SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS - The African Mirror

Apr

04

2023

What does Trump’s indictment mean for his political future – and the strength of US democracy?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

EVENTS often seem inevitable in hindsight. The indictment of former US President Donald Trump on criminal charges has been a possibility since the start of his presidency – arguably, since close to the beginning of his career in New York real estate. But until now, the potential consequences of such a cataclysmic development in American politics have been purely theoretical. EMMA SHORTIS, Lecturer, RMIT University Today, after much build-up in the media, The New York Times reported that a Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Trump and the Manhattan district attorney will now likely attempt to negotiate Trump’s surrender.…

Mar

31

2023

By The African Mirror

Does democracy fuel corruption? Most Ghanaians don’t think so

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

DOES democracy breed corruption – particularly in developing countries? There are strong advocates of the theory. And strong detractors. Some studies conclude that democracy aggravates corruption. For instance, the noted scholar of public policy Jong-Sung You’s work explores the relationships between democracy, inequality and corruption. He shows in a study of three East Asian countries that democracy can worsen corruption when a country has high levels of inequality. This, in turn, increases clientelism and patronage politics and state capture. Author JOSEPH YAW ASOMAH, Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba Other studies show that democracy can help combat corruption. One study by…

Mar

02

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa has been grey-listed for not stopping money laundering and terrorism funding. What it means

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE Financial Action Task Force has placed South Africa on a list of countries under increased monitoring, commonly known as the grey list, after it failed to address all of the shortcomings on money laundering and the financing of terrorism that the task force identified in its 2019 evaluation of the country. The decision has serious implications for the country, more specifically its financial services sector as well as its ability to attract investment. The Conversation Africa’s political editor Thabo Leshilo talks to Philippe Burger, an economics professor and the dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at…

Mar

23

2023

By The African Mirror

US-China tensions: how Africa can avoid being caught in a new Cold War

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

CHINA’S foreign ministry published a 4,000-word analysis entitled US Hegemony and its Perils on 20 February. It’s an indictment of alleged US foreign interference, intimidation and interventions that began 200 years ago. This was followed by President Xi Jinping’s accusation at the Communist Party National Congress in March that the US was pursuing an unprecedented global policy to contain and suppress Chinese development. Author JOHN J STREMLAU, Honorary Professor of International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand US official reaction to the Chinese accusations has been muted. But the recent US shooting down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon escalated tensions.…

Mar

28

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria had 93 million registered voters, but only a quarter voted: 5 reasons why

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

NIGERIANS went to the polls in late February to vote for a new president, as well as representatives to two houses of the federal parliament. The turnout was abysmal. There were over 93 million registered voters. But only a little over 25 million people voted. The Conversation Africa asked political scientist Chikodiri Nwangwu to unpack what happened. Author CHIKODIRI NWANGWU, PH.D, Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria Why was Nigeria’s voter turnout so low? Firstly, there was insufficient voter education. Many Nigerians don’t understand the benefits of political participation or don’t understand the electoral process. Little effort…

Mar

18

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s bailout of Eskom won’t end power cuts: splitting up the utility can, as other countries have shown

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE announcement by the South African finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, of debt relief for the country’s troubled power utility, Eskom, is a step forward. It will fix one problem: Eskom has too much debt. But the plan won’t end power cuts which have worsened in recent years. The international experience is that one way to end electricity shortages is to allow competitively-priced privately-funded generation at scale. This requires a reorganisation of South Africa’s electricity market along the lines announced by the Department of Public Enterprises nearly four years ago. The crux of the plan was to split Eskom into three…

Feb

25

2023

By The African Mirror

Rock art as African history: what religious images say about identity, survival and change

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

TO “read” the history of times before writing, scholars have traditionally used excavated evidence. Remains like dwellings, burials and pots can reveal a lot about how people lived long ago. In southern Africa, there is another archive to “read” too: rock art. Rock art is primarily a record of spiritual beliefs – but also reflects the events that these beliefs made sense of. Authors SAM CHALLIS, Senior Researcher, University of the Witwatersrand BRENT SINCLAIR-THOMSON, Support staff, University of the Witwatersrand Hunter-gatherers in the region, ancestors of today’s San or BaTwa, made rock art for thousands of years before African herders…

Mar

18

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s bailout of Eskom won’t end power cuts: splitting up the utility can, as other countries have shown

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE announcement by the South African finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, of debt relief for the country’s troubled power utility, Eskom, is a step forward. It will fix one problem: Eskom has too much debt. But the plan won’t end power cuts which have worsened in recent years. The international experience is that one way to end electricity shortages is to allow competitively-priced privately-funded generation at scale. This requires a reorganisation of South Africa’s electricity market along the lines announced by the Department of Public Enterprises nearly four years ago. The crux of the plan was to split Eskom into three…

Mar

12

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s power crisis: going off the grid works for the wealthy – but could deepen injustice for the poor

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Africa’s current electricity crisis has been described as “a perfect storm”. A number of factors have converged to reach this point: an ageing and inadequately maintained fleet of coal power stations, delays in upgrading the Koeberg nuclear power station and significant failures at the recently built Medupi and Kusile coal power stations. Authors CHRISTINA CULWICK FATTI, Senior researcher, urban sustainability transitions, environmental governance and resilience, Gauteng City-Region Observatory SAMKELISIWE KHANYILE, Researcher, Gauteng City-Region Observatory Since the beginning of 2022, power utility Eskom’s inability to meet the country’s electricity demand has resulted in unprecedented load-shedding (scheduled power cuts). In 2022,…

Feb

18

2023

By The African Mirror

What is Mondiacult? 6 take-aways from the world’s biggest cultural policy gathering

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

CULTURE’S status in global society got a major boost in 2022 when it was recommended to become its own sustainable development goal. This happened at the Unesco World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – called Mondiacult. The world’s most important cultural policy gathering took place in Mexico City 40 years after its first edition in the same city. The 2022 meeting gathered 2,600 participants including 135 government ministers, 83 non-governmental organisations, 32 intergovernmental organisations and nine UN agencies. Author RIBIO NZEZA BUNKETI BUSE, Associate Professor, University of Kinshasa Mondiacult is important because it’s a decision-making meeting that helps…