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South Africa’s Ramaphosa: from activist to businessman to wounded president

South Africa’s Ramaphosa: from activist to businessman to wounded president

TIM COCKS and ALEXANDER WINNING PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa, the anti-apartheid champion who become one of South Africa's wealthiest businessmen and then its most powerful politician, was battling for his political survival. He took on the top job in 2018, vowing to root out corruption and fix the economy. But just as he was about to start fighting for his second term, he was facing calls to quit after an advisory panel found preliminary evidence that he may have committed misconduct. He has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes. Ramaphosa was the leading negotiator for the African National Congress…
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How to impeach a president: Ramaphosa case puts new rules to the test in South Africa

How to impeach a president: Ramaphosa case puts new rules to the test in South Africa

SOUTH Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa faces possible impeachment in the country’s parliament over the illegal stashing of thousands of US dollars at his farm in 2020. This is not the first time there’s been a threat of impeachment of a president in post-democratic South Africa. His scandal-prone predecessor, Jacob Zuma, survived an impeachment vote in 2017 over the illegal use of public money to renovate his private residence. There is, however, a difference in the process being followed this time. It is the first since parliament adopted rules to guide the process for the impeachment of a president in 2018,…
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US midterm elections deserve Africa’s attention – but not for reasons of foreign policy

US midterm elections deserve Africa’s attention – but not for reasons of foreign policy

AFRICANS normally pay little attention to American elections when the presidency is not at stake. But the midterm polls – such as the 8 November 2022 one – deserve Africa’s attention. During midterms, US voters elect 435 members of the House of Representatives for a two-year term and one-third of the senators, the 100-member upper house, who serve for six years. The two houses are collectively known as the US Congress. Some governors, and other officials, including those responsible for elections of the 50 states, also seek a mandate during this period. Author JOHN J STREMLAU, Honorary Professor of International…
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Africa’s largest democracy goes to the polls amid rising insecurity

Africa’s largest democracy goes to the polls amid rising insecurity

AFRICA’S biggest election will be held in February 2023 in Nigeria. It’s the seventh successive general election in the country’s 23 years of unbroken democratic government. The election will be a massive operation. An estimated 95 million registered voters will go to the polls in 176,846 polling units across 774 local government areas. A total of 12,163 candidates sponsored by 18 political parties are on the ballot. They are up for election into 109 senatorial districts, 360 federal constituencies, 993 state constituencies, 28 governorship positions, and the office of the president. But there are rising fears that security crises in…
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Crime, COVID and climate change – South African tourism faces many threats, but it’s resilient

Crime, COVID and climate change – South African tourism faces many threats, but it’s resilient

SOUTH Africa’s tourism industry has been rocked by the murder of a German visitor during an attempted robbery. The development resulted in negative media publicity, with a potentially adverse impact on the country’s image as a safe tourist destination. This comes at a time when the sector is recovering from the devastating effects of the COVID pandemic. The Conversation Africa’s political editor Thabo Leshilo asked Kaitano Dube, an expert in ecotourism, about tourism’s place in South Africa’s economy. Author KAITANO DUBE, Ecotourism Management Lecturer, Vaal University of Technology How important is tourism to South Africa’s economy? Tourism is critical to…
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Nigeria floods: government’s mismanagement of dams is a major cause

Nigeria floods: government’s mismanagement of dams is a major cause

THERE has been severe flooding in Nigeria – the worst in a decade. Earlier this month, Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency warned of catastrophic flooding for states located along the courses of the Niger and Benue rivers. It noted that three of Nigeria’s reservoirs were expected to overflow. The agency said the release of excess water from a dam in neighbouring Cameroon had contributed to the flooding. Olayinka Ogunkoya unpacks Nigeria’s mismanagement of its dams. Author OLAYINKA OLATOKUNBO OGUNKOYA, Professor of Geomorphology, Obafemi Awolowo University What impact does poor dam management have on flooding in Nigeria? The operations management of…
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Apartheid ‘town planning’ created Orlando 90 years ago. It became a hotbed of black resistance

Apartheid ‘town planning’ created Orlando 90 years ago. It became a hotbed of black resistance

ORLANDO East, a working-class community on the periphery of Johannesburg in South Africa, has turned 90 years old. Orlando was one of the first municipal locations – called townships under apartheid – established in 1932 for Africans under the 1923 Native Urban Areas Act. It was renamed Orlando East when Orlando West was established in the 1940s. Author NOOR NIEFTAGODIEN, Head of the History Workshop, University of the Witwatersrand Several new townships were created, especially in the 1950s, in the same region. They were eventually amalgamated into Soweto, the country’s largest township. Soweto was the primary dormitory township for African…
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