Dear Fellow South African, Last week, I undertook a successful working visit to the United States at the invitation of President Donald Trump to strengthen relations between our two countries. The delegation that accompanied me included a diverse range of South Africans, with representatives from Government, business, labour and the sporting fraternity, all united in advancing our country’s interests. South Africa has always regarded the United States as a strong investment and trading partner. Our countries and our economies are…

Africa stands at a pivotal moment. From the devastating impacts of climate change to persistent human rights violations and escalating economic disputes, the continent faces challenges that demand bold, homegrown solutions. The African Court of Justice (ACJ), envisioned as a cornerstone of African judicial sovereignty, remains dormant; a promise unfulfilled. As the African Union (AU) navigates a rapidly changing global landscape, the time to operationalise the ACJ is now. A Vision for African Justice Conceived in the AU’s Constitutive Act…

Dawie Roodt, an economist at the Efficient Group, has advocated that certain state universities in South Africa be closed and converted into colleges, claiming that they are not creating the “right skills” in comparison to private institutions. This concept stems from a worry about the skills mismatch in the South African employment market. However, the plan to close public institutions indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the varied functions within the post-secondary education and training system, and it risks jeopardising public…

The Democratic Alliance’s sudden applause for the draft Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes (EEIPs) in broadband rollout is not a breakthrough. It is a betrayal — one more calculated pivot in their relentless campaign to hijack transformation while defending the economic status quo that keeps Black South Africans excluded. Let’s not be fooled by the DA’s newly scripted lines on “inclusive growth” and “empowerment objectives.” This is the same party that took the Employment Equity Act to court, trashed B-BBEE as…

What is Starlink? Starlink is a satellite internet service launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. It is built on a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites that deliver high—speed broadband worldwide, particularly to remote and underserved areas. In technical terms, Starlink bypasses traditional terrestrial infrastructure like fiber optics or mobile towers and instead beams internet from orbit directly to user terminals. In a South African context, this is game-changing: B-BBEE Equity Equivalents: A Tool, Not a Loophole The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment…

South Africa’s political terrain has always had its fair share of critics — some well-meaning, others just bitter and bored. But it is the latter, masquerading as analysts, that have now become the loudest prophets of doom. Chief among them is Moeletsi Mbeki — the permanent pessimist, the serial slanderer, the man who has not met a Black President he would not crucify to satisfy his personal bitterness. Let us not forget: Moeletsi was the same man who cartoonishly predicted…

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House on 21 May 2025 prompted me to draw international diplomatic parallels in the manner in which the latter treats world leaders, especially in the Oval Office. This meeting reminds me of the infamous 28 February 2025 encounter aimed at fostering a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia in the White House, which was later overshadowed by a heated and embarrassing exchange between Trump, his Vice President JD…

Beginning with the landmark 1955 Bandung Conference, China and African nations embarked on a path of solidarity and cooperation. Over the past seven decades, guided by the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Bandung Spirit of “solidarity, friendship, and cooperation,” both sides have explored independent development paths and confronted global challenges together. China’s successful modernisation with Chinese characteristics offers an alternative model for Global South countries, from which African nations have drawn valuable inspiration and tangible benefits.  As key…

When Helen Zille claims that South Africa’s Employment Equity (EE) Amendments amount to “unfair discrimination,” is she misreading the Constitution, or deliberately distorting it? The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) legal challenge against the EE Amendment Act relies on flawed logic, ignores binding precedent, and risks undermining one of the few effective tools for dismantling apartheid’s economic legacy. At the heart of the debate is Section 9(2) of the Constitution, which explicitly empowers the state to take “legislative and other measures” to…

Renowned economist Dawie Roodt said this week that most public universities in South Africa should be closed because they are not producing the required skills. He gave some examples, such as the need for electricians, and asserted that the humanities are at the bottom of the skills set production.  While theology specifically was not mentioned by Roodt in his musings, the question of its space in a university always lingers around. For this reason, one is prone to respond since…