We need to rebuild the idea of the public
South Africa is in crisis and the intra-elite battles about how to move forward do not offer any viable path towards a just way resolution
Politicians
Electoral reform should be seen as a priority to build trust between voters and politicians
Many politicians have put internal party battles and their own interests over the well-being of citizens, eroding the public’s trust in them and in democratic institutions. This needs to change
The fallacy of politicians as saviours
They are as weak and flawed as the rest of us, so why do so many look to them for salvation, asks Des Erasmus
Let’s make a worthy God in our own image
If we make God in our image, let it not be the genocidal maniac worthy only of contempt but rather a God of kindness, worthy of our worship
Two city managers, one municipality: Why reforms are urgent
As a recent court case in Nelson Mandela Bay shows, the city management appointment process should be purely administrative and stripped of politics
Cabinet Report Cards: Chester Missing roasts your ministers
C is not for corruption. Chester Missing and the Mail & Guardian roast the cabinet ministers who are simply not performing
Get people involved in development
Service delivery is about improving people’s lives, not expedient election promises
Editorial: Forget the politicians, you are the biggest loser
We will all bear the brunt of a political landscape that is less about governing and more about the satisfaction of personal interests and vindictive opposition
Editorial: Deepening era of coalitions will test the maturity of South Africa’s democracy
The low voter turnout in the local polls is something our leading parties must take to heart as they look to rebuild their relationship with the electorate.
Local government elections: Why it’s rational to vote with your heart
Voting tactically may seem like a realistic, mature option, but it compromises the integrity of your vote and is corrosive to the long-term health of democracy
Paddy Harper: On gleeful politicians and headless chickens
Paddy Harper doesn’t know who to vote for yet, since the Dagga Party isn’t contesting his ward, but right now what to order for lunch is a more pressing concern
Pure Politics: ‘Family meetings’ underline uncomfortable press relationship
To achieve a deeper democracy, it is necessary to confront the tensions that have existed between the media and successive presidents since 1994.
Editorial: Unrest death count the highest in more than 180 years
We need a commission of inquiry to find the central characters in the tragic event that played out in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Editorial: Last week’s unrest: Who is left to clean up the mess?
Once again, people of all races, religions and ages have come together to sort out the devastation that can largely be laid at the doorstep of our government
My sense of fear is over, for now
Whatever last week was — half-assed coup or failed sparkling insurrection — the dread of impending apocalypse has dissipated
‘Postpone the elections and spare lives,’ Motsoeneng tells inquiry
Inquiry leader and former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke emphasised the need for democratic processes not to falter because of the pandemic.
Do the ‘lies of the ANC drown out its honesty’? A Covid-19 case study
The governing party elite seems to have different rules for its members than the regulations imposed on citizens — and the trust deficit continues to grow
Political elites, not foreigners, are to blame for South Africa’s problems
What if we told foreigners to voetsek? We have fallen victim to the illusion of scarcity. And we are led to wrongly believe immigrants are a threat
See people as individual humans, not as a race
We need to ingrain values of equality in education, businesses, society broadly and religious groups to see people
Why anti-corruption campaigns are bad for democracy
Such campaigns can draw attention to the widespread presence of the very behaviour they are trying to stamp out — and subconsciously encourage people to view it as appropriate
End the pandemic of violence against women activists
In countries such as Uganda, Zimbabwe and Egypt female champions are beaten up, sexually abused, jailed and even “disappeared”
No perks for Swedish MPs
Everyone, including the prime minister and judges, must live in conditions similar to voters
Little difference between politicians and journalists
‘The relationship between politicians and journalists is, or rather ought to be, adversarial’
Fact checking fibbing politicians works, study finds
Study finds voters from across the political spectrum would change their minds when presented with facts, and were turned off by persistent lies
You’d better believe politicians’ hot air
"What we are seeing in the West, as many commentators have observed, is a surge in ethnic nationalism."
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School your politician or face the fallout
In most cases the politician becomes so obsessed with power and corruption, the only sane thing to do is chain them and spray them with cold water
Fascist symbols take the cake
Senior Italian politicians see nothing wrong with a birthday cake that celebrates WWII symbols.
EFF leader runs party affairs from his jail cell
The EFF confirmed that the party’s legislature chief whip, Papiki Babuile, will remain in his position for now – despite sitting in jail for murder.
Politicians: The good, the bad and the pretty
Have you ever wondered what our politicians are really like? Just ask a reporter.
State of play
We talk to editor-in-chief Nic Dawes about what we can expect from Zuma at this year’s State of the Nation address.
Zille thwarts ANC’s illegal land grab
Western Cape premier legally challenges the transfer of prime provincial land worth R500-million.
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Careful what you fish for, Cosatu
Cosatu has a sizeable share in a local company with controversial business links with a convicted Spanish poacher.
