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Feb
19
2025
By EVAN EASTON-CALABRIA
Goma is threatened by conflict and a volcano: we’ve created a handbook to help hotspots like these

Goma is threatened by conflict and a volcano: we’ve created a handbook to help hotspots like these

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS
THE city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was taken over by the M23 rebel group in January 2025. This was a tragic escalation of a decades-long conflict that led to mass displacement and deaths. Goma, a city of two million, hasn’t just been overtaken by rebels. It’s also just 12 miles (19km) from one of the most dangerous active volcanoes in the world: Mount Nyiragongo. Mount Nyiragongo can have lava flows of more than 60 miles (96km) per hour. This is far faster than any human can run. When it last erupted in 2021, thousands of…
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Feb
18
2025
By ZAMA MTHOMBEN
Fourth industrial revolution in South Africa: inequality stands in the way of true progress

Fourth industrial revolution in South Africa: inequality stands in the way of true progress

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS
IN his 2019 State of the Nation address, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that he was creating a commission on the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). The term refers to the integration of advanced digital technologies like AI and robotics, as well as automation, into various economic and social domains. The first (1760s to early 1800s), second (1870s to early 1900s) and third (1950s to late 20th century) industrial revolutions were mechanical and electronic in nature. The 4IR is characterised by the fusion of physical, digital and biological systems. It is fundamentally reshaping industries, work and societies. Ramaphosa acknowledged at…
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Feb
17
2025
By TIMOTHY NJAGI NJERU
Kenya relies on USAid famine warning system – what happens now that it’s gone?

Kenya relies on USAid famine warning system – what happens now that it’s gone?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS
FAMINE Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net), a web-based platform for predicting famine, went offline on 30 January 2025. The system had provided up-to-date data to predict and track food insecurity in nearly 30 countries in Africa, Central America and Asia for 40 years. It was funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). It went offline following USAID’s shutdown by the new US administration. In Kenya, Fews Net worked with the National Drought Management Agency and the Kenya Food Security Steering Group to develop regular outlook reports at national and county levels. Timothy Njagi Njeru, an agricultural economist…
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Feb
15
2025
By DANNY BRADLOW
Donald Trump’s war on global governance: lessons from the past on how to fight back

Donald Trump’s war on global governance: lessons from the past on how to fight back

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS
US President Donald Trump’s recent actions seem designed to reassert American power and demonstrate that it is still the dominant global power and is capable of bullying weaker nations into following America’s lead. He has shown contempt for international collaboration by withdrawing from the UN climate negotiations and the World Health Organization. His officials have also indicated that they will not participate in upcoming G20 meetings because he does not like the policies of South Africa, the G20 president for 2025. In addition, he’s shown a lack of concern for international solidarity by halting US aid programmes and by undermining…
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Feb
27
2025
By MITCHELL GALLAGHER
China flexes its media muscle in Africa – encouraging positive headlines as part of a soft power agenda

China flexes its media muscle in Africa – encouraging positive headlines as part of a soft power agenda

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS
EVERY year, China’s minister of foreign affairs embarks on what has now become a customary odyssey across Africa. The tradition began in the late 1980s and sees Beijing’s top diplomat visit several African nations to reaffirm ties. The most recent visit, by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, took place in mid-January 2025 and included stops in Namibia, the Republic of the Congo, Chad and Nigeria. For over two decades, China’s burgeoning influence in Africa was symbolized by grand displays of infrastructural might. From Nairobi’s gleaming towers to expansive ports dotting the continent’s shorelines, China’s investments on the continent have surged, reaching…
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Feb
13
2025
By PETER DELIUS; LINELL CHEWINS and TIM FORSSMAN
An economic and mineral revolution took place long before Europeans settled South Africa’s Cape

An economic and mineral revolution took place long before Europeans settled South Africa’s Cape

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS
WERE you told that gold mining in southern Africa started after 1852? Or that the export of iron, steel, copper and gold began in the late 19th century? Or that South Africa became integrated into a global trading system only after 1652? Or that the first powerful state in South Africa was the Zulu kingdom? If you learned that any of these things were true, you are like most South Africans, who have missed out on at least a thousand years of the country’s history. Both radical and conservative historians have focused heavily on colonial history, a story starting at…
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Feb
12
2025
By The African Mirror
Ford’s Investment in SA’s Future: Building tomorrow’s leaders through the power of reading:

Ford’s Investment in SA’s Future: Building tomorrow’s leaders through the power of reading:

MOTORING NEWS
IN the heart of South Africa, a transformative educational initiative is taking root, powered by one of Africa's leading automotive manufacturers. Ford, in partnership with READ Educational Trust's Rally to Read program, is turning the page on educational inequality, demonstrating how corporate commitment can illuminate the path to literacy for thousands of young minds. The completion of a groundbreaking three-year project benefiting six schools near Ford's Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria marks not just an investment in education, but a beacon of hope for entire communities. This initiative stands as a testament to Ford's unwavering 25-year commitment to South African…
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Feb
12
2025
By The African Mirror
Volkswagen’s Iconic People-Mover Enters a New Era

Volkswagen’s Iconic People-Mover Enters a New Era

MOTORING
JOVIAL RANTAO THE legendary Volkswagen Transporter is ready to write its next chapter, with a revolutionary new design that pays homage to its ancestors while boldly stepping into the future. Set to hit roads in late 2025, this seventh-generation marvel continues the legacy that began with the beloved T1, while offering unprecedented space and versatility for both families and businesses alike. This isn't just an upgrade – it's a complete reimagining. The new Transporter greets the world with striking LED headlamps that command attention, while subtle design cues whisper of its heritage – from the T1's iconic clarity to the…
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Feb
12
2025
By DANIEL OGUNNIYI
Modern slavery and climate change: how extreme weather fuels forced labour and unwanted marriages

Modern slavery and climate change: how extreme weather fuels forced labour and unwanted marriages

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS
WEATHER-INDUCED disasters that are the result of climate change are increasingly affecting societies. One area that hasn’t been explored much yet is how extreme weather events are creating conditions for a rise in modern slavery. Legal scholar Daniel Ogunniyi, who has done research in this field, speaks about the intersection of climate change and modern slavery in Africa. What is modern slavery and how serious is it in Africa? Unlike its historical variant, modern slavery is not a legal term with a precise definition. It is widely used to speak of practices like forced labour, human trafficking, servitude and de…
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Feb
11
2025
By The African Mirror
The fossil skull that rocked the world – 100 years later scientists are grappling with the Taung find’s complex colonial legacy

The fossil skull that rocked the world – 100 years later scientists are grappling with the Taung find’s complex colonial legacy

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS
HERE'S how the story of the Taung Child is usually told: In 1924 an Australian anthropologist and anatomist, Raymond Dart, acquired a block of calcified sediment from a limestone quarry in South Africa. He painstakingly removed a fossil skull from this material. A few months later, on 7 February 1925, he published his description of what he argued was a new hominin species, Australopithecus africanus, in the journal Nature. It was nicknamed the Taung Child, a reference to the discovery site and its young age. The international scientific community rebuffed this hypothesis. They were looking outside Africa for human origins…
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