AfriForum lost its bid to overturn a Press Council ruling, with retired Judge Bernard Ngoepe dismissing its application for leave to appeal. The dispute centred on an opinion piece published by the Mail & Guardian, which stated that AfriForum presented targeted violence against white farmers in international advocacy as a form of 'white genocide'.
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@iDiskiTimes Thank you sir for the work you have done, I believe we could've achieved better than what we had. You have done a good job it could've been great
@Sli_Masikane This is a vague statement, or are you cushioning their landing? Allow the proper lawful processes to continue, everybody must be equal before the law
I have served long enough in leadership to recognise a troubling pattern. Too many among South Africa’s elite - black and white - appear to believe the rules that govern the rest of us do not apply to them.
As chairman of an SOE, I am regularly approached by business leaders asking me to intervene in operational or procurement matters. When I explain that my role is governance and oversight, not management, they say they understand. Yet the requests continue. This reveals a belief that exceptions exist for the connected few.
It was therefore striking to see Business Leadership South Africa and BUSA, organisations that have been vocal against state capture and political interference in state-owned enterprises, actively advocate for political intervention to transfer transmission assets to the Transmission System Operator. These are the same bodies that insist on corporate governance and board independence. Where, then, is the role of the SOE board? What exactly do they believe in?
Equally concerning are recent allegations involving former Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon. Senior figures within his own party, including John Steenhuisen and Dion George, have raised issues that appear to involve conflicts of interest and undue influence. This from a voice that has long lectured on ethical standards and clean governance. Do these rules apply to everyone, or only when politically convenient? Selective morality is not morality at all.
When those who position themselves as guardians of good governance apply different standards to themselves, public trust erodes. But South Africans are watching. We see the inconsistencies. We now know where people stand.
The path forward requires courage. We must expose wrongdoing wherever it occurs without fear or favour. We must demand that those who preach accountability live it consistently. We must insist that rules bind the powerful as they bind ordinary citizens. And we must model the ethical society we want to build.
South Africa does not lack good people. What we need is the collective will to insist that principle applies to all. Let us find that courage. Let us call out double standards and build a nation where no one is above the law. That is the South Africa worth fighting for. #ProudlySA
My opinion on South Africa on this dark day there is informed by 40 years (starting in 1986) of published books and articles about SA and working there (still!). All I need to say is that, as an historian, I urge you to resist the historically absurd notion that "South Africans were better off under apartheid."
Dear Mr @TonyLeonSA,
@jsteenhuisen is the second prominent figure, after former Johannesburg Mayor @HermanMashaba, to accuse you of corruption and the manipulation of processes.
Sir, I call on you to take the country into confidence and address these serious allegations regarding your corrupt activities and your alleged abuse of position to manipulate government decisions in favour of your business partners.