Opinion Archives - Page 11 of 13

Water Security in the Southern African Development Community: A Vision for a GigWater Economy

10Dec

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Opinion

Water Security in the Southern African Development Community: A Vision for a GigWater Economy

By Fumene George Tsibani: Hartbeespoort Dam project (Image: By Infrastructurenews/WISA) PURPOSE: The fourth of December 2025 saw a thoughtful contribution to the public discourse on water security from Mr Ramateu Monyokolo, chairperson of the Rand Water Board. In his article “Water Security is Central: Secure Resources and Fortify Climate Change,” published in The Citizen, Mr Monyokolo underscored the pivotal role of Rand Water as a world‑class bulk water distributor operating under the Water Services Act 1997. He rightly identified the utility as a catalyst for regional water security within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This piece will expand upon his insights, weaving historical precedent, technological innovation and strategic governance ...

South Africa became the world’s billboard during the G20 year, and our creative industry proved its power

28Nov

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Opinion

South Africa became the world’s billboard during the G20 year, and our creative industry proved its power

By Nombini Mehlomakulu: An emblem for the South Africa-hosted G20 Summit outside the summit venue, Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg. (Image: Thobile Jiwulane) There are moments in a nation’s history when attention becomes a national asset. For South Africa, the G20 year was one such moment. Over the past twelve months, our country became a global stage, a communication platform and, in many ways, the world’s visual billboard. As Johannesburg hosted the first G20 Leaders’ Summit on African soil, the advertising and creative industries found themselves at the heart of one of the most powerful narrative shifts our democracy has experienced since the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This was more than an international meeting. It was a year-long communications campaign that told a S...

RAISING COMPETITIVENESS THROUGH REFORM: Xi Jinping Thought guides the governance of China’s state-owned enterprises

21Nov

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Opinion

RAISING COMPETITIVENESS THROUGH REFORM: Xi Jinping Thought guides the governance of China’s state-owned enterprises

By Busani Ngcaweni: A worker installs components on the assembly line of state-owned new energy vehicle brand Voyah in Wuhan, Hubei Province, on 9 April (Image: Xinhua) The governance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has long been central to political and institutional economic debates. Critics often associate SOEs with inefficiency, rent-seeking and dogma, treating them as relics of command economies. Yet in many developmental states, they have been engines of industrialisation, technological progress and national resilience. China provides perhaps the most striking example. Its SOEs have survived and evolved, some becoming globally competitive multinationals in energy, infrastructure and telecommunications. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s writings, contained in five ...

CENTRALISATION: The key to delivering Ramaphosa’s R1 trillion infrastructure vision

14Nov

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Opinion

CENTRALISATION: The key to delivering Ramaphosa’s R1 trillion infrastructure vision

By Zandisile Luphahla: (Image: Cogta) As President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the 2025 National Construction Summit underway at the Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni from Thursday, his announcement of R1 trillion for infrastructure isn't just ambitious; it's a defining moment for South Africa's economic future. But as delegates gather over these two days, one critical question demands urgent attention: Can our current fragmented system actually deliver on this promise? Thirty years of evidence says no. The solution isn't more money or more programs; it's fundamental institutional reform through centralisation of infrastructure budgets. President Ramaphosa is telling the summit that his administration has placed infrastructure development at the centre of the countr...

NGUBENGCUKA IS AMBITIOUS LIKE CAESAR: A comparison between Zamikhaya Maseti and Julius Caesar

13Nov

By News SANo Comments

Opinion

NGUBENGCUKA IS AMBITIOUS LIKE CAESAR: A comparison between Zamikhaya Maseti and Julius Caesar

By George Tsibani: Blade Nzimande (Image: Polity.org) The comparison between Zamikhaya Maseti and Julius Caesar is apt, as both leaders are driven by ambition and a desire to shape their respective domains. Maseti’s article sounds very positive but highlights Caesarian methodology regarding global efforts by SACP, including the SACP cadres’ economic analysis today through Minister Enoch Godongwana’s MTBPs, read with the RMB October 2025 Report. Corruption and decadence Maseti's critique of the SACP cadres highlights an urgent need for alignment with Left-wing global policies, strategies and plans. He experts the cadres of SACP not to be found with “self-serving tendencies”, which is reminiscent of the corruption and decadence that Caesar sought to challenge in ...

