SPECIAL FEATURES - The African Mirror

Oct

31

2025

What black markets in asylum seeker hotels tell us about refugee realities

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

A BBC investigation into hotels housing asylum seekers in the UK revealed “evidence of black market work.” This might evoke imagery of illicit dealings that will only fuel right-wingers’ racist and xenophobic demonstrations. But in reality, this shows people simply eking out a living – often as low-paid labourers such as food delivery drivers, whose work we considered essential, and even clapped for, during the COVID-19 pandemic. If anything, it is evidence of a deeply broken system where asylum seekers are compelled to work in secret just to get by – but also of people’s desire to make themselves useful…

Oct

24

2025

By SIMON HOWELL and CLEMENCE RUSENGA

Cannabis boom in South Africa and Zimbabwe is good for wealthy investors, bad for small farmers

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

CANNABIS is booming as an ingredient in everything from supplementary oils, inflammation-reducing skin creams, lip balms, to health drinks and gummy sweets that promise to reduce anxiety and pain and promote relaxation. The global legal cannabis market is today worth about US$69.78 billion, and this will skyrocket to US$216.76 billion by 2033. But is this boom benefiting indigenous cannabis farmers in southern Africa? They’d been growing the plant for hundreds of years before colonial authorities criminalised it in the early 1900s. Rural people continued to grow it illicitly after that, relying on its medicinal properties. For many rural households in…

Oct

24

2025

By Jovial Rantao

When the Black Knight meets the ultimate driving machine: A Fairway-to-Freeway love story

MOTORING

IN a collision of chrome and championship glory that could only happen in South Africa, BMW has just served up automotive alchemy that makes a hole-in-one look pedestrian. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Gary Player Signature BMW 7 Series - where Germanic engineering precision tangos with the swagger of our most decorated son of the fairways. This isn't just another executive barge with a fancy badge. This is BMW Individual Manufaktur flexing its considerable muscles, proving that when you give the world's most meticulous carmaker carte blanche to honour a man who turned black into power dressing before Johnny Cash…

Oct

23

2025

By PAPA SOW

Turkey’s charm offensive in Senegal: migration scholar unpacks the relationship

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

TURKEY has been trying to establish a stronghold in Africa, using the “Opening up to Africa” policy it adopted in 1998. Its Africa Action Plan, based on humanitarian aid, politics and economic cooperation, has turned toward West Africa. As a scholar of migration studies, I’ve analysed the forms of agencies, social networks and transnational e-commerce between Dakar and Istanbul. I also look at the people involved, including migrants, networks of traders and “gratis passengers” – people who use their baggage allowance to transport small packages between Istanbul and Dakar. My study highlights active transnational trade and a circular, yet strategic,…

Oct

21

2025

By SIVE ZINTLE MBANGISWANO

Rural women farmers in South Africa: how global promises aren’t translating into support on the ground

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

IT is well documented that women small-scale farmers are hard done by in an environment where they farm without security of tenure, which inhibits their ability to raise finance with which to grow their businesses. Recent research adds another dimension to the challenges facing women small-scale farmers. Rural entrepreneurship researchers Sive Zintle Mbangiswano and Zamagebe Siphokazi Vuthela, with independent researcher and their mentor, Dr Elona Ndlovu, have found that even well-intentioned farming projects can leave women behind if they aren’t structured specifically to accommodate women In their study of a citrus fruit project - a public-private partnership in the Eastern…

Oct

17

2025

By MOTORING REPORTER

GAC Motor partners with Real Madrid Foundation to transform young lives through football in South Africa

MOTORING NEWS

IN a groundbreaking partnership that transcends traditional corporate sponsorship, Chinese automotive manufacturer GAC Motor South Africa has joined forces with the legendary Real Madrid Foundation to invest in the nation's youth, embodying their "Go and Change" philosophy through tangible action. At the heart of this collaboration is nine-year-old Tyler Swarts, a soft-spoken football prodigy from Cape Town whose journey exemplifies how sport can become a vehicle for social transformation. Tyler has been selected for comprehensive sponsorship through GAC Motor, receiving housing, education, nutrition, and access to the prestigious Real Madrid Foundation Educational Football Programme - a holistic support package designed…

Oct

17

2025

By MOTORING REPORTER

Jetour to launch T-Series SUVs as brand hits 800-unit monthly sales milestone

MOTORING

CHINESE automaker Jetour will officially unveil its T1 and T2 SUV models at a launch event on 24 October, capitalizing on momentum that saw the brand crack South Africa's top 12 passenger vehicle sales rankings just one year after local market entry. The company recorded over 800 unit sales in September 2025, securing 12th position nationally and marking consistent month-on-month growth since its South African debut. The upcoming T-Series launch represents Jetour's expansion beyond its current lineup as it targets the country's expanding SUV segment. "With the launch of our T-Series, we're bringing a new level of rugged sophistication and…

Oct

18

2025

By CELESTINA ATOM

Nigeria’s Boko Haram rehabilitation efforts ignore the emotional trauma of soldiers: why this matters

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SINCE 2009, Boko Haram has waged one of the deadliest insurgencies in Africa. Concentrated in north-east Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin, the group has killed more than 35,000 people and displaced at least 2.5 million. Its attacks on schools, markets, religious centres, and entire villages have torn at the fabric of Nigerian society, creating not only a humanitarian emergency but also a profound crisis of trust and cohesion. In 2016, Nigeria launched Operation Safe Corridor, a state-run initiative for low-risk former Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province members who have surrendered or been captured. The programme involves…

Oct

17

2025

By NYASHA KARIMAKWENDA

Rape within marriage is still silenced in South Africa – why women are being failed

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SEXUAL violence in marriages is a very real issue in South Africa, but remains shrouded in silence and denial. It’s a subject that Nyasha Karimakwenda has researched for many years in various forms, from traditional practices to court judgments. We asked her to outline the issues. What is marital rape, and why should we pay more attention to it? Though marriage rates in southern Africa have decreased over the past decades, marriage is still considered to be an ideal social tool for formalising relationships and building families. But it’s also an environment where spouses can be exposed to different kinds…

Oct

15

2025

By OLASUNKANMI HABEEB OKUNOLA

How disaster-ready are African countries? Study of 5 shows some progress, but also huge gaps

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

WHEN we hear the word “disaster” we often think of floods, droughts or earthquakes – events caused by nature. But what really turns these events into disasters is how prepared we are to deal with them. A flood becomes a disaster when people do not have safe housing, early warnings or emergency support. In other words, disasters often show us what’s missing in our preparation. Yet, with climate extremes becoming more frequent and communities under growing pressure, countries do not have the luxury of time when it comes to disaster planning. I’ve been researching disaster risk governance for over a…