TRUMP - AMERICA'S NIGHTMARE

Although it is still some four months until Americans cast their vote for president of the United States, the world can breath a sigh of relief. Trump met his Waterloo at the recently concluded Republican National Convention. The Convention in Cleveland this past week nominating Donald Trump as the Republican Party's nominee for president will be one which Republicans will want erased from memory. From Melania Trump's plagiarised speech to Ted Cruz's refusal to endorse Trump, the Convention turned out to be the worst in recent history. If the purpose was to unify the party it failed miserably. The rancor, incoherent message, open revolt and unprecedented hard edged attacks have cemented undecided voters from casting their ballots for Trump. Other than a minority of die-hard angry white voters, the rest of the country recognises Trump for what he is: an egomaniacal neo-fascist demagogue with a narcissistic personality disorder unfit and unqualified to hold the office of President of the United States. Trump will hear a thunderous and clear message from the electorate on November 4, 2016: "you're fired!" America will be so much better for it.

WOMEN - A POWER SHIFT IN POLITICAL LEADERSHIP

The prominence of powerful female politicians on the world stage is a welcome development. It is time for women to rule the world because they can do so much better than men. It is no longer political correctness that has empowered women such as May, Lagarde, Merkel, Clinton and Sturgeon. Rather it is their womanly practicality and long-term strategic vision that engenders collaboration and inclusiveness to facilitating conflict resolution and peace making. These women are the standard bearers of a new matriarchy where capable and ambitious women are taking matters into their own hands. They are uniquely qualified to do so because they listen and understand consensus in a dimensional context. An historic political power shift is in the making. Globalisation is immutably preparing women for political leadership positions. Male-dominated patriarchy must wake up to the fact that women are imbued with intellectual capacity and emotional fortitude to make the difficult decisions that leadership demands. The world needs new thinking and new strategies. Women get it and are up to the task. The old patriarchal order must get on board by teaming up with women as equals before it is too late.

SOUTH AFRICA'S CULTURE OF DISHONESTY - FAKE CREDENTIALS

Media reported on a fake degree scam orchestrated by an employee at the University of Zululand. At the request of a former student the public protector will investigate,which begs the question: why the public protector and not law enforcement? South Africa is notorious for its culture of dishonesty - fraudulent qualification and falsified professional resumes. This will continue unabated if perpetrators simply receive a slap on the hand, if at all. A lengthy prison term as a deterrent is an appropriate and long overdue solution. If the likes of Ellen Tshabalala, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, Mohau Pheko, and others had been criminally prosecuted, it would have served as a deterrent to those contemplating academic fraud. The practice of issuing get out of jail free cards by tolerating academic fraud does irreparable harm to the country's reputation and the credibility of its institutions. Government promised to deal with fraudulent qualifications more than a year ago. One more of a laundry list of unfulfilled promises which do not solve the country's problems, inasmuch as actions do.

THE LAST GASP OF A MURDEROUS REGIME?

Speaking on events in Zimbabwe Gwede Mantasha proffered that long-standing economic problems should "never give a license to regime change elements to revive restlessness in Zimbabwe". In general terms - yes, but circumstantially in Zimbabwe's case, a necessity. Mantashe is clearly oblivious of the fact that economic conditions constitute a significant factor in regime change. Zimbabwe is undergoing an explosive economic crisis that has all the trappings of regime change. The catalyst for regime change is Zimbabwe's bankruptcy. Zimbabwe's finance minister, while begging for loans in European capitals this week told French radio "Right now we literally have nothing". Not true, because according The Economist, Mugabe and his cronies... "between them probably have enough money to pay off all of Zimbabwe's arrears to the IMF". As The Economist rightly points out bailing out the bandit Mugabe and his cronies is a bad idea - it will simply add to more repression by a murderous regime.

C' EST LA VIE EN AFRIQUE DU SUD

We have yet to learn the full scope and extent of the culture of corruption in South Africa. On the other hand, it really is of no consequence as it would not change the fact that the nation has already been reduced to a state of exhaustive conditioning to endless corruption. Organisations that issue reports on public and private sector corruption are simply exercises in futility - no one pays attention, or cares a tinker's damn anymore. Against this backdrop it is not surprising that SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng intervened and "rescued" Zuma-Ncube, Jacob Zuma's daughter, and co -owner of the TV production, Uzalo from an early demise. This, despite a review panel's recommendation to axe the production. The review panel expressed multiple concerns for not renewing ranging from a perverse budget of R167m to dubious artistic considerations. According to the Sunday Times when Zuma-Ncube learnt of the non-renewal, she and her co-producer complained to Motsoeneng. Unsurprisingly the TV production was back on the gravy train for the benefit of Jacob Zuma's progeny. Another opportune day for Zuma's progeny, but for the rest of us c'est la vie en Afrique du sud.

