In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser

In this edition of In The Ring, I analyse Prince Mashele's responses in interviews granted to eNCA, 702 and the SABC, in light of media reports that he had, ok the face of it, been dishonest about the nature of his biography of Herman Mashaba. Herman Mashaba is leader of politica part ActionSA, and prior to that was always known as a very successful businessman in an against-all-odds tale at the height of apartheid; in recent years he a new career pivot that had also seen him becoming mayor of Johannesburg. Mashele, a well-known South African political analyst, had claimed that he had "self-funded" his book on Mashaba, and the subtitle of the book declared it to be "unauthorised". It has emerged that Mashaba had provided funding for the book, and had engaged the author on drafts of the chapter. This raises sharp ethical questions: was the work unauthorised or authtoised ? Did Mashele lie on eNCA? Did Mashele WRONGLY withheld the information from Jonathan Ball ? What, most importantly, are the consequences for the professional integrity of the author? And what are we to make of the other actors in this drama: the subject; the publisher; the researcher/former best friend Brutus Malada who 'blew the whistle'? Have a listen to my uhm unauthorised take.

Sihle Khumalo has written a fascinating, witty, brilliantly researched new book, Milk The Beloved Country One of our continent's best writers, Zukiswa Wanner, came over to my house, and after a hearty lunch we hit the 'record' button for this edition of In The Ring. We dissected Sihle Khumalo's new book, reading from it, telling you why we both loved it (for overlapping but also different reasons), and debating where and how we think he might have done things differently (or not). Dig in!

Redi Tlhabi, well-known South African journalist now based in London and working across the globe, joined me for a bloody fascinating and blunt conversation about South African media. It was wide-ranging and interesting. Dig in. Debate it. Share it widely.

In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I reflect on both Freedom Day and Worker's Day. I spend some time arguing that my generation and those of you who are younger shouldn't be ahistorical and glib about the achievements of those who came before us. That said, we have to be rigorous in our conceptualisation of 'freedom': what precisely is it? Unless we do some definitional work, we can't mind the empirical gap between the normative vision of the constitution and our present social un/realities. I end this edition by weaving all of that material, in turn, into a set of reflections on the moral limits of markets. If we want our democracy to flourish, and for all of us to realise our potential, then there is simply no room for the fantasy that questions of fairness or justice can be settled with deference to economic markets. There is no point in pitting the exploited worker against the unemployed. Let me explain it all. Click. Enjoy. Engage. Leave a rating and review comment. And share the episode with a friend or two! Enjoy!

All I ask is that you listen to this entry of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser. It is ONLY 6min20sec. Only engage me afterwards. Just do me that favour.

In this exceptionally short audio entry, I voice my argument, first published by TimesLIVE ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/opinion-and-analysis/2023-04-11-eusebius-mckaiser-the-opposite-of-pointing-out-western-moral-viciousness-isnt-to-let-putin-off-the-hook/ ), for why South Africa should arrest Russian president Vladimir Putin should he come to our country. Have a listen.

I tweeted a picture of Julius Malema marching to the Uganda embassy where he spoke - with the rainbow flag wrapped around it - condemning the bill criminalising identifying as gay in Uganda. I accompanied the tweeted image with the following words: @Julius_S_Malema thanks for showing leadership today and not being worried about homophobic backlash even among some of your supporters online. Shame on the ANC government for SILENCE. Doing right isn't about calculating how many 'likes' you'll get. #GayRightsAreHumanRights *** A friend of mine called me and wondered why I would praise Malema, suggesting rhetorically that Malema and the EFF are weaponsing allyship and not being genuine. They added that they know I *must* know this, so were wondering what the thinking behind my tweet was. My friend - love him to bits - asked an excellent and important and incisive question. In this 10 minute audio, I share some of what I told him in my response to him. Enjoy

