In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser

Excellent futurist and Africa analyst Koffi Kouakou (The Centre for Africa-Chinese Studies, University of Johannesburg) joined me for a fascinating debate about ANC voters. He had listened to my previous episode, episode 145- 'Ramaphosa told you why you shouldn't vote ANC' ( https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/episode-145-ramaphosa-told-you-why-you-shouldnt-vote-anc/id1561851417?i=1000593632513 ) and wanted to put the ANC voter on trial. 

Koffi agreed with my main analysis ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/ideas/2023-01-10-eusebius-mckaiser-ramaphosa-told-you-why-you-shouldnt-vote-anc/ ) that the ANC's January 8th statement is an argument for not voting ANC. 

But he is puzzled by why so many ANC voters nevertheless still vote ANC despite this seemingly not being in their material interest?

This podcast episode is based on several days of back and forth engagement between us. We ended up having a WhatsApp dialectic about the dangers of psychological analysis when it comes to making sense of ANY voter; laying out a basis for carefully exploring, neverthless, important and puzzling questions about voting trends in SA in light of the main empirical data about the state of the nation, and we then actually allowed ourselves the freedom to ask and explore such questions as, "Are ANC voters suffering Stockholm Syndrome?" Or, "Is there is a puzzle of domination here that requires explanations from political theory to make sense of? Do ANC voters - irrationally? - consent to their own domination?" Etc.

You decide where you land in these debates. I hope you are stimulated. I am confident you will be. And I thank Koffi for giving permission for our engagement that started off privately to be curated into a podcast episode. 

It is a little nerdish at times, but that is why you, dear listener, are part of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser. We are complex. And not every aspect of our lives are reducible to cheap slogans or memes. Or an easy laugh. In this podcast, we flip between laughter and drilling down deep when necessary. 

Enjoy and re-listen to this episode a few times to get more out of it. If needs be. Also do share it with your friends. Kindly! 

Please rate us and leave a review! And SUBSCRIBE before you leave the podcast platform. 

Ciao 

In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I share the main insights from my recent analysis piece ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/ideas/2023-01-10-eusebius-mckaiser-ramaphosa-told-you-why-you-shouldnt-vote-anc/ ) which critically examined the ANC's January 8th statement. 

The ANC's annual January 8th statement is part of its birthday celebrations. The statement is traditionally read by the party's president. It is an indication of what the  party hopes to see happening within the government and the state in the forthcoming year. Given that the ANC is the actual governing party, it is an important early indication of policy intentions for the year  ahead. 

I was flabbergasted at how many of my media peers and the commentariat responded to the statement. Reporting has been quiet rather than searing and critical. 

In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I wear my hat as a political analyst and review the coverage thus far of what happened at a resort in Free State recently. 

I argue and explain how certain frameworks chosen by reporters, sub-editors, and editors unwiittingly water down the seriousness of racism. 

I also offer arguments in support of the view that editorial choices are not value-neutral (just as writing and reporting are not value-neutral speech acts). 

What we write, and how we edit, and frame stories, can reveal our most deeply held political convictions, even when we genuinely imagine ourselves to simply be "knocing into shape" a first draft. 

It is, as always, up to listeners of the podcast to determine whether and how much you agree with me. Or not. 

Enjoy and subscribe to In The Ring With Eusebius on any podcast platform so that you never miss a future episode.

 [AND PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW OF THE PODCAST, FAM, BEFORE YOU END YOUR LISTENING EXPERIENCE!]

In this podcast lament, I meditate on how little focus there is this year on Reconciliation Day because of the elective conference of the  ANC. But there is a link: delays and organisational chaos at the conference speak to the state of the ANC and the state of the ANC-led state. The state has not enabled and delivered economic justice for South Africans.

I focus on the importance of centering economic justice and related material questions in public discourse about reconciliation. 

I also use archival materials to remember the deep physical and psychological scars that we have not yet overcome - we paper over them - despite the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 

This episode is, at times, difficult to listen to, but I hope most of you will agree that it is usefully difficult listening nevertheless.

