SPECIAL FEATURES - The African Mirror

Jul

11

2024

By ANDREI POPOVICIU and EMMET LIVINGSTONE

‘People started to point the finger’: How the M23 conflict endangers DR Congo’s Tutsi communities

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS, EDITORS CHOICE

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Andrei Popoviciu and Emmet Livingstone THE war between the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s military and the Tutsi-led M23 armed group is having a harmful impact on the country’s Rwandophone Tutsi communities, some of whom have been unfairly typecast as rebel collaborators. Interviews with nearly a dozen Tutsi civilians underscore the diverse ways their communities have been affected by the war, which began in late 2021 and has seen the M23 seize large chunks of eastern DRC with the military backing of neighbouring Rwanda. “People started to point the finger…

Jul

10

2024

By AWINO OKECH

Kenya’s protests are different this time: 3 things that make it harder for government to crush them

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

ON 25 June 2024, a youth-led protest primarily composed of Gen Zs, as they are popularly referred to, stormed Kenya’s parliament. Legislators voted to pass the Finance Bill 2024 in its third and last reading ahead of presidential assent. This was the second countrywide protest over the proposed taxes in the draft law and excesses in government spending. The finance bill is a framework that determines how the government raises revenue. The Kenyan government had proposed raising US$2.7 billion by increasing taxes on essential goods and services, from cooking oil to bread. The bill also targeted digital revenue, where the…

Jul

09

2024

By JOHN NAKUTA

Namibia’s sodomy laws have been overturned – what that means for LGBTIQ+ rights in the country

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE Namibian high court recently invalidated the country’s colonial-era “sodomy law”, which had made consensual sexual acts between men a criminal offence. The court declared that the common law offences of “sodomy” and “unnatural sexual offences” were unconstitutional. This ruling follows a separate decision in 2023 where Namibia’s supreme court ruled to recognise certain same-sex unions contracted outside the country. These two cases are being celebrated as victories for LGBTIQ+ rights in the country and the continent – following similar rulings in South Africa (1998), Botswana (2019) and Mauritius (2023). We asked human rights law lecturer John Nakuta about the…

Jul

08

2024

By The African Mirror

Stage set for the annual Fashion & Textiles Trade Fair

MOTORING NEWS

THE unique trade fair that combines African fashion, desigin, manufacting and global outsourcing options is set for the "Mother City" in South Africa. Cape Town will host the annual FASHION & TEXTILES TRADE FAIR BROUGHT TO YOU BY MESSE FRANKFURT SOUTH AFRICA. This renowned event will be hosted at the ill be hosted at the CTICC from 10 – 12 September 2024. allfashion sourcing Cape Town is a business-oriented Fashion & Textiles trade show combining African Creativity, Design & Manufacturing with International Sourcing Options. The event highlight is the 2024 Young Designers’ Competition. allfashion sourcing Cape Town will be attended…

Jul

08

2024

By The African Mirror

HAVAL Jolion PRO – a motoring revolution on four wheels

MOTORING

If cars are reinventing how South Africa drives, then the all-new HAVAL Jolion PRO is about to revolutionise how you see your motoring future. The first new HAVAL model to launch under the carmaker’s new One GWM philosophy, the New Jolion PRO takes all the solid, dependable and high value traits that its vehicles are famous for and blends them into a stylish sporty new era. “Our New Jolion brings all the typical HAVAL premium cabin finishes, connectivity and safety technologies, but it sets itself apart in a sporty new look” GWM South Africa Chief Operations Officer Conrad Groenewald explains.…

Jul

06

2024

By The African Mirror

Ford Family for Life – Ford Clubs

MOTORING, MULTIMEDIA

FORD SA is pleased to share the latest video from the 'Our Ford Stories' video series, coinciding with Ford South Africa's centenary celebrations. The video shines a spotlight on Ford’s vibrant and diverse car clubs across the country. It highlights the close-knit communities of passionate individuals who share a united loyalty to the Ford brand and a love for its iconic nameplates. These clubs celebrate the various models that have made Ford a beloved brand over the years. From classic Mustangs, and hot hatches, to the latest Rangers, members come together to experience their vehicles as they were meant to…

Jul

05

2024

By LITE NARTEY

Africa doesn’t have a choice between economic growth and protecting the environment: how they can go hand in hand

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

HEATHROW Airport in the UK currently uses more energy than the entire West African country of Sierra Leone. Despite Africa accounting for less than 4% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, many of its countries face significant threats from climate change, including increased droughts, floods, heat waves and potential crop failures. Climate change costs the continent US$5 billion to US$7 billion yearly, a figure projected to reach US$50 billion by 2030. Estimates suggest its impact could push 50 million Africans below the poverty line, while 100 million are at risk of being displaced. At the same time, around 600 million…

Jul

03

2024

By LUKE SINWELL

How democracy can work at community level: 3 lessons from a South African protest movement

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

POPULAR protests have surged around the world over the last decade. But do they work? And what lessons can be learnt from communities who have a history of militant protests? When the African National Congress (ANC) was elected to power in South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994, many believed that popular protests, which were the norm in the fight against apartheid, would no longer be necessary. It was assumed that the party would deliver quality housing and education, safety and economic prosperity to the previously oppressed black majority. But by the late 1990s popular protests in communities affected by…

Jul

02

2024

By XN IRAKI

Kenya unrest: the deep economic roots that brought Gen-Z onto the streets

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE generation of Kenyans born between 1997 and 2012 – the Gen-Zs – have borne the brunt of the country’s slow economic growth. If a country has slow economic growth, it typically experiences higher unemployment rates, reduced income levels and decreased investments. It leads to an overall lower living standard. Over the last 10 years, between 2013 and 2023, Kenya’s average growth rate has been 4.52%. This is less than half of the 10% growth rate that President Mwai Kibaki had envisaged in Vision 2030. The national development plan’s goal was to transform Kenya into a middle-income country providing a…

Jun

29

2024

By NEIL ROOS

Ordinary white South Africans and apartheid – bound to a racist system they helped prop up

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

IN South Africa, apartheid was a divisive political system entrenched by a white minority who regarded other ethnic groups as inferior, creating townships on the outskirts of cities to house the black population and legislation to control their movements. Many academic studies have focused on black life under apartheid, but few on white life – and even fewer on the role of working-class whites in the system. A new book, Ordinary Whites in Apartheid South Africa: Social Histories of Accommodation, does exactly that. We asked historian Neil Roos about his study. What’s the book’s premise? Paul Weinberg/Wits University Press Apartheid…