Eusebius on TimesLIVE

Though constitutional processes necessitate government not putting the cart before the horse and engaging the public on proposed changes to the law, it is clear the government favours the decriminalisation of sex work.

In this short edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, our contributor and analyst explains the Constitutional Court’s legal reasoning for its order that SACP leader Chris Hani’s assassin, Janusz Waluś, be paroled.

Eusebius McKaiser explains why, in his view, the decision is legally sound in terms of constitutional jurisprudence.

He examines the political and ethical context and consequences of the judgment, recognising that the legal reasoning cannot displace complex psycho-political dynamics in the country.

In this short edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, our contributor and analyst explains the Constitutional Court’s legal reasoning that resulted in an order that SACP leader Chris Hani’s assassin, Janusz Waluś, should be freed on parole.

He explains why, in his view, the decision is legally sound in terms of constitutional jurisprudence.

Eusebius McKaiser examines the political and ethical context and consequences of the judgment, recognising that the legal reasoning cannot displace complex psycho-political dynamics in the country.

In the latest edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE he is joined by journalist and author Jacques Pauw to discuss his new book, Our Poisoned Land. It is a sequel to his previous bestseller, The President's Keepers.

McKaiser engaged Pauw on many themes and questions which included, amongst others, the following: is the much discussed excerpt about the EFF a distraction from the main issues in the book or a fair reflection of his intentions as author? How does he respond to critics who think that unethical journalism, related to an incident at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, undermines his journalistic integrity and credibility?

What are examples of the linkages between money, politics and the subversion of the constitution? Why is PRASA such a big focus of the book? What are the implications of the empirical evidence of state capture specifically for the leadership of president Cyril Ramaphosa? Is the EFF a bona fide political party or a criminal enterprise?

Eusebius McKaiser invited TimesLIVE editor Makhudu Sefara to discuss a TimesLIVE editorial that caught the podcast host’s attention.

Sefara explains the editorial’s logic in support of the view that the politics playing out in Gauteng metros show political parties only care about power play and careerism, rather than about residents of the municipalities.

The mayoral battles in Ekurhuleni in recent weeks are the main example discussed by Sefara and McKaiser.

The editor argues that the DA’s Tania Campbell “is an accidental mayor” in the sense that her position is the result of the ANC and EFF being unable to resolve their political differences about how to dislodge the DA in Gauteng municipalities. The implication for residents, and voters, is that responsive government is deprioritised while careerism and horse-trading take centre stage.

The rest of the episode explores the wider political ramifications of these dynamics.

Lukhona Mnguni, head of research at Rivonia Circle, joined Eusebius McKaiser on his TimesLIVE podcast to discuss the results of polling data and other research his organisation commissioned and worked on with Ipsos.

The discussion started with an explanation of the research methodology. McKaiser pressure-tested the integrity of political polling in South Africa generally, raising concerns about demographic representation, sample size and assumptions about telephony and so on. Mnguni conceded the importance of methodological hygiene, but explained that qualitative and quantitative methods were drawn on to ensure the results were "robust".

The meat of the discussion was about the political sentiments of registered voters. Mnguni unpacked their dominant concerns, with unemployment the most worrisome. Others included crime, corruption, blackouts and the rising cost of living. These factors, voters indicated to pollsters, were inadequately addressed by political parties. In terms of governance, about 74% of respondents thought the country was heading in the wrong direction, in no small part due to their five major concerns not being adequately addressed.

The conversation between McKaiser and Mnguni then segued to the implications for democracy and what practical and strategic lessons political parties ought to read from these results. Mnguni was adamant that a sceptical conclusion about the state of our democracy was not unavoidable, but depended on political parties humbling themselves, taking voters seriously, listening to them and shifting from critiquing each other to offering solutions to voters' biggest concerns.

In this edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE the host offers his political interpretation, with which listeners of the podcast can wrestle, about former president Jacob Zuma's press conference this past weekend.

McKaiser believes Zuma had two intentions: a desire to influence discourse about his political biography, and an attempt to influence the leadership battles within the ANC.

Why does he think these were Zuma’s aims? And how does he assess Zuma’s performance in the presser?

Bain released a statement in which they asked the government to repeal a decision to ban the company from doing business with the state for 10 years. The decision was made because Bain has been implicated in state capture, but the company insists it is innocent.

In a recent press statement, Bain argued “the South African Revenue Service (Sars) was — and remains — a critical institution and a source of pride for us as South Africans. We are embarrassed that this — procurement mistakes — could have occurred in the first place and are angry that our work was used by others to damage a critical institution and South Africa”.

They also claimed: “There is no evidence Bain colluded with Sars or engaged in any corrupt and fraudulent practices.”Eusebius McKaiser invited Financial Mail deputy editor Natasha Marrian and Iraj Abedian, chief economist at Pan-African Investment & Research Services, to join him to discuss the company’s claims. Bain refused to participate in the discussion.

In this edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE he analyses a controversial tweet DA leader Helen Zille aligned herself with.

McKaiser argues why the tweet is not innocuous, but rather reveals a social conservatism and ahistoricism on the part of Zille.

He teases out the implications for both the DA’s general brand and the danger of a reduction in competitive politics if such missteps are not nipped in the bud by Zille’s party leadership peers.

As always, listeners of the podcast can decide for themselves whether the analysis by McKaiser is cogent.

Terry Tselane, former vice-chairperson of the Electoral Commission (IEC) and executive chairperson of the Institute of Election Management Services in Africa, joined Eusebius McKaiser on his TimesLIVE podcast.

Looking ahead to the 2024 national elections, they discussed whether electoral processes in SA are beyond reproach, or whether elections could conceivably be stolen.

Mike Siluma, deputy editor of The Sunday Times, and Susan Booysen, well-known political analyst, joined Eusebius McKaiser on his TimesLIVE podcast to discuss the current state of ANC leadership battles. The impetus for this episode of the podcast is the press statement this past week by former president Jacob Zuma that stated a number of views he holds ahead of the ANC elective conference.

Zuma argued that a “generational mix” rather than a “generational takeover” is the best guiding principle for the ANC elective conference choices. He also indicated his availability to be elected as ANC chair in the event that branches of the ANC should nominate him.

The first task of the panellists was to try to make sense of the Zuma press statement. Booysen argued that the former president is “delusional” in his assessment of how much political weight he still carries, and how much influence he has to potentially affect the outcome of the ANC elective conference.

Siluma agreed with her, and pointed to the obvious differences between the former president's wishes, and the preferences of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial leadership.

Thereafter the panel members debated whether current president Ramaphosa is likely to be elected back into his position. Though there was some agreement that this might be the case, the discussants agreed that the situation varies significantly from the position at the beginning of the year.