The ANC did not create most of the patterns for which it is blamed. But it has done far too little to change them and often seems happy simply to live with them.
The governing ANC is losing its political hegemony.
EFE-EPA/Yeshiel Panchia
The ANC’s choice of parliamentary Speaker reflects poorly on the party leadership and contrasts starkly with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitment to uncorrupt governance.
Looters grab items from a vandalised mall in South Africa.
Photo by Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images
South Africa can’t possibly remain the same country in the aftermath of this mayhem. There are just too many storms ahead to simply continue unchanged.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma.
(Photo by Rajesh Jantilal/AFP via Getty Images
Jacob Zuma ran out of ideas to defend himself. Martyrdom is almost impossible without a cause, and he has none.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma stands in the dock at a separate trial at the Pietermaritzburg High Court in May.
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South Africa has many problems. But, as Jacob Zuma has found out, the strength of its rule of law and the independence of its judiciary should not be underestimated.
The state capture inquiry shows that South Africa’s parliament needs to urgently end the uncertainty about whether or not shadow directors are governed by the Companies Act.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa at the Zondo Commission into state capture.
GCIS
Unlike most politicians but typical of a negotiator, South Africa’s president has not put his plans on the table for public scrutiny.
South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa faces a tricky time giving evidence about corruption. He wears two presidential hats: as head of the African National Congress, and the government.
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Ramaphosa will be eager to communicate his position that no one should be above scrutiny and that all parts of society,should be examined by the Commission.
The judicial inquiry into grand corruption heard shocking details of the abuse of power at South Africa’s preeminent spy agency.
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Globally, intelligence services trade in secrets and conduct covert operations. But this does not exempt them from public scrutiny, parliamentary oversight, and audit processes.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma at the State Capture Commission in July 2019.
EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook
Metaphors are not used for their own sake in politics, but as part of a strategy to persuade a particular audience to accept a point of view, and act accordingly
Supporters of Ace Magashule, the secretary general of the ANC, protest outside the court where he appeared on corruption charges.
EFE-EPA/Conrad Bornman
Morals and laws are not binaries. They complement each other to enable harmonious coexistence.
Judge Raymond Zondo, chair of the commission investigating grand corruption in South Africa, has been too polite with former state president Zuma.
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Revelations show that the State Security Agency did little to safeguard the country and much to protect Zuma’s political faction and to funnel public money into private ends.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma says he won’t comply with a Constitutional Court order to appear before a commission on corruption.
EFE-EPA/Yeshiel Panchia
Justice Raymond Zondo found that the test for recusal had not been met.
The Shaik brothers Moe, Schabir and Chippy after Schabir was found guilty of fraud and corruption and sentenced to 15 years.
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Moe Shaik fancies himself as an analyst who can read people well. And yet, he has a rather large blind spot for his leaders – until they fall out with him.
African National Congress top six leaders. The governing party’s wishes are sometimes out of kilter with the dictates of statecraft.
AFP-GettyImages/Mujahid Safodien