I listened to John Steenhuisen's acceptance speech after he was re-elected as the federal leader of the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's official opposition in parliament. This is a very important leadership position given that the DA is the second largest party in the country. I was shocked by the bizarre content at the heart of the speech. It was filled with relentless negativity and fear mongering, which bodes very poorly if this is a dress rehearsal for how the DA will approach the 2024 national elections. There were at least six massive own goals - more - but let's focus illustratively on six examples from Steenhuisen's victory speech that demonstrate my claim that the speech was deeply problematic on multiple levels. Enjoy. Share the podcast in your own networks and circles. And don't forget to hit the subscribe button before you exit the podcast platform. Thanks for your support of, and interest in, my work.

This week, former president Thabo Mbeki wrote an extraordinary 17-page letter to deputy president Paul Mashatile. In it, he essentially critiqued various shortcomings of the current ANC parliamentary caucus. In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I do several things: a) explain the essential point of the letter; b) explain the structure and logic of the letter in a bit more detail; and (most importantly perhaps) c) offer you political analysis of what is at play here, which may not be apparent if you merely focus on the Phala Phala and Eskom case studies that drive the overt argument in the 17-pager. Want to know what the heck I am getting at? Dig into this latest episode. And please do share it widely. [Also, remember to rate the podcast and maybe even leave a comment before exiting. If you never wish to miss future episodes, then it is crucial that you SUBSCRIBE.]

Why do so many people obsess about what queer people do, and how we identify? The latest expression of hatred is in Uganda, where a bill has been passed that now even criminalises merely IDENTIFYING as gay. Yes, you've read correctly. Now it is up to the president - a long-time homophobe - to decide whether or not he sign it into effective law. Everyone must oppose hatred wherever it rears its head. I analyse in detail in this episode why the entire international community ought to be outraged when human rights are trampled on. But I also look at specific aspects of this bill that are, in turn, vague, hate-filled, internally incoherent, and irrational. Of course, "the international community" is infamously inconsistent on this score. Have a listen to my full set of remarks and analysis. AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE A) share this particular episode widely & B) rebuke yourself if you are unmoved by the plight of any group of people whose fundamental rights are trampled on.

Eve Fairbanks is an American journalist who has just written and published an amazing book, one that already won a significan international literally award. It is called The Inheritors, and is situated in South Africa. She has been based here for more than ten years, and developed a fascinating interest in making sense of how a country with our traumatic past, tried to carve out ways of dealing with the past, and moving forward. She follows three characters for many years, and tells their stories in The Inheritors. The book has already resulted in a stunning range of many very different reviews, with readers furiously debating different aspects of the book. That's exactly what every author craves. Eve joined me on the podcast to talk about this major work. There are no spoilers. And the conversation covers areas I didn't get to in my own written review nor at the book launch I anchored for her, so there's somethin here for everyone: those who read the book; those who haven't; those who attended the launch; those who didn't; those who read the reviews; those who haven't. Listen. Enjoy. Share. And buy and read the book yourself.

Are you confused that Somizi and Mohale were never married? "How so?", you may have asked yourself. Are you also confused as to why Somizi, rather than Mohale, is the one who wanted to sustain the claim that there WAS a valid marriage in place? After all, wouldn't Somizi, more than Mohale, be excited to know there was no valid marriage in place? If Mohale is the alleged gold digger, why wouldn't Somizi be happy to accept that they were not spouses?! Confused? Let me help you out. I do two things in this episode: a) answer these questions AND (far more importantly) b) I will persuade you why this is NOT a silly celebrity gossip story but a fascinating story with curious and important legal, cultural and even ethical dimensions. Everyone missed the substance- because Somizi being a celebrity resulted in the story not being seriously paused over. His celebrity status and larger than life personality got in the way of a story that an editor might otherwise have assigned to a senior legal reporter, for example. Let me help you out. Have a listen to this episode, and share it with your mates before you debate the issues I explain and frame for public engagement - no pun on 'public engagement'!

