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.timesli...
Jan 13, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 146
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 govern...
Jan 11, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 145
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 w...
Dec 29, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 144
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 arc...
Dec 16, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 143
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 ...
Dec 13, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 142
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 convers...
Dec 07, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 141
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.
Dec 01, 2022•10 min•Season 1Ep. 140
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 ...
Nov 29, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 139
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 is...
Nov 28, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 138
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, ...
Nov 24, 2022•9 min•Season 1Ep. 137
Author and journalist Jacques Pauw joined me to discuss his new book, Our Poisoned Land. It is a sequel to his previous bestseller, The President's Keepers. It was a wide-ranging but also focused conversation that could have been longer. I want you to read the book before we debate it further. This interview won't spoil your reading experience. It gives you a sense of what the book is about. Here is a non-exhaustive list of questions I explored with Pauw: Is the much discussed excerpt about the ...
Nov 21, 2022•36 min
I will soon interview Jacques Pauw about Our Poisoned Land, his sequel to The President's Keepers, one of the most commercially successful books in South Africa over the past ten years, quite apart from the phenomenal discursive impact it had. Here's a reminder, from the archives, of the key themes in The President's Keepers. I had, back then, interviewed Jacques Pauw as that book was causing massive public debate. Enjoy
Nov 15, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 135
Many of you write to me privately, asking for informal advice on quitting alcohol or cutting back massively. I've not consumed alcoholic beverages for more than three years now. Along the way, I have learned many things. Whether you are an alcoholic, or simply curious about sobriety, or maybe just keen to drink much less, this episode of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, which is my story about accidentally quitting alcohol, will be of some use to you. Enjoy, and all the best....
Nov 15, 2022•31 min•Season 1Ep. 134
In this epsiode of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser I explain my support for the decriminalisation of sex work.
Nov 13, 2022•12 min•Season 1Ep. 133
[FROM THE ARCHIVES] I flighted a documentary about the work of an organisation in inner city Johannesburg aimed at changing the lives of boys and girls who have offended and who are at risk of offending by using boxing as a way to help them recover their own humanity and to fulfill their human potential. What an incredible experience. I shared with them my own journey too... this was a very emotional rollercoaster for my team. Listen and share this one widely too....
Oct 26, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 132
I cannot even believe I typed that question because it should be regarded as totally absurd. Right? But sadly there are still people who walk around imagining that heteronormativity is intrinsic to being African. Bizarre. Well, about ten years ago I took part in what was a difficult but productive debate about this question hosted by Zeinab Badawi. It featured politicians and various activists. I too was one of the panel members. I thought it would be useful to re-broadcast that debate so we con...
Oct 24, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 131
I interviewed banker Lincoln Mali about his book, Blazing A Trail: Lessons For African Leadership. Mali has spent over two decades in banking and financial services working across the continent, from Nigeria to Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya and elsewhere, as a banking executive facing a myriad of leadership challenges entrusted to him by his mentors and bosses. This comes after a stint in government, a more natural home for a student political activist who had studied law at Rhodes Un...
Oct 19, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 130
Kukhokuhle Tswenga is a brilliant doctoral engineering student at Oxford University with a research interest in robotics. His life began in deep rural Eastern Cape, a poorly resourced community that did not stop his academic brilliance from manifesting , early on. He even, uhm, got 100% for both maths and science in matric, one of the top students in the country. In this beautiful podcast conversation, he allowed me to share parts of his amazing and inspirational story with you. It is so stunnin...
Oct 19, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 129
I interviewed Matthew Wilhelm-Solomon about his stunning book, The Blinded City- Ten Years In Inner-City Johannesburg, which tells countless and complex sets of stories about people who occupy buildings in inner-city Johannesburg. Some call these bulldings "hijacked buildings" but Matthew explains why this term is problematic. He has spent over ten years getting to know the people living in these buildings, recording their stories, following lawfare between these communities, property developers...
Oct 18, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 128
In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I voice an essay I had written for TimesLIVE in which I critique the bullshit idea that race-based affirmative action policies are racist, and also slay the myth of meritocracy that make many white people falsely claim that their economic successes are due to hard work and fair play. There is a cluster of explicit and hidden premises in these positions that are popular despite being spectacularly false and fallacious. Have a listen....
