Denis Worrall
An elder statesman speaks out
5th October 2011 A couple of days ago I attended a lecture given by Colin Eglin. It was the annual commemoration of the life and career of Barry Streek, a... →
A looming constitutional crisis: President Zuma toys with the Public Protector
16th September 2011 South Africans – one supposes much like the citizens of other Afro-Asian countries acting out their independence in the 1950’s and 1960’s – think... →
Zuma and the Public Protector – A Decisive Countdown
30th August 2011 A number of Insight readers have inquired as to what has happened to the Public Protector’s report of last month. As one puts it: “It seems to have... →
Moeletsi Mbeki, Jacob Zuma and the ANC
10th August 2011 Last week I listened to Moeletsi Mbeki, brother of Thabo Mbeki the former president of South Africa. Moeletsi is one of the most trenchant critics... →
Nigeria – A time to invest?
12th July 2011 Over the past few weeks I visited Nigeria and specifically Lagos and Abuja. I know the country well, having spent the better part of an academic... →
A very positive view of Africa
14th June 2011 One is seldom so privileged as to have two business icons in a national economy talk on the same platform at the same function. However, that... →
The local elections: A win for South Africa
26th May 2011 The local elections last week have been exhaustively analysed by the South African cognoscente; and we don't have much to add to the general... →
Achieving a higher level of accountability
6th May 2011 From a political point of view the country is obviously preoccupied with the local government elections which take place on a nation-wide basis on... →
A tragedy which was waiting to happen
20th April 2011 Outside of the small Orange Free State town of Ficksburg few people could have known of the existence of Andries Tatane - one would say an ordinary... →
Manuel – Follow-up
30th March 2011 No Insight has generated quite as strong a reaction – I’m pleased to say overwhelmingly positive – as the last one “Manuel’s Choice”. And nothing... →
Manuel's choice
10th March 2011 President Zuma, who spent last week on a state visit to France, returned at the week-end to face some very serious problems – in fact problems that... →
Mining and nationalisation: Not much clarity... and a John Scott bonus
18th February 2011 The last Insight was devoted to the South African mining industry in view of the Mining Indaba which was to take place between 7 and 11 February.... →
South Africa joins Bric
14th January 2011 International reactions to China and Russia's invitation to South Africa to join the BRIC group of countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have... →
SOUTH AFRICA IN 2010: Framed by the FIFA World Cup and a Brutal Murder
3rd January 2011 Without attempting a comprehensive overview of 2010, I would like to focus on some important events and trends which no doubt will influence the... →
Zimbabwe: Back on the front burner
24th November 2010 Peter Godwin is a journalist who was born in Zimbabwe but who now lives in and works out of New York. He has written two excellent and profoundly... →
The HSBC & Nedbank: Some Positives and Negatives
25th October 2010 The last Insight went out just before the ANC's National General Council met. That was intended to be an important meeting and the general hope was... →
The ANC and partners take stock
21st September 2010 The ANC's National General Council, which meets this week, is second in importance only to the organisation's National Council which elects the... →
Forget the Olympics: Let's focus on internal politics
3rd September 2010 In the last Insight I speculated positively on South Africa's chances of pitching for and being awarded the 2020 Olympic Games. I was writing in... →
The 2020 Olympic Games: What are South Africa’s chances?
10th August 2010 In the aftermath of what has universally been described as a very successful South African-organised World Cup, thoughts immediately turned to the... →
The World Cup message: Africa is solvent, upbeat and open for business
15th July 2010 The World Cup - the vuvuzela World Cup - having given enormous pleasure, has come and gone and in the process raised the hopes and expectations of... →
Football has just one significant effect on real life: It makes people happier
9th June 2010 That's not original. It is the sub-heading to an article in the week-end Financial Times of 29 May by Simon Kuper. Kuper was reviewing several... →
Intellectuals & Politics: A Tribute to Frederick van Zyl Slabbert
24th May 2010 Julius Malema, leader of the ANC's Youth League, has featured in several Insights over the past few months and, to be consistent, I should say... →
An ANC dilemma and other things
28th April 2010 In the last Insight, after describing the tensions within the ANC and particularly as a result of Julius Malema's conduct and the policy positions... →
Is Malema untouchable?
9th April 2010 In the wake of right-wing leader Eugene Terre'Blanche's murder, itself obviously deeply regrettable, some seriously negative statements have been... →
Zuma wins brownie points
25th March 2010 At the beginning of February, Omega organised its 12th Euro-African conferences in London and Munich on investment into Sub-Saharan Africa; and one... →
An embattled President - how long can he hold on?
25th February 2010 It was Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson who first said that "a week is a long time in politics". What he meant is that politics is full of the... →
Africa's World Cup: One Way of Using It
29th January 2010 The Economist in its first edition for 2010 asks the question: "What will make the news over the coming twelve months?" Its answer: "The Football... →
Looking back on 2009
22nd December 2009 2009 has ended more or less on the same note it began. That means the spotlight is on the ANC, Cosatu and SACP Alliance. And the dynamics of the... →
The appointment of the National Director of Public Prosecutions: Bad News - Zimbabwe: Good News
2nd December 2009 What follows are some of the headlines which greeted President Jacob Zuma’s recent appointment of Mr Menzi Simelane as the National Director of... →
Zimbabwe: Will President Zuma grasp the nettle?
20th November 2009 As Business Day pointed out in an editorial last week, with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) having now laid down certain... →
Cope: The need for leadership
5th November 2009 The Financial Mail in November last year had as a cover story "Can they crack it?". This was a reference to the anticipated establishment of a new... →
South Africa: Reflecting Confidence
22nd October 2009 Since his retirement as president of the country and joint Nobel Peace Prize winner with Nelson Mandela, former president F W de Klerk has very... →
