I really love the quaint civil society assertion that they will somehow be able to defeat this most vulgar attack on our freedom of speech and constitutional dispensation being perpetrated at present by the ANC, both in their roles as the party of government and supposedly the party of freedom.
Talking to friends, whether they […]
Filed under: Commentary, Cosatu, Decision Theory, Democratic Alliance, Economy, Government, Ideas, Journalism, Language, Law, Media Freedom, Politics by Andrew la Grange
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As originally written for Feint and Margin:
It’s been a spicy few weeks for media freedom in South Africa. From the arrest of Wa Afrika, to the hearings on the Protection of Information Bill, as well as the Media Appeals Tribunal being supported by all manner of cadres – it cannot be said that there hasn’t […]
Filed under: Africa, Commentary, Liberalism, Media, Media Freedom, Politics, Society by Andrew la Grange
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South Africa’s freedom to know what those, who we have entrusted with the powers of the State (namely the ANC) are doing, with our common property, is under siege. The ANC, which should be simply a caretaker of the government, has misunderstood its place in relation to the state, and the role it should play […]
Filed under: Africa, Commentary, Corruption, Government, Ideas, Journalism, Liberalism, Media, Media Freedom, Politics, Rant, Society by Andrew la Grange
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Not to prejudge matters, because he may in fact be guilty of an offence, but Sunday Times’ journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika has been arrested by a gang of cops at the Avusa offices.
Whilst the charges are apparently related to a fraudulent document in his alleged possession, it doesn’t take a genius to see a possible […]
Filed under: Bheki Cele, Corruption, Crime, Journalism, Media, Media Freedom, Policing, Politics, Society by Andrew la Grange
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South Africa has a political problem. It is the problem which many plural societies face – the one in which the majority lives a life of poverty and yet continue to return a small elite to power in mostly free and fair elections, resulting in a breakdown in democracy as the government no longer needs […]
Filed under: Commentary, Democratic Alliance, Government, Ideas, Liberalism, Philosophy, Politics by Andrew la Grange
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A few weeks ago I was having a quiet evening with friends, drinking some coffee and talking politics. I was asked what I thought of the toilet saga. Besides the horrible situation for the people on the ground which is beyond question – I thought from a political angle the Democratic Alliance through Dan Plato, […]
Filed under: Commentary, Democratic Alliance, Government, Ideas, Politics, Society, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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Well known HIV and political activist Zackie Achmat explored yesterday his feelings about the Democratic Alliance congress yesterday on the Centre for Law and Social Justice blog, Writing Rights.
There is much I disagree with in Mr. Achmat’s analysis of the DA, it’s politics, it’s internal workings and philosophies as well as its true agenda. […]
Filed under: Cape Town, Commentary, Democratic Alliance, Ideas, Liberalism, Politics, Reconciliation, Society by Andrew la Grange
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The African National Congress’ (ANC) constant framing of South African political life in terms of race, quotas and segmentation of the population into groups is a natural extension of the black nationalism that increasingly overtakes the many forms of political expression that once found a home within the broad church of struggle politics.
The ruling […]
Filed under: Cape Town, Democratic Alliance, Ideas, Liberalism, Politics by Andrew la Grange
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This weekend saw the Democratic Alliance host its Federal Congress in my home town of Cape Town. As a member of a branch within the city, I had the privilege of being nominated by the ward branch to represent us the congress as a delegate.
It was my first national party event, and I […]
Filed under: Democratic Alliance, Politics by Andrew la Grange
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Can you guess that I wrote the title of this post before Bafana’s 3-0 drubbing by Uruguay? While the result was disappointing, I have to say that I remain very proud of our boys. Few countries with a national team that is going through a rough patch like ours, have had to suffer the indignity […]
Filed under: Africa, Commentary, Corruption, Economy, Government, Ideas, Malema, Philosophy, Politics, Reconciliation, Society, World Cup, Zuma by Andrew la Grange
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In 1856 a young Xhosa girl made a prophecy. That prophecy resulted in the famine and destruction of a great people. By encouraging the Xhosa people to destroy their crops and livestock she set her entire people back for decades. Over 25 000 died from starvation. Hundreds of thousands of head of cattle were killed. […]
Filed under: Africa, Commentary, Government, History, Ideas, Malema, Politics, Society, Zimbabwe, Zuma by Andrew la Grange
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Increasingly I am making links between the ANC of today, and the NP of the past. In the coming weeks I am going to be writing a series of articles on the present nature of the ANC and how the transformation of South Africa since Freedom has mirrored the transformation of the ANC.
The core […]
Filed under: Africa, Commentary, Decision Theory, Government, Ideas, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Reconciliation, Society by Andrew la Grange
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Jacob Zuma’s first speech to the parliament on his election as State President, has the blogeratti bubbling along, full of hope that Zuma will walk the walk, as he has talked the talk quite well since the mandate was handed to the ANC, and thus him in the April elections.
Let me be honest, I […]
Filed under: Commentary, Crime, Decision Theory, Politics, Society, Zuma by Andrew la Grange
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South Africa is a country recently liberated from the yoke of Apartheid, but as the years drift away, and the end of the Zuma presidency, assuming the ANC kick him out before hand, will see a half way point between the time (48 years) of National Party rule, and ANC rule, South Africans are slowly […]
Filed under: Government, Ideas, Politics, Society, Zuma by Andrew la Grange
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It seems we, the people of South Africa, lack an emotion. We lack it to such a degree that the absence of it in our hearts is distilled and purified in the halls of our nations power, the Union Buildings, the Parliament, the party National Committee and the halls of academia. We lack shame. We […]
Filed under: Africa, Commentary, Corruption, Crime, Decision Theory, Diplomacy, Government, Ideas, Obama, Politics, Zimbabwe, Zuma, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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