The labour movement helped end apartheid and usher in Mandela’s coalition government. Its currently diminished position is cause for anxiety as the ANC forges new political alliances
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Some blame labour protections and unions for South Africa’s economic malaise. But this claim lacks evidence and stands to leave us in an even worse position
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History teaches us the dangers of one group of people claiming moral authority over the rights of another and Israel should take note
An edited extract from South African writer Steven Friedman’s new book ‘Good Jew, Bad Jew’
With re-election as ANC leader seemingly assured, there are questions about the impact of the exchange control probe by the central bank
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Both the podcast host and the leader of the Democratic Alliance believe in a toothless non-racialism that ignores the historical foundation of racism and the pain it inflicts in the present
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The Constitutional Court has told the former president everyone is equal before the law and he must appear before the Zondo commission
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The number of adults who didn’t vote in the 2019 elections reflects citizens’ disenchantment with their representatives. Perhaps Covid-19 presents government with the chance to change this
The coronavirus pandemic places moral, economic, and political questions before us. Only two answers remain: socialism or barbarism
Too few South Africans are able to participate in systems that allow their voices to be heard
Journalist Sibonelo Radebe’s death has robbed the industry of the kind of thinker it sorely needs
Biological traits and social constructions play a part in our nuanced relations with each other
Given the befuddlement of voters (and politicians) on August 3, perhaps it’s time a course in politics is made compulsory.
Political analyst Steven Friedman says Riah Phiyega should quit and political parties welcome the findings and recommendations of the Marikana report.
His dissident views made him a renegade communist, but a new biography confirms Harold Wolpe as an influential radical voice.
The top commentators in South Africa talk about their influence or lack thereof.
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/ 14 December 2011
Analysts have disagreed whether this weekend’s Limpopo ANC election will be influenced by a power struggle between factions of the ruling party.
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/ 22 November 2011
Civic organisations say the passing of the secrecy Bill came as no surprise but they would continue to fight it at the National Council of Provinces.
Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo’s decision to step down has been met both by praise and skepticism, even as speculation about his successor mounts.
Judge Goldstone’s partial recantation of a UN-sponsored report on Israel’s invasion of Gaza has divided the local Jewry amid claims he was "bullied".
A number of organisations have made their voices heard over comments by President Jacob Zuma equating a vote for the ANC to a pass to heaven.
The Constitution was not a "miracle law" and should not be used to solve problems that we cannot solve ourselves, Professor Steven Friedman said.
Political accountability and effective governance will be South Africa’s real challenges, political analyst Steven Friedman told farmers on Wednesday.
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/ 4 February 2009
Will he or won’t he announce a poll date? That is the question observers are asking ahead of the president’s State of the Nation speech on Friday.
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/ 15 October 2008
The rumoured breakaway party by former African National Congress chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota is unlikely to give the ANC sleepless nights.
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/ 18 September 2008
Political analysts are divided over the fate of President Thabo Mbeki ahead of a watershed ANC meeting this weekend.
The University of Johannesburg is spending R25-million on scholarships for master’s and PhD students, some of whom will be guaranteed employment
The <i>Mail & Guardian Online</i>’s <i>Thought Leader</i> </a>, where some of South Africa’s finest minds stir up debate every day, on Wednesday evening scooped South African web log of the year at the 2008 SA Blog Awards, beating formidable competition.
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/ 21 February 2008
Floor-crossing will finally be scrapped, a media report said on Thursday. Following on a decision by the African National Congress’s Polokwane conference, Parliament’s committee on private members’ legislative proposals on Wednesday agreed to a draft Bill that will lead to the scrapping of the practice.
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/ 12 January 2008
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New African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma will make his first keynote speech on Saturday, since taking over the party leadership from President Thabo Mbeki. His speech will form part of celebrations for the 96th anniversary of the party. The anniversary rally will take place at the Super Stadium in Atteridgeville, Pretoria.
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/ 14 December 2007
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Investors will closely eye the African National Congress’s election conference next week, fearing a victorious Jacob Zuma would chart a leftist course. Maarten-Jan Bakkum, an economist at ABN Amro Asset Management, said the thought of Zuma governing Africa’s economic powerhouse left many investors uneasy.
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/ 13 December 2007
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President Thabo Mbeki risks being cast aside by his party next week in favour of an arch rival who may yet be charged with corruption. Mbeki still has two years left as head of state but analysts say a defeat at the hands of Jacob Zuma in the African National (ANC) Congress leadership contest could leave him a lame duck.