The United States has long positioned itself as a global champion of human rights, democracy and economic opportunity. However, its policies and decisions concerning South Africa, particularly regarding its white minority, have often been fraught with contradictions, suspicions and unintended consequences.  From the apartheid era through the post-1994 democratic transition, Washington’s involvement in South Africa has frequently exacerbated racial tensions and economic disparities. The recent surge in H-2A visas issued to South African farm workers, who are predominantly white, and…

Donald Trump’s Executive Order (EO) on ‘Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa’ (07/02/2025) is not a new development but a continuation of racist United States policies implanted on South Africa dating back decades. America is and has remained the godfather of oppression of Africans, Indigenous People and others within its borders, and these heinous policies were exported to South Africa to strengthen subjugation and ‘apartness’. Therefore, Trump’s EO is not an anomaly but a reflection of embedded…

The rugged coastlines of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape conceal secrets beneath the waves secrets that challenge longstanding narratives about South Africa’s past. Among these are persistent myths: that white settlement began in 1652, that Africans had little engagement with the outside world before colonial conquest and that the Atlantic slave trade was the most important conduit for African enslavement. These narratives have shaped mainstream historiography and even Pan-African ideologies, obscuring deeper truths about interaction and our view of the…

For centuries, Europe was the architect of global imperialism, carving up foreign territories and subjugating populations in pursuit of dominance. Driven by a potent cocktail of ambition, religious zeal and racial superiority, the expansion of the European empire ranks amongst the worst human disasters, especially for the world’s subalterns. The empire was built on exploitation, enslavement and violent subjugation and birthed the dreadful, unequal and racist modern world.  Now, the tables have turned in the face of US Imperialism or…

The matric results came out this week: Free State came out tops, and Limpopo was at the bottom. At least that is what we are supposed to read from the percentages in order to be joyous or sad. The debate as usual will continue to focus on trivial things like the reasons why Limpopo is has the lowest pass mark or which kid got most distinctions. This is indicative of how far we continue to miss the point. South Africa…

During the festive season peaks in December, millions of South African workers in big and mid-sized urban areas “go home” to spend time in rural labour reserves where they were born. This mass movement, which appears to be a deeply ingrained cultural practice, reflects something far more insidious: the enduring legacy of South Africa’s colonial and apartheid-era migrant labour system.  This system, designed to exploit cheap black labour for the benefit of a white-controlled economy, has not only persisted but…

A nation’s soul is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable. By this measure, South Africa stands on shaky ground, its promises of equality and justice faltering under the burden of inequality and neglect. The slogan ‘Not Yet Uhuru’ captures the unfulfilled promise of freedom—a dream deferred by systemic oppression and the indifference and complicity of those who should know better, black people themselves. How have we reached a point where black individuals and elite, themselves survivors of apartheid’s…

In their article India’s tech CEO boom: What Africa can learn (IOL 25/08/2024), Phapano Phasha and Redge Nkosi explore India’s significant growth as a hub for global talent and economic partnerships, particularly in the technology and innovation sectors. They highlight how India, under PM Narendra Modi, is positioning itself as an emerging superpower, projected to become the world’s third-largest economy in the coming years. Central to their argument is what they call a “CEO boom” and Indian tech skills. They…

The discourse surrounding the energy transition has taken on a narrative that is both compelling and, at times, misleading. As we delve deeper into the complexities of this transition, it becomes increasingly clear that the optimism prevalent in many industry circles may gloss over critical challenges, as underscored by the Amsterdam-based Transnational Institute (TNI) analysis in 2023. Unjust energy transition is shrouded in myths, primitive accumulation and deceit. Bloomberg New Energy Finance reported that global investments in low-carbon technologies surged…

Many people already predicted the EFF’s failure when the news surfaced that its deputy president Floyd Shivambu was going to leave the party. It was widely reported that he had decided not to renew his membership and had stepped down from all his roles in the party. On Thursday, 15 August, the EFF called a media conference where Shivambu tendered his ‘resignation’ from the party. Floyd Shivambu has decided to hitch his wagon to the MK party. Suddenly, there is…