SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS - The African Mirror

Jul

05

2025

Ruth First and activist research: the legacy of a South African freedom fighter

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

RUTH First, born 100 years ago, was a South African freedom fighter, journalist and scholar who worked against the racist system of apartheid during white minority rule. She was assassinated by apartheid forces in her office at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique in 1982. Her ideas, work and legacy live on. Sociologists Saleem Badat and Vasu Reddy have edited a new book called Research and Activism: Ruth First & Activist Research. We asked them about her and their project. Who was Ruth First? Heloise Ruth First was born on 4 May 1925 in Johannesburg to Jewish parents who had…

Jul

04

2025

By RICH MALLETT

Uganda’s ride-hailing motorbike service promised safety – but drivers are under pressure to speed

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

MOTORCYCLE-TAXIS are one of the fastest and most convenient ways to get around Uganda’s congested capital, Kampala. But they are also the most dangerous. Though they account for one-third of public transport trips taking place within the city, police reports suggest motorcycles were involved in 80% of all road-crash deaths registered in Kampala in 2023. Promising to solve the safety problem while also improving the livelihoods of moto-taxi workers, digital ride-hail platforms emerged a decade ago on the city’s streets. It is no coincidence that Uganda’s ride-hailing pioneer and long-time market leader goes by the name of SafeBoda. Conceived in…

Jul

02

2025

By FERGUS O’LEARY SIMPSON

To save northern Cameroon’s wildlife, you need to secure the people first

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Fergus O’Leary Simpson NORTHERN Cameroon is facing a crisis that epitomises the interconnected challenges of our time: climate change, armed conflict, and environmental degradation. This combined threat has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee the semi-arid Far North Region for more fertile savannas further south. With little available land, many people have settled in the vast network of protected areas in the North Region – lands set aside by the state to conserve flora and fauna. In response, a coalition of international NGOs is working with the Cameroonian government…

Jul

01

2025

By THEMBINKOSI TWALO

The right to water is out of reach for many South Africans: case study offers solutions

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Africa’s constitution says “everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water”. In reality, however, this right is not enjoyed by all. Many places experience regular water shortages or cut-offs. Some people struggle to access water for drinking, household use and commercial use (mines, factories and agriculture). In many places, tap water is of poor quality, with dangerous waterborne illnesses, such as cholera, typhoid fever and diarrhoeal diseases resulting. Water protests and dehydration are commonplace. As a researcher who studies equitable economies, water services and education, I set out to identify the problems that have caused…

Jun

25

2025

By SARAH BURNS

Presidents of both parties have launched military action without Congress declaring war − Trump’s bombing of Iran is just the latest

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

IN the wake of the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, 2025, many congressional Democrats and a few Republicans have objected to President Donald Trump’s failure to seek congressional approval before conducting military operations. They note that Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war and says that section requires Trump to seek prior authorisation for military action. The Trump administration disagrees. “This is not a war against Iran,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, implying that the action did not require approval by Congress. That’s the…

Jun

20

2025

By OLIVIER STERCK and VITTORIO BRUNI

What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

HUMANITARIAN needs are rising around the world. At the same time, major donors such as the US and the UK are pulling back support, placing increasing strain on already overstretched aid systems. Global humanitarian needs have quadrupled since 2015, driven by new conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza. Added to these are protracted crises in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and DR Congo, among others. Yet donor funding has failed to keep pace, covering less than half of the requested US$50 billion in 2024, leaving millions without assistance. Notably, the US recently slashed billions of US dollars from global relief efforts.…

Jun

19

2025

By MATT FITZPATRICK

Iran war: from the Middle East to America, history shows you cannot assassinate your way to peace

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

IN the late 1960s, the prevailing opinion among Israeli Shin Bet intelligence officers was that the key to defeating the Palestinian Liberation Organisation was to assassinate its then-leader Yasser Arafat. The elimination of Arafat, the Shin Bet commander Yehuda Arbel wrote in his diary, was “a precondition to finding a solution to the Palestinian problem.” For others, even more radical Israelis – such as the ultra-nationalist assassin Yigal Amir – the answer lay elsewhere. They sought the assassination of Israeli leaders such as Yitzak Rabin, who wanted peace with the Palestinians. Despite Rabin’s long personal history as a famed and…

Dec

24

2025

By UNALUDO SECHELE

Marriage and migration: what happens when men return to the family home in Botswana

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE history of labour migration in Botswana can be linked to the discovery of gold and diamonds in South Africa in the late 19th century. South Africa needed cheap labour, and men from neighbouring territories were pulled into the workforce as unskilled or semi-skilled workers in mines, factories, kitchens and farms. Mine recruitment agencies like the Native Recruiting Corporation and the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association began expanding recruitment networks in Botswana in the 1930s. Men in Botswana – a British protectorate and largely rural economy at the time – were open to labour migration for several reasons. They had to…

Jun

13

2025

By TINASHE P. KANOSVAMHIRA

What students eat: I conducted a survey at a South African university’s cafes – the results are scary

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

UNIVERSITY students have limited spending money and their schedules are packed. Many are adapting to new lifestyles on campus. Eating a healthy diet is crucial: a poor diet leads to reduced concentration, lower grades and increased stress. Campus cafés, especially at universities that are some distance from supermarkets, often sell mainly fast food such as white bread sandwiches, hot chips and doughnuts. It’s easy to eat on the go, but places nutritious choices out of reach. I’m an urban geographer who researches the relationship between food, health and place. My work examines how urban agriculture, informal food systems and everyday…

Jun

12

2025

By ERIC Y TENKORANG

Violence against women in Ghana is deeply rooted in culture and family ties – study

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

INTIMATE partner violence is controlling behaviour that results in harm to victims. This can be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, economic or spiritual harm. Women are overwhelmingly the victims and survivors of intimate partner violence. Globally, about one-third of women have experienced some type of intimate partner violence. In Ghana, too, one-third of women have experienced physical and sexual abuse. Research has linked women’s experiences of intimate partner violence to their socio-economic marginalisation, although it can happen to wealthy women too. Beyond the socio-economic reasons, some also make cultural arguments. One such factor is lineage: lines of ancestry. Lineage is a…