There is a myth abroad in SA, a myth that the National Prosecuting Authority is an independent institution of state. The NPA is constitutionally tasked with the prosecution of crime. It is not independent. Its leadership and staff would like it to be independent, the...

 Paul Hoffman The Phala Phala debacle has generated a lot of loose talk about whether or not a conflict of interest is in evidence on the President’s own version of the goings on around his dollar-stuffed couch at his game farm near Bela Bela. The dollars found their...

 Paul Hoffman In post-colonial African states, the new or “liberation” constitutions tend to be torn up, thrown away or up-ended via radical amendment.These processes occur along a well-trodden road, after “liberation party” governments show a tendency to govern by...

Dear Editor, Back in 2022 a respected former Chief Justice, Sandile Ngcobo, chaired a panel tasked with ascertaining whether anything, worthy of the considered attention of a presidential removal from office committee of the National Assembly, was in evidence before...

 Paul Hoffman May 10, 2026 The relevant provisions of the Constitution that deal with removing the president from office are deceptively straightforward. These provisions are set out in Section 89 thus: “The National Assembly, by a resolution adopted with a supporting...

Dear Editor, The Constitutional Court has announced that at ten on Friday, its long awaited verdict will be pronounced in the spat between the EFF and parliament over the latter’s stance taken in its decision to kick the report to it by the Ngcobo Panel into the long...

The South African Constitution is very clear in its treatment of the rights of children. [A “child” means a person under the age of 18 years.] This age group covers most school-going citizens. A child’s best interests are of paramount importance in every matter...

Dear Editor, After more than three decades, the enjoyment by all South Africans of the transition to constitutional democracy remains elusive. Certainly, SA is a better place than it was during the struggle years, but the expressed resolve of the Constitution (section...

Former National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi has withdrawn from a high-stakes inquiry into Andrew Chauke after being denied legal representation, raising serious questions about procedural fairness and the integrity of the process. what does this...

The miraculous transition from a limited form of parliamentary sovereignty to constitutional democracy for all came more than three decades ago in South Africa. The miracle was achieved after decades of struggle (some of it armed), years of painstaking negotiations, a...

 Paul Hoffman Apr 13, 2026 The Bureau for Economic Research at Stellenbosch University has devised three scenarios for the economic future of SA. The scenarios have received some media coverage, including South Africa’s future: Three economic scenarios explored. The...

Paul Hoffman | 07 April 2026 Paul Hoffman says the NPA and SAPS are demonstrably not bodies outside executive control According to a report in Polity, Busi Mavuso of Business Unity SA has expressed strong views on the dysfunction in the criminal justice system’s...

Dear Editor, A columnist, Thomas L Friedman, writing for the New York Times on 31 March 2026 under the heading “Trump has a way out of the war”, draws attention to a book written by former professor John Arquilla which contains carefully considered advice aimed at...

The criminal summons served on the chief of police, Fannie Masemola, on Wednesday 25 March 2026 refers: (https://www.businessday.co.za/news/2026-03-25-presidency-may-appoint-acting-police-chief-amid-probe-into-fannie-masemola/.) The general is not the first, and is...

 Paul Hoffman The commentariat misses the inwardness of reforming the capacity of the criminal justice system to counter corruption. The revelations pouring out at the Madlanga, Nkabinde and Khampepe Commissions of Inquiry, as well as the now (mercifully completed)...