THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Jun

20

2026

Trump declared peace in Congo. This is the reality

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

“GENERAL” Sultani Makenga stood before thousands of newly trained armed group recruits in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in February and offered them a promise. “You are now part of an army that has risen up to liberate the country and to really liberate the people,” declared Makenga, the military leader of the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group. Behind him, at the Tshanzu training camp, recruits can be seen marching in lockstep, smashing bricks with their bare hands and foreheads, leaping through flaming hoops and chanting in unison as they prepare to fight against Congolese government forces. Not seen in this…

Jun

20

2026

By HEIKE BECKER

Who was Andimba Toivo ya Toivo? The Namibian leader who chose justice over power

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

CELEBRATED Namibian liberation leader Andimba Toivo ya Toivo played an important role in his country’s development. Beyond Namibia, however, he remains unknown to many. Anthropologist Heike Becker has written a biography of ya Toivo, finally telling his story in full. We asked her four questions about the man and the book. Why is he little known outside Namibia? It’s true, few know about ya Toivo, even though his legacy includes one of the most powerful speeches from the dock ever made during the struggles against settler colonialism in southern Africa. His contribution remains overshadowed because he never became the official…

Jun

19

2026

By LOREN B LANDAU and JEAN PIERRE MISAGO

Xenophobia in South Africa: state’s complicity with gangs and vigilantes is threatening its ability to govern

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

MARCHES, Mozambicans murdered, state-sponsored evacuations, a nationally televised presidential address. Anti-immigrant mobilisation has again drawn the world’s attention to South Africa. The continental backlash threatens tourism, trade, diplomacy and investment opportunities in Africa’s largest economy, and is derailing its constitutional democracy. Many citizens demand that the country restore its sovereignty – the state’s ability to govern itself and determine its own laws within its borders – by tightening border controls. Parties promise to deliver walls, raids and deportations. What these popular debates over sovereignty and border control overlook is that politics is not defined on the borders. It comes from…

Jun

17

2026

By REGINALD SHAVER

In honour of the legendary Dr Alfred Bitini Xuma and in support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Africa

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

TO understand why we gather tonight for the children of the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Africa, I want to take you back more than a hundred years, to one man. In the year 1913, a young man boarded a ship off the coast of this continent and pointed himself toward a country he had never seen. He carried almost nothing. He came from a village called Manzana, in the Transkei, where the only schooling open to a Black child was a mission classroom, and where the world had already decided exactly what a Black South African was permitted…

Jun

15

2026

By MARIA SURIANO

Ma Vesta Smith: why this unsung activist matters 50 years after the Soweto uprising

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHILE many men are remembered as heroes of political struggles, women seldom get enough attention. Vesta Smith is a good example. She fought for South Africa’s liberation from white minority rule, called apartheid. Historian Maria Suriano has written a biography of this activist. With the 50th anniversary of the momentous 1976 Soweto youth uprising in mind, we asked her to tell us about the woman affectionately known as Ma Vesta. Why is Vesta Smith important? Vesta Smith was a community activist who dedicated her life to the anti-apartheid struggle, social justice, non-racialism and gender equality. She participated in key events…

Jun

13

2026

By Lukhanyo Neer

Thabo Mbeki tribute concert restores Soga to the African Renaissance

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

FOR more than 150 years, South Africans have sung Tiyo Soga’s prayer as if it arrived from the heavens without an author. At funerals, in churches, at political gatherings and in moments of national longing, “Lizalis’ idinga lakho” — fulfil your promise — has risen from our throats with solemn force. We know the hymn. We know its ache. We know the promise it demands. Yet, too often, we do not know the man who gave it to us. That forgetting is not innocent. It belongs to the larger wound Soga spent his life resisting: the erasure of African memory,…

Jun

12

2026

By SAMIA SULUHU HASSAN

TANZANIA IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS: “It is time for us to take charge and realize our full potential.”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

GREETINGS from the snow of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in the world. Greetings from the great plains of the Serengeti, where the wildebeest migration rights one of nature's oldest and most magnificent stories. And greetings from the Spice Island of Zanzibar. Tanzania and Russia share a longstanding partnership that spans more than 66 years. In December this year, our two countries will commemorate 65 years of diplomatic relations. Certainly, we do not take this milestone for granted. We treat it as an enduring testament of strong commitment to a mutually beneficial partnership that seeks to uplift the lives…

Jun

11

2026

By LUKE SINWELL; TERRI MAGGOTT, and TREVOR NGWANE

South Africa’s anti‑migrant campaigns use the language of democracy: why that’s dangerous

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ANTI-MIGRANT campaigns in South Africa are increasingly being framed as acts of community protection. Protesters present their efforts as a response to community concerns about crime, unemployment and failing public services. Leaders of these campaigns claim that weak border controls, ineffective immigration enforcement and undocumented migrants have contributed to deteriorating living conditions in many communities. These campaigns are framed as “clean-ups”, “community protection,” or removing “illegal foreigners”. But this is using democratic language to justify othering. It can legitimise the exclusion of migrants by casting them as outsiders, which could increase the probability of violence. In 2024, the March and…

Jun

11

2026

By ALAN HIRSCH

Anti‑foreigner violence in South Africa is easily sparked: what hasn’t been done to deal with it

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THREATS and deadly conflict over migration are spreading fast in South Africa. This is hugely worrying and could result in widespread injury and killings, as it has in the past. The region’s investment prospects could be dimmed too, due to perceptions of political instability. The need for effective responses is real and urgent. The death toll, while disputed, is rising, and reports of marches, threats, sacking of dwellings and violence are widespread across South Africa. Anti-foreigner hysteria is being driven by online campaigns that appear to be highly organised. They include the use of fake information and graphics. It is…

Jun

08

2026

By CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

“We expect foreign nationals to respect our laws. We therefore need to respect them ourselves.”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

OVER recent months, South Africans from every walk of life have raised concerns about migration and illegal immigration. These concerns are being expressed in our communities, our workplaces, our schools, our clinics and across social media platforms. Many South Africans are asking difficult but legitimate questions. They are asking whether our borders are secure. They are concerned about jobs. South Africans are raising these matters because they are concerned about pressure on public services. They are concerned about safety, security and the rule of law. These concerns are real. They deserve to be heard. They deserve to be addressed. South…