In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS STRONG AND SOMETIMES GRAPHIC LANGUAGE INCLUDING DESCRIPTIONS OF RACISM/COLOURISM, VIOLENCE AND SPECIFICALLY SEXUAL VIOLENCE 

In this episode of In The Ring, I hosted Ismail Lagardien, the author of Too White To Be Coloured, Too Coloured To Be White. Lagardien's book is painfully compelling as it mixes stories from a fascinating life he has lived, with incisive and challenging analyses about the social and political (un)realities of South Africa. I decided to focus closely, for now, on only some of the themes, including colourism, non-racialism and sexual violence. The conversation, while beautifully honest and authentic in my view, is nevertheless - at times - difficult listening. But I hope you find it worthwhile, and I most definitely recommend you buy and read his book. 

I have already told you on social media just how compelling Nikolaos Kirkinis' biography of former professional footballer Junior Khayne is. You can also check out my written review ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/opinion-and-analysis/2022-03-27-book-review-the-junior-khanye-story-nimble-on-the-field-tripping-off-it/ ) of this book, Ghetto Ninja: The Junior Khanye Story. 

In this latest episode of In The Ring, you are in for an even greater treat; the author, Niko, is as compelling a guest interviewee as he is an author, and I have no doubt you will listen uninterrupted to this entire conversation with him, wishing I had kept him on for longer. Enjoy, and then go and buy the book!

Yesterday, former president Jacob Zuma suffered another legal setback when the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed his application for leave to appeal his lower court failure to delay his corruption trial further. What was Zuma hoping for? Why is he delaying getting his day in court on the main corruption charges? What, truly, is going on here? I was joined by excellent senior legal journalist Karyn Maughan (News24) to make sense of it all. Enjoy, and remember to subscribe to the podcast before you exit it, so that you do not miss any future episodes

I think Will Smith and Chris Rock should both be criticised for what happened at the Oscars. I argued for this viewpoint on TimesLIVE ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/ideas/2022-03-28-eusebius-mckaiser-heres-why-chris-rock-and-will-smith-deserve-neither-praise-nor-defence/ )

In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I summarise my argument but go further and also expand on responses to criticism while adding new points I did not raise in my analysis piece.

Enjoy

There can be no doubt, after the local government election results of last year, that the governing African National Congress is in deep political trouble. Many analysts take for granted that in 2024 there is a real possibility of the ANC getting less than 50% of the national vote, ushering in an era of coalition politics both nationally and provincially. This kind of prediction is premised on the assumption that the ANC cannot be saved from terminal electoral decline.

In this episode of In The Ring, which was first published on Eusebius on TimesLIVE (as you will hear in the audio content), well-known and experienced former journalists Thabo Shole-Mashao and Lance Claasen joined me to examine the possibility of the ANC yet recovering from its steady electoral decline of recent times.

We explored whether the political brand of the ANC is irredeemably and near fatally damaged by the effects of state capture on the reputation of the governing party. We also debated whether the leadership crisis of the ANC, both the ethical and technocratic dimensions, can be fixed before 2024 or whether that is now an impossible task.

Lastly, drawing on the public relations, communications and reputation management expertise of both my guests (in their post-journalism careers), this episode ended with a provocative question, "Assuming the ANC cannot fix its problems before 2024, what is the best strategy to convince voters to not abandon the party?" 

Please remember to SUBSCRIBE AND TO LEAVE A RATING about the podcast before exiting the platform. 

I have had the pressure and privilege, for more than ten years, of serving on many bursary and scholarship selection committees. I also, before that, had applied for many bursaries and scholarships myself - during high school and throughout university. Not everyone knows how to go about constructing an application that has decent odds of succeeding. In this episode of In The Ring, I draw on my many years of experience, and list and discuss 5 top tips for ANYONE applying for a bursary or a scholarship. 

There is a lot more than can be said and that can be discussed, but this podcast episode is, I hope, an important and useful, and PRACTICAL, start for many. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share it widely, especially among undergraduates- and high school learners - because the cruel reality is that, by the time you apply for many bursaries and scholarships, you may already be haunted by your earlier choices or missed chances. I would dearly love the advice in this episode to reach especially those, like my younger self, who did not have access to a family friend or member who had gone through these processes and who might have been able to dispense advice. Let's make SOME attempt to level the playing field by sharing this kind of advice, freely and widely, Please. 

I end off my short audio contributions for anti-racism week by explaining why the END GOAL should be to arrive in an anti-racist society and not a non-racial society.

While we shouldn't be distracted by language  debates - and rather focus on materially changing society - I do think it is useful to explain my general unhappiness with the term or concept of non-racialism and my preference for framing the justice project as squarely an anti-racist project

Have you considered one painful aspect of anti-black racism that we really do not like talking about - internalised oppression? In today's short audio contribution to anti-racism week I raise some examples of internalised oppression with a view to sparking an intra-black dialogue about the deep psychological violence of white supremacy, violence so enormous that even when whites aren't around we could display internalised oppression which is why we must be vigilant, and get a proper grip on the concept

Now former Democratic Alliance politician and leader Mbali Ntuli explained in detail her reasons for exiting both the party and the political stage. On Eusebius on TimesLIVE, which we also cross-post here on In The Ring, she painted a picture of a political culture that had taken root within the DA that is factionalist in nature, leading to the "weaponising" of party structures and processes, including disciplinary processes, for factional ends. While describing herself as being "emotional" about her shock announcement today, she intimated that plenty of thought and planning had gone into the decision. 

Another reason for her decision to quit the DA was a general feeling of despair that South Africa's party political system is not delivering justice and equity for communities across the country. This, she shared with me, made her re-examine whether she herself is sufficiently grounded still within communities, despite being part of representative political structures and systems. She was alluding to a crisis within politics generally, and felt that pivoting towards community-based work in the immediate future, as she intends to do, is important for re-connecting with ordinary South Africans across the country. While not undermining the work of legislative bodies, she argues that it is "easy" to do committee work, for example, and to be disconnected from communities. She intends, however, to return to politics in the future because it is "in the blood" but has NO plans of presently joining another political vehicle. 

Have a listen to our full conversation 

Continuing this week's daily nuggets in response to anti-racism week, today I speak directly to white allies in the fight for racial justice.

There are useful and not-so-useful ways of responding to the reality of anti-black racism. This short audio entry helps white allies to think more carefully about the demands of allyship