Raymond Suttner
The Christchurch massacre: leadership in New Zealand and South Africa
25th March 2019 In the wake of the mosque massacres in Christchurch, New Zealand, many have admired the actions of New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. It... →
25 years of democracy (Part 5): xenophobia repudiates foundational values of democratic South Africa
19th March 2019 Why is xenophobia so important? Some readers may believe that the title of this article places too much weight on xenophobia. It comprises a set... →
25 years of democracy part 4: decline of the liberation project
11th March 2019 The impetus behind the writing of this article has been the exhortation on the part of many well-meaning people to exercise our civic duty and... →
25 years of democracy (part 3): Denial of dignity then and now
25th February 2019 “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of... →
25 years of democracy (Part 2): Debate, depoliticisation and absence of vision
18th February 2019 There was a time when the struggle in South Africa was suffused with debate, contending positions being examined and questioned and many people... →
25 years of democracy (Part 1): ruptures and continuities
11th February 2019 How is it that what seemed so promising in the inauguration of South African democracy, 25 years ago, has turned sour? Should those who were... →
Zuma’s “nine wasted years” and the question of “renewal”
4th February 2019 A row has broken out in ANC ranks over claims by Cyril Ramaphosa (on which he sometimes wavers) and Tito Mboweni that the period of Jacob Zuma’s... →
#StopXenophobia in all its guises!
30th January 2019 Far from abating, the xenophobic climate in South Africa may be heightening as multiple social and economic crises increase impoverishment and... →
Ramaphosa’s wooing of Zuma: does it spell problems for the country?
21st January 2019 Since the 2017 ANC conference held at Nasrec in Johannesburg, it has been clear that the organisation has not been united behind Cyril Ramaphosa as... →
ANC at 107: history, values and strategies
14th January 2019 The ANC is very preoccupied with its history and it has been drawn on for different reasons at different times. During the freedom struggle that... →
May elections: what is the price of an ANC electoral victory?
7th January 2019 In four months, there will be general elections for national and provincial legislatures. While the other main parties are in disarray, the ANC... →
Has Cyril Ramaphosa’s position weakened and, if so, what are the consequences?
10th December 2018 Until now many observers, including myself, have been at pains to credit President Cyril Ramaphosa and his allies with addressing the need to clean... →
What is at stake in demanding formal educational qualifications in democratic politics?
3rd December 2018 Factional battles as well as tensions over white control in the DA appear to have led to a focus on the DA Chief Whip in the National Assembly,... →
The popular, populism and the crisis of representation
28th November 2018 Democracy is often discussed in a way that seriously limits our understanding of its theory and practice. This was very evident in the Cold War... →
Securing Ramaphosa’s presidency – at what cost?
26th November 2018 There is no need to recapitulate in detail the expectations that many people cherished for the Cyril Ramaphosa presidency. Many of these were not... →
Xenophobic discourse and disease
21st November 2018 Recently, Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi expressed his concern about the influx of illegal immigrants because of the strain this was placing... →
Ethics and scholarship: revisiting why I withdrew a thesis 49 years ago
6th November 2018 On 14 December I will be awarded a Master of Laws (LLM) degree by UCT. This, as many media reports have noted, is 49 years after I first submitted... →
Constitutionalism and the quality of democracy: are we immune to fascism?
30th October 2018 In contemporary South Africa much attention is rightly devoted to restoring legality, constitutionalism and practices that conform to what is... →
The place of the popular and the populist
24th October 2018 It is common in political commentary -locally and internationally- to treat the popular and populist as one. It is important that they be... →
Breaking with Zumaism
8th October 2018 The hope has been repeatedly expressed that the onset of Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency of the ANC and the country would represent a break with the... →
Gandhi and Mandela: a tentative interpretation
2nd October 2018 Mohandas Karamchand “Mahatma” Gandhi and Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela were very different types of persons in most respects. But it is too easy to... →
Freedom and ethics – then and now
26th September 2018 What did it mean to join the liberation struggle against apartheid, in the difficult times and what does it mean now? Joining the liberation... →
Building mutual solidarity in a time of callousness
17th September 2018 There is no doubt that the current ANC leadership faces great challenges. Having relieved the country of the burden of the Jacob Zuma presidency,... →
Attacks on “foreign nationals” and callous indifference
11th September 2018 “And Jesus said…’Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”- Matthew 8:20 The recent... →
End or new phase of coalition politics?
3rd September 2018 The results of the 2016 Local Government elections revealed the possibility of the ANC being defeated in the 2019 national elections. This would... →
Accountability, dignity and compassion
21st August 2018 At the core of the South African constitution is a vision of a society that is based on human dignity and the rights of all its peoples. The... →
On whom do we rely for our democratic future?
13th August 2018 Who is the custodian of our democratic and transformational project, who do we look to in order to see it through and safeguard its integrity and... →
“Expropriation without compensation” Where is the plan for addressing land reform?
6th August 2018 Democratic and ethical leadership depends, in the first place, on trust. People need to believe and trust what a leader or organisation says... →
Undeclared crisis of the “new dawn”
30th July 2018 There are a range of developments happening simultaneously at the moment that throw a disquieting light on any democratic and potentially broader... →
Insights of rating agencies and thinking on the ground
16th July 2018 When Cyril Ramaphosa became state president, he inherited leadership in a state with a massive debt. Indebtedness hovers everywhere and seeps into... →
Lessons from Mandela’s leadership (Part 5)
9th July 2018 This series has repeatedly referred to the problem of celebrating Nelson Mandela without articulating the qualities that attached to him, that... →
Nelson Mandela’s leadership and gender practices (#MandelaLeadershipSeries Part 4)
2nd July 2018 The centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth continues to be dominated by celebration of a person, the character of whose greatness is not probed.... →
Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership: Many challenges, “no easy ride”
25th June 2018 The election of Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president in December marked a significant, albeit indecisive break with the Jacob Zuma era. Ramaphosa... →
Imagery and identities in Mandela’s leadership (Part 3)
18th June 2018 From early in his life Nelson Mandela was very conscious of who he was, in relation to others, his identity or identities and the imagery that he... →
Nelson Mandela’s “obstinacy” – #Mandela’s leadership part 2
11th June 2018 Nelson Mandela was notoriously stubborn or obstinate both words that are generally used to connote negative qualities. But the dictionaries... →
Nelson Mandela’s leadership-Part 1: the early years
4th June 2018 Despite the plethora of articles and books on Nelson Mandela, little is written on the precise qualities from which we can learn and possibly... →
How do we understand Nelson Mandela@100?
29th May 2018 The centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth is an opportunity to reflect on the character of his life. One of the features of being a leader,... →
ANC recovery and democratic recovery-not the same thing
21st May 2018 There is no doubt that very many South Africans feel more positive about political developments since the election of Cyril Ramaphosa to the ANC... →
Democratic state crisis holds security dangers
14th May 2018 Last week I wrote an article referring to a democratic and state crisis.... →
Democratic project in trouble. How does it get remedied?
7th May 2018 It is well known that Cyril Ramaphosa’s election as ANC president in December was by a small number of votes and that he was elected alongside... →
How do we understand our freedom?
30th April 2018 How do we celebrate Freedom Day, or should we celebrate Freedom Day at all in South Africa, 24 years after the first democratic elections, years... →
