Toh Unplugged

Nobuhle Nkabane The nonchalant, borderline disrespectful conduct of Higher Education & Training Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane left a sour taste in the mouths of many South Africans. Her refusal to account to the people, during her appearance before parliament's portfolio committee on higher education, was a slap in the face to transparency. Her behaviour echoed the infamous antics of former president Jacob Zuma, who, like Nkabane, regularly dodged accountability with smirks, giggles, and evasive responses. I'm not exaggerating: Watch this short clip of Zuma in parliament if you need a reminder. For those unfamiliar with the drama surrounding Nkabane, here’s a quick refresher: She recently caused an uproar by appointing politically connected individuals to chair Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) boards. The backlash was swift, with parties like the DA and EFF slamming the decision, especially since the appointees included Buyambo Mantashe, son of ANC heavyweight  ...

BY PHUTI MPYANE It could be argued that growing up during the dark period of apartheid, black youngsters wouldn’t be expected to have a keen interest in motorsport, yet this was largely a falsehood. Soccer, which I happened to be adept at, was the expected norm. As a grown up adult on the cusp of hitting the big Five-Oh, I recognise that maybe I was cut from a different cloth from my peers, and my own Father hadn’t recognised this. For instance, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates rang true and hard in my peer and other circles yet, there I was as a 10 year old, circa 1985, and a big fan of Moroka Swallows. Many young boys in those days can trace their football allegiances to a Father, Uncle or peers in general. Mine has no origins to some level. My Father was not a soccer fan, and neither were most of my immediate male relatives. Memorable influences were a Swallows player who gave me the first glimpse of a ‘Bicycle Kick.’ The team’s Burgundy kit, perhaps, too, which I would later don f...

BY PHUTI MPYANE Knight SA’s (and I stand to be corrected) real name is Edwin Cornelius Fortune. He is among a mob of exciting young DJs blazing the SA deep house scene. The striking difference about the selections of this powerhouse versus the glut of sub-genres that denote the modern deep house genres, such as amapiano, is the lineage of midtempo house popularised during the 2000s by a number of legendary DJs, including one Glen Lewis. It was a time when cars played a central role in the lifestyles of black middle-class youth fuelled by a burgeoning hope that the country was well and truly entering an era of equality, not just in the employment and entrepreneurship stakes, but the prospects of new-found living experiences; such as travel for pleasure instead of the mandatory and traditional check-ins with rural relations entrenched by our immediate fore-bears. Knight SA’s silky mixes initiate the nostalgia when many still had dreams of saving up for their first Golf GTI, and that stor...

President Cyril Ramaphosa In a rare show of defiance, an emboldened President Cyril Ramaphosa strongly rebuked his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump , a pathological liar of note, telling him in no uncertain terms that SA will not be bullied. In his state of the nation address (Sona) in Cape Town on Thursday night (February 6), Ramaphosa chastised the leader of the world's largest economy for interferring in our domestic affairs, saying: "We are witnessing the rise of nationalism and protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interests and the decline of common cause. This is the world that we, as a developing economy, must now navigate. “But we are not daunted. We will not be deterred. We are a resilient people. We will not be bullied. We will stand together as a united nation. We will speak with one voice in defence of our national interest, our sovereignty and our constitutional democracy.” Ramaphosa’s defiant stance against Trump follows tumultuous weeks for the country, marked by ...

13 SANDF soldiers have been killed by M23 rebels in Goma since January 24 The question I would like to ask the spineless and supposed commander-in-chief of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), President Cyril Ramaphosa, is why is he allowing our troops to die like flies in unstable African countries like the Central African Republic (CAR) and most recently the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)? Whose interests are these soldiers serving/protecting in these godforsaken regions? Will Ramaphosa be pulling our troops out of these UN-/SADC-/AU-backed suicide peacekeeping missions? If yes, when, and if no, why? In a hard-hitting statement on Sunday, the far-left EFF reiterated its "long-standing warnings that SANDF troops deployed in the DRC are under-resourced and ill-prepared to face the dangers posed by the well-equipped M23 rebels". "In fact, it is reported that our soldiers had no supplies or ammunition as of Friday, a glaring case of neglect on the part of our governm...

U.S. President Donald Trump U.S. President Donald Trump’s election victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris brings a sharp upside: his indifference toward Africa and its development.  Unlike past administrations that poured resources into the continent, Trump’s focus is clear - America First, no costly foreign aid, and by extension no charity diplomacy. For those weary of endless U.S. meddling abroad , this hands-off stance signals a shift: African nations will be left to forge their own paths, without American interference. Who could forget his infamous 2018 remark about “ shithole countries ” in Africa? During his entire first term, Trump didn’t set foot on African soil, making his disdain unmistakably clear. His presidency signaled a blunt disregard for the continent, unapologetically dismissing its importance on the world stage and geopolitical affairs. During his first term (2017–2021), Trump made around 19 international trips, visiting 24 countries across five contine...