I’m returning temporarily at the request of some to discuss the implications of the 2007/2008 state budget. In this regard I’ll investigate the proposed state pension scheme in plain terms in a separate post later. I’ll also explain in another why the fact that a budget surplus has been allowed to develop is not all [...]

Petty thieves may soon be given the chance to pay restitution to their victims instead of going to jail, if a new proposal from the National Prosecuting Authority becomes reality. Prior to being sentenced, the convicted criminal will have an opportunity to negotiate with his victim(s) on a suitable fine and if they come to [...]

(*according to Thabo Mbeki)
1. The Media.
2. The 2006 FIFA World Cup.
3. Medical science.
4. Cosatu.
And now the BBC, whose sin was to produce a documentary highlighting the hitherto-unknown fact that crime exists in South Africa. Can we all agree that this redefinition of “racism” to mean “things the ANC government doesn’t like” is getting a bit [...]

I suggest every national serviceman and woman, all national and metropolitan police officers, and all prison warders be summarily empowered to enforce all the laws of the country – national statutes as well as provincial ordinances and municipal bylaws – and to arrest every suspect and cart them off to prison until a court decides [...]

I was intrigued by the following line in President Mbeki’s speech on crime last Thursday:

Mbeki was replying to points raised in the National Assembly during the debate on his State of the Nation address. He said from 1994/95 to 2006/07, the police budget had increased from R7,7-billion to R32,5-billion… Police numbers have increased from 116 [...]

The trouble with “peak oil” theorists is that they’re hard to take seriously; it’s tricky to distinguish genuine analysis from wishful thinking. Take this piece, for example, written by Jim Kunstler. I’m new to his writing, but apparently he’s considered something of a prophet amongst peak-oilers. And his arguments are, well… pretty weird. Not only [...]

This serves as notice that I am immediately going on an indefinite leave of absence from Commentary South Africa. I will return once I have sorted my life out.

As recently reported, the Pentagon is to create an entirely new military command dedicated entirely to Africa. To be established sometime this year, the command is concrete evidence of the importance the US is placing on Africa as a theatre in the war on terror and a future security issue.

What’s happening: Up till now, Africa [...]

As a small illustration the depth of the crime problem in South Africa, I thought I’d make a quick list of my own experiences with crime (or those of people close to me) over the past month:

My mother owns a shop in a local shopping centre. About a month ago, a cellular store nearby her [...]

One of the more obscure outcomes of the doomed FNB crime campaign has been to strengthen the case for secret political finance. This is an old debate: certain intellectuals and groups like IDASA have been arguing for a long time that secret political contributions (ie. the status quo) are corrupting and should be banned. The [...]

We all know that conscription is a bad idea, both morally and pragmatically. Morally, it’s an unjustified violation of individual liberty, particularly given that we’re not actually at war with anyone. Pragmatically, it’s difficult to see how we’re going to “alleviate the crime problem” by taking young men with no employment prospects, training them in [...]