- By: Setumo Stone The Democratic Alliance is a cowardly political party, which abuses the ideals of constitutionalism and democracy to cover up their unpalatable ideological agenda. I’m referring here to the DA’s ongoing criticism against most of President Zuma’s key appointments in the public sector. The latest statement by Theo Coetzee is a case in point, in which he criticizes the appointments to the State Security Services, National Intelligence Agency and SA Secret Services. Mr. Coetzee’s winding statements could – unfortunately - be reduced to only three progressive extracts: 1) that “…(key positions) should be filled by qualified, non-p…

- By: Setumo Stone Let me state upfront that I believe Julius Malema deviates from what three-and-a-half centuries of colonization, apartheid and imperialist control has taught us to be “civilization”. And I like it! The arrival of Jan van Riebeck in 1652 brought with it the concept of civilization, which defined how “civilized people” should think, behave and act. These prescriptions remain a set standard of “desirable” human conduct even beyond the dawn of South Africa’s democratic dispensation. In comes Julius Malema: he shouts and screams when he makes his point; he looks people in the eye and tells them what they would rather not hear.…

A bruising period of robust electoral campaigns have come and gone, but the deficiencies that characterized the manner in which the plot unfolded, remain with many South Africans. Once again, it has become imperative that we settle down and assess the manner in which our democratic institutions fared, as part of the general transformation and empowerment agenda. - The fourth estate represents one such institution and arguably one of the most important in an era where information is king. An informed labour force is also one of the most essential ingredients in enabling a developmental state. The outcome of the general elections speaks for itself, but equally poses serious questions as to whe…

What if the new ANC leadership abandons the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) for a National Democratic Change (NDC)? What if they also abandoned "liberation politics" for "empowerment politics"; and the "struggle against poverty" for the "quest against poverty"? - The truth is that certain sections of our society freak or frown when they hear such words as “revolution”, “liberation” and “struggle”. Born out of both paranoia and modernism, these words are largely perceived as an attempt by the ANC to keep apartheid fresh in people’s minds. I’m quite convinced that the many “liberal modernists…

- ANC voters are neither pedestrians nor spectators in SA's democracy! By: Setumo Stone Sooner or later, the average Joe on the street will have to stand up against commentators and analysts who masquerade their personal gripes against Jacob Zuma and the ANC as objective analysis. In the article titled “Lost, arrogant ANC needs a swift kick from electorate”, Allister Sparks makes all sorts of accusations against the ANC (and by extension Jacob Zuma), which he concludes by galvanizing the electorate to “sharply reduce” the ANC’s majority. Like many others, Sparks would have us believe that the ANC is trying to “illegally” get Zuma off th…

Sometime back at Wits University, one John Cuhn took over from Vuyiswa Tulelo (current ANCYL SG) with his new student movement called ISA (I think it was Independent Student Alliance). Unbeknown to his opponents, Cuhn was quite shrewd. This was his strategy: - 1) The name Names with populist cliché like "Independent", "Democratic", "Freedom" could sometimes be appealing among the unsuspecting electorate. While they appear to indicate values, they are - in most cases - an electioneering ploy. Watch out! But these are more overt examples. For example, the violent rebel group that "broke away" from the ruling party in Uganda, calls themselves Lord&…

- Sometime back at Wits University, one John Cuhn took over from Vuyiswa Tulelo (current ANCYL SG) with his new student movement called ISA (I think it was Independent Student Alliance). Unbeknown to his opponents, Cuhn was quite shrewd. This was his strategy: 1) The name - Names with populist cliché like "Independent", "Democratic", "Freedom" could sometimes be appealing among the unsuspecting electorate. While they appear to indicate values, they are - in most cases - an electioneering ploy. Watch out! But these are more overt examples. For example, the violent rebel group that "broke away" from the rulin party in Uganda, calls themselves Lord…

On 23 January 2009, ANC spokesperson, Dr Carl Niehaus, wrote an opinion piece on Business Day titled: "Eight years on Zuma's rights still being violated." The thrust of Dr Niehaus argument was that the NPA is responsible for the delays in ANC president, Jacob Zuma's trial, and that it is unfair to claim that Zuma is the guilty party. - On the same day, an expert in Constitutional Law at University of Western Cape, Prof Pierre de Vos, responded to Niehaus article, and contested that the former is rather one-sided with his argument. In his own analysis, Prof. de Vos arrived to a conclusion that “both” the NPA and Zuma are responsible for the delays. The profe…

