Rumblings of a rebellion against Jacob Zuma by a KwaZulu-Natal faction – the president’s strongest base – have unsettled the ANC.
For the black youngsters of the 1990s, it was Madiba’s role as the head of MK that gave him the respect he needed to bring peaceful reconciliation.
Even if Cyril Ramaphosa emerges unscathed from Marikana he still has to win over Jacob Zuma’s supporters in the ANC, writes Rapule Tabane.
The president has mastered the art of quietly surprising those who snipe at his lack of education.
Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane has criticised the ANC in Gauteng for revealing that Thabo Mbeki will be part of the party’s election campaign.
Zuma has demonstrated an incredible skill at defeating his opponents: five years ago at Polokwane and now, at Mangaung.
The post-Mangaung era could see the government lose two key leaders: Kgalema Motlanthe and Trevor Manuel.
The ANC president worked the crowd with his singing and entered the conference like a popular boxer on the first day of the electoral conference.
On speculation that he would be nominated as president or deputy, Motlanthe has said such talk was ‘coffee-house bubbles not worthy of response’.
The Democratic Alliance will have to change perceptions if it wants to increase its share of the vote in 2014, writes Rapule Tabane.
A dismissive tit for tat among intellectuals and the president will not help South Africa’s discourse, writes Rapule Tabane.
Sabotage, falling-outs and electricity outages ensured that it was an interesting week of local politics.
They had to haul some members out of shebeens at an ANC meeting in Khutsong, but at least they got to nominate their candidates.
Hawks spokesperson McIntosh Polela has apologised for making light of rape in prison on Twitter.
Obsequiousness aside, the first book about Motlanthe is a good starting point, writes Rapule Tabane.
The myriad problems confronting South Africa come at a highly inconvenient time for the African National Congress, writes Rapule Tabane.
South Africa cannot become a banana republic – dubious sorts of all types must face prosecution, writes Rapule Tabane.
Julius Malema’s allies have warned that anarchy will be unleashed if the former ANC Youth League president is detained.
The Congress for South African Trade Unions’s leadership is too busy playing lapdog while the revolution is being stoked from Sandton.
For as long as South Africans believe they can get away with murder, they will continue to kill. What do we say now that black people are in charge?
NUM must ask itself how it has lost control of the mineworkers and ceding its majority to an even more disorganised unit, writes Rapule Tabane.
Firing Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga or the provincial department’s minister will not result in meaningful change, writes Rapule Tabane.
People connect with government at a provincial level, which is why good service is so important, writes Rapule Tabane.
The ANC policy conference last weekend could be characterised as the conference of the great unknown, policywise, writes Rapule Tabane.
The SACP says it was Gwede Mantashe’s decision to quit, adding he was putting its interests ahead of himself, writes Rapule Tabane.
President Jacob Zuma’s skirting of important questions and issues comes across as a lack of vision, writes Rapule Tabane.
Sibusiso Ndebele was moved from transport to correctional services after wandering into the president’s firing line during the e-tolling meltdown.
South Africa’s second-most powerful man fanned the fires of anger instead of seeking a solution, writes Rapule Tabane
The South African Communist Party has enjoyed some notable victories in the South African political landscape lately, writes Rapule Tabane.
It is easy to define the raison d’tre of the US or Israel, but South Africa’s mission seems murkier, writes Rapule Tabane
It is tragic that we should be stuck in this pre- and post-Polokwane or pre- and post-Mangaung milieu that dictates every aspect of our lives.
Do you remember the 21st night of September 2008? <b>Rapule Tabane</b> speaks to Frank Chikane about his book on the last days of Mbeki’s presidency.