A furious Twitter row between a TV personality and South African politician about slavery sheds light on the failings of arguments in 280 characters.
- Professor of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand
Unexpressed racism may be even more dangerous if it’s left lurking below the surface.
South Africa’s new president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has done well so far but more challenges relating to reigniting the economy lie ahead.
The speech was delivered with panache and confidence. It had style, declaring to the nation and the world that he, Cyril Ramaphosa, was in charge.
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma’s resistance to vacate the top job may be a blessing in disguise as it will stress test the country’s political systems.
President Jacob Zuma’s camp is pushing to have him replaced by an interim leader as an excuse to prolong his disastrous rule for their own benefit.
South Africa’s ruling ANC has a new leader - Cyril Ramaphosa. But this doesn’t mean that the country is out of the woods. Political instability remains a real possibility.
Changing the South African system to allow for direct election would require the country to look carefully at how a directly elected president should be held accountable to parliament.
The unfolding misfortunes of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe hold key lessons for his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma who faces the possibility of a forced exit.
Years of political instability and economic mismanagement under the rule of ZANU-PF have left Zimbabwe’s financial system in chaos. The country is living on borrowed time and borrowed money.
South Africa’s finance minister was honest about the problems facing the country. But he made no real suggestions that the government will start doing things differently.
Britain’s Labour under Corbyn is smelling power, and the making of a new social revolution. In contrast, in South Africa’s governing ANC is in disarray, with no moral compass or credible leadership.
The motion of no confidence against South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma showcased tension at the heart of South Africa’s democracy. Should MPs have the right to vote according to their conscience?
Even if President Zuma wins the no confidence vote, the consequences for the ruling ANC are dire. A loss would see it further divided and weakened ahead of the 2019 elections.
Politics in Lesotho can look incredibly complicated, with a mish-mash of competing political parties and repeated military interventions. It’s a mess, but it’s not that hard to unravel.
The internal processes of South Africa’s ruling ANC for electing the president is distorted by money, patronage, factionalism and vote-rigging. It negates the democratic legitimacy the party claims.
The debate about white monopoly capital in post-apartheid South Africa is good for the country’s politics but it tends to come with bad sociology.
The militant talk and antics by the ANC’s ex-soldiers may seem like theatrics, but they are a chilling reminder of how Zimbabwe used armed militia to crash opponents and democracy.
Are those ANC members critical of Zuma willing to stand up and be counted? Will Pravin Gordhan, popular hero of the hour, provide one further great service to the nation?
For Western Cape Premier Helen Zille to invite black South Africans, in a casual manner, to differentiate the legacies of colonialism is asking a lot.
The ANC should draw the lesson that South Africans are unlikely to tolerate the ongoing descent of their politics into the gutter without strident resistance - in the streets, if necessary.
The problem for Jacob Zuma’s political theology is that far too many members of South Africa’s ruling ANC have been experiencing a dramatic loss of faith in a party they see as no longer righteous.
Former South Africa’s President, Thab Mbeki, has made a remarkable intervention that condemns parliament’s failure to act against President Jacob Zuma. But he is eight years too late.
The idea of giving South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma amnesty in exchange for early exit is tempting but it will set a bad precedent.
The morality challenges faced by South Africa’s governing party are largely a function of fundamental factors established in 1994.
Contact Roger for
- General
- Media request
- Speaking request
- Consulting / Advising
- Research collaboration
- Research supervision
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Website
- Article Feed
- ORCID
-
- Joined
