Tag: democracy

Nearly three decades after the dawn of democracy, South Africa has remained a country of ‘two agricultures’. On the one hand we have a subsistence, primarily non-commercial, black farming segment. On the other hand, however, we have a predominantly commercial and white farming sector that is well-resourced and has access to domestic and international trade networks.

A multidisciplinary analysis of how state capture unfolded in South Africa and was contested within both civil society and the state itself. It presents a scholarly and empirical understanding of how things went awry, even with various regulating bodies in place, and how to prevent state capture from happening again in the future.

The human right to freely express ourselves without censorship is essential to South African democracy. If used positively, it enables us to foster understanding and tolerance among individuals with different opinions.

When we think about the human right to education, we often think about it as relating to children. We imagine children starting their school career at a young age and being supported as they progress through the years. Ultimately emerging from the system as young adults who have the capacity either to study further or to find employment. This is their right. It’s enshrined in the constitution.

Modern day states are characterised by an implicit admission that everyone who is living under them, consents to be governed by them. Yet when one looks at the world, in any society, there is always a large portion of people who not only disagree with authority but actively did not consent to it by voting differently or not at all. Are the views of these people not important because they represent a minority?

In January 2023, I will be joining one of South Africa’s leading think tanks, the Free Market Foundation (FMF), as its new Chief Executive. It will be an honour to serve an organisation that has promoted a market economy, the rule of law, and individual rights for nearly half a century. My appointment has led me to reflect on what think tanks are for, and their rapidly changing role in the policy - and political - landscape in South Africa.

Read our exclusive cover story titled WHO WILL WATCH THE WATCHMEN? - THE RELEVANCE & ROLE OF THINK TANKS by David Ansara, Chief Executive (Designate), Free Market Foundation, as well a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics in the December/January 2022/23 edition.

“It is not a question of patronising philanthropy towards disabled people. They do not need the patronage of the non- disabled. It is not for them to adapt to the dominant and dominating world of the so-called non-disabled. It is for us to adapt our understanding of a common humanity; to learn of the richness of how human life is diverse; to recognise the presence of disability in our human midst as an enrichment of our diversity.” - Nelson Mandela

Basetsana Kumalo shot to fame as Miss South Africa in 1994 and soon became the face of South Africa’s new democracy. As the first black presenter of the glamorous lifestyle TV show Top Billing, she travelled the world and interviewed legends like Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jackson and Luther Vandross.

The ANC government continues to ride roughshod over the interests of the country without consequence. All their opponents in politics, in business, in churches, and in civil society, wail and weep without noticeable effect. Ramaphosa and his minions are masters of realpolitik - how to prevail over all opposition, how to pull the levers of influence, how to whisper veiled threats in the right ears.