Oct 17, 2022•12 min•Season 1Ep. 127
I decided to re-broadcast the incredible story of geophysicist professor Musa Manzi. I don't wanna summarise it in this blurb. I interviewed him a couple of years ago and his amazing life story remains poignant. There is SO MUCH that is dreary in South Africa right now. This story is a story you didn't know you needed to listen to - whether for the first time or again - RIGHT NOW. Literally. Stop what you're doing. Listen to it. And share it as a gift with others. I am still in tears having list...
Oct 11, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 126
In this latest edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I voice an essay I wrote this week that means a lot to me; it is a meditation on the joy and value of reading. I hope you enjoy it. If you are a keen reader, I hope you will feel affirmed. And if you are not yet a keen reader, I hope you will feel motivated to give books a chance. #ForTheLoveOfReading #ForTheLoveOfBooks
Sep 29, 2022•13 min•Season 1Ep. 125
A man who is on the DownLow wrote me a message sharing his story. In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser I give my view on men who are married but who have same-sex desire, and who may even actually be having same-sex sex. There is a helluva lot to say so this is the start of multiple conversations on the issue rather than one definitive take on it. Have a listen. And feel free to inbox me on social media to share your views and stories....
Sep 21, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 124
We're in the middle of bisexuality awareness week. There are lots of myths and stereotypes about bisexuality. These myths and stereotypes aren't only held and expressed by many straight people but even by gay men and women. So. In this episod of In The Ring, I went into my archives and am lifting to the surface a conversation with three black bisexual men about their lived experiences as bisexual men. There are many more stories to collect and record; many more issues to examine. I'm aware of th...
Sep 19, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 123
Can one ever get enough of the incisive commentary of South African author, essayist and commentator Sisonke Msimang? I hosted her on this edition of In The Ring to explore aspects of the social and cultural impact of Queen Elizabeth II. I started off by asking Sisonke whether she would like an opportunity to mourn the Queen. I wonder what you will make of her response? It was uhm #Awks We explored a range of questions and issues, among them: the script of Empire, including "respectability and d...
Sep 13, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 122
In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser I share an audio version of my essay ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/opinion-and-analysis/2022-09-10-eusebius-mckaiser-the-ifp-wants-unconditional-love-so-its-protesting-against-a-lowly-newspaper-man/ ) that critiques a decision by an opposition party in South Africa, the IFP, to march to the offices of one of the weekly papers, City Press, because of the work of the editor, Mondli Makhanya. Listen to the narration of my essa...
Sep 13, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 121
What is the place of intentions in our lives? If someone "meant well" should they get discount for harmful actions that flow from "good intentions"? These questions matter in politics, allyship, law, ethics and even basic interpersonal relationships. In this episode I explain why intentions do matter BUT ... why it is disingenuous to always refer to your good intentions when called out about the impact of your words and actions. Have a listen
Sep 05, 2022•15 min•Season 1Ep. 120
Broadcaster Oliver Dickson asked me to think through the place of struggle songs, and iconography, in contemporary South Africa. We discussed it on SAfm, an SABC platform, where he is a broadcaster. It was a rich and fascinating discussion, so much so that I thought that if you had missed it perhaps, then you may want to have a listen to it. Enjoy.
Sep 03, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 119
Many of you - sadly - have written to me complaining about managers and bosses who are toxic, not empathetic and the proverbial 'boss from hell'. I asked brilliant executive coach Dawn Klatzko ( from www.theartofthesuit.com ) to provide a toolkit that can help you cope, and maybe even thrive in your workplace, despite your feelings about and experiences of your manager or boss. This podcast is crucial to better negotiating workplace politics and complexities. You can also reach Dawn Klatzko priv...
Aug 26, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 118
In this second podcast special, focusing on James Baldwin, historian Vashna Jagarnath and I dive into his brilliant essay collection, Notes of a Native Son. In episode 113, which is worth listening to if you missed it, we introduced you to the life and times, and overall significance, of Baldwin. In this episode we examine Baldwin the essayist. We decided, in particular, to focus on two of his most brilliant essays, Notes of a Native Son and Everybody's Protest Novel. Enjoy!...
Aug 25, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 117
