SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS - The African Mirror

Oct

21

2022

Murder of Johannesburg sex workers shows why South Africa must urgently decriminalise the trade

THE decomposed bodies of six women, four of whom were identified as sex workers, were recently discovered at a panel beating factory in Johannesburg. A 20-year-old man has been charged with six counts of murder. The case highlights, again, the risks of sex work for women in South Africa. It also puts the spotlight on the regulation of sex work. As a commissioner for the Commission for Gender Equality, I was involved in drafting its 2013 position paper on sex work: Decriminalising Sex Work in South Africa. Author AMANDA GOUWS, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the South African…

Oct

20

2022

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s biggest cities are out of water, but the dams are full: what’s gone wrong

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Africa’s major cities in the Gauteng Province – the country’s economic heartland – are experiencing major water shortages. In Johannesburg and Tshwane taps have run dry, with numerous areas experiencing intermittent supply while some areas have no water at all. The province has metropolitan areas – the City of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. All are affected. Rand Water, the water authority for the region, has imposed restrictions of 30%. This will be revisited when the system recovers. Author ANJA DU PLESSIS, Associate Professor and Research Specialist in Integrated Water Resource Management, University of South Africa The last water shutdown…

Oct

17

2022

By The African Mirror

Social grants offer cash, but they aren’t a magic bullet response to inequality in the global south

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

OVER the last three decades, there has been a proliferation of social protection programmes across the global south in what some have dubbed a development revolution. International development agencies across the ideological spectrum have embraced social protection as an effective and efficient instrument to reduce poverty and inequality. The advent of digital technologies has further strengthened support for social protection, including among development agencies sceptical of local state administration. Payments can be delivered electronically directly into the pockets of the poor. This seemingly circumvents networks of patronage and corruption. Author RUTH CASTEL-BRANCO, Research Manager, University of the Witwatersrand This apparent…

Sep

13

2022

By The African Mirror

Job creation in South Africa: the president’s advisors discuss what it will take

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

AT the end of 2021, South Africa recorded its highest unemployment rate since the dawn of democracy, at 35.3%. The figure has marginally dropped but there is still concern about how the country will tackle this issue. Dori Posel spoke to Trudi Makhaya, economic advisor to South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as Kenneth Creamer and Liberty Mncube, who are on the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, about unemployment, job creation, the informal sector and the country’s challenges with excessive market power. Author DORRIT POSEL, Professor in the School of Economics and Finance, University of the Witwatersrand Dori Posel: South…

Sep

09

2022

By The African Mirror

Online fraudsters, colonial legacies and the north-south divide in Nigeria

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

MILLIONS of people with email accounts have undoubtedly encountered fraudulent emails that originate from Nigeria. Online fraudsters from the huge west African nation are also known as Yahoo Boys. According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation analysed in academic research, they have defrauded millions of victims worldwide. Statistics about the actual value of Yahoo Boys’ scams do not exist. But the wider cost of scams in general in the UK alone has been estimated at £9.3 billion. Authors SULEMAN LAZARUS, Visiting Fellow, London School of Economics and Political Science MARK BUTTON, Professor of Security and Fraud, University of…

Sep

09

2022

By The African Mirror

WTO head Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: how trade can help beat inequality

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

IN a recent study South Africa was identified as ranking first of 164 countries in the World Bank’s global poverty database. Underlying this inequality is its very high rates of unemployment. Professor Dori Posel spoke to World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala about why trade is important in tackling joblessness and inequality. And her experiences of fighting corruption in Nigeria. Author DORRIT POSEL, Professor in the School of Economics and Finance, University of the Witwatersrand Professor Posel: You’ve said that the WTO is all about people. How do we ensure that global trade reduces inequality both between…

Sep

03

2022

By The African Mirror

Kenya’s parliament and senate: how will they work together if there’s no clear majority?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

PRESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta’s government has held a majority of elected seats in both the national assembly and the senate – which together make up parliament – since the 2013 general election. This enabled his Jubilee coalition to drive its agenda largely unhindered over two five-year terms. This will clearly not be the case for Kenya’s incoming president as results for parliamentary seats and the senate show a near 50:50 split between the two main coalitions. Oscar Gakuo Mwangi sets out the roles of the two houses and what the absence of a clear majority will mean. Author OSCAR GAKUO MWANGI,…

Aug

27

2022

By The African Mirror

Macron in Africa: a cynical twist to repair the colonial past while keeping a tight grip

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

IN late July 2022 French president Emmanuel Macron concluded a tour of Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau. And he visits Algeria between 25 and 27 August. At first glance, his choice of countries is difficult to understand. Three former French colonies – Cameroon, Benin and Algeria – and a former Portuguese colony, Guinea-Bissau, seem very different. Nevertheless, taken together, Macron’s visits tell a story in which France is doing penance for its colonial crimes while simultaneously trying to maintain the influence it gained through colonialism. Author FRANK GERITS, Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, South Africa and Assistant…

Sep

03

2022

By The African Mirror

Angola’s MPLA has been in power for nearly 50 years. The big challenges they must fix

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

ANGOLAN president João Lourenço, who has been returned to power with a greatly reduced majority, faces the challenging task of turning around the economy and improving the living conditions of the majority, particularly young people. The Angolan economy has been in bad shape since 2014 when oil prices declined. Oil looms large over the economy, accounting for more than 90% of exports, 56% of government revenues and almost 35% of overall economic output. Author CRISTINA UDELSMANN RODRIGUES, Senior Researcher, The Nordic Africa Institute Even some of its non-oil sectors such as construction and agriculture move in tandem with the oil…