The annual State of the Nation Address (SoNA) is a significant event in the government calendar. The President delivers it to a joint sitting of Parliament where he outlines the key achievements…
Government Opinion Pieces
Media reports on e-tolling and opposition to it make for interesting reading on how the media shape our thinking and leave us vulnerable to the duplicity and disinformation of various interest…
Most 100 year anniversaries are moments of happiness - an occasion to mark with joyous celebration. In June, South Africa will be marking a very different anniversary. This year marks 100 years…
South Africa is preparing to host the Fifth BRICS Summit and the first meeting of BRICS Leaders on African soil in Durban on 27 March 2013. This historic event, convened under the theme “BRICS and…
We encounter policemen and women in blue almost every day but we seldom give their presence a second thought. They are like an extended shadow that keeps watch over us wherever we may go. Without…
As the stadium clock slowly ticks towards 90 minutes, every face in the crowd and millions watching on television anxiously await the fourth official raising his timekeeping board to indicate how…
South Africa’s foreign policy contends that our national interests are better safeguarded by not just focusing on our own national interests, but broadly on the interests of our region and our…
This year South Africa enters the home straight as we prepare to celebrate 20 years of freedom and democracy in 2014. As a young nation we have come a long way in a relatively short space of time…
Most South Africans see the New Year as a fresh start. It is a symbolic time to clean out the old and replace it with new aspirations and dreams. Some make quick mental resolutions, whilst others…
You are awoken from a deep slumber by the sound of persistent knocking on your door. As you gingerly rise, you are immediately hit by a piercing headache emanating from the centre of your forehead…
The display of a triumphalist attitude towards citizens in litigation matters is not in the character of the South African government. Even in court battles we win against some of our citizens, we…
The year has come to an end, matrics have completed their final examinations and preparations for next year are already under way.
Provinces are preparing to deliver millions of textbooks and…
Don’t send Santa Claus half around the world this year for your festive season gifts. Keep it local and consider buying South African products in support of the local economy.
This time…
Thirty years ago AIDS emerged as a mysterious deadly disease with no known cure. It was a dark time for the world as humanity was faced with a threat for which there were few answers.
Fast forward…
Labour disputes around the country over the past few weeks have put a spotlight on labour rights in South Africa. These strikes have been characterised by incidents of violence and intimidation.
…
Glancing up at the clock the luminous green dial reveals that it is 11pm, you go through the usual routine, checking the doors and windows before going to bed.
Without warning the silence is broken…
Next year it will be one hundred years since the 1913 Land Act was passed, dispossessing Africans of 77% of the land.
As we approach this centenary, it is useful to reflect on the damage inflicted…
The Economist article Cry, the Beloved Country, stated in its blurb: “South Africa is sliding downhill”. This view was countered in a widely published letter recently by former FirstRand CEO Paul…
Spare a thought for the SABC. That's what crossed my mind recently in Parliament as I sat through the Auditor General's (AG) presentation on the SABC to the Communications Portfolio Committee.…
It’s not all doom and gloom for South Africa’s economy as some of the financial pundits and international rating agencies will have us believe.
Despite South Africa facing a slowdown in growth to a…
