continue to be the major drivers of the deceleration in food price inflation in 2026
Many of them buy for control over their own lives and protection rather than prestige. That’s worrying
For weary citizens, the president’s address has become a ritual of promises rather than a moment of reckoning. If it is to regain its dignity, it must strip away the gloss and return to its core purpose
The implosion of parties such as the ANC and Zanu PF must serve as a cautionary tale for those that fought to liberate the continent
Perhaps the most tangible area of progress since SONA 2025 has been energy stabilisation. The marked reduction in the frequency and severity of load-shedding, including extended periods without outages, reflects the cumulative impact of the Energy Action Plan and improved maintenance discipline at Eskom
For decades, South Africans have longed for a deeper expression of popular agency, not just through protests but by choosing the person who occupies the country’s highest office
The Blue Book explicitly warned that the production of food by African people in excess of their own requirements was undesirable, ‘as it diminishes their incentive to labour’
If it cannot defend electoral integrity, condemn repression or set minimum democratic standards for its members, then its legitimacy must be reassessed
In Venezuela, international sanctions, while framed as tools to defend democracy, have similarly deepened economic pain, blurring the line between moral pressure and collective punishment
Allegations of unlawful killings have never been tested in court — only procedural arguments have. If South Africa wants truth rather than narrative, the Cato Manor saga must be reopened
The Bandung Spirit remains relevant as a flexible framework for navigating hierarchy, asserting agency and preserving autonomy
A state-owned bank is a necessary intervention to break the grip of private finance over the lives of the poor
Sona thus serves as both a mirror and a map: it reflects where the government has been whilst charting its intended course
Under the theme “Driving sustainable investment in African mining,” this year’s Mining Indaba calls on stakeholders to confront a central challenge: ensuring that mineral wealth delivers lasting value for workers, communities and economies, writes Khothatso Khoapa
As the president prepares to deliver the State of the Nation Address (Sona), the country does so against the backdrop of the African National Congress’s (ANC) declaration of 2026 as the ‘Year of Decisive Action to Fix Local Government and Transform the Economy’. This convergence is not coincidental. It reflects a shared recognition within the […]
I am writing this letter because what has unsettled me most about the recent controversy involving Roedean School cancelling a fixture with King David School, Linksfield has become a window into something far bigger than sport. What troubles me is the deeper pattern it reveals about how elite institutions respond when young people express ethical […]
Africa’s mining sector will continue to evolve, and what differentiates the next phase is the speed and scale at which AI and workforce transformation are converging