OPINIONS
Despotic Dystopias: Lessons From Venezuela and Iran
David Ansara writes on how statism and authoritarianism in Venezuela and Iran destroyed prosperity and freedom, leaving citizens impoverished and oppressed.
David Ansara
- January 16, 2026
6 min read
Iran's Unrest: Real Grievances Amid a Rigid System and External Shadows
Hügo Krüger says while the protests in Iran reflect real grievances, a rigid political system, weak opposition, and external pressure leave little room for change.
Hügo Krüger
- January 16, 2026
9 min read
Legacy Media Running Fake News Stories on Iran-South Africa Ties
Legacy media houses have been running fake news reports on the naval exercises that took place at Simonstown this week, creating deliberate obfuscation and confusion.
The Editorial Board
- January 16, 2026
5 min read
The Last (Or First?) Temptation of Starmer
Simon Lincoln Reader writes on the UK’s decline, and how the Establishment is now looking to ban X, which could unlock something that can’t be controlled.
Simon Lincoln Reader
- January 16, 2026
8 min read
There is No Supreme International Law
Koos Malan writes on how recent global events show that power, not principle, determines international conduct, revealing the limits of the so-called rules-based order.
Koos Malan
- January 15, 2026
8 min read
Risch Calls ANC Foreign Policy Hostile to US Interests as Pretoria’s Protestations of Non-Alignment Collapse
A blunt warning from a top US senator shows how South Africa’s claim of non-alignment is collapsing, with real costs for trade, investment, and national interest.
The Editorial Board
- January 14, 2026
5 min read
Standing With Maduro, Tripping Over Reality
From a half-empty Rustenburg stadium to Caracas’s prisons, the ANC’s moral contradictions are laid bare.
Warwick Grey
- January 13, 2026
9 min read
The Common Sense’s Diary
Trump liberates the world from high energy prices; SA doubles down on hating Trump; hear Lutnick; Chinese ports point to vast African economic upsides: the DA could throw its gains away: Fikile Mbalula does a wild thing.
Editorial Board
- January 13, 2026
7 min read
26 Things to Watch in 2026
David Ansara writes on the 26 trends to keep an eye on in 2026.
David Ansara
- January 12, 2026
11 min read
The ANC Keeps Slamming the Door on a Deal With the United States
The ANC’s defence of Nicolás Maduro and its claims of US “aggression” and “imperialism” are not diplomacy, but self-harm that risks trade, investment, and jobs when South Africa needs growth most.
The Editorial Board
- January 12, 2026
3 min read
