The World Through My Eyes

Academics and political enthusiasts alike are cracking their heads writing papers on and giving (sometimes not-so-correct) predictions over the coming 2024 South African General Elections. Over the last decade, elections in South Africa, whether National or Local Government, have exposed a disheartening trend: there is a decline in voter turnout. In fact, this phenomenon of eligible voters employing ‘silent voting’ has become common in the SADC region and one might argue, throughout the continent.  This body of work focuses on the growth of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) or rather its lack thereof. Perhaps we can liken this to how Kaiser Chiefs fills up NFB stadium now and then but never wins? I do not believe the party’s history and roots narration is necessary but I do want to point out that there was some level of skepticism about its long-term survival owing to the belief that there was no room for the party’s ideologies and principles in the Rainbow Nation.  A study of electi

Although instability and in extreme cases, coups d’etat are not a foreign nor new concept in Africa, the continent has collectively put very little effective actionable solutions in place to prevent and resolve these forces majeures, what happens then when governments have their powers threatened by armed militias? (Photo credit to Deutsche Welle) “We do not negotiate with terrorists”  These are words that have dominated the United States of America’s Foreign Policy Making since the 1970s under the leadership of President Richard Nixon and have further been intensified in the International Relations arena since the 9/11 attacks but how effective is this approach for African countries?  Our point of departure should be an emphasis on how we need to adopt and implement African solutions to African problems, it cannot be stressed enough just how important this principle is. This approach of resorting to force at the slightest inconvenience was first adopted by the United States of America

"Men at some time are masters of their fates. / The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings” (Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene III L. 139–141). This famous quote by Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare, although written possibly between 1599 and 1600 and loosely translated to mean that 'we are responsible for our own actions and not fate', stands as relevant in today's politics and life as it did centuries ago.  Today, the wedge between the African National Congress (ANC) and the people has grown exponentially, not because of fate but simply due to the former's own actions. This, I believe, is the raison d'etre of the President's letter to the Deputy President of both the ANC and the Republic of South Africa, Paul Mashatile.  Before the actual contents of the 17-pages long letter could be dissected, there was a lot of hullabaloo surrounding its recipient or rather why it seemed to bypass the Secretary General (SG

I have always had the privilege of being taught by some of the best lecturers in my fields and that is something I do not take for granted, today's piece will somewhat be a dedication to one of my favourite lecturers who has unfortunately since retired.  He is so brilliant that I still remember things that he taught us in first year which meant I was always excited for class, in fact I think this is the only time I can speak like a Comrade and speak on behalf of my classmates and say there is no one in my school that is not in awe of the man.  I remember writing him an email in the AMs in the last week of the academic year prompting him to consider applying to the Higher Courts because I am so confident that the country can benefit so much for his vast knowledge and expertise. Anyway, today I would like to share with you a few things regarding the Law of Succession because the 'my people perish [insert suffer] because of lack of knowledge' saying is very common when people

“I think the people have a sufficient sense of what the Mandela and the others struggled for, and when they look at certain things that are happening, for instance the issue you are mentioning […] quite correctly, it is a matter of corruption…  When they see this corruption in the country, which seems to be increasing, at all levels of government, the people are aggrieved, they are saying ‘but this is not what freedom was for’.” (Mbeki, 2013)  I am once again quoting Former President Thabo Mbeki on a matter related to corruption in the Republic, the usage of this quote in this article is in response to the low levels of voter turnout in the last elections we had in the country or even arguably the decline that we’ve been seeing in voter turnouts as we hold more and more elections.  In its Founding Provisions, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996 (forthwith ‘the Constitution’) declares the Republic as ‘one, sovereign, democratic state’ founded on a plethora o

"Sometimes we think that today will forever be today, not remembering that today will be tomorrow and tomorrow will be different" These are the beautiful words of President Thabo Mbeki that I want each of us to carry and remember when faced with gloomy days. I thought it would be befitting that my first piece for the year should look at some of the work of one of Africa's best minds.   This piece intends to serve as an analysis of the Zimbabwean crisis in the early 2000s, the South African government's policy towards the matter under the leadership of President Mbeki, if there were alternatives available and if they should have been explored. I would be doing a huge disservice both to myself and to you if I did not start off by loosely defining what foreign policy is and its importance; so we can look at foreign policy as a set of guidelines that a state (or national government, I'm using the terms interchangeably here) uses to guide its relations and interactions

It may or may not be the case that the reason Lindiwe Sisulu & Zweli Mkhize were absent in today's Parliamentary Voting on the s89 Panel Report was because they were advised that if they voted "yes" then they'd face suspension\expulsion from the party. I cannot prove nor disprove this as I am quite far from being in a position where I'd be certain of such 'sensitive' information. It doesn't sound too far fetched though if you consider that there's been threats of "internal party processes" to follow for "those that voted yes". While I do understand and respect that joining an organization\political party requires one to discard personal interests together with individualism, after all the whole point of becoming part of a movement that shares the same values and principles as you is to let go of "self" for the greater good of society. As much as I respect this, I do not believe it is wise that whenever members of a