As commissions of inquiry lay bare the rot in our institutions, Nthabi Nhlapo argues that the most powerful response ordinary South Africans have is to register and vote, especially in the local elections that shape our daily lives.

As the rise of criminal couples comes to the fore, Nthabi Nhlapo explores why femininity itself can become camouflage – and why society’s soft spot for women may be a blind spot criminals exploit.

South Africa cannot become a country where political killings are treated as routine, quickly forgotten, or simply accepted as the cost of doing public service, writes Nthabi Nhlapo.

The arrest of well-paid law enforcement officials - two EMPD officers and a security company boss - in the multimillion-rand Killarney precious stones robbery case is a sobering illustration of how greed, not need, can drive those sworn to uphold the law to destroy their careers, reputations, and families, writes Nthabi Nhlapo.

WhatsApp messages entered into evidence at the Madlanga Commission expose not just criminality, but a deep-seated sense of entitlement and complacency that suggests South Africa’s law enforcement is rotten to its core, writes Nthabi Nhlapo.

The humanitarian crisis unfolding in Durban is a stark warning that Africa’s immigration challenges have outpaced government capacity on both sides of the border. Without urgent intervention, this could be just the beginning, writes Nthabi Nhlapo.

The firing of Major General Richard Shibiri for taking money from an alleged crime boss to fix his son’s car has exposed not just questionable judgment but a deeper crisis of financial literacy that could be quietly shaping decisions with national consequences, writes Nthabi Nhlapo.

At its core, the Free State bursary scandal is not just about money. It is about futures intentionally squandered, writes Nthabi Nhlapo.

With the 30 June shutdown looming, South Africa’s immigration crisis lays bare the devastating cost of two decades of government neglect, corruption and hollow condemnation – and the question is no longer if it will turn violent, but how bad it will get, writes Nthabi Nhlapo.

The middle class have the luxury to condemn Joe ‘Ferrari’ Sibanyoni’s alleged behaviour from their leafy suburban homes, but many in the Mpumalanga province owe their survival to men like Sibanyoni, writes Nthabi Nhlapo.