SPECIAL FEATURES - The African Mirror

Jun

25

2026

Igniting Tomorrow: BMW Group South Africa puts youth in the driver’s seat

MOTORING NEWS

THERE is a particular kind of energy that fills a room when young people glimpse, for the first time, the shape of their own future. It is the same restless energy that hums beneath the bonnet of an idling engine - coiled, expectant, ready to surge forward the moment the key turns. This Youth Month, that energy filled the halls of the Soshanguve Engineering School of Specialisation in Gauteng, as BMW Group South Africa threw open its doors - and its workshops, its universities, and its possibilities - to 1,200 learners hungry to find their own ignition point. Youth Month,…

Jun

24

2026

By XN IRAKI

Did Kenya’s Gen Z protests achieve anything? An economist weighs up what’s changed and what’s stayed the same

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

KENYA’S Gen Z-led protests of 2024 drew global headlines. For weeks, young people mobilised against proposed tax increases, the rising cost of living, unemployment, corruption and what they saw as an unresponsive political class. But what began as opposition to the 2024 Finance Bill quickly evolved into a broader challenge to the way the country was being governed. The protests were remarkable for their scale, decentralised nature and ability to mobilise through social media. They were eventually subdued through political concessions and state repression. At least 63 people were killed. The issues that drove the protests haven’t disappeared. Questions about…

Jun

20

2026

By ROBERT T. NYAMUSHOSHO

Great Zimbabwe: debunking the myth of tyrants and forced labour

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

FOR more than a century, Great Zimbabwe has stood at the centre of a powerful story about the Zimbabwe culture. This remarkable African civilization flourished in southern Africa during the Middle Ages, constructing more than 200 dry-stone palaces, locally known as madzimbahwe (houses of stone). These towering monuments, immense gold wealth, and an array of exotica, including glass beads and glazed ceramics from distant lands, have often been interpreted as proof that southern Africa’s early states were ruled by authoritarian kings. Leaders who exercised near-absolute control over their subjects. In archaeology textbooks, museum exhibitions, and even political discourse, the image…

Jun

19

2026

By ANTHONY IDOWU AJAYI; BERYL NYATUGA MACHOKA, and CAROLINE W. KABIRU

Money, food and survival: what drives paid sex among young mums in 3 African countries

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

TRANSACTIONAL sex, defined as the exchange of sex for money, food, or favours, is common among young people in Africa. Studies have reported that about 10% of those aged 15-24 have engaged in this exchange in South Africa, 23% in Nigeria and 25% in Uganda. The behaviour has been linked to negative consequences such as unintended pregnancy, sexual violence and HIV infections. Transactional sex refers to sexual relationships outside marriage that are not classified as commercial sex work, but where there is an expectation that material, financial or other benefits will be exchanged for intimacy or companionship. We are sexual…

Jun

18

2026

By OLUDAYO TADE

Nigerians tell their stories of banditry. ‘A month will not go by without someone being killed in this village.’

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

BANDITRY is widespread in Nigeria. It has been defined as “a loose collection of various criminal groups involved in kidnap-for-ransom, armed robbery, cattle rustling, rape and sexual violence, pillage and attacks on traders, farmers and travellers, particularly in Nigeria’s northwest region”. This criminal activity has caused deaths, displacement, destruction of property and widespread fear. In 2025 alone, 599 attacks were reported, with 2,742 casualties. This was a sharp increase from 2024, when 256 attacks and 1,585 deaths were recorded. Banditry has also extended its reach to the northwest and southwest of Nigeria. Studies have examined its costs and implications, and…

Jun

13

2026

By NANA KESSE

Appolonia: the story of an African kingdom that resisted the Atlantic slave trade

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE transatlantic slave trade was a multilayered, highly commercialised global enterprise that lasted from the early 1500s to the mid-1800s. The events over this period are far too complex to fit into a straightforward perpetrator-victim narrative. While the trade catastrophically dehumanised and commodified over 12.5 million Africans, it was not just an external conquest. Europeans lacked the geographical knowledge, immunity to endemic tropical diseases, and the military power to venture into the African interior. So they became dependent on African states and merchant elites for the supply of captives. By controlling coastal ports, regulating market access, and managing the interior…

Jun

12

2026

By UROŠ KOVAC

World Cup 2026: the real story of the resilient African migrants reshaping global football

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

GLOBAL football body FIFA is branding the World Cup 2026 – and global football in general – as a celebration of inclusivity and diversity. It’s presented as a harbinger of peace and hope, and even somehow a saviour of African migrants who drown while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The humanitarian posturing should not distract us from the existence of a precarious global class of migrants. They have travelled (especially from West Africa) to Europe (and elsewhere) by various means, with dreams of playing football for a living. As plenty of research has shown, many become stranded as unauthorised…

Jun

09

2026

By CHRISTIAN HAMANN

Internet access is unequal in South Africa’s economic powerhouse: survey shows race and income mark the digital divide

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

DIGITAL technologies create great opportunities, but the transformation they offer isn’t equally within reach of everyone. Access is determined by a vast digital divide. The digital divide refers to the gap between individuals and households who have access to the internet and those who do not. The digital divide can restrict educational attainment, economic opportunity, the ability to adapt to rapidly changing employment environments, healthcare access, social inclusion, and overall quality of life. While digital technology will bring about many environmental, social and economic gains, the pathway to South Africa’s digital future is not without challenges. The country needs to…

Jun

03

2026

By SUMULIA

In eastern DR Congo, a cultural revival after a year of rebel rule

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

A packed crowd pressed against the stage of a cultural centre courtyard as a musician walked on for the first concert held in many months. A microphone crackled, and the artist smiled, as if to ward off fear. Then he announced with pride: "Hello Goma!" This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Sumulia For the past year, Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, has been under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, whose insurgency has fuelled one of the worst security crises in the country in decades. Alongside massive displacement…

Jun

02

2026

By SHAFA'ATU SULEIMAN

Women pay the price of surging banditry in northwest Nigeria

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

AMINA Ya’u* was six months pregnant when gunmen attacked her village of Rinaye in the Shagari district of Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto State. Her husband, Abubakar Tunau, had just finished eating when the armed men forced their way into their home. He was struck with a rifle butt and shot in the chest. Ya’u collapsed. When she regained consciousness, her mother-in-law was beside her, crying. Her husband was dead. In the days that followed the September 2025 attack, 35-year-old Ya'u could not eat or sleep. She experienced repeated flashbacks. Four days later, she suffered a miscarriage. “His murder did not only…