In this edition of In The Ring, I am joined by Sunday Times investigative reporter Sabelo Skiti who wrote the story about the recent bullying scandal at Roedean including a fracas involving parents ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2022-11-27-parents-of-roedean-bullies-in-ugly-school-fight/ )

We explore a number of issues including: a) damning findings from an educational psychologist about institutional failure on the part of Roedean; b) corporate creep or corporatism on the part of the school board; c) the danger of political overreach in how schools are engaged when there are complaints; d) teachers who are invisble in this narrative; e) wealthy and politically connected parents who are entitled; f) centering the paramount interests of the children (or failing to do so).

Enjoy and share it widely

A section 89 independent panel had arrived at the conclusion that, on the face of it, President Cyril Ramaphosa has an impeachment case to answer. For a simple, 10-minute EXPLAINER of what they said - in case you missed it - check out the previous episode of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser (episode 140 - Is Ramaphosa a fatally wounded buffalo? Here's a quickie)

For a wider conversation about the issue and the implications for our democracy, beyond the narrow legal issues, check out my conversation with Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh on his platform SMWX on YouTube ( https://youtu.be/fXBZzb1zLOA) 

In this episode, I explain the legal strategy of Ramaphosa’s lawyers in taking the section 89 panel's recommendation on review. The President has an excellent legal team, and their strategy is good and interesting. 

My main aims are to explain why and how Ramaphosa’s legal strategy is not unanswerable, firstly, and why there are both political and legal complexities here, secondly, that result from design flaws when it comes to the impeachment process itself- an originating reality neither the President's lawyers nor the section 89 panel are responsible for. In other words, along the way, in this podcast, I describe the tension between squarely political and squarely legal questions. 

Enjoy.

The section 89 panel's findings that President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer on allegations of serious misconduct and serious violation of the constitution is the biggest crisis of his political career. It is also an inherent crisis for the ANC and a serious challenge to our democracy. 

I'll unravel it fully in the hours and days ahead. For now, here's a quickie to help you grasp the essence of it all.

Luke Lamprecht (   https://www.lukelamprecht.co.za ) is an excellent  and well-respected expert in child protection and child development. He has worked with and in countless schools, tackling the very issues we are exploring in this series. 

In this episode- the second in the series focusing on bullying at Roedean, he educates us all on the complexity of bullying. It is a difficult concept to get a clear definitional grip on, and he helps us to navigate our way through  these complexities. 

We focus on children who may have fallen foul of school codes of conduct, including anti-bullying policies, and ask how best to go about dealing with such children. 

In the details of the Roedean there appears, on the face of it, to be evidence of an adversarial, criminal law-like, approach that had been adopted, and Luke gives a comprehensive and compassionate but practical view of where and how it seems Roedean has done the children an injustice, institutionally speaking. 

In the recent edition of Sunday Times ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2022-11-27-parents-of-roedean-bullies-in-ugly-school-fight/ ), the paper reported on a horrible incident at a well-known independent school in Johannesburg, Roedean. It even allegedly involved fighting between parents that necessitated police being dispatched.

The backdrop to the fights are guilty bullying verdicts and punishment for these: the alleged bullies' families feel the school had not dealt with the issues properly nor fairly, while the parents of the alleged victim also feel aggrieved. 

What is fact and what is fiction? That is hard to tell as all the people involved are passionately asserting their individual truths, and evidence is slowly and partially emerging. I have seen some of it. And engaged many people privately. My own digging is ongoing. 

In a series of episodes here on In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I will help you navigate the story: we start off with setting the scene and isolating the main themes, as well as an interview with the provincial department of education. In subsequent episodes we deal with other apsects of the story.

Friday is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It marks the beginning of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. 

In this audio essay, based on an analysis piece I had written for and published on TimesLIVE, I explore why and how GBV is squarely a men's problem.

But, I am not merely putting us men on moral trial. That is not unimportant, but, of course, the ultimate goal should be to recover our humanity and to create spaces that are safer for everyone. 

So, what does that all mean practically and analytically?

I'm afraid you will have to click on the podcast link and listen to the audio essay to get a grip on the details of my thinking on these issues.

I hope they are useful conversation starters for you.

Thank you for continuing to support my audio journalism so generously. Please do share this episode widely, especially to all the boys, teenagers, and men in your life and within your networks.