OP-ED: Reclaiming political agency in a time of ‘choiceless democracy’ By Raymond Suttner RaymondSuttner
It is very likely that the national elections to be held on 8 May will be free and fair and also, that the ANC will be returned with a majority of votes nationally, with varying results in the different provinces.
There is much that remains of the Zuma era under Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency. This has been a point of contestation from the outset with Zuma making it clear that he would not disappear and would be part of numerous ANC gatherings that ex-presidents normally do not attend, in order to give space to their successor.
By all accounts Gordhan is an efficient and dedicated minister, winning support for Ramaphosa’s claim to have instituted a clean-up. But when the EFF launched a blistering and racist attack on him outside the State Capture commission, it took a week before the ANC rose to his defence and then only from very few of its leaders.
Democratic and emancipatory leadership also means developing and advancing a vision and leaders should be seen to embody a set of values that embrace what people hold as important. Many of these values should come from interacting with the people themselves. The success of documents like the Freedom Charter derives partly from its origins in a painstaking process of collecting demands from the masses, embodying what concerned them and how they wanted these grievances remedied.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
OP-ED: Nero fiddles, while the prospect of load shedding in South Africa continuesElectricity customers and the public in South Africa experienced Stage 2 (2,000 MW) manual rotating load shedding in late 2018 and Stage 4 (4000 MW) in February and March 2019. However, while Nero fiddles the prospect of further load shedding is set to continue in the months ahead.
Read more »
Business Maverick Op-Ed: Chicken debate: See Brazil as ‘a partner, not an enemy’The chicken debate is becoming intense and the SA Poultry Association has lobbied the International Trade Commission of South Africa to increase import tariffs on chicken from Brazil.
Read more »
OP-ED: A delicate balance: Understanding underground water reservesAquifers are not infinite in capacity and, just like any resource, need to be appropriately managed.
Read more »
OP-ED: An academic boycott of Israel circumvents the dialogue that people in the region needAcademic boycotts are an onslaught on academic freedom and make it impossible for universities to exist outside of politics. The UCT that I celebrate would never pride itself with severing relations with the very institutions from which a possible solution should emanate.
Read more »
OP-ED: Now comes the cholera: Mozambique’s waters of deathTwo weeks after Cyclone Idai ripped through Beira, Mozambique, it continues to kill. Now comes cholera. They are some of the unluckiest, saddest, and grisliest stories of death you’ll ever have to hear: the father killed by a flying plate; the husband decapitated by corrugated iron roofing; the daughter killed by a tree hurtling across the water.
Read more »
OP-ED: Pakistan wants ‘peace and prosperity’, not war with IndiaThe escalation of war talk and acts of aggression over the disputed territory of Kashmir is a grave threat to peace in the Asian sub-continent. Both India and Pakistan are armed with nuclear weapons and now is the time for jaw-jaw, not war-war, before the crisis spirals out of control.
Read more »
OP-ED: Writing the 2019 Election: It’s becoming terribly confusing among the small partiesThere are some curious parallels and shared policies among the small parties. The ACDP meets the ZACP on free markets. The Freedom Front Plus and Al Jama-ah share concerns over ‘minorities’, but part way with Muslims bowing in one direction, and Afrikaners fighting back in another direction. It makes you wonder why they all can’t get along.
Read more »
OP-ED: Resisting University Capture: Adam Habib, Wits and FallismUniversities in South Africa are not in danger of being looted — their assets will not attract the Guptas. But they are in danger of being ‘captured’ by constituencies who do not appreciate their national value or importance and who are content to use any means available to achieve their goals.
Read more »
GROUNDUP OP-ED: Death penalty debate is a cheap political trickGROUNDUP OP-ED: Death penalty debate is a cheap political trick By Clare Ballard
Read more »
OP-ED: The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Hype, interesting intellectual parlour game or malign distraction?In President Ramaphosa’s 2019 State of the Nation Address, he announced his embrace of the notion of the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”. He also announced that a special commission of “experts” was going to be set up to take us through what we have to do to be on the money in this regard. So there have already been a number of initiatives lined up by enterprising folk – tablets replacing teachers, remote electronic healthcare and even talk of e-government. But is this a helpful way of understanding our world today and is it the best way of identifying our priorities?
Read more »