The recent proposal to strip South African citizenship from citizens who speak critically of the government while abroad has sparked a significant defense of constitutional values. This idea, floated by Supra Mahumapelo, who chairs Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation, has been met with strong condemnation from the Institute of Race Relations (IRR). The proposal suggests that legislation should be introduced to allow the state to revoke citizenship from those who spread what is labeled as misinformation on the international stage. The concern is not merely hypothetical, as the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, has…

Manchester United have always loved to lean on the past. Mention Sir Alex Ferguson and the stories practically tell themselves: trebles, title fights, that relentless winning habit, and a manager who could turn a losing dressing room into a champion’s just by staring hard enough. It is no wonder the club’s supporters often retreat into those memories when the present gets uncomfortable. What they prefer not to revisit, though, is the time just before Ferguson arrived. That was an era of faded glitz, underachievement, and a certain hangover feeling after the glory days. On Saturday, when Dominic Solanke tapped in…