Eusebius McKaiser is a political analyst, broadcaster, debate and public speaking coach, philosophy lecturer and now also author.
He studied law and philosophy at Rhodes University where he graduated with a Masters in Arts Degree (with distinction) in Philosophy. His thesis, In Defense of Moral Objectivity, argued against moral relativism and sketched the normative basis for universal moral principles.
After obtaining a prestigious international Rhodes Scholarship, Eusebius spent time at Oxford University working with Professor John Broome, researching whether or not persons are morally responsible for their beliefs. Eusebius has lectured in philosophy in England and in South Africa.
Since then, Eusebius McKaiser had a brief corporate stint, as an associate at McKinsey and Company, working in Europe and in South Africa, as a strategy consultant.
In 2009, he decided to pursue his true passions, political analysis, broadcasting and writing.
He has written extensively in the print media about South African politics and current affairs. He has previously been a columnist for Business Day, and also the New York Times. His work has appeared in many other local and international publications, including Mail and Guardian, The Guardian, and The New Republic.
As a competitive debater, Eusebius has had a long, successful international career. He has previously won the South African National Universities Debate Championships, and in 2011 he won the World Masters Debate Championships. He has coached debating and public speaking in South Africa, Europe and the Middle East over the past ten years.
Currently, Eusebius enjoys a budding broadcasting career. He hosted Interface on SABC3 before becoming a talk show host on Talk Radio 702, as anchor of the daily evening slot, Talk At Nine.
He also provided political risk analysis to local and international corporates.
He has just released his first book, a collection of personal and critical essays, A Bantu in My Bathroom. This collection became a bestseller within ten days. It is a set of critical arguments about race, sexuality and other uncomfortable South African topics.
He is currently working on his second book, which will analyse the Democratic Alliance's strengths and weaknesses ahead of the 2014 elections.
He lives in Johannesburg but is a refugee from the Eastern Cape. In his spare time he clubs in Melville to keep young.
The ANC's elective conference at the end of 2012 saw both fierce leadership battles, and heated debate about policy direction. Yet, such are the confusing details of realpolitik, that it is difficult to know what exactly changed for the party and the state. In this talk, well-known political analyst Eusebius McKaiser offers a unique perspective on the leadership and policy implications of the ruling party's elective conference.
On the policy front, he examines whether the renewed political commitment to the National Development Plan will be followed through with the necessary political will and operational success. He defends his sceptical answer to the question with an exposition of how policy turfwars within both the party and the state jeopardise the successful implementation of the plan, despite favourable political rhetoric at Mangaung and during early 2013.
More broadly, Eusebius engages the ANC government's renewed focus on economic policy that conduces to sustainable levels of growth and job-creation. He justifies why, despite the state's heart being in the right place, he believes that the state will struggle for a while yet to become fit for purpose. The diagnosis he offers is that excessive focus on policy creation distracts us from building a public service and bureacracy that can implement sound, existing policies. He offers fresh ideas on how government can, however, reverse this problem.
Eusebius ends his talk with a critical discussion about leadership within the ruling party and within government, giving a view on whether or not 'organisational renewal' is likely within the ANC. He argues that the party remains haunted by its great liberation movement character, and offers interventions for how it can retain that history while adapting more quickly to democratic culture.
