Editorials

The latest polling from the SRF and The Common Sense reveals where South Africans stand ahead of the November 2026 local elections, from party support and presidential succession to the GNU, immigration, views on March and March and AfriForum, and whether the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal should secede.

Columns

The extraordinary public response to Starlink’s offer to connect 5 000 rural schools to free internet has exposed a fundamental contradiction in South Africa’s empowerment policies. Millions of poor children could benefit from access to world-class educational resources, yet the proposal remains obstructed by regulations designed in the name of their advancement.

Columns

The yield differential between South African and US government bonds has narrowed to levels last seen during the economic boom of the mid-2000s. Yet South Africa today faces far weaker economic growth, considerably higher government debt, and a political settlement whose stability may be seriously tested in the months ahead, all of which goes to the question of whether investors have got the country’s pricing wrong.

Columns

The evolution of political slogans over three decades reveals fascinating insights into South Africa’s political aspirations and the ANC and DA’s records of delivery.

Columns

David Ansara warns that freedom of expression at UCT is under threat as he faces suspension and Mark Oppenheimer faces expulsion from the university’s Council for speaking out against antisemitism on campus.