The Shikota group is branding itself as a new age political party, which does not carry with it the "burden" of liberation politics. It seems according to this positioning, that Shikota would like to restrict the history of South African politics to the era of CODESA, thus discard everything that happened before then as a "burden" that is holding the country from moving forward. - This particular positioning has indeed found resonance with opposition parties like the DA, whose major discomfort is the extent to which liberation politics continue to elevate the ANC above all other political parties. There is also another group, which is enthused by this positioning, larg…

- By Setumo Stone What is the ANC? Is it the building called Lithuli House on 54 Sauer Street in downtown Johannesburg? Is it the sharp-nose-shoe leadership cadre based in Sandton-like neighborhoods? This question could elicit a range of responses, safe to say that none would “in all probability” be wrong, because the ANC is a broad church and could have different meanings to different individuals. To the Boeremag and unreconstructed racists, the ANC is an enemy. To the opposition parties and many in the media, the ANC is a giant which needs to be cut down to size. To the business community (especially the newly found BEE’s), the ANC is a ticket to greater heights,…

- By Setumo Stone Did Terror Lekota announce the formation of a new political party? Does it exist? Does it even have a name? Why not? Because he is a coward!!! It was very clear and unambiguous on Tuesday that Lekota’s infamous press conference the following day would be the announcement of a new political party. It was precisely because of this anticipation that news hounds countrywide felt that there was no other place to be on Wednesday morning but Primedia House in Sandton. To the disappointment of all those who attended, those who took time to watch on TV and those who listened on radio, Terror Lekota (flanked by Mluleki George) announced NOTHING. The highlight of Lek…

A caretaker president has been elected and sworn into office for South Africa to succeed Thabo Mbeki. The National Assembly in Cape Town voted the ruling African National Congress` deputy leader Kgalema Motlanthe on Thursday morning. He snatched 269 against his rival`s 50 of the total vote cast. - Mbeki announced his resignation on Sunday over claims of political interference in a corruption case against Zuma. He denies the allegations but said he was stepping down in the interests of party unity, as the ANC leadership said it was recalling him. His political rise has been slow but sure, the BBC reported. In 1997, he became ANC secretary-general and 10 years later he was elected as the r…

The resignation of Thabo Mbeki as president of South Africa has resuscitated the doomsayers, scaremongers and panic-maniacs, most of who are commonly known to have harbored doubts about the country as far back as 1994. The exodus in the early years of democratic dispensation under the threat of "die swart gevaar" (the black threat) can attest to that. - But unlike 1994, the new scare crowd is now backed by the newly found black middle class, whose social and political consciousness has since become limited to the size of their bank coffers. With their actions, in-actions and opinions, these so-called “black diamonds” contribute to the deviation of the country from the c…

Watching the Democratic Alliance leader after the ANC NEC`s announcement of the decision to recall President Thabo Mbeki, she looked very much defeated. - Known to many as an opportunist who always dares to seize the occasion, Helen Zille chose not to be her usual purring and scratching self, while the carcass of Mbeki’s presidency was still fresh. It dawned to me that the decisive action by the NEC, might have just put an end to the legend of a Zuma and an Mbeki faction within the ANC. Without Thabo Mbeki at the helm of the country, it would be very difficult for Zille and fellow opposition backers to keep projecting views of a power struggle within the ANC. Truth be told, the d…

- By Setumo Stone I realise that a couple of people on this website have been reading some of my blog posts. I’m sure at some point they had to ask themselves why Jacob Zuma is at the centre of everything I wrote. I will try to shed some light around what would seem to others like “an obsession” with the man. As I was listening to Judge Nicholson deliver his verdict yesterday when he withdrew the corruption and fraud charges against Zuma, I nearly broke down into tears. It was a difficult feeling to explain maybe without exaggerating it, but nonetheless it was overwhelming. It was very humbling, to hear a learned judge repeat everything that I have raised in some o…