22Oct

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Opinion

We need to reject recolonisation

By Fumene George Tsibani: In my considered opinion, the trajectory of South Africa's political landscape appears to be undergoing a profound transformation, warranting scrutiny through the lens of historical materialism and critical discourse analysis. The contention that we are witnessing the unfolding of Apartheid Phase II, characterised by the Democratic Alliance's (DA) consolidation of power through modernisation theory rooted in neoliberalism, merits examination. Hegemony, Guptarisaton and Re-Bantusation Drawing upon the Gramscian concept of hegemony, it can be argued that the DA is attempting to exercise cultural and ideological leadership through its control of media and propaganda machinery. This is manifest in the creation of f...

OUR PRIDE: We need to take pride in our home languages

20Sep

By News SANo Comments

Opinion

OUR PRIDE: We need to take pride in our home languages

By Harold Lekhuleni: A close-up shot of the realistic flag of South Africa with interesting textures Language is a medium through which ideas and thoughts are created. We express our views and opinions through our languages. Since September is our Heritage Month, we need to dedicate and recommit ourselves, especially as Africans, in developing our home languages. The decolonisation of the mind will not have been achieved until Africans learn through the medium of their language, even up to the institution of higher learning. Already, the South African Constitution recognizes our home languages and urges the state to take practical and positive measures to elevate their status and also to advance their usage. It is unfortunate that the perception held by many South A...

How the Northern Cape is rewriting South Africa’s employment story

16Sep

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Opinion

How the Northern Cape is rewriting South Africa’s employment story

By Zandisile Luphahla: Image (Michael Lebakeng) The Author argues that a groundbreaking education program is transforming temporary work into permanent empowerment and other provinces should take note. When Premier Dr. Zamani Saul launched the Northern Cape's Expanded Public Works’ Second Chance Matric Program in Upington on September 5, targeting more than 600 students across five districts, he wasn't just announcing another government initiative. He was unveiling a blueprint that could revolutionize how South Africa approaches unemployment and skills development. A practical solution The numbers tell a compelling story: What began as a modest pilot program initiated by the Northern Cape MEC for Roads and Public Works, Mme Fufe Makatong, on the 6th of Sep...

REGIME CHANGE: The proliferation of fashionable political parties is nothing but a regime change plot

11Sep

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Opinion

REGIME CHANGE: The proliferation of fashionable political parties is nothing but a regime change plot

By Fumene George Tsibani: Limkile magwala ndini! It is hardly surprising that the proliferation of black fashionable political parties in South Africa has become a poignant reminder of the erstwhile homeland system, rooted in the reprehensible ideology of swart gevaar. This system necessitated modernisation to maintain the status quo, ensuring the preservation of a dual economy and social Darwinism. The first becomers The Global North funders have astutely observed that many black South Africans are enamoured with the notion of being the "first" to achieve a particular milestone. This phenomenon is evident in various aspects of life, including claims of being the first black person to reside in a white suburb post-1995, the first black engineer, medical prof...

SACP lost both PUK number and Black Box in terms of the Global South political landscape

8Sep

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Opinion

SACP lost both PUK number and Black Box in terms of the Global South political landscape

By Fumene George Tsibani: The South African Communist Party's (SACP) decision to contest the 2026 local government elections independently has sparked intense debate. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has strongly criticized this move, labeling it a "monumental disaster" that threatens the unity of the liberation movement. Mbalula argues that the SACP's decision is ideologically flawed and politically dangerous, as it will fracture the historic tripartite alliance between the ANC, SACP, and COSATU. The SACP has lost not just the PIN number but also the PUK number. It must look for the black box not from Global North but rather from Global South. The Global South has our revolutionary friends who have both the PUK number and Black Box for our incom...