Author: Abbey Makoe

The recent establishment by the European Commission of an anti-subsidy investigation against the hugely popular Chinese Electric Vehicles (EVs) will inadvertently backfire on their citizens instead harming the People’s Republic of China. I cannot see how such an unfortunate initiative, intended to be punitive in every aspect and intent, will not boomerang and hurt the European customers hard in their wallets and purses. For starters, the Western government’s democratic principles are fundamentally interwoven into the dictates of the free market economic system as well as capitalist practices. From a standpoint of simplified version socialism, one could interpret the above brand…

Last week, the Ukraine peace Summit was held in Switzerland where some 90 countries, including South Africa, took part. It was a 7th such summit since the first was held in Copenhagen in 2022. The most consistent feature of the Ukraine Peace Summit has been the deliberate exclusion of Russia at every gathering, wherever hosted. The majority of the participants at the Ukraine Peace Summits are Western countries mostly in the EU and the US-led NATO, who have already clubbed together in a relentless anti-Russia onslaught aimed at isolating Moscow globally. The decisions that are taken at the EU and NATO…

President Cyril Ramaphosa was spot-on when he said during his inauguration as democratic South Africa’s 5th president: “Today is no ordinary day.” That summed up the totality of the wide-ranging complex themes and sub-themes in the lead-up to his inauguration. It was a ceremony that could have easily eluded him. Having managed a mere 40% in the May 29 elections, President Ramaphosa has been typically humble and respectful of the electorate. Just as he said at the Gallagher Estate in Midrand when he delivered his speech of acceptance of the results – and the entire election process conducted by the IEC…