by Steven Friedman First published in Business Day For not the first time, many of us seem to need reminding that the Constitutional Court’s job is to make sure politicians stick to the rules — not to do their jobs for them. Last week’s Constitutional Court judgment deserves the cheers that greeted it — it Read more >
By Mavuso Msimang First published in City Press Percy Bysshe Shelley’s famous sonnet Ozymandias, first published in 1818, tells the story of a traveller in the desolate Egyptian desert who comes upon a broken statue of King Rameses II, whom the Greeks called Ozymandias. What remained of this pharaoh’s statue were two huge stone legs Read more >
By Graeme Joffe I keep wanting to stop the exposes and move on with my life after four years of digging and entertaining threats. But then my inner mind says, how can you stop when things are only getting worse in SA sport and all you really see in the media are cover ups and Read more >
By David Lewis Despite the perennial hype surrounding the budget, as long as we have a sane finance minister the “hard” content is inevitably pretty predictable. A good budget is generally a paragon of moderation. Unless it succumbs to special-interest pressure, it won’t slash and burn, and it won’t throw money from a helicopter. Read more >
By David Lewis First published in Business Day THE results of Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index, released this week, hold mixed news for SA. Our ranking has improved from 67 in the 2014 survey to 61 out of 168 countries surveyed last year. Our score, at 44, has remained the same, with 100 perceived as Read more >
The reckless replacement of the finance minister in the face of economic headwinds is irresponsible, irrational and unpatriotic; Zuma just delivered a worse life for all. So says the Young African Leadership Initiative (Yali) which comprises professionals who are leaders in their fields, spanning sectors of government, the financial sector, South African and international corporates Read more >
Wondering what all the fuss is around Nomgcobo Jiba, the recently appointed deputy head of national prosecutions? Read this absorbing piece by writer Rian Malan to discover why Corruption Watch and other organisations feel she is not fit to hold the position. Spare a thought for South African journalists, reduced to peering into murk and Read more >
Whether you love him or you hate him, award-winning political cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro – aka Zapiro – is someone whose work is relevant to all South Africans. His latest cartoon is no exception – in the wake of nationwide student protests, speculation has run high over the outside influences which were said to be responsible Read more >
By Matthew Kruger First published on the Helen Suzman Foundation website In South Africa, the events that generate political debate are always aplenty. In the space of three days in late September, we were all especially blessed. First, the US Securities Exchange Commission alleged that Hitachi, a foreign company, had a corrupt relationship with Chancellor Read more >