In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser

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 t...

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 o...

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 int...

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.

Excellent futurist and Africa analyst Koffi Kouakou (The Centre for Africa-Chinese Studies, University of Johannesburg) joined me for a fascinating debate about ANC voters. He had listened to my previous episode, episode 145- 'Ramaphosa told you why you shouldn't vote ANC' ( https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/episode-145-ramaphosa-told-you-why-you-shouldnt-vote-anc/id1561851417?i...

In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I share the main insights from my recent analysis piece ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/ideas/2023-01-10-eusebius-mckaiser-ramaphosa-told-you-why-you-shouldnt-vote-anc/ ) which critically examined the ANC's January 8th statement.  The ANC's annual January 8th statement is part of its birthday celebrations. The statement is traditionall...

In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I wear my hat as a political analyst and review the coverage thus far of what happened at a resort in Free State recently.  I argue and explain how certain frameworks chosen by reporters, sub-editors, and editors unwiittingly water down the seriousness of racism.  I also offer arguments in support of the view that editorial choices are not val...

In this podcast lament, I meditate on how little focus there is this year on Reconciliation Day because of the elective conference of the  ANC. But there is a link: delays and organisational chaos at the conference speak to the state of the ANC and the state of the ANC-led state. The state has not enabled and delivered economic justice for South Africans. I focus on the importance of centering eco...

In this edition of In The Ring, I am joined by Sunday Times investigative reporter Sabelo Skiti who wrote the story about the recent bullying scandal at Roedean including a fracas involving parents ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2022-11-27-parents-of-roedean-bullies-in-ugly-school-fight/ ) We explore a number of issues including: a) damning findings from an educational psychologis...

A section 89 independent panel had arrived at the conclusion that, on the face of it, President Cyril Ramaphosa has an impeachment case to answer. For a simple, 10-minute EXPLAINER of what they said - in case you missed it - check out the previous episode of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser (episode 140 - Is Ramaphosa a fatally wounded buffalo? Here's a quickie) For a wider conversation abo...

The section 89 panel's findings that President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer on allegations of serious misconduct and serious violation of the constitution is the biggest crisis of his political career. It is also an inherent crisis for the ANC and a serious challenge to our democracy.  I'll unravel it fully in the hours and days ahead. For now, here's a quickie to help you g...

Luke Lamprecht (   https://www.lukelamprecht.co.za ) is an excellent  and well-respected expert in child protection and child development. He has worked with and in countless schools, tackling the very issues we are exploring in this series.  In this episode- the second in the series focusing on bullying at Roedean, he educates us all on the complexity of bullying. It is a difficult concept to get...

In the recent edition of Sunday Times ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2022-11-27-parents-of-roedean-bullies-in-ugly-school-fight/ ), the paper reported on a horrible incident at a well-known independent school in Johannesburg, Roedean. It even allegedly involved fighting between parents that necessitated police being dispatched. The backdrop to the fights are guilty bullying verdic...

Friday is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It marks the beginning of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.  In this audio essay, based on an analysis piece I had written for and published on TimesLIVE, I explore why and how GBV is squarely a men's problem. But, I am not merely putting us men on moral trial. That is not unimportant, but, of course,...

Author and journalist Jacques Pauw joined me to discuss his new book, Our Poisoned Land. It is a sequel to his previous bestseller, The President's Keepers. It was a wide-ranging but also focused conversation that could have been longer. I want you to read the book before we debate it further. This interview won't spoil your reading experience. It gives you a sense of what the book is ab...

  I will soon interview Jacques  Pauw about Our Poisoned Land, his sequel to The President's Keepers, one of the most commercially successful books in South Africa over the past ten years, quite apart from the phenomenal discursive impact it had. Here's a reminder, from the archives, of the key themes in The President's Keepers. I had, back then, interviewed Jacques Pauw as that boo...

Many of you write to me privately, asking for informal advice on quitting alcohol or cutting back massively. I've not consumed alcoholic beverages for more than three years now. Along the way, I have learned many things. Whether you are an alcoholic, or simply curious about sobriety, or maybe just keen to drink much less, this episode of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, which is my story a...

In this epsiode of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser I explain my support for the decriminalisation of sex work.

[FROM THE ARCHIVES] I flighted a documentary about the work of an organisation in inner city Johannesburg aimed at changing the lives of boys and girls who have offended and who are at risk of offending by using boxing as a way to help them recover their own humanity and to fulfill their human potential. What an incredible experience. I shared with them my own journey too... this was a very emotio...

I cannot even believe I typed that question because it should be regarded as totally absurd. Right? But sadly there are still people who walk around imagining that heteronormativity is intrinsic to being African. Bizarre.  Well, about ten years ago I took part in what was a difficult but productive debate about this question hosted by Zeinab Badawi. It featured politicians and various activists. I...

I interviewed banker Lincoln Mali about his book, Blazing A Trail: Lessons For African Leadership.  Mali has spent over two decades in banking and financial services working across the continent, from Nigeria to Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya and elsewhere, as a banking executive facing a myriad of leadership challenges entrusted to him by his mentors and bosses. This comes after a stint...

Kukhokuhle Tswenga is a brilliant doctoral engineering student at Oxford University with a research interest in robotics. His life began in deep rural Eastern Cape, a poorly resourced community that did not stop his academic brilliance from manifesting , early on. He even, uhm, got 100% for both maths and science in matric, one of the top students in the country.  In this beautiful podcast convers...

I interviewed Matthew Wilhelm-Solomon about his stunning book, The Blinded City- Ten Years In Inner-City Johannesburg, which tells countless and complex sets of stories about people who occupy buildings in inner-city Johannesburg. Some call these bulldings "hijacked buildings" but Matthew explains why this term is problematic. He has spent over ten years getting to know the people living...

In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I voice an essay I had written for TimesLIVE in which I critique the bullshit idea that race-based affirmative action policies are racist, and also slay the myth of meritocracy that make many white people falsely claim that their economic successes are due to hard work and fair play. There is a cluster of explicit and hidden premises in these...