HOW TECHNICALITIES ARE USED TO MASK INTENT

President Jacob Zuma’s decision to nominate Justice Sandile Ngcobo for the position of Chief Justice violated the Constitutional provision that he consult before appointing. This edition of the Real ANC Today attempts to cut through the rhetoric surrounding the President’s decision and reveal his true intent: which was never to consult; indeed, even if a [...]

LOSING FOCUS

The latest edition of Focus Magazine – the flagship publication of the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) – contains within it five speeches by President Jacob Zuma, all of them printed in full. Is this really the kind of thinking the HSF, a liberal institution, should be promoting? There is a strong case to be made [...]

UNDERSTANDING POOR JOURNALISM

A look at the way in which the Sowetan newspaper broke the story about Helen Zille’s comment on Jacob Zuma and how it constitutes an excellent illustration of poor journalism and weak editorial control.
Related Stories:
• Analysing the Analysts
• A Numbing of the Public Mind
• Strengthening South Africa’s Public Debate

THE ANC AND RELIGION: PART 4 – JACOB ZUMA AND GOD

The fourth in a five-part series on the ANC and religion. Religion is a helpful metaphor for understanding the ANC’s political ideology and, in particular, for better understanding the politics of Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Each part of the five posts will explore this idea. Today, we bring you part 4 – a look [...]

THE JUDICIARY ON THE ANC

An overview of 11 key Judgments handed down by the High Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court, regarding the ANC government and the nature of its administration. The Nicholson Judgment has brought the ANC’s behaviour into stark relief. Against that background, it is worth considering what the Courts have had to [...]

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN

Jacob Zuma seems to be surrounded by people with less than inspiring public records; and, the closer your get to the ANC President, the more dubious their contribution to South Africa seems to become. Who are these people, what are their public records and why do they attach so strongly to Jacob Zuma?
Related Stories:
• Defending the [...]

DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE – ZUMA ON HIV/AIDS

The third instalment, out of three, on ANC President Jacob Zuma, his public record and the prospect of a Zuma Presidency. In this edition we look at his record on HIV/Aids. What did he say when Mbeki was questioning the link between a virus and a syndrome? Did he defend the President or stand up [...]

BEYOND THE WILL OF MORTAL MEN

The second instalment, out of three, on ANC President Jacob Zuma, his public record and the prospect of a Zuma Presidency. Jacob Zuma is constantly invoking religion in his communication. But it is much more than a metaphor, indeed, Zuma seems to believe that the fate of the ANC and the Bible are intricately connected. [...]

BUSTING THE ZUMA MYTH ABOUT ZIMBABWE

The first instalment, out of three, on ANC President Jacob Zuma, his public record and the prospect of a Zuma Presidency. There is a myth that Jacob Zuma is different to Thabo Mbeki – that, with regard to issues like Zimbabwe and HIV/Aids, he will do the right thing. His track record, however, says otherwise [...]