Can you feel it?

WELL!

- RAVI GOVENDER

RHYTHM GOVENDER

Can you? The titular phrase was the name of a smash hit song for pop icon Michael Jackson and his family group, The Jackson 5, way back in 1980. Merely four words but it is jam-packed with meaning especially now. Especially in South Africa. Let me elaborate.We are now in 2026. Yes, we made it. The second half of 2025 was action-packed. Did you feel it? We witnessed it all. The bravery of an honest high-rank-ing policeman, the exposing of corruption that sadly seems to lead to the upper echelons of political power. It’s very much like following the bread crumbs and white pebbles in the tale of Hansel and Gretel that led them home.

Somehow at this juncture the names of two other fairy tale characters, namely, Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin come to mind. I wonder why?

However, alas South Africa in latter 2025 was anything but a fairy tale.

Wave after wave of disclosures in two parallel commissions, the shocking killings of whistle-blowers, the numerous political “hits” and the sad murder of a much-loved former DJ and podcaster rocked this sunny country. So much so that I think the tectonic plates that hold South Africa upright were quite shaky in this period.

Did you feel the ructions?