THE VERY DEFINITION OF ENCYCLOPEDIC IGNORANCE

Our worldly International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has put her dainty feet in it once again! This time in response to a question at a briefing in Pretoria, she said: "Brexit? We don't know about it" We saw it on television. We heard it will impact negatively on trade and relations, but we haven't seen any evidence of that". At the very least she could have avoided the "we" reference when prefacing her remarks. There are presumably many South Africans who take exception to be included in the ignoramus category reserved for the likes of Nkoana-Mashabane. The minister's obliviousness to world events raises fundamental questions as to what she does to fill her day. Not much, if anything it would seem, as her remarks are demonstrative of a degree of ignorance that has a shelf life in perpetuity.

A CALL TO ACTION

Time is running out for South Africa's Jewish establishment to mobilise politically. For too long it has ignored, to its detriment, South Africa's body politic, avoiding meaningful political involvement, other than directly affecting the Jewish community. The lack of meaningful Jewish community involvement in political decision-making, or electioneering is not a new phenomenon. It had its dawning in the apartheid era following Jewish establishment's warning to all Jews not to awake the wrath of the regime. The warning was unneeded as an anxious Jewish community preferred to be discreetly seen, but not heard. Opposition to apartheid as a matter of policy was therefore unthinkable. Tacit, and at times, overt complicity in the evils of apartheid was the accepted norm in spite of Judaism's fundamental belief in the dignity of man. During apartheid a minority of South African Jewish activists courageously opposed apartheid. Some were either murdered, jailed, or exiled. Within the Jewish community they were stigmatised, regarded as political lepers, and a real and present danger to the wellbeing of the community. The implications of the phrase "Am I my brother's keeper?" in Genesis 4:1-9 was poignantly a non sequitur. In this respect, I for one, despite the passage of time, have yet to put aside residual animus towards the Jewish establishment for abandoning those of us in the struggle, by jettisoning the centrality of freedom from political oppression embedded in Jewish thought. The Jewish community did not differentiate between Jewish activists and the banned ANC leadership. The former were lumped together with Mandela, Sisulu, Tembo, and others under the catch-all communist-terrorist classification. When the opportunity presented itself to demonstrate commitment to the status quo under apartheid the Jewish community unhesitatingly did so. One simply has to recall the community's misguided pride in the selection of a Jewish prosecutor bent on securing a death penalty conviction for Mandela and his co-accused. The Jewish community's moral compass during apartheid was in lock-down mode. Silence on the evils of apartheid from the likes of the Jewish Board of Deputies, and religious leaders was not only deafening, but cowardly. It remains a deep-seated festering thorn in the side of today's ANC. With the birth of the new South Africa in 1994, Jewish religious and secular leaders experienced an epiphany as far as race relations were concerned. Those in the liberation movement were no longer pariahs, but heroes, to be feted at every opportunity - quintessential hypocrisy disguised in new found altruism. Not too long ago Obed Bapela, an ANC subcommittee chairperson singled out South African Jews serving in the Israeli military. He did not expressly say so, but his agenda was likely to question the loyalty of the Jewish community in South Africa. As expected the Board of Deputies criticised Bapela, adding that "the Jewish community has played an active and integral role in building South Africa". The loyalty issue continues to smolder due to the Jewish community's commitment to Israel in contrast to the ruling party's enmity, compounded by residual memories of Israel's close ties with the apartheid regime. Despite the Board's assertion of "the Jewish community's active and integral role in building South Africa", the ruling party remains unpersuaded by the Jewish community's 'overnight' non-racial transformation, because of its disconnect to the suffering of the black population pre-and post-apartheid. Against this backdrop the Jewish community should no longer passively remain in the shadows of South Africa's body politic. It must discard the shackles of the past, increase its visibility, and unwaveringly enter the political arena, even if it means confronting anti-Semitic attacks, or accusations of racism for criticising a black government for lack of good governance. There is a rightful place for Jews at South Africa's political table. But, sitting silently on the back seat of history is a perilous cop-out. It really is an issue of survival, failing which the plaintiff cry "that was the South African Jewish community that was" will be heard throughout Israel and the diaspora.