The DA said in a statement, issued Sunday, that it “strongly condemns the violence and vandalism” of H&M retail stores in Johannesburg by EFF (Economic Freedom Fighter) supporters over a “racist advert”. DA National Spokesperson and Deputy Chairperson, Refiloe Nt’sekhe, said: “While we fully agree that racism is oppressive and has no place in a democratic […]

The African National Congress (ANC) has declared 2018 as “100 Years of Nelson Mandela: The year of renewal, unity and jobs”. This will see the African National Congress (ANC) holding celebrations to pay tribute to the former President, who would have turned 100 years this year had he lived. Mandela passed away on 5 December […]

Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) went on the rampage on Saturday in malls in Gauteng, South Africa, trashing and shutting down shops in a protest against H&M and its “coolest monkey” sweater advert… which has been creating an international outcry since Monday 8 January 2018. It’s reported that rubber bullets were used at […]

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has recently congratulated the matric class of 2017 for their “outstanding” performance and encouraged them to apply for funding in various organisations.  NYDA National Spokesperson, Lerato Gambu said they are encouraged that the national pass rate is increasing. Gambu said the agency has welcomed President Jacob Zuma’s announcement on […]

US President Donald Trump apparently believes most countries in Africa are “shithole countries”. He appears to think the same of Haiti and El Salvador. According to reports in US media, Trump made the comment during a meeting with a group of senators at the White House. They were discussing immigration and changes to the visa […]

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille has issued a statement in response to the DA Cape Metro Executive’s announcement Wednesday morning that it has resolved to recommend that she be removed as the Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town. De Lille alleges the announcement is not representative of the City of Cape Town […]

President Jacob Zuma has appointed a Commission of Inquiry to probe allegations of State capture, and has climbed down from his initial stance that the Inquiry should investigate everyone except him… acknowledging that he too will face inquiry. He announced in a statement yesterday that Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has selected Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Mnyamezeli […]

Several South Africans thought their wish had come true on Tuesday when a ‘news’ website published an article titled “Breaking News: South African Jacob Zuma steps down”. But it’s a hoax and not true. The site claimed that Zuma had announced his resignation on Tuesday morning in a 10-minute emotionally-charged speech broadcast on television; and […]

Why is it that when the West was turning away from direct colonialism in the mid-20th century, South Africa shifted to apartheid, an intensified form of this heinous system? One of the answers lies in the country’s history of colonisation by two contending settler classes – the Dutch and the British. The Dutch, or Boer, […]

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille has tweeted her way back into an argument over the legacy left by colonialism. Her latest tweets were triggered by an opinion piece in the Guardian on Friday, titled ‘Colonialism can work – just look at Singapore’. Journalist William Saunderson-Meyer tagged Zille, and rather than ignoring the post, Zille replied: […]

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille, who is currently fighting to keep her mayoral position, released a statement Friday evening in response to comments made by the ANC at a press conference earlier today. She claims that the Bowman Gilfillan report is based on erroneous facts and findings. De Lille was suspended by the Democratic Alliance […]

The 2017 National Senior Certificate (NSC) overall pass rate is 75.1%, Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga announced on Thursday evening… although the Democratic Alliance (DA) says this is not a reflection of the true matric pass rate. The DA said: “While the pass rate of 75.1% may seem satisfactory, Minister Motshekga has not sufficiently […]

South African struggle stalwart and national poet laureate, Professor Keorapetse Kgositsile (popularly known as ‘Bra Willie’), sadly passed away today at the age of 79. Award-winning Western Cape poet Athol Williams has written the following dedication to him… HIS GENTLE BREATH Dedicated to Keorapetse Kgositsile His gentle breath gave shape to the deflated – we stood […]

On Friday South Africa’s Constitutional Court delivered yet another blow to the country’s President, Jacob Zuma. ConCourt ruled that Parliament has violated its constitutional obligation to hold Zuma to account, by failing to determine whether he has breached section 89 of the Constitution. Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane said today: “This is a consequence of […]

Afriforum says the ANC’s decision to amend the Constitution to allow for expropriation of land in South Africa without compensation puts South Africa on a road to conflict and is nothing more than a plan to “steal property”, putting South Africa on the Zimbabwe route. The civil rights organisation threatened that it will “not sit back” […]

President Jacob Zuma has congratulated the new President of the African National Congress, Comrade President Cyril Ramaphosa and his leadership collective, the National Executive Committee and Officials  as elected by the 54th National Conference of the African National Congress (ANC) in Nasrec, Johannesburg. “I wish to heartily congratulate Comrade President Cyril Ramaphosa for his election […]

Newly elected ANC leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, delivered the following speech on Wednesday evening, 20 December 2017, to close the ANC National Conference: This is a deeply humbling moment, to address the closing session of the 54th National Conference of our beloved and glorious movement, the African National Congress. There is no doubt that this has […]

South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), has a new president – Cyril Ramaphosa. But who is he? Ramaphosa cuts a fitting figure to take over government, stabilise the economy, and secure the constitutional architecture that he helped create at the end of apartheid. But to expect more would be expecting too much. […]

The Democratic Alliance has called for Mzwandile Masina to resign and give Ekurhuleni a new beginning. The DA said that although he is now denying it, he was reported by News24 last month to have said that he “can never serve under Cyril” and “I will leave”. As a staunch Zuma supporter and vocal campaigner […]

The competition for the top six leadership positions in South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), was no carefully choreographed script such as the one-candidate-per-election of Chinese Communist Party congresses. It was a rip-roaring, full-throated democratic contestation – as raucous as US primary elections. Even more so, with delegates’ repeated singing and dancing. This point […]

Award-winning writer, and Nelson Mandela’s authorised biographer, Charlene Smith was the first journalist to ever interview Cyril Ramaphosa. She thinks it was in 1982 or 1983. Here Charlene recalls some of her memories with the new ANC President over the years… He’d just formed the NUM [National Union of Mineworkers] and the offices were two […]

The top thought on most South Africans’ minds seems to be that new ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa must recall Jacob Zuma as President of South Africa. Calls for a recall have come from opposition leaders through to the general public sharing jokes on social media (most of the same image of Ramaphosa and Zuma, with […]

Rumours that President Jacob Zuma has instructed the South African National Defence Force to draw up plans for implementing a state of emergency may or may not be true. Nonetheless they are evidence of South Africa’s febrile political atmosphere. But any assumption that the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as the new leader of the African […]

According to South Africa’s opposition parties – the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – nothing has changed with the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC President… and the “corrupt premier league” is still at the centre of the organisation. EFF Commander in Chief Julius Malema tweeted: “Nothing has really changed, the core […]

Watch below as President Jacob Zuma hears that his Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has won the ANC leadership race, and will replace him as ANC President instead of Zuma’s ex-wife Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. If a picture tells a thousand words, a video says even more… #ANC54 The Moment #Zuma hears #Ramaphosa is the new president […]