- What is the rule of law? By: Setumo Stone 14 years into democracy, and South Africa has indeed come full circle. Just like back in the days of apartheid, the rule of law has again become a subject of “subjective” debate and political discourse. It is not a far-fetched memory that even when apartheid was at its height, the media (which mostly served to uphold the status quo), kept preaching to the masses that their rebellion against an oppressive and unjust system was a violation and a threat to the rule of law. The same courts of law and the judges who where sustaining and guarding the survival of apartheid, where portrayed as the defenders of principle, whom the ma…

- What does Gilbert Marcus know about the merits of Zuma’s case? By Setumo Stone Media reports emanating from the case of Judge Hlope in the Johannesburg High Court make reference to the Constitutional Courts’ advocate, Gilbert Marcus SC, “quoting extensively from the court papers in the Zuma matter”. The much publicised headline: “Court hears of parallels between Zuma, Hlope” quotes Gilbert Marcus as follows: “(as in the Zuma case) the right to dignity does not necessarily extend to the right not to be named as a suspect once there is reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed.” It also goes on to say: “"…

- By: Setumo Stone Many commentators, analysts and academics have recently been bemoaning what they term to bean “an attack on the judiciary”. While one appreciates the noble intentions behind “judicial independence”, it is equally important that the judiciary itself handles matters in front of it in a manner that enhances public confidence. Therefore, the judiciary must anticipate that if any aspect of their work fails to satisfy the public’s understanding of the matter, they would be challenged to expatiate. The following extract is taken from the ruling of the Constitutional Court against Mr Jacob Zuma’s challenge on the state’s “searc…

- What exactly is Jacob Zuma guilty of? By: Setumo Stone Show me one man, who has been convicted of some of the most ridiculous charges in the history of mankind, I’ll show you Jacob Zuma. Despite of the fact that no court has ever pronounced Zuma’s guilt on any matter, his person has been the subject of unsubstantiated conviction in the public arena. As the following case in points will reveal, the level of animosity harbored by a disgruntled minority section of our society on the person of Zuma, cannot be good for our teenage democracy. Even more dangerous, is the extent to which the media has played a culpable ready-to-pounce role of a kangaroo court for all so…

- South Africa: Youth Leader must NOT apologise By: Setumo Stone South Africa has been rocked by the statement made by the President of the ANC Youth League, Julius Malema, when he said that the youth is “prepared to die for (Jacob) Zuma”, and “prepared to take up arms and kill for Zuma.” Personally, it is not the first time I hear someone proclaim that they will “kill” to protect their loved one from any victimisation. Whether such sentiment is expressed privately or publicly should not necessarily be an issue. It is therefore my understanding that Malema was simply putting through that, in remembrance of the 1976 youth who were ready to …

- By Setumo Stone The friends of Jacob Zuma have consistently voiced that the judiciary is being used to murder his political life. Although the totality of these calls is a complex subject, evidence to that effect has been provided by a couple of incidents where statements of the judiciary have been twisted by the detractors of JZ to fulfill their own political vendetta. First it was the judgment of Judge Hillary Squires. Though Squires’ judgment made no mention of a “generally corrupt relationship” between JZ and Schabir Shaik, the detractors of JZ saw it fit to derive their own version of the ruling, and implicate JZ by proxy in a case where he was NOT on trial.…

Many people have condemned the so-called xenophobic attacks, but the question we need to ask is whether we are speaking to root of the people's grievances? - Our South African history should teach us that “the masses” never just erupt in a wave of anger without any form of valid grievances. Many people have condemned the so-called xenophobic attacks, but the question we need to ask is whether we are speaking to root of the people’s grievances? While it is generally admirable to put ourselves in the shoes of the victim, totally ignoring the circumstances and context influencing the perpetrator does not really help. How do you expect someone who missed out on h…

- Many people frequently remind all of us that apartheid is over, and that we need to get rid of the "chips" on our shoulders. In most cases, this argument misses the point that any reference to the apartheid legacy does not necessarily mean a denial of the system's much welcomed downfall. Here I was, on a trip to seek spiritual motivation and BAM!!!...there was a picture of a "white" God on my church wall. It was not like I haven't seen the picture before, but I was amazed that it is still "sitting tight," fourteen years after the disbandment of apartheid. I was reminded of a story I once read on an internet blog, where the author related…

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