In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I ask and engage a bloody award question about Mr Ramaphosa's leadership weaknesses - should he even be the ANC's presidential candidate for 2024? I engaged this controversial question in a TimesLIVE analysis piece ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/opinion-and-analysis/2023-03-06-eusebius-mckaiser-can-the-anc-risk-putting-ramaphosas-face-on-its-2024-elections-posters/ ) and I voice the argument here for those of you who enjoy audio journalism as much as you enjoy reading. And yes obviously part of the debate would be "But who is better, Eusebius?!" I'm afraid you MUST listen to the whole podcast- it is a short episode- to appreciate why the ANC has one helluva headache ahead of 2024 even if there is no obvious alternative candidate (which is debatable and complicated as an aside). Enjoy. Listen. Reflect. Engage. And share the epsiode widely!

Dean Michael Weeder (St George's Cathedral, Cape Town) wrote a stunning and moving collection of poems and ruminations. You have to - HAVE TO - listen to some of the poems and ruminations being read in this episode of In The Ring. And get yourself a copy of his anthology. We talked, along the way, about jazz, social justice, aesthetics, celebrating the everyday, artistic technique and creativity, and so much more. Spoil yourself and listen to Dean Michael who is a wonderfully reflective guest, easy on the ear, with plenty of incisive gems to chew on... Enjoy.

Here's what I think of the interview outgoing UCT VC Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng did with JJ Tabane on eNCA. EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T FOLLOW THE STORY, THIS PODCAST CONTAINS LOTS OF CONTENT ON CRISIS COMMUNICATION THAT IS OF GENERAL INTEREST TO EVERYONE. Have a listen.

I sometimes get asked in my keynote speeches on diversity, equity and inclusion whether interventions aimed at inclusion are dangerous because they can result in "unconscious exclusion." The fear is that victims of oppression may become today's oppressors. In this small entry of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I slay some myths around this issue. Have a listen

A sad person or bunch of 'em unsuccessfully attempted to run a disinformation campaign against me recently. In this episode of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I explain why these campaigns should not be oxygenated but, nevertheless, why they should not be taken lightly either. They are a threat to public discourse and to democracy by implication; that is quite apart from the potential to literally destroy lives. What is their ultimate function? And how should we think through them? Have a listen. As always, PLEASE rate our podcast, leave a comment, and hit the subscribe button before you exit. Thank you for the love and support.

Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi joined me to discuss a very specific feature of racism. We drilled down into a tendency to assume that a singular act of failure on the part of a black person tells you about their entire skillet and capability. From here, we slowly examined the structural features of the workplace, with a racist undergird, that leads to "competency racism". I predict many of you listening to this discussion with me and Tembeka may feel overwhelmed by a familiar and painful recognition of what you have experienced but never knew it to be a phenomenon in general. We give you the language to empower yourself, and we offer insights to help us all collectively continue the fight against anti-black racism in the wake of white supremacist grips still in place everywhere. Although we used the legal profession as a sustained case study, the lessons are easily transferred elsewhere. Enjoy. And drop me a message, even if confidential, telling me what came up for you.

I was joined by Vanita Daniels (director at Rise Up Against Gender-Based Violence) and Nduduzo Nyanda (techpreneur), who are regular listeners of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser. We decided to shoot (not literally) ... uhm to shoot the breeze on a bizarre recent story of a tigress on the loose in Johannesburg. How the story played out, including the public responses to the story, was most interesting. It revealed many of our class, racial, political, and other fissures. In this episode, we frame some of these questions, tackle them, and invite you to do the same. Enjoy.

Nice Racism by Robin DiAngelo opens up a conversation with white progressives. It is a book that is stunning but which will also, and already has, upset many white progressives. This episode is just my FIRST reaction to the book? Buy it. Read it. Sit with it. We will engage a lot of material from it in the weeks ahead. For now, enjoy my first, raw, unmediated reaction to it.