SPECIAL FEATURES - The African Mirror

Feb

06

2024

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger want to leave Ecowas. A political scientist explains the fallout

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

MALI, Burkina Faso and Niger have sent Ecowas, west Africa’s main political union of 15 countries, a formal notice of their withdrawal from the bloc. The three countries are governed by military rulers who have overthrown democratically elected leaders since 2021. The Conversation Africa’s Godfred Akoto Boafo asked political scientist Olayinka Ajala about the implications of the withdrawal. OLAYINKA AJALA, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Leeds Beckett University Why are Mali, Benin and Burkina Faso withdrawing? The three countries have given three main reasons. First is what they call the “illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions” imposed on…

Feb

03

2024

By The African Mirror

South Africans are opting to go off-grid: how they’re being helped, and hindered, in their efforts

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

ESKOM, South Africa’s state-owned power utility, struggles to generate and supply a stable flow of electricity to meet demand. In 2023, there were times when households and businesses had no power for up to 11 hours a day. Eskom has warned that load shedding will be worse in 2024. GERMARIÉ VILJOEN, Associate Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law, North-West University, North-West University FELIX DUBE, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, University of Pretoria The result is that many South Africans are choosing to end or reduce their dependence on the…

Feb

02

2024

By LIN TAYLOR and NITA BHALLA

UK’s Rwanda plan: Which other nations send asylum seekers abroad?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suffered a setback to his plans to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda after parliament's upper house backed a largely symbolic motion to delay ratification of a treaty aimed at overcoming a legal block. Sunak's "Safety of Rwanda" bill seeks to override a decision by the UK Supreme Court, which ruled last month that the East African country was an unsafe place to send asylum seekers, and the UK Supreme Court ruled last year that the East African nation was not a safe country to send people. Britain then signed a treaty with Rwanda, which it said addressed those…

Feb

01

2024

By TINASHE MUSHAYANYAMA, ADRINO MAZENDA, MARGARET CHITIGA-MABUGU and MARY MANGAI

South Africa is failing people who aren’t poor, but aren’t middle class either

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS, EDITORS CHOICE

MANY South African households are trapped. They are neither poor nor middle class. As a demographic, they hover above the indigence threshold financially. But they are not yet securely in the middle class. This aspirant middle class – individuals whose income is above the indigent thresholds but too low to afford the middle-class lifestyle – is growing in metropolitan areas globally. This class is financially vulnerable, with a higher risk of falling back into poverty compared to the established middle class. We set out to understand the challenges faced by this aspirant middle class in South Africa and the key…

Jan

31

2024

By The African Mirror

What we know about the Italian development plan for Africa

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE Italian government unveiled at the Italy-Africa summit details of a long-awaited project aimed at boosting development in Africa, hoping it will help spark economic growth that will curb irregular immigration to Europe. Here are the main points of the "Mattei Plan" - named after the late Enrico Mattei, who founded state oil company Eni - as outlined by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. AREAS OF INTERVENTION The Italian plan will be developed along five main policy pillars: education and training; agriculture; health; water; and energy - which is the most significant for Rome. The aim is to make Italy an…

Jan

26

2024

By MPHO RANTAO

FE heats up for double Diriyah leg under the lights

MOTORSPORT, MOTORING NEWS

ROUNDS two and three of Formula E (FE) season ten continue in Saudi Arabia on a circuit nestled between UNESCO-protected ancient sites. DS Penske driver Jean-Eric Vergne grabbed pole for the first leg of the Diriyah E-Prix doubleheader, beating out Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans by just 0.072 seconds at the finish line. Vergne grabbed his 16th career pole in Formula E and the team’s first pole since São Paulo in 2023, when JEV's teammate Stoffel Vandoorne took P1, and Vergne’s first since Jakarta in 2022. Defending World Champion Jake Dennis will start race one from third after losing out…

Jan

25

2024

By The African Mirror

Volkswagen Group South Africa honoured as Top Employer for 13th consecutive year

MOTORING NEWS

CONTINUING their legacy of building an environment where employees can thrive, Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) has been named a Top Employer for 2024. This marks the 13th year in a row that VWSA has been honoured with this certification. The Top Employer title is an internationally recognised certification from the Top Employers Institute, which is awarded in recognition of employers around the world that provide excellent conditions for their employees. Included in the considerations are the company’s commitment to employee wellbeing, continuous improvement and to developing talent within the organisation. The list of Top Employers for 2024 was announced…

Jan

25

2024

By The African Mirror

New Look: Honda FIT gets a facelift

MOTORING

IN addition to the recently facelifted FIT eHEV, Honda has refreshed the rest of the FIT range with new and sporty styling, in addition to enhanced specification levels. New design elements such as revised bumpers create a more cohesive, characterful aesthetic, which better reflect the car’s dynamic personality, while retaining the iconic shape of the FIT with the clean, crisp horizontal lines with dynamic touches that give it a new personality. These enhancements stay true to Honda’s original Japanese 'Yoo no bi’ design philosophy – recognising the beauty in everyday items refined over time, to make them even more beautiful…

Jan

30

2024

By The African Mirror

Why are floods in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal so devastating? Urban planning expert explains

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE devastation caused by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa demonstrates again that the country is not moving fast enough to adopt appropriate urban planning. It should integrate risk assessment and management in the design and development of cities. This is becoming more urgent as the frequency of floods increases. HOPE MAGIDIMISHA-CHIPUNGU, Full Professor, University of KwaZulu-Natal Most South African cities were built a long time ago before climate change was predicted. KwaZulu-Natal experienced flooding in July 2016, May 2017, October 2017, March 2019, April 2019, November 2019, November 2020, April 2023, June 2023, and now in January 2024.…

Jan

27

2024

By The African Mirror

Ghana won Afcon four times, but the last time was 40 years ago. What went wrong with its football team?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is the most important football tournament in Africa. It has been contested by the male national teams of countries on the continent since 1957. Egypt is the most successful country in the tournament’s history, with seven wins, the most recent in 2010. Previously, Ghana was the dominant force with four wins. In spite of producing world class players, the country has not won the tournament in four decades. ERNEST YEBOAH ACHEAMPONG, Senior Lecturer, Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sports (HPERS), University of Education, Winneba As the 2023 edition plays out in Côte…