Toh Unplugged

US President Donald Trump Hey guys, It’s been a while since I last jotted something down here, and a lot has happened since my review of The Dark Prince. Frankly, the world has been on fast-forward, and Donald Trump, once again, is at the centre of the chaos. Internationally, we’ve watched Trump lurch from one provocation to the next: from the United States’ brazen illegal invasion in Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on drug charges; to US Embassy wagging its finger at South Africa over maritime drills that included Iran; to Trump openly floating the idea of taking Greenland out of Danish control. Trump used his address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this week to do what he does best: talk about himself. He cast himself as the last true defender of “Western values” while berating European leaders for weakness, dependence, and a lack of spine. Then came the Greenland comments. With the world watching, he casually stated: ...

As we step into a new year, I would like to extend a warm welcome back and express my gratitude for your continued commitment to reading, engaging, and sharing your thoughts.  The arrival of a new year often encourages reflection on themes such as leadership, power, and the pathways that shape those who aspire to govern. It feels particularly fitting, then, to revisit the stories that lie behind South Africa’s political elite . I recently completed The Dark Prince by investigative journalist and author Pieter du Toit. The book offers a detailed account of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s formative years, beginning with his modest upbringing on a farm outside Johannesburg where he lived with his parents, and moving through his early involvement in anti-apartheid movements during his high school years. These formative experiences became the foundation from which Mashatile immersed himself fully in the struggles of ordinary South Africans , aligning with the masses and the marginal...