June 14, 2022
South Africa: Songezo Zibi Says He Will Run for President As He Tables a Manifesto for a New Society
Everywhere across the land, there are sparks of new politics as the ANC reaches its end-of-life date. Read more »
June 13, 2022
South Africa: Doctor's Act of Conscience Highlights New Power Balance Between Politicians and Civil Servants
Decades of state and party-level corruption and incompetence, and the clear disdain for rules and delivery have contributed to a significant weakening of elected politicians' power… Read more »
South Africa: We Beatified Ramaphosa and Didn't Question His Credibility - Now We Must Confront the Uncomfortable
Zukiswa Pikoli is a journalist at Maverick Citizen. Read more »
South Africa: Sixteen Critical Questions to Be Asked in Probing Phala Phala Game Farm Heist
Lumko Mtimde is a former Special Adviser to the Minister in the Presidency. He is also an ANC and SACP member. Read more »
South Africa: The State Crisis of Today Goes Beyond the Future of Ramaphosa and Undermines the Future of SA
The crisis surrounding the theft on President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala game farm ought not to distract our focus from the wider state crisis. The Zuma era operated according… Read more »
June 12, 2022
South Africa: After Mkhwebane Suspension, Public Protector's Office Chases 30-Day Deadline for Farmgate Report
Will the Office of the Public Protector, after the suspension of Busisiwe Mkhwebane, meet the 30-day deadline to complete its investigation into the robbery at President Cyril… Read more »
South Africa: The Cheap and Easy Political Victory of Invoking ANC's Step-Aside Rule Against Ramaphosa
Heinrich Böhmke is an investigator, trainer and consultant. He edited the African #PanamaPapers reports. Read more »
June 11, 2022
South Africa: As President Remains Calm Over Farmgate, RET Faction Plots His Demise
The opening of a criminal case against President Cyril Ramaphosa has come at a most inconvenient time for the ANC as it holds its crucial provincial conferences. Ramaphosa's… Read more »
June 09, 2022
South Africa: President Suspends Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane
While the optics of President Cyril Ramaphosa's suspension of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane on Thursday -- a day after she announced she would be investigating #CouchGate --… Read more »
South Africa: 'Phala Phala Is Fast Becoming Your Nkandla,' Steenhuisen Tells Ramaphosa in Disrupted Debate
After an hour of EFF MPs' interjections, when all were muted online or physically removed from the House, President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered what essentially was a State of the… Read more »
South Africa: Govt Remains Silent On Non-Payment of Grants While Millions Face Hunger
Civil society organisations this week raised the alarm about the Department of Social Development and the SA Social Security Agency not paying Social Relief of Distress Grants to… Read more »
June 08, 2022
South Africa: Fraser-Ramaphosa Conflict Marks New Aggressive Phase of ANC's Forever War
This toothpaste is not going to go back into the tube again and the ANC appears to be entering a completely new phase of near open warfare in which President Cyril Ramaphosa has… Read more »
South Africa: Ramaphosa and the Phala Phala Buck Bucks - Groundhog Day, Brought to You By the ANC
Thamsanqa D Malinga is director at Mkabayi Management Consultants; a writer, columnist, and political commentator, as well as author of Blame Me on Apartheid and A Dream Betrayed. Read more »
June 07, 2022
South Africa: The Verdict in the Court of Public Opinion May Yet Cost Ramaphosa Dearly
Whatever the facts may turn out to be in the case of the theft of foreign currency from Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm, it would be a mistake to view the matter only through a… Read more »
South Africa: Political Parties Push for Probe Into Mysterious Ramaphosa Game Farm Robbery
Pressure from opposition parties is mounting for President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down after damning allegations made against him by former spy boss, Arthur Fraser. The EFF is the… Read more »
South Africa: Unpacking the President's Home Burglary Story, and Why It's Important
President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing what may be the most personally damaging moment of his presidency. A seemingly unreported 2020 theft of cash from Ramaphosa's Limpopo game farm… Read more »
June 06, 2022
South Africa: Ramaphosa to Appear Before Ruling Party's Integrity Commission, Again
The President has appeared in front of the Integrity Commission before -- in 2020 -- and it also involved large sums of money, in the form of funds for his 2017 presidential… Read more »
South Africa: If the Buffalo Falls, We're On Our Own - There Is No Leadership Left in the Country
Joe Kitchen is a South African musician, singer, songwriter and writer who sometimes goes by the name of Koos Kombuis, André Letoit and/or André le Roux du Toit. Read more »
June 05, 2022
South Africa: Ramaphosa Pleads Innocence, Says Charges Laid Against Him Are Politically Motivated
Without revealing many details about the theft which took place at his Phala Phala farm in 2020, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed allegations levelled against him by former… Read more »
South Africa: Ramaphosa Burglary Fallout Could Badly Hurt the President and the ANC
With more information now coming into the public domain about how a large quantity of cash (US$) was stolen in early February 2020 from President Cyril Ramaphosa's game farm Phala… Read more »
June 02, 2022
South Africa: ANC Limpopo Conference to Bolster President's Re-Election Campaign Amid Robbery Charges Furore
Sigh of relief for the ANC president as both contenders vying to lead Limpopo province are in support of his re-election. The conference will be held at a Polokwane hotel this… Read more »
South Africa: Why Ramaphosa (Apparently) Kept Mum About Multimillion-Dollar Robbery At His Farm
The President feared creating panic, so kept the robbery quiet, say sources close to him. Read more »
May 30, 2022
South Africa: Donors to SA Political Parties Less Generous Out of Election Season, Latest Disclosures Suggest
The release of the final disclosures of donations made to South African political parties over the 2021/22 financial year suggests one thing most strongly: donors are in a much… Read more »
South Africa: Unstable Coalitions a Stumbling Block for Local Government Service Delivery
Dr Thozamile Botha is a member of the Stalwarts and Veterans Group of the ANC. He has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Johannesburg. Read more »
May 29, 2022
South Africa: Putin's Reliance On Theological Support for Invasion of Ukraine Has Parallels With NGK Support for Apartheid
Steve Briggs is a strategic leader of digital technology firms in disruptive industries with more than 20 years' experience in telecoms, banking, and digital products, both in… Read more »