John Steenhuisen

Spot the difference: From Botha to Mbalula, same script, different stage

In a striking historical irony, the ANC’s defiant rhetoric against Western sanctions eerily mirrors PW Botha’s failed 1986 stance, while the party’s romanticised invocation of Codesa for today’s National Dialogue fundamentally misunderstands how apartheid actually ended – through backroom bilateral negotiations, not public consultation, writes Tony Leon. “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes”, is [...]

The Lead: Tony Leon on the state of the GNU, the DA, and brown envelopes

https://www.news24.com/multimedia/podcasts/podcast-the-lead-tony-leon-on-the-state-of-the-gnu-the-da-and-brown-envelopes-20250806-1023  

Missing ambassadors, mounting tariffs: SA leaders fail the perfect storm test

It is a case of every man, woman or party for themselves, and the country buckles in the absence of joined-up government, writes Tony Leon. In Zbig, a new and fascinating biography of the late hardline US National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Edward Luce writes, “figures in senior [government] roles have no time to replenish their stock [...]

Tony Leon on the GNU, Helen Zille, and the joy of dachshunds

https://www.news24.com/weekender/interview-tony-leon-on-the-gnu-helen-zille-and-the-joy-of-dachshunds-20250523-0441  

Intieme blik op ’n besonderse loopbaan

  https://www.netwerk24.com/netwerk24/kunste/boeke/intieme-blik-op-n-besonderse-loopbaan-20250525

One year of GNU: Power-sharing or power struggle?

Tony Leon considers the first anniversary of South Africa’s coalition government, reflecting on the ANC’s political decline, the DA’s limited power in the partnership, and the challenges of restoring voter faith amid mounting dissatisfaction. On 11 June 2024, exactly one year ago, the DA presented its “framework agreement” for a coalition government to govern South Africa [...]

Unintended ‘ambush’: Will it spark action on crime and economic ideology?

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent encounter at the White House revealed that South Africans have all succumbed to “Trump derangement syndrome” in varying different degrees, writes Tony Leon. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa went to the White House on a “working visit” to meet the US president and nothing much happened. No one in the world, least [...]

The Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Tony Leon about his latest book, ‘Being There: Backstories from the Political Front’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NoFl_pxo-Q&list=PL73Gj_So3oSVSq5C7dggvXLVYWcrue6kh

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