Richard Calland, Associate Professor in Public Law, University of Cape Town Like the proverbial cat with nine lives, South Africa’s scandal-ridden president, Jacob Zuma, may well have escaped yet again with his political life. This despite another resounding loss in the country’s highest court. The Constitutional Court ruled that there was no constitutional bar to […]
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There are dangers behind giving South African MPs the right to a secret ballot
South Africa is moving into an era in national politics where the ANC is not nearly as dominant. This means that coalitions will be the order of the day. In this new era, one or two votes in a parliamentary motion may make all the difference. Will the country still think secret ballots were such […]
A public protector’s job is to make sure people stick to the law – not to change it
An interesting and disturbing read The Holocaust denier, the public protector and the Reserve Bank Cathleen Powell, Senior Lecturer in Public Law, University of Cape Town South Africa’s Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has directed a parliamentary portfolio committee to initiate proceedings to amend a clause in the country’s Constitution that sets out the primary […]
The threat to South Africa’s democracy runs deeper than state capture
South Africa’s current predicament is not primarily about the individuals in specific offices. Rather, at its root, it’s about a crisis in the country’s democracy. Benjamin H. Bradlow, PhD candidate, Department of Sociology, Brown University A recently released report written by a group of South African social scientists, “Betrayal of the Promise”, considers the widespread […]
Why Lesotho’s in such a mess and what can be done about it
Roger Southall, Professor of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand In an interview following his recent return as Prime Minister of Lesotho, Tom Thabane has blamed the army for the country’s chronic political instability. Stating that his previous administration (after an election in 2012) was “scuttled” by the army, he went on to say that he […]
Chamber of Mines Rejects the Unilateral Imposition of DMR’s Charter on the Industry
The 2017 Charter requires that a new prospecting right must have a minimum of 50% plus 1 Black Person shareholding, which must include voting rights. A new mining right must have 30% Black Persons’ shareholding, with the 30% shareholding to be apportioned between employees, communities and entrepreneurs in a specific manner… An 8% shareholding is […]
South Africa will need a government of national healing after Zuma leaves
National healing requires sacrifices from all citizens to ensure a better future. A government that represented all key players in society, run by leaders appointed for their technical expertise rather than their political party loyalty, would be much better placed to ask people to make these sacrifices. The question of a wealth tax is a good […]
Gupta Emails provide Proof of Wrongdoing, and this is the Action that Must be Taken
Pierre de Vos, Constitutionally Speaking The drip-drip revelations about the content of emails sent by and to various Guptas and their associates, provide further, undeniable, proof of the extent to which the Guptas have used their association with President Jacob Zuma and especially his son, Duduzane, to corrupt the state for their own private financial […]
One in four South African children go hungry!
It’s no coincidence that country’s unemployment rate is 27%. Unemployed adults cannot feed their hungry children. The child support grant reaches 12 million children. But the monthly payout of R380 per child is not sufficient to meet nutritional needs. Julian May, Director DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security, University of the Western Cape and […]
A tribute to the world’s oceans and why we can’t survive without them
South Africa will expand its marine protected areas by 24 new sites while expanding its scientific research as part of the Indian Ocean Rim Expedition. That was among the commitments delivered to the United Nations Oceans Conference underway in New York by Environment Minister Edna Molewa. Sophie von der Heyden, Associate Professor of Marine […]