In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser

Adv Ben Winks joined me to discuss, firstly, how the law needs to be reformed, urgently, in order to change the legal requirements of what constitutes consent.

Secondly, in addition to legal reform, there are important social tropes and stereotypes that contribute to rape culture and that need to be addressed in a bottom-up manner within our homes, schools, and the wider communities and social structures within which we are embedded. 

How do we socialise boys and men to behave differently so that we stop harming others and ourselves, and ultimately so that we have a fighting chance in the battles against both gender-based violence and the many toxic masculinities?

My friend Oliver Dickson and I tried to puzzle through one of the enduring strategic dilemmas we face in the fight for an anti-racist society: how do we make sure that white supremacy doesn't take up too much of our energies while simultaneously NOT ignoring it and NOT naively hoping it will disappear quietly?

Have a listen and join the conversation.

I invited Isobel Frye (Director, Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute) to weigh in on what is becoming an internecine policy debate about unemployment, low growth and the size of our welfare state.

Can we afford a Basic Income Grant? What would be its size, total cost to the country and what mechanism would be used to administer it? If the goal is ultimately to get people more economically active and into the labour market, doesn't an increased debt burden make it harder to get the economy growing sustainably around 5% and in a way that is conducive to unleashing jobs in strategic sectors of the economy, and in small- and medium-enterprises in particular? Or does BIG not entail a greater debt burden over the long-term? 

These and related policy issues were the focus of this latest edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser 

Professor Francois Venter (Wits University) is back for a second installment of Frequently Asked Questions about covid-19.

The following are just some of your questions he answered: if everyone I imvite is fully vaccinated, can I have a braai at my house now? If I recently had covid-19 does that mean I have natural immunity and don't need the vaccine? Is it true that the J&J vaccine is safer than the Pfizer one? Why must I wear a mask if I'm fully vaccinated? If I am fully vaccinated can I have casual sex without worrying about the other person's covid-19 or vaccination status? Etc. 

Also, if you missed them, listen to episode 24 (I ALMOST DIED OF COVID-19) and episode 17 (ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT COVID-19 VACCINES) 

I interviewed the Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Dr Mpho Phalatse, to get to know her: who she is, what her background is, why and how she entered politics and pressure-testing her thinking on the most pertinent local and national issues, including controversies the DA must navigate right now. 

Listen, and judge her mayoral candidacy for yourself. 

I invited former head of sociology at Wits University Professor Devan Pillay to debate his tweet that had expressed relief that he won't be able to vote on November 1st.

We discussed the democratic value (or lack thereof?) of not voting at all. Along the way we also debated the pros and cons of not voting VERSUS spoiling your ballot.

Have a listen. Share the podcast. And let's debate these voting dilemmas many of us are wrestling with right now as the local government elections approach. 

What is the purpose of the Judicial Service Commission? How are commissioners elected? What is the nature and democratic significance of the work of the JSC?

I invited Karyn Maughan, senior legal reporter for News24, to join me to explain, firstly, where and how the JSC fits into our lives.

We then examined and debated whether the current JSC is fit for purpose. Along the way we assessed how the current selection of judges is going, and also asked whether white men are now excluded a priori from selection to the highest court in the land. 

I have looked at the African National Congress's manifesto and thought about its record in government, with a view to assessing whether or not there is a compelling case for voting ANC this year. I can't see a reason to vote for the ANC.


In this podcast episode, I explain in detail why I struggle to be convinced by ANC politicians' plea that we should vote for the party. Have a listen and tell me if I am wrong, and how so? Let's debate. 

Many South Africans love saying that we should aim at a non-racial South Africa. But what does that mean? And is 'non-racialism' really the appropriate goal to formulate in response to the legacies of colonialism and apartheid?

In this episode, Professor Lewis Gordon retrns, in the second of our 3-part series on race and racism. (The first episode in the 3-part series is archived as episode 23 of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser)

He argues that we should focus on anti-racism and not on non-racialism. But it is in the details of his analysis in support of this proposition that brilliant insights into the nature of race and racism emerge, from one of the world's most impressive living philosophers. 

Award-winning author and veteran BBC broadcaster Andrew Harding was my guest a few months ago on a YouTube show, Cover to Cover, which I co-hosted with fellow journalist Joanne Joseph. 

I interviewed him about his brilliant second book, These Are Not Gentle People, which has just won the most prestigious non-fiction award in South Africa, the Sunday Times/CNA Literary Award for non-fiction. 

Just outside Parys, in January 2016, events occurred that led to a community in turmoil: two black farm workers ended up dead and several white farmers stood accused of murder. 

Andrew spoke to me in gripping detail about the subsequent tensions and drama of the court case, which put on display South African life in a multiplicity of ways, beyond our racial fissures.

This book is undoubtedly, to my mind, one of the best works of non-fiction in the last few years, illuminating contemporary South Africa in visceral ways without judging any of the characters portrayed. It feels like a brilliant crime thriller, a work of great fiction. Yet, sadly, it is all too real. This is the kind of work that no one could dispute as a worthy winner of many book awards.  

That is why I simply had to transpose the YouTube video into an audio episode of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser 

Enjoy the conversation, and then go buy and read Andrew Harding's brilliant book, These Are Not Gentle People