Category: State of the Nation

So Ace Magashule — former Free State Premier, current professional court attendee, and honorary PhD in “I don’t recall” — has officially pleaded not guilty in the R255 million asbestos tender fraud case. Yes, you heard that right. R255 million. To get rid of asbestos. Which, fun fact, is still there. It’s like paying a…

South Africa, land of sun, braais, and economic policies that make a municipal tender process look like a Mensa test. This week, Parliament got treated to a horror show more terrifying than load-shedding in a hospital ICU. Treasury, in its infinite wisdom — and by wisdom, I mean “something between guesswork and a dare” —…

Ah, the unions of South Africa. Once the valiant knights in shining armor for workers, now stumbling around like extras in a bad soapie. This week, at the National Economic and Labour Council’s (Nedlac’s) annual labor school, the leadership of Fedusa, Cosatu, and Saftu gathered in Pretoria to collectively admit what the rest of us…

ANC cracks down on “criminality” while harboring its own rogues’ gallery The great Stilfontein tragedy has unfolded into a grim spectacle—where the government’s unspoken motto seems to be “do as we say, not as we do.” After months of what can only be described as a siege with a body count, authorities have finally concluded…

Ah, South Africa, where the earth is as rich with minerals as the government is with excuses. Two interesting stories caught my eye—one from an abandoned mine shaft in Stilfontein, and the other from the murky waters of political reinvention. Together, they remind us that whether you’re digging for gold or political power, it’s always…

Ah, Johannesburg—where the streets run red, not with revolution, but with EFF berets and enough slogans to power a failing Eskom generator. Julius Malema and his loyal brigade of red-shirts descended on the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, proving yet again that the EFF may be down in the polls but certainly not out of material…

Ah, the Democratic Alliance (DA). The party that stands as a bastion of clean governance, meritocracy, and of course, the kind of moral high ground that requires oxygen masks at the top. So, what happens when the leader of this moral mountain, John Steenhuisen, appoints Roman Cabanac, a podcaster with all the tact of a…

Ah, South Africa. The land of perpetual optimism, where every problem can be fixed with a solution more absurd than the last. Our latest episodes in the never-ending series of “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” come courtesy of Joburg’s revolving door of mayors and the new electricity laws that promise to make municipalities about…

Ah, Floyd Shivambu, the political chameleon of our time. One day he’s whipping EFF MPs into shape, the next he’s hopping on the MK train, presumably because they offered a more generous frequent flyer program. This is like watching a soap opera where the villain just changes his costume but not his methods—